Meet Blanca Berrelleza of Suite Bee in South Bay

Today we’d like to introduce you to Blanca Berrelleza.

Blanca, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started my hairdresser journey about nine years ago. It took me a few years to officially start beauty school because I wasn’t sure which direction my life was going, I knew it was such a competitive field, and I always thought “why would anyone come to me when they have all these options.”

I finally decided to enroll, and now I can’t see myself doing anything else in life. I worked in a few salons, met some amazing artists and about a year ago I decided I wanted something different. It was the scariest, craziest move I’ve done in my career, and that’s how the Suite Bee was born.

I packed up after five years of being at a salon and decided to open my salon suite. And honestly some days I still can’t believe I did that and that my clients actually followed me, it’s crazy!

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?
Oh man, this has been the bumpiest ride I’ve ever been on and haven’t got off since. From early on, having to take a pay cut in order to make time to attend beauty school and at the same time having to come up with the money to pay for it, it’s been a never-ending struggle since day one. I didn’t always do this full time…

Six years ago, I had a full-time office job, and hair was just something I did on the weekends or after hours. I was afraid of not having a steady income, so that held me back from jumping into a salon full time, until one day I didn’t have a choice.

Due to bad personal life choices, I found myself not having a place to live, luckily my amazing friend opened up her home to me. About a month later I lost my full-time office job. I was devastated, in a matter of months, my life was flipped upside down. And because I no longer had a steady paycheck, I had no choice but to break into the hair world full time.

During this time, I had a lot of internal and financial challenges. I slowly started to understand and accept that this was my new normal, the life that I had planned out prior to losing my job and housing was not the life that was anymore. I had to dig deep, find confidence and pick myself up.

During this time, the salon was always my escape, I was always at work, I discovered my passion and haven’t looked back since. It has shaped me into the person I am now, and it is my passion that keeps me going.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Suite Bee – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Having my own salon suite, I feel it has given me the opportunity to actually get to know my clients, and build relationships. Over the past year, I have gotten to know my clients on a more personal level. I feel that the suite provides a more serene atmosphere for my client and it allows for more personalization. I want it to be their escape from a hectic day.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
There are definitely big plans for Suite Bee and myself coming along. Now that I know I can do this, I definitely don’t want to stop now.

Contact Info:

• Address: 19800 Hawthorne Blvd suite 114 Torrance, California
• Phone: 3234940992
• Instagram: @thesuitebee
• Facebook: Suite Bee

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