Rizos Curls' Julissa Prado's advice for Latinas who want to fearlessly follow their passion
You may know Julissa Prado from her mega successful beauty startup Rizos Curls, a hair product line curated specifically for curly hair. But besides rocking picture-perfect curls, the 30-year-old entrepreneur also happens to be a proud Latina woman who actively encourages other young Latinas to kickstart their own businesses. During the Latina Ladder #RizosReinas Tour, the brunette beauty spoke about her journey while giving advice to the next generation of girl bosses.
"For any Latina who wants to start a business, even if it’s non-traditional, the most important thing is to pursue your passion. But it’s also important to plan and save money to prepare for the rollercoaster ride of building a brand," Julissa explained to any Latina who is looking to pursue her passion, even if it's non-traditional. "You have to be OK with getting uncomfortable because you will never have all the answers, but you can reach out to the resources around you and your community for guidance. Don’t feel like not having a ton of money is stopping you from launching your business."
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The hair beauty mogul started her business after getting countless requests from her friends to style their hair how she would using the concoction she made at home. "I’ve always loved teaching people how to do their hair, it’s very personal to me," she said. "That moment when a woman who has been straightening her hair her whole life and sees herself for the first time wearing her natural beautiful texture is so priceless."
It's that same passion that she's preaching to her young Latina followers. According to her, they can make up what they lack in marketing dollars with their creativity. "Stay true to yourself and your vision and that is what will allow you to connect with your customers, build loyalty and ensure your success. Be incredibly creative, both in terms of content and business processes to stay ahead of the game and don’t be afraid to reach out to your customers for help. Some of your best ideas might come from your own customers."
As for her ties to the Latinx community, the Rizos Curls founder wants to make sure her community is getting the help they need to follow their dreams. "As a Latina, community is extremely important. I could not be where I am today without my community and I live by the motto, 'Lift as you climb,'" she said. "I realized that throughout the years I’ve acquired a lot of business insights and it was clear to me that in the Latinx community, lots of people felt that there weren’t enough resources readily available to them. I decided to come together with other Latina entrepreneurs around the country so that we could share our business insights to empower this incredibly talented community that is hungry to learn, and grow."
To get Julissa-approved curls, head this way!