Meet Zelzin Rodriguez Luna | Entrepreneur and Beauty Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Zelzin Rodriguez Luna and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Zelzin, how do you think about risk?
As long as I can remember my entire career in the beauty industry has been a risk… I started cosmetology school back in High School, just when I was 200 hours away from completing my program the programs requirements changed to being a US citizen in order to take complete it. I wasn’t the only one, unfortunately a few of my fellow peers fell in the same boat, as a DACA recipient I fought to keep my hours, I was able to finish the program. My journey continued, passed my state board exam and began college a few months after, I struggled with balancing college and my job at the time as a wax specialist. It was a risk pursuing my college education as a full time student and trying to be part of the beauty industry, many companies did not want to work with my schedule. After years of hard work, struggles, no personal life, I completed my bachelors in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. Upon graduating I decided to take the risk and begin a business with someone I held in a high regard, just like life has it’s ways we unfortunately ended in bad terms, we lost our investments. At the same time a mentor at City of Hope gave me the opportunity of interning to continue my path as a Physician Assistant, however I had fallen in love with the small business I had began to grow. I risked leaving an opportunity where I had a foot in the door, all my savings, no job, no backup, brand new car payment, put myself through credit card debt and began my own business; The Beauty Bar by Z. Just as my business began to grow, I left my internship at City of Hope to focus on expanding my business… two weeks later due to COVID-19 the lockdown began. I was hopeful the shutdown would only last a month, three months went by and I still continued to focus on building my business from online shopping, creating classes and content for my audience. The minute the lockdown was lifted I was booked three months in advance, the rest is history. This has to be the biggest risk I have ever taken and I am beyond proud that I had the confidence and support system to build by business to where it is now.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
The Beauty Bar by Z located in Chino Hills, CA strives to enhance natural beauty. When building my business since the very beginning I wanted to make beauty services accessible to everyone. Everyone should have the chance to feel extra beautiful and confident, yes of course beauty services are a luxury, however I reward my clients for referrals, loyalty and most of all supporting my business. I treat all of my clients the same, we are all human at the end of the day whether a college student, influencer, mothers, etc… they are all welcomed and treated the same. Having my bachelors in Biology has been a major influence in treating my skincare clients, not only do I treat topically from inside out, the extra knowledge of the human body is what sets me apart. I now have my very own store front and offer a variety of services provided by other talented entrepreneurs in the beauty industry. I was able to build my business to where it is at now by continuous hard work, discipline, motivation and many sacrifices. It definitely was not easy at all, there was many times where I felt overwhelmed, giving up, judged by many, being looked down upon because it wasn’t a “real career”. This is not a “side hustle” this is my career, my life, seeing my business grow and giving other woman the space and environment to grow is what keeps me going. All I can say is stay focused, keep working hard, look for motivation, surround yourself with people that have the same mentality and aspirations as you. I want the world to know consistency pays off, I want to hopefully inspire other aspiring entrepreneurs and DACA recipients

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Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
As a business owner myself, I prefer to support other small businesses. I live near the heart of Los Angeles which is filled with many authentic restaurants that are family owned or started by new entrepreneurs. I would recommend starting where were I would eat lunch throughout my entire University education, El Huarache Azteca in Eagle Rock, spending a day in Santa Monica peer is a must! Queens and Kings Cantina in Santa Monica is one of my favorite places to dine and have a drink, can never go wrong with Mexican food. One of my newest favorite place to spend brunch and get new ideas/inspiration is at Le Coco Restaurant in Downey! I recently picked up reading because I came across two particular bookstores; The Last Bookstore in the heart of DTLA and, the Lost Bookstore in Glendale. These bookstores are owned by a amazing couple who share a passion for books. The city of LA is filled with cultural enrichment and a diverse community allowing you to continuously explore and gain knowledge all around.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
A support system is always helpful, I was lucky to have someone special to me keep me motivated, grounded and sane through out it all, my family continued to believe in me regardless of the failed partnership. My mentor Rosalind to this day continues to push me, mentors in the industry I have met throughout my journey keep me motivated, my few close friends have always supported my business one way or another. Although the last thing I want to sound is “stuck up” a lot of my success is owed to the hard work I have put in, late work/school nights and sacrifices I had to make; my social, personal life. We are our biggest enemies, I believed in myself and continued to work through every obstacle I faced. This shoutout I dedicate to myself, I owe a lot of personal growth, appreciation to the me 4 years ago that I lost throughout all of this and now I finally have the time to dedicate to myself.

Website: zelzinbeauty.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebeautybar.zr/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebeautybar.zr/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-beauty-bar-by-z-west-covina-2