Franchisee Stories
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Hernandez attributes her success to her employees, who she invests in by providing mentorship opportunities, career development and community service training.
An educator by trade with a Master of Education degree, current Amazing Lash Studio® franchisee, Raquel Hernandez, taught fourth grade in San Bernardino County public schools for eight years. “I thought I was going to be a teacher forever, but I had a really cool opportunity to work for a private business, traveling across the country teaching other teachers about how to use technology in the classroom,” said Hernandez. “It was only supposed to be a temporary leave, but I ended up loving it.” After spending so many years on the road, Hernandez started looking for a career that would allow her to reinvest in her hometown. That’s when she discovered the Amazing Lash Studio brand.
Hernandez and her fiancé, Robert Costello, opened their first studio after Hernandez had spent about a year as a customer herself. The Amazing Lash Studio brand stood out to her thanks to some of its key differentiators including a private, spa-like atmosphere and a patented eyelash application technique delivered by highly-skilled, personable stylists. From a business perspective, the Amazing Lash Studio franchise system was appealing to Hernandez for qualities such as its small real estate footprint, strong membership model and proprietary product line which provide for a potentially more sustainable and easily-scalable business model. Hernandez has been a franchisee with the Amazing Lash Studio brand since 2017, but she has purchased three locations in Upland, Redlands and Del Mar, California.
Before learning about the business side of owning an Amazing Lash Studio location, Hernandez fell in love with the brand’s commitment to delivering an exemplary customer experience every time. “I truly believed in the concept, and I know the power that something like a beautiful set of lashes can have on a person’s confidence,” said Hernandez. “I was driving about an hour to get my lashes done at the nearest studio, and I decided to look into it as a business ownership opportunity for myself.”
As she learned more about the franchise opportunity, Hernandez fell in love with the team atmosphere of the Amazing Lash Studio system. “Even when I was teaching, I’ve always been attracted to working in a collaborative environment,” said Hernandez.
If you walk into any of Hernandez’s studios, you might feel like you’ve set foot in one of the classrooms where she used to teach. “We have things that would remind you of a classroom everywhere, like having ongoing games and incentives for my staff to keep them engaged,” said Hernandez. “This month we’re doing team tic-tac-toe in our breakroom. The Amazing Lash Studio brand has given me the opportunity to really educate and mentor young women in a way that will go beyond the responsibilities of this job and help set them up for success for the rest of their lives.”
Hernandez has also used her platform as an Amazing Lash Studio franchisee to be a dedicated philanthropist, giving back to local school districts through Lashes for Education. The event allowed clients at the Redlands studio to receive eyelash extension services in exchange for a donation of their choice, 100% of which was donated to the schools. Hernandez’s store raised over $3,000 for each school district.
Because of her commitment to employee empowerment, philanthropy and consistently reporting top sales in the nation within the Amazing Lash Studio franchise system, Hernandez was honored as a finalist for Best Franchisee of the U.S.A. at Franchise Expo West in December 2019.
Hernandez wasn’t the only member of her team who was recognized in 2019; the Redlands studio won both the leadership award and humanitarian award at the Amazing Lash Studio National Conference. “This last year at the 2019 convention was really exciting, not just for me, but for our staff as a whole,” Hernandez said. “We worked really hard to get where we are, and for three months, our Redlands studio earned top sales in the nation for the Amazing Lash Studio network.”
Manager, Chelsea Rosario, earned Manager of the Year and lash stylist, Alyssa Wood, took home the Heart and Soul award for proving herself as one of the top stylists in the nation. “Alyssa lives and breathes every part of the Amazing Lash Studio brand, and is truly passionate about her work,” said Hernandez.
As far as the future, Hernandez is always looking for additional ways to provide mentorship opportunities and support for her team. “If people don’t feel like there is room for them to grow within a business, they start looking elsewhere. If there isn’t a position available for someone right away, we’ll work together to create that position,” said Hernandez.
“I look at people’s strengths, and I try to figure out how to create something for them that is the best for them and the best for the business,” she continued. “It not only builds leadership skills, but it makes them feel like their best assets are really being acknowledged and appreciated. We’re helping build skills that they can take with them to any career that they want.”
The investment range for an Amazing Lash Studio® franchise is $239,210 to $508,510*. To learn more about franchising with Amazing Lash Franchise, LLC, visit https://franchising.amazinglashstudio.com.
*As per the March 30, 2020, Franchise Disclosure Document.
Amazing Lash Franchise, LLC. (“ALF”) 9780 S. Meridian Blvd, Suite 400 Englewood, CO 80112. This information is not intended as an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, a franchise. It is for information purposes only. Currently, the following states regulate the offer and sale of franchises: California, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. If you are a resident of one of these states, we will not offer you a franchise unless and until we have complied with applicable pre-sale registration and disclosure requirements in your jurisdiction. MN File No. F-8741. This advertisement is not an offering. An offering can only be made by a prospectus filed first with the Department of Law of the State of New York. Such filing does not constitute approval by the Department of Law. THESE FRANCHISES HAVE BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE FRANCHISE INVESTMENT LAW OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. SUCH REGISTRATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE APPROVAL, RECOMMENDATION OR ENDORSEMENT BY THE COMMISSIONER OF CORPORATIONS NOR A FINDING BY THE COMMISSIONER THAT THE INFORMATION PROVIDED HEREIN IS TRUE, COMPLETE AND NOT MISLEADING. Each Amazing Lash Studio® location is independently owned and operated. Amazing Lash Studio® is a registered trademark of ALF
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