Mariana Franco traded 13 years of
teaching English language arts to kindergarten through eighth-grade students
for a new career that paved the way for her to become her own boss.
Franco opened Vanity Haus, an esthetics center featuring full-body waxing, facials,
skin therapy, lash extensions, lifts, and tints at 701 W. Union Boulevard in
Bethlehem on March 1. The entrepreneurial move followed her schooling,
subsequent licensing as a skin care esthetician and work in the field for the
last seven years.
“The reason I went into esthetics was to one day be my own boss,”
Franco said. “I want to show my daughter that girls can do it too. You
can be strong. You can have a business.”
The transition from esthetics employee to business owner was
smoother with support from SCORE Bucks County certified mentors Vincent Prinzi
and Krishna Akella. Franco began meeting her mentors in summer 2020. Prinzi and
Akella offered guidance on startup and operating costs, required licensure,
business location and lease agreement review, fit-out of the space, revenue and
more.
“Vincent and Krishna have been godsends to me,” Franco said,
noting that her mentors continue to assist as her business grows. “They gave me
a little bit of homework to do. I was always working on the business before the
business was even born.”
SCORE mentors shared insight on construction work needed to
convert typical retail spaces to an esthetics center. In the end, Franco lucked
out by leasing a former doctor’s office, which required only “basic cosmetic
work,” some pink paint and flooring to “make it look pretty and girly.” Her
space features a large lobby, two bathrooms, three treatment suites, an office and
storage space.
Franco had hoped to open in September 2020 to culminate her
40th birthday and her daughter starting kindergarten. She opted to
open six months later due to the pandemic.
The later opening was worth the wait. Franco has been busy
and expects to hire a skin therapist to provide in-demand client services,
including body waxing, lash lifts, and intensive facials for the bikini area.
Offering top-notch service is Franco’s primary goal.
“Customers always feel like ‘I came in here kind of crummy,
now I feel like a million bucks walking out of here,’” Franco said. “I feel
like I did my duty by making you feel beautiful.”
The entrepreneur’s positivity made mentoring that much
simpler.
“It makes a mentor’s job much easier when the client is
open-minded, driven and enthusiastic,” her SCORE mentors said. “We all make
mistakes along the way, but if we think of mistakes as discovery, we tend to
keep a positive attitude. That is exactly the attitude our client had during
the entire process.”
SCORE provides free mentoring services for every step of the
business journey, from startup and beyond.
About SCORE
Since 1964, SCORE has helped more
than 11 million aspiring entrepreneurs. Each year, SCORE
provides small business mentoring and workshops to more than 375,000
new and growing small businesses.?With 50 members across the
county, SCORE Bucks?County?provides over 1,500 free
mentoring services annually to local small business owners
through one-on-one counseling and small business seminars. To stay up to
date on news and happenings, join SCORE Bucks County’s email list. Text
SCOREBUCKS to 22828.
