Esmeralda Hernandez: How this Latina used her courage and grit to build a multi-million dollar beauty brand

So, here’s a little about my journey. I immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico when I was nine years old. I’m the oldest of four siblings, and my mom was a single parent. She wanted to give us a better life and more opportunities in this country.

When we arrived, I started helping my mom at flea markets at a very young age. For me, it was about survival, not starting a business. We lived with my aunt in her living room, and when my mom was pregnant, I knew we couldn’t stay there long-term. So, I began working at the flea markets on weekends. My mom and I would go to yard sales and garage sales, and I’d tag along. That’s when I noticed she was buying and selling items, and I thought, “I can do that too.”

That’s how I started with Barbies. I’d buy them, fix them up, and sell them the next day. This past March, Beauty Creations launched a collection with Barbie, which was a huge and emotional moment for me because it reminded me of my first business. It was all about survival; helping my mom was my only option.

After Barbies, I moved on to other products. Barbies were fun, but they weren’t enough. I started selling stickers; Backstreet Boys and NSYNC were huge at the time. I remember going to school, and everyone was talking about them. And I was like, oh, I know where they sell them. So, I started selling stickers. After that, I moved on to sell accessories.

I graduated high school with a scholarship but got pregnant that year. My mom couldn’t take care of my baby because my siblings were still young, so she encouraged me to start my own business.

I had my own stand at the Swap meets since I was 15. So, I began selling hair tools from another brand. Ten years ago, you’d see people selling hair straighteners for $120 at the mall - the little stands in the middle. I found them at wholesale prices and flipped them at markets where they weren’t common yet. And I was selling them like hotcakes. That’s when the opportunity for me to go to China happened.

In 2014, I met a broker and his wife at the market, and he suggested I go with them. He had lived in China for seven years. They were already my customers, so when he offered to take me and teach me for a percentage of the purchase, I saw it as my big break. I never imagined creating my own brand until that moment. It was about seizing the opportunity.

By 23, I had three kids, and things were tough. Going there really helped me launch my own hair tool line. My husband suggested opening a store, but I was terrified—it meant going all in. At first, I was like, oh my God! Then I was like, well, yeah, let’s do it! So we opened a store.

I designed the packaging graphics myself. Back then, everyone tried to mimic MAC’s all-black sleek aesthetic, but our products stood out because they were affordable and super-colourful—leopard print, pink, and purple. We sold a few makeup brands then, so one wall featured my bright, vibrant products while the opposite wall displayed rows of black compacts. 

That wasn’t how I envisioned my brand or store. That contrast convinced me to launch my own beauty line that matched my vision for the store. Big brands were all using plastic packing, but I asked my suppliers for paper palettes. We were among the first to do it, which set us apart. While everyone else leaned into a black look, I insisted on graphics, color, and pink. I remember telling my suppliers, I want paper, and I want it to be fun.

We bootstrapped the business with family loans and no outside investors. I borrowed money from relatives—like my aunt—paying them a monthly percentage. When the market crashed, my mom bought a few duplexes, which we later sold to fund the company. I also kept working flea markets on weekends, selling perfumes and reinvesting every dollar back into the business. For four years straight, I never touched the profits—Monday through Friday I was at the warehouse, and Saturday and Sunday I was at the flea market.

Eventually, we built a strong relationship with a bank that backed us just before a major expo. That also proved crucial: in 2018, I secured a $1 million loan to purchase a warehouse in Pico Rivera. And until today we work with that bank.

As Latino entrepreneurs, we knew some lenders had misconceptions about cash-based businesses like ours, so that partnership gave us both legitimacy and guidance at a pivotal moment.

I sometimes felt we didn’t have the same opportunities as others businesses, there’s a lingering assumption that Latino-owned businesses must be cutting corners. But our banking partner turned that narrative around. 

Finding the right banking partner made all the difference; they became an ally who valued our vision and empowered us to scale. By keeping impeccable records—every invoice, every receipt—we showed complete transparency, they recognized our integrity, championed our growth.

Breaking into major retailers was a combination of strategy and momentum. We worked with brokers who helped us navigate the process and connect with the right buyers. But what was really exciting is that as the brand gained traction, some of these retailers actually reached out to us. It was a mix of putting ourselves out there and building a brand strong enough to attract attention on its own.

Another thing that proved to be successful was attending expos like Cosmoprof in Vegas and one in Mexico, Hong Kong, and even in Saudi Arabia. Plus, we also use RangeMe, an online platform where brands list their info for retailers to find. Brokers and expos have worked best for us; it's how we have met most of our retail partners.

My family, my kids, and my team. I’m responsible for more than 100 employees—whole families, really, with moms, daughters, and husbands working side by side. 

So I feel like I have a big responsibility because it’s not only my family now. There's a lot of pressure and also it's beautiful that we are able to provide so many opportunities for all them.

Even on the toughest days, when I’m under the weather, I have to get up and make it work. That responsibility is what drives me.

It means a lot. You saying that makes me...(she tears up). When I got pregnant, I was super embarrassed because my mom had big dreams for me to be a doctor. For a long time, she would tell everyone, "Oh, my daughter, she's gonna be a doctor."  

She didn't want me to work at flea markets because she knew how hard it was. Hearing that I'm an inspiration is huge. It makes me emotional. It's validation that my journey matters. It feels good to hear; it's a big thing for me.

TikTok and other social media make entrepreneurship look easy, but it isn’t. Success takes time, and you will stumble along the way. A young girl might see someone online and think, “She’s already doing it—so I can, too,” without realizing that no one posts about losing money when a deal goes wrong. 

That silence makes it seem like growth happens fast and overnight. The reality is full of hard days and setbacks; you just keep going. We rarely mention the behind-the-scenes moments when we feel, “Oh my God, we just lost that much because the plan fell apart.” That’s the real journey.

Just do it. Take every opportunity, even if you don’t know how it’ll work out. I always tell my husband that we are so blessed just to be here, to have this, knowing where we came from. We used to live in this really, really small room. Not even the garage. We would turn on the TV, and the front room was already hot. And now to see the place I live and my company, I mean, growing up, I lived in a mobile home.

I’ve always taken opportunities, even when I wasn’t ready, and figured it out along the way. For example, getting into a chain store last year was new and challenging, but we learned as we went. No one teaches you everything. I didn’t go to school, so I had to jump in, stay grateful, and keep learning.

My biggest advice is to understand that it’s not easy, and that’s okay. The truth is that building something from the ground up takes sacrifice, resilience, and a lot of patience. But if you’re passionate and stay committed, even through the hard days, it’s worth it.