Today we’d like to introduce you to Gilenid Ramos.
Hi Gilenid, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
My name is Gilenid Ramos, but many know me as Mrs. G. I am from Yauco, Puerto Rico. I started working in the beauty industry as a nail technician at the age of 15. Back then in PR, you only needed certification to be able to work and I was very proud of my progress. I made the decision with my husband to move to the United States in 2002. We landed in Orlando – where I had the reality check of needing a license to be able to work in the beauty industry here in Florida. Another challenge I had to face was the language barrier! By working hard and proving to myself that I can overcome those barriers, I was finally able to attend beauty school.
On the day of enrollment in 2009, they asked me why I was getting a Nail Technology License instead of a Full Specialist. Then I’m asking, “full specialist?” So they explained, I would be able to do nails, facials, and waxing services. At first, I was hesitant, but it was an opportunity for more education! First day of school my amazing teacher Maricel Tamura, a Paramedical Esthetician showed up and started talking in full ‘Esthetician Language’ and I got very intimidated. My teacher was Colombian and she called me after class and said, “Gilenid I can see your potential, and I want to help you. I will teach you in English because you will work in English, but I promise you I will make it easy for you to understand.” Sure enough, she helped me throughout the whole program.
Not only just to understand, but she gave me the passion of helping others. I knew before I even graduated that I wanted to teach and have my own spa. After graduation, an opportunity to work as a Spa Director in Jacksonville, Florida was offered to me in 2011. I was able to build essentially from the beginning. I built a team that was successful and made me so proud. During the process of hiring that team, I saw the education for esthetics in Jacksonville was very different from what I had in Orlando.
I found myself not only hiring but re-training the estheticians on protocols and understanding product knowledge. I sought out the opportunity to start teaching at Heritage Institute in the esthetics department in 2015. I was very proud of it, but unfortunately shortly after they closed their doors. I found myself lost, I was working for a small spa but it was not enough to keep my family going. I tried to find a better job but at this point, I was “overqualified” many gave me interviews just to tell me they couldn’t afford someone with that much experience.
It was discouraging because I wanted to put my experience and knowledge towards helping others grow and I was not able to. By 2013, my husband, a graphic designer, designed a business card with my picture and the name of GRF Skin Care. I founded the business and together with my family, we made the decision to open my own office. Zero clients, Zero equipment, zero capital.
I took two car payments and invested in my first office. After accumulating the basic skincare and waxing products we started GR Facial and Waxing Studios on December 1, 2016. With all my dreams and knowledge I found myself in a room with no clients and every day was harder and harder. No knowledge of social media, promotions, or how to move my business. At this point, I was searching for help and no one was willing to help me unless I paid thousand of dollars for business advice.
I continued my search for a teaching job, and I was hired at a medical spa where I became a lead and trainer. Then, a teaching position was offered at Alpha School of Massage. I was working on the medical side of the esthetics, teaching the night program of the facial specialist program, and building my own business. On top of all that, I am a wife and mother of three amazing kids: Angel is 25 years old, Alondra is 22 years old and Valeria is 13 years old. I had my hands full and my dreams finally coming true.
I was working from 6 am to 10 pm, Monday to Friday and then Saturdays 9-8 pm. My students were amazing and my clients at the medical spa were rebooking! I found myself booked four weeks in advance and my waxing services were growing at GR Facial and Waxing Studios. I was becoming known for my “Six minutes Brazilian” and things were looking up!
Unfortunately, when the big waxing franchises opened around me I was not able to compete with the price. I started losing clients and it was harder to pay my business expenses. I had to make the decision of moving my office from Southside to Beach Blvd to save money. The next room that I rented was less expensive, but the landlord had multiple issues that made my client numbers drop even more.
It felt like God wanted me to close my doors and just dedicate myself to teaching. I talked to my family and made the hard decision to let it go. As mentioned earlier, my husband Omar Ramos is a graphic designer. A new business called him to create the storefront designs for their hair salon. Sure enough, they had a room for rent with its own entrance! My husband came home so excited talking about an opportunity he found for GR to become a storefront.
I was training on lashes by that time and we sealed the deal. Now we are GR Facial Wax and Lash! Unfortunately, the salon owners did not like how fast I was growing and started making it more difficult day by day for me to operate inside the location. I was already the Director of the Esthetic program at Alpha School of Massage where I was trying to make everyone happy by teaching both the AM and PM classes. I was also offering advanced education to estheticians. My plate was too full and I was failing the most important part of my life, my family.
I was in my car crying and praying at 11 pm when I saw a ‘for rent’ sign in Crescent Hill Office Park. I knew at that moment I can’t afford a full location, but I still called and took a tour. The very next day I was there and it felt like home. I told them to give me 24 hours to come up with the money. My daughter Alondra Vega opened her Photography Business in 2016 and she was doing very well. She helped me financially and soon after became part of my team of Master Estheticians. I opened GR Facial Wax and Lash at the current office on December 1, 2018. I taught until June 2019, but then the time came to fully focus on my business. I still miss teaching so much, but the joy to have more family time was more important.
