Life and Work with Dahlia Sanchez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dahlia Sanchez.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Dahlia. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
The earliest memory I have of my passion for hair and makeup is when I was about six years old. My sister Judy and I would spend hours playing with our mother’s makeup and hair products. This was a treat for us because it was rare that we could get our mother to say yes to us, it was only after incessant begging that we wore her down. You see, we grew up in a conventional Mexican household- that meant no makeup, no nail polish, no hair color until you are 15. I have always believed, since the tender age of 6, that makeup and hair is a great way to express creativity and let the beauty that is already there, shine. In high school, I learned that my school offered a cosmetology program for those with enough credits to graduate early. That meant that I could finish high school early if I worked hard, and graduate with an additional skill set. I graduated from cosmetology school a month before I was awarded my high school diploma. During cosmetology school, through my passion for the up do’s and makeovers of the trade, I brought in such a high volume of clients that I was offered a position at the beauty college as an instructor. I gave up the opportunity as an instructor to pursue a full-time position at a salon where I worked and honed my skills for the next 10 years. I learned so much from collaborating with other artists and training. Working at the salon gave me job security, but I wanted more creative control and that meant going into business for myself. So, I took a leap of faith, and I started Dahlia Updos & Makeup. I have been self-employed for the past five years and I absolutely love it!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Starting a business was not a particularly smooth road for me. There was, and still is, plenty to learn. I struggled with a nagging fear of failing, losing a majority of clientele after leaving my former employer, finding effective ways to market myself, and networking. I really believe, more and more each day, that we need to embrace and learn from our mistakes. I was so scared to make mistakes, to “fail”, the thought of failure would terrify me and overwhelm me so much so that I wouldn’t get anything done. It has taken time to get used to making mistakes, and a lot of deep thinking on how to improve from it. For me, it was a choice to overcome obstacles and continue working, building, growing and learning. No one wants to fail, but everyone will. Once we accept that and learn from our mistakes we move on with more rapidity each time. I loved Ray Dalio’s, “Principles of Success” and recommend you watch his 30 min break down of these principles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9XGUpQZY38.

Losing and re-building clientele has been challenging, to say the least. This was stressful for me because I wanted to have a large enough clientele to make it my sole mean of income right off the bat, and that wasn’t the case. It took re-evaluating, re-strategizing and a lot of patience, to move in that direction without giving up. Building clientele takes time. People have to know of you, see your work, and be referred to you. I learned that it was okay to supplement my income, I told myself that it in no way meant that I would not reach my goal. Keep trying and be consistent. I was not too fond of doing the Marketing of the business. I genuinely struggled to make time and get creative with the free-marketing-at-my-fingertips, otherwise known as SOCIAL MEDIA. I did not like posting, hashtagging and focusing on how to make my work look good on camera. But I had to learn. I invested in a Diva ring light to enhance the lighting of my images, I started to pay attention to capturing images with good angles and I started experimenting with hashtags. I recommend building your online portfolio and having an online presence, and here again, posting with consistency is key. Invest in meaningful tools and experiment, have fun with it. I really struggled with networking and asking for help. I wanted to be independent in everything I did. I was sooo wrong! I meet Angel Macauley one day, out of the blue, and we started chatting. She invited me to be a part of her glam squad for one of Denver’s Raw Events. I met such an incredible group of people at this event, one connection lead to another and another. I was invited to participate in multiple fashion shows and even built the courage to apply for Fashion Week and was accepted. I built so many connections due to this one opportunity. I have acquired new connections, new clients, new opportunities and knowledge due to one networking interaction. I encourage you to build connections and try new things, explore new opportunities and avenues.

Please tell us about Dahlia Updos & Makeup.
Dahlia Updos & Makeup delivers excellent, hairstyles, blowouts, updos and makeup applications for special events such as weddings, birthdays, quinceñeras, photo shoots, corporate events and more. The beauty of our company is that we travel to you and perform the services in the comfort of your home, venue, or place of preference. I pride myself in the fact that my company is known for the exceptional quality of our hairstyles, blowouts, updos and makeup applications, attention to detail, and providing a fair price to our customers. We listen to what our customers want so that we can help them look and feel exceptional on their special day without breaking the bank.

Who have you been inspired by?
So many to list! I am inspired by my sister; I love her ability to pick something up and master it quickly, her intellect and free spirit. My mother inspires me daily with her kindness and her strength to make it through the tough times. Brenda, who is like a sister to me, she inspires me daily with her resilience, humility, compassion and care. Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s, for her unrelenting pursuit of women’s rights, gender equality, her forceful dissents, and her refusal to step down from a job that she loves. These women are all strong, smart, creative, passionate, driven and admirable. They add incredible value to my life, and I find that their dedication, tenacity, creativity, and passion is contagious. I am proud to count all of the women in this category personal friends of mine, but they are so much more than that! Lety Maximova has built a successful career as a Bilingual Realtor extraordinaire; Myrna Muñoz expertly juggles her family jewelry business, being a single mother, and competes in female bodybuilding competitions; Diana Lange is amongst one of the most creative photographers I know, her ability to coax the personality out of her subjects and capture it astounds me. These are all local women, they own their own business’, and hustle at it every day. We share passion, drive, and dedication in what we do.

Pricing:

• Updos $85-$125
• Makeup $75-$95

Contact Info:

• Phone: 3036216148
• Email: dahlia.updosandmakeup@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dahliaupdosandmakeup/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dahliaupdosandmakeup/

Image Credit:
Felipe Aredondo Dahlia Sanchez

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