Today we’d like to introduce you to Martha Quiroz.
Martha, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started my Aesthetics journey in 2016. I always knew I would work in the beauty industry, my mom’s family has a lot of cosmetologist so I grew up being around the industry from a very young age. I received my Esthetician license March of 2017. It’s always harder to get a job right out of school, no matter what schooling you do. I was determined to find something and ended up getting hired at a small salon down the street from my house in Thousand Oaks.
While working at the salon in Thousand Oaks I was also working at Marshalls at night to keep a steady income since I was basically starting up a business with 0 clientele. While working at the salon my friend from Esthetician school, Monique, had told me the salon she works at in Oxnard was hiring & I was itching for more hands on practice. I got hired there and I was working there 2 days out of the week while also having clients at the salon in Thousand Oaks Wednesday-Saturday & working at Marshalls Sunday Monday & Wednesday. Looking back I don’t know how I did it.
A few months later I ended up leaving the salon in Oxnard, I quit my job at Marshalls and was bouncing back and forth with jobs trying to figure out the right fit. Meanwhile my business at the little salon in Thousand Oaks I was working at was not going anywhere, I was super shy at the time, not used to stepping out of my comfort zone and was not at all confident in my skills so I was making little to no money. I ended up getting a full time job at a collections agency and decided to work late afternoons/nights at the salon. Everything was going great but I knew in my heart this wasn’t what I wanted, I wanted to work for myself, I didn’t want anyone to be in charge of me.
After nine months I decided to leave the collection agency and start to focus on my business. But just so happens when I told the owner of the salon that I quit my full time job to focus on my business she told me that she was letting me go. She never gave me an exact answer but i’m sure it was because I was barely there and when I was there I was shy and wouldn’t approach guests in the salon to ask if they wanted services done. I felt defeated and destroyed, I felt like I was not meant to be in this industry. So I called my old boss from Marshalls and after a year and a half of not working there I was hired back.
I worked there from September of 2019 to January of 2020. When January 2020 hit I was going through a lot, my dad was just diagnosed with brain cancer and had to have brain surgery. I was on Paid Family Leave at Marshalls because I had no clue when I would be back. I basically became a full time care taker for my dad. When March 2020 came the whole world shut down due to COVID and my sisters, mom and I became full time caregivers to my dad. A couple months of being in lockdown only essential businesses were up and running so in September 2020 I had decided to gain the confidence to start my instagram page back up and was willing to take some clients from my home.
I was getting quite a bit of people reaching out to me that hadn’t had their brows waxed in months and they were trusting me to wax them. I had a cute little set up with a massage table, easy up, my wax pot and supplies. People would enter through the side of my house, wear masks and I would sanitize the crap out of everything. All while doing that I would be checking in to make sure my dad was okay and didn’t need anything. Winter was soon approaching and the weather was starting to change and it was effecting me taking clients. January 2021 came around and my sister had told me about the Salon in Westlake Village she would get her brows done at (Beautique) , I used to go there for brow services in High School. She told me the owner was looking for someone to rent the room by the day. I chose to take the leap and do it because I was starting to have some regular clients and I was able to expand my menu to facials and body waxing.
June 2021 came around and I was offered to sign a full time lease since now I had more returning clients. All of this exciting news was going on business wise but meanwhile my dad was battling 3 types of cancer, brain cancer, bladder & liver cancer. My dad unfortunately ended up passing away September 2021 and as much as I wanted to crawl and hide away from any responsibilities I knew thats what my dad wouldn’t have wanted for me. I decided to take his “life goes on” mentality and apply it to work. I was promoting the heck out of my business, constantly trying to get clients in, had a great clientele of repeat clients most are even still with me now.
That same year I decided I wanted to learn Brazilian Waxing and I asked my friend Monique (@aestheticsbynini on Instagram) if she can teach me her ways. Monique taught me what I was missing, when I was learning Brazilian waxing I realized this was the service I was missing. I fell in love with it. I love the results and I love making people feel most comfortable in their skin. I love for my clients to be able to tell their friends, family or even coworkers that they had a Brazilian service with me and they felt so comfortable. I now specialize in Brazilians and it is my most booked service.
October of 2022 hit and I met my now fiancé Jose. People call us crazy but when you know you know. We fell fast for each other and got engaged quick and now we have a little family of our own, my stepson Alexander and my daughter Harley. I got pregnant March 2023 and knew I was going to need some help with clients while being pregnant and while I was away on maternity leave. I decided to ask a girl that i’ve literally only had a facial from once and serviced 2 times, Ayme (@complexionbyayme on Instagram) if she wanted to come in and help me out with clients. I told her I would teach her everything I know when it comes to waxing, lash lifts and laminations so she can help me service my clients while I was on maternity leave.
Ayme and I developed a very great and beautiful friendship/relationship. She helped me so much when it came to clients, installing her trust into me. I feel like we both helped each other grow our businesses together. Ayme was with me for almost 2 years. We shared a suite, the days I wasn’t there she was there working on clients. She recently just branched out on her own and is able to work 7 days a week! As for myself, my daughter is almost 2 years old and I love that I have freedom to make my own schedule. Having a work/life balance is so hard but i’m so grateful and glad I don’t have to miss many milestones of my daughters. I brought on a new Esthetician, Jeunesse (@glowing.baddiess on IG) who is also a long time client of mine to come in, share my space and build a business of her own!
Truthfully if it wasn’t for my story I would not be where I am today. I am so grateful for the hardships, the good times & days i’ve been so exhausted. I am proof that busting your a** gets you where you want to be in life. If you’re wanting to enter the industry I say do it, it’s hard, exhausting but seeing clients so happy walking through the door is so worth it. My clients that have been with me from the very beginning, I am so incredibly grateful. I never thought i’d be in a position where I can say I love my job. My advice to anyone going through it right now is KEEP IT PUSHING. Keep going and you will get to where you need to be. My journey is proof.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It hasn’t always been smooth sailing, I have gone through a lot in my early adulthood family wise and if you’re not in the “go getter” mentality I can see why some people lose motivation.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about ME Aesthetics?
I am in Esthetician specializing in Brazilian Waxing. I strive to give my clients a 5 star service every single time they walk through my doors. I am not an Esthetician who rushes for a “quick buck” I love establishing relationships with every one of my clients.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Marthaquiroz.glossgenius.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/me.aestheticss?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
