We had the good fortune of connecting with Grace Ilasco and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Grace, what do you attribute your success to?
The most important factor behind my success and the success of my brand, is keeping to what we do best and not spread ourselves too thin. I realize, I can do it all, but I really can’t do it all alone and with the limited time that I have. I wish I could clone myself x 10. I feel like we’d be a lot farther now, but the key is to keep that steady pace of consistently growing even when there are many days where you feel defeated. We came up with the brand and name “Color Lounge”, as it had a reputation of being color specialists from before. Upon changing the name to an even more clearer title that assumes we have something to do with color, everything we did came down to hair color. Because of the brand name, we had to be specialists. The customers expected it from us and hence came the journey of becoming one. We educated and continue to educate ourselves with hair coloring science, art, and new technology. Customers were seeking for more, someone knowledgable, who is going to take care of their hair, them as a customer, and that they are not just a number. If anything, we take our time, which is unlike every other salon out there who are just cranking out customers for numbers. Even though we do things differently, take our time, and may not be the most popular route, we stick to our values and keep to the meaning of our brand and provide excellent service to every client that walks through our door.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
First and foremost, I am an artist & creative. Second, I am a hairstylist and hair is my canvas. I fell into the hair industry in high school when I decided to take an ROP elective called “Cosmetology”. I was 16 at the time and wanted a job so I can work and make money already. I thought cosmetology would be fun. I’d be able to play with hair and make up! Little did I know it was a whole journey to fulfilling a cosmetology carreer. Where the wind blew, I went. I said YES to every opportunity that came my way. I feel like that’s where I gained a lot of experience and practice because I never turned down a job. Whether I was good at it, liked it or not, I said Yes. I did it and then I got good at it. I get bored very easily so it also gave me a variety of things to do. Would I say it’s easy? No. But I didn’t have an end goal necessarily. So looking back, it could feel like a breeze, but if I really thought about it, it is hard. Hard didn’t stop me. You just did what you had to. Thinking something is hard already stops you from moving forward. I had no time to think but act. I think overthinking things makes things hard and paralyzes you. I own a business now because I took a leap even though I was not ready. I don’t feel like anyone would ever be really ready. Well unless you have money already backing you. We had no money, could not even get a business loan, had to take out a personal loan, and have the pressure of making rent & all the bills with me as the sole stylist. What wasn’t scary is that, I knew what I was getting into. I knew it was going to be hard, but I also knew that I was going to make it. I own my business because I already ran it like my business before, had enough clients to pay the bills, was going to risk losing my home to make the business work. You got to take risks. What sets me apart from others is that I keep going. Good days, bad days. It didn’t matter. I had to do it and believe me there are plenty of times where you want to quit. It is not easy to quit when you have a business. You have too much responsibility . You can’t let people down or let it fail because you are tired. For anyone who is looking to start their own business. It is not for the faint of heart. Do your research. Are you willing to spend lots of time in your business? Do you want a life/work balance? Success may look as if someone just got it so easy. You are only seeing the highlights and not the journey of how long it took someone to get there. Life is a gamble and successful people don’t play it safe.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Living in Los Angeles, CA, there are definitely iconic places that my best friend visiting the area would want to see. I had one friend who is a flight attendant told me she had a whole day in la to spend with me and wanted to go to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. On the same day, she wanted to go to Disneyland. I don’t know how we did both in one day. There are obviously all the landmarks everyone wants to see such as the Griffith Park Observatory, the Hollywood sign, Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Malibu, Laguna Beach, etc. Heck, there are so many landmarks, that the person visiting would need at least a week, if not 2 weeks to show them every thing I want to show them. On another note, I would take her to some pretty cool bars, like the oldest bar/speakeasy in downtown la where people’s plaque were posted if they were regular vips. I love how old buildings are being revamped and would take her to sites where movies have been filmed, such as the Bradbury building in dtla where they filmed the Blade Runner, Paramount Ranch, Universal Studios, Warner Bros, etc. I live in Burbank, which is the Hollywood capital of the world! I’d also take her to some awesome restaurants, as I am a foodie. Fine dining, as well as, fast food like “In & Out” if she didn’t have it where she lived. I love hiking & site seeing so definitely a hike up the Runyon canyon, Malibu creek, & more if time allows it. I’d take her to the sunset strip and go see a live band, stand up comedy, and maybe hit up an escape room. Los Angeles has endless things to do and entertainment!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I thank my parents, as they are readily available to help me with anything I need whether personal or professional because of how busy I am with running my business. I thank my fiancee as without a supportive partner, I would have no partner because running a business is like having a child and it’s 24/7, it cries, there’s always something breaking down, people get sick, problems to be solved and you always have to be there to take care of matters. I especially thank my partner Sai Hernandez for doing her best in working hard to keep the business going, being able to work out our differences, being flexible, and not be greedy. Without us there would be no business. In the end, we want the business to succeed, be able to put food on our table, roof over our head, and have time (which we are working on) to enjoy life & leisure without too much stress.

Website: www.colorlounge.com

Instagram: colorloungela

Twitter: https://twitter.com/colorloungela

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/colorloungela/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/color-lounge-burbank

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3yWK1hAUeAERGuWlpsCkkQ

Other: Color Lounge 113 N. Naomi St. Burbank, CA 91505 Call or Text: 818-260-9900

Image Credits
NA. All had permission to take pictures.

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