Meet Gaby Rivera
Meet Gaby! Gaby is a Licensed Esthetician and business owner located in Charlotte, North Carolina. She’s been in the beauty industry since 2022 when she realized her passion in beauty and skincare could also become a career.
Check out Gabys’ Instagram to see her funny, creative and relatable esthetician content.
How long have you been in the beauty industry?
I've been in the beauty industry for 3 years!
What made you want to become an esthetician?
Growing up I was always into makeup and skincare but I never considered it could be a career. While deciding if I wanted to go back to college, one of my best friends had started Esthetics school. She talked about how fun it was and all of the things they learned so I decided to tour the school with my mom and instantly fell in love!
Why did you decide to start your own business?
I fell in love with waxing the very first time I practiced it in school so since the beginning I knew I wanted to become a Wax Specialist. Both of my previous jobs in the beauty industry were in a wax salon and I loved what I did. I realized I wanted to start my own business when I noticed that I would always stay booked with returning clients which meant that they would come back specifically to be serviced by me. I started to wonder if I could help grow someone else's business and what I could potentially do with my brand. I'm so thankful and proud that I took that leap of faith!
What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced while running your own business? How do you cope?
In the beginning, I would have told you the biggest challenge I faced was not having as much support as I thought from the closest people around me, but now I realize that I started my business for myself and not for other people. My biggest challenge now is keeping up with social media trends. From reels to Instagram stories to in-feed posts, It can be overwhelming so finding the balance between staying relevant and not being consumed by social media has been challenging.
What's your favorite service to perform and why?
My favorite services to perform are definitely Brazilians and Lower Legs. I love helping my clients feel relaxed during the intimate waxing process, as well as making them feel confident after a wax. After a fresh wax, you feel like a Superhero!
What is one business tool that you can't live without?
I would say I definitely can't live without our retail products. I educate all of my clients on how to treat and prevent dark spots and ingrown hairs so I have to make sure our retail shelves are always stocked with Bushbalm!
How and when did you discover Bushbalm Skincare? Why did you decide to carry us?
I discovered Bushbalm through the podcast The Waxing Leos right before I started my business in 2022. I would always listen to them rave about Bushbalm's all-natural, vegan, and cruelty-free products and how much their clients loved them. I had to try it out for myself and fell in love right away!
Which Bushbalm product is most popular at your salon? Why do you think that is?
Our clients love the Nude Scrub and Treatment Oil since it's more suitable for sensitive skin. But I always rave about the Pina Colada line which my clients also can't live without!
What do you enjoy most about the Bushbalm Pro community?
What I enjoy most about the Bushbalm Pro Community is how we're a group of like-minded individuals who want to help our community feel confident in and out of the treatment room. Bushbalm also lets us know that it's okay to have imperfections and still feel your most beautiful self in your skin. I also enjoy the continuous education they provide to both service providers and clients!
What advice would you give to new estheticians entering the field right now?
For any esthetician who joins this field right now and has dreams to go solo, make sure you have a strong passion for what you do. Unfortunately, since COVID the beauty industry has been over-saturated because more people have been seeing how far you can grow in the industry. What people don't realize is what goes on after the appointment and think it's all glitz and glamor. Don’t forget that you will have those days when you have a migraine but you have 14 clients and need to post content, order inventory, and plan out the following day. Entrepreneurs face a different level of stress than your average job, but it is so worth it if you truly love what you do.
Join Gaby and Wholesale Manager Kiana live on Instagram @bushbalmpro, on March 28th at 12 pm EST/ 9 am PST, where they'll do a deeper dive into the interview questions.
