Meet Ivonne Herrera of Hair Era by Herrera

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ivonne Herrera.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Ivonne. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Having worked in Mortgage Financing, I was constantly neglecting my artistic expression and the love for community work. In 2007, as the housing market was starting to crash I found myself unemployed. With two little girls to support, a household to maintain and half of our income gone, my husband and I came to a pivotal moment where we were forced to make changes in our lives. Learning that even in a conservative corporate world there are no guarantees, my supportive husband took on a second job so that I could be able to pursue my dreams and obtain my cosmetology license. This decision was intimidating and risky for us. Although the road along the way was not going to be easy, I had to show my daughters a blueprint of what passionate pursuit looked like. I have been determined and focused on achieving a successful career through my passion for people and beauty.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I’ve had to face some giants along my journey and the challenges have been many. Switching to a competitive industry during an economic crisis, not having a fixed income to depend on and not having a large clientele had me questioning if I had made the right decision. However being a woman of faith and knowing to believe in the unseen I had to stay focused on the dream by putting one foot in front of the other in pursuit of my own business. I humbly trained under some of the most sought out stylist in the world while pursuing my cosmetology license. Even though a lot of the time I would only take home what I made in tips I knew I was on the right path and that it would pay off in the end. Looking for the right salon that paralleled with my core values was another challenge, as every salon comes with its own style and energy. I was determined to find a salon where the clients well-being and the integrity of their hair was important. After obtaining my license I had the privilege to directly assist icon Chaz Dean at his beautiful salon @chazdeanstudios while learning and absorbing all I could from his entrepreneurial spirit.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Hair-Era by Herrera – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I am a freelance hairstylist with an ever-growing passion for the industry. I have creatively stretched myself beyond the walls of Apothic Salon where I have been growing my clientele for the past five years, a beautiful salon on the border of Burbank and Toluca Lake. For the past five seasons, I have worked as the lead hairstylist for Bravo’s reality show “Flipping Out”, I joined and helped expand an on-demand beauty app-based company in Los Angeles called GLAMSQUAD. As an annual stylist to the Emmys, Grammys and the Oscars, I have worked closely with my celebrity clientele. It sounds like a glamorous industry, don’t get me wrong, it can be, and although it is a very physically demanding job it is nonetheless satisfying.

I really enjoy working with my clients creating signature looks for their personal style and empowering them to also achieve the salon look at home by educating them on product and tools. While building a connection and relationship with my clients I have found myself taking a real personal interest in their needs. Many clients have said and most hairstylist can agree, that a hairstylist’s chair is full of personal confessions, thoughts, dreams, goals and life struggles. In thinking of ways to make the experiences for my clients unique and memorable and even inspirational I started taking the steps to become a certified life coach. I really enjoy helping people and I believe in beauty as a whole from the inside out and the outside in. Being able to combine my artistic expression and provide a service beyond the surface has been an extraordinary experience for me.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
It seems to me that our beauty industry is changing and morphing as quickly as our technology is. Having the abilities to see what’s trending on the other side of the world with just a tap of our fingertips is fascinating. Having the technology we have at hand the possibilities for our industries are endless. It will push us to stretch our creativity and be more innovative than ever. The on-demand services have become a lucrative part of the business fulfilling the needs for the client in having a stylist at their door within 45 minutes and at the same time allowing the entrepreneurial stylist to be independent and flexible. My current endeavour is to bring my personal hair services to the community of hospitals – including patients, visitors, and hospital staff. In an environment that is often sterile, I want to bring a personalized human touch that would allow me to uplifts my clients’ spirits.

Contact Info:

• Address: 4111 W. Olive Ave. Burbank, CA 91505
• Phone: (818) 517-6883
• Email: [email protected]

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