I get myself setup, make sure all my lighting and settings on my camera are just right, I let Brenda know where to stand and BAM right out of that gate we nail the shots we need!
Now, normally my process is to make someone feel comfortable and confident about being in front of a camera lens but it was clear I didn't need to do that with Brenda. It's interesting but my theory is that she has always had the recipe for success, including her personality and confidence. This is her interview of how she created a business to fill a need and how she and her husband couldn't have predicted this amount of success.
Brenda Taveras is one of those success stories that you hear about and just say to yourself: "OMG, I wish I would have thought of that!" Once again, I've found a power couple, husband & wife who took the risk and said: "Let's go for it, we can do this!" Now they have their own salon called Poppin Curls in the North East part of Port St. Lucie.
Amidst this terrible year many businesses have struggled and unfortunately despite their best efforts, they haven't been able to stay afloat and had to close up shop. So when Brenda decided to open her own salon in July of 2020, it's almost certain many people warned her not do it or questioned her decision. Let's be honest, it must have been a scary moment to move forward and essentially take that risk.
However, one of the many reasons, she and her husband knew that it was going to work out is because they catered to a niche, that no one was taking care of. In Port St. Lucie their exists a little over a 100 hair salons not including the ones that are not registered on Google (which if you are a business, I would seriously get on that or reach out to me and I can help you out). But all of them either cater to Caucasian hair or African American hair. Now we all know the Port St. Lucie is growing quite rapidly and people are moving from up north or down south to this little town and the truth is that the percentage in Hispanic & Latino people has also risen. At the same time Brenda was attending cosmetology school and was encouraged to really hone in on her skills as a curly hair expert and it turned out that there was no one in her area or in town that was filling that need. Even if there was someone else, there was practically no competition. So she started catering to that demographic and of course everyone loved their results and just about a little over a year later, here she is now, fully booked until next year and the business is only growing bigger.
Now talking with her husband, they clearly have some plans for the future of which I'm excited to see come to fruition and I'm happy to help them get there. I hope to stay on board as their portrait photographer in the Treasure Coast. I love sharing stories like this because if you are someone who has a vision and you fully believe that it's something that you can make it happen because you love doing it and you are great at it and you know it can fill a need, coupled with a positive attitude and service centered goal, then give it a shot! The worst thing to do is nothing and most likely you'll have regrets about not having tried. It's not easy but all great things never are!
If you wish to know more about Poppin Curls you can visit their Instagram profile @poppincurlsbeautybar or schedule a session online HERE.
Poppin Curls Beauty Bar is located at 203 NW St James Dr, Port St. Lucie, FL 34983