Can you imagine doing what you love while making others feel good about themselves?
This is exactly what Margarita Moreno, owner of Princess Beauty Salon in Daly City, prides herself on. For Margarita, the journey hasn’t always been easy. In 1991 she emigrated from Mexico to the United States where she began to study cosmetology to fulfill her dream of running her own beauty salon. Taking after her parents her parents who grew vegetables in Mexico and sold them in bulk to provide for her and her seven brothers, she wanted to support her family with her drive and passion for business and beauty.
Margarita enjoys making customers happy and helping them feel better about themselves. “It’s not just about makeup, but their attitude changes. “She says that the change is noticeable when her clients walk out of the salon. She provides everyday services in the salon as well as beauty services for weddings and Quinceaneras, a traditional Mexican party for a young girl turning fifteen.
When she began her business, many people predicted that she would not succeed. She says “the path wasn’t always easy because I didn’t have the business training or the support that I needed.” As she struggled to make ends meet, she heard about Renaissance on Univision’s morning show. She enrolled in Renaissance’s intensive Spanish language Start Smart and Business Prep classes where she developed her business plan, mastered her finances, and began to pay herself a salary. As for her training, Margarita says “it is this type of practical know-how, something we call conocimiento in my native language, that I would not have without Renaissance.”
Many questioned Margarita Moreno’s choice of location when Princess Beauty Salon opened in 2001 because her block of Mission Street in Daly City was full of vacant storefronts. Since then, more businesses have arrived and, at her suggestion, are receiving support from Renaissance. Together, they have built a neighborhood where all can shop, eat and become even more beautiful at Princess Beauty Salon. Her business has grown beyond her expectations!
With Renaissance’s help, Margarita hired 3 new employees. Her business is running smoothly, and her customers are happy. With the addition of hiring her niece as an employee, she couldn’t ask for anything more. The Mayor of Daly City recognized Margarita for changing the neighborhood, commending her leadership in supporting locally owned businesses to grow and flourished around her shop. Princess Beauty Salon has helped build the bridge of entrepreneurship in the community. When we asked Margarita what is the biggest reward of owning her business, she cheerfully stated, “being able to support my mom and dad in Mexico and my mother-in-law in the U.S.”
Renaissance is proud to have clients such as Margarita Moreno who demonstrate what it takes to be an entrepreneur and how building that bridge can cultivate change in neighborhoods that may not have experienced that impact if not for change drivers like her.
Princess Beauty Salon
6290 Mission St, Daly City, CA 94014