I opened my location with whatever I had and my clients saw me growing, decorating, and building my business from the ground up. Taking that huge leap of faith turned out to be the biggest blessing in my life. My goal was to find a team and create a space where I can continue teaching and building relationships with my clients or ‘queens’ as I like to call them!
March 2020 came and COVID 19 was a huge concern. My team at that time was sent home for their safety and I stayed working alone. The stay-at-home order was issued on April 1, 2020, and we closed our doors. While we were at home we had time to do training online for my team and other estheticians. Unfortunately, we did not receive PPP or SBA. No help at all for keeping my small business running. But that didn’t stop us! God provided and we were able to pay the bills. On May 16, 2020, we reopened our doors and our queens were ready to come back! We had one of the best months GR has ever seen. Our clientele was so loyal! When we opened our online booking system, it only took an hour to be fully booked for the next month. It was like nothing we have experienced before.
As of today, we are a family of six!
Alondra Vega is my daughter and Master Esthetician. She helps me build and understand social media. She took the time and effort through her photography business to give us a professional image.She is a super talented Lash artist and Skin Care Therapist.
Maylon Cummings is an Esthetician that graduated in Georgia and was looking for a place to work that she could truly call home. She is one of our biggest blessings at GR. Her knowledge and personality are a joy to be around.
Joya Foster was my student at Alpha School of Massage and from that moment we always shared the same passion for waxing and lashing! I knew we would work together at some point.
Shelby Schlicht is our newest queen. She graduated from FSCJ in the hardest time of Covid. I basically had a clear canvas to teach her! Now, six months later she is doing amazing and steadily building her clientele as she learns!
My dear husband, Omar Ramos is my Micropigmentation Artist and Front Desk Manager. Our website builder and graphic Designer as well. Together we have an amazing team.
Together, we all hold a total of about 59 certifications between Skincare, Lash Extensions, and Micro-pigmentation. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, but I wouldn’t change a thing! Becoming a business owner is a lot of work, but my biggest success is when I can see my employees living their best life.
I love seeing them buy that new house or car and building their character and knowledge! They’re not just an employee number to me. I want them to walk into work feeling like they are with the family and belong to something bigger.
As I say to all my students and team members, “I am here to help you. I will be here as long as you need me in your life.” We are a community, not a competition.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I would say the hardest part for me was time management. It can sound easy to follow your plans, but it’s actually so hard to fully execute them! I found myself for over a year staying up until 3 am building classes, working on social media, and answering emails. Even though I had my family helping me manage, it can be challenging trying to oversee an entire business.
When someone wants to open their own business and they ask me how I did it… my answer is, “are you willing to walk through the valley without quitting? Are you ready to have a few mental breakdowns? Are you willing to sacrifice family time and your own to build something great? Do you understand that business owners have to work more than we sleep?”
If that answer is yes, then do it. Take that jump. Owning a business is not for everyone. We all have a role and we all need each other to succeed. If you have the right mindset, you can make anything happen.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
What I love the most is being able to help each other. The best compliment I can get is a referral, especially when it’s from my current clients! I love seeing their smile when they look at their glowing skin and fresh lashes. I can proudly say I’ve mastered all the areas of my spa. I built a technique that allows me to lash faster without compromising quality, I developed skincare protocols that are results-oriented and I offer the highest advanced education to estheticians.
I am not only a business owner. I am also their mentor, their trainer, their right hand, and their biggest backup. What sets us apart is our flexibility and customization on every service, as well as the use of high-quality professional products.
We might advertise a specific service on our menu, but we have a hundred different ways to execute it! All of our queens can fully trust GR’s expertise. We understand that your skin and lashes aren’t a ‘copy and paste’ service. We will deliver what you need on every occasion to ensure the very best!
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
At the beginning of my journey, I couldn’t find anyone to help me or answer my questions for free and I didn’t have the budget to pay anyone at that time. I did hours of research and I found most of the answers for myself. It took so much time to learn and understand how to structure a legal business. I ended up hiring a mentor for a few years after to help me polish my vision and it was so helpful.
She didn’t hold anything back and was there to help me troubleshoot not only the business aspect but also my services as well. As of today, I’m being hired by Elites Spas here in Jacksonville to train their estheticians in advanced techniques as well as business advice.
Pricing:
- We offer services from $15 to $450
- Lash Extension from $120 to $280
- Facials from $95 to $280
- Waxing Services From $15 to $200
- Micropigmentation From $350 to $450
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.grjax.com
- Instagram: @grfacialwaxandlash
- Facebook: GR Facial Wax and Lash
Alondra Vega Photography
Alondra Vega Photography
Image Credits
Alondra Vega Photography
