Cassandra

I am Cassandra, I am 32 years old, I am the mother of two beautiful boys, wife, student, and entrepreneur in Tucson, Arizona. Creating Time Out Salon, where mothers can work and clients can bring their children while getting their hair or nails done, was about building something meaningful for myself, my family, and my community. A space that not only supports parents like me but also reflects my purpose as a young mother. Being a mother should stop you from feeling beautiful or working hard.

I wanted the freedom to be fully present in my children’s lives by being able to volunteer at their school, cheer them on at sports events, explore the world with them, and create unforgettable memories like taking them to the park during lunchtime like I did this week. I can only achieve this by being my own boss. This salon allows me to grow from being just an operator into an owner to be able to invest in life's precious moments with my family.

After becoming a mother, I vividly remember struggling with postpartum depression and the overwhelming guilt of taking time for myself. Facing the guilt when you wanted to take some time to take care of yourself while also wanting to spend time with your child. I struggled with booking a hair or nail appointment because I didn’t want to burden someone else with babysitting, or ruining someone else's experience and I felt selfish for prioritizing self-care. My purpose in my salon was to create a safe space where mothers would feel completely guilt-free and free of judgment. I want to create a community to bring young mothers together where we can relate and have peace knowing that we are not alone in this challenge.

Staring my career I took business financial classes and marketing training as I worked in the banking financial industry for over 11 years, mostly in charge of helping business owners through different life cycles of their businesses, although I saw it to be challenging, I felt their pride and how rewarding it was to own your own business.

I grew up in a home where my family owned their own business and knew one day, I too wanted to have my business and teach my children the same values of business ownership. For as long as I can remember, I have always found joy in doing my hair and my nails. I remember I would always change the color of my hair every time I had a major life event whether it was positive or negative, it always made me feel better. I learned how to do my friend's nails and I would also style their hair to help them feel the way I did, beautiful. Seeing their faces light up when they felt that way was a beautiful experience. I knew that this approach was the one to take while creating my business plan based on my personal life experiences and the passion I have inside to make others feel happy.