We had the good fortune of connecting with Annel Castillo and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Annel, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
This is an amazing career to be in. However most people think it is easy but it is not. It takes a lot of practice, patience, and dedication not to mention you must have the passion for it. Many people think just because you own your own business you’re pocketing every single cent that comes in. Little do they know that you do not keep every penny. In order to make money you must invest in Your business. Many people fail to realize what goes into investing in order to see profit and that’s where many get confused when stepping into this industry. I’m constantly buying new things and keeping an eye out for what’s trending. I have to be ready for when a client walks in and asked me for a special design, I can’t tell them “oh I don’t have it!”. The most important rule is always stay ready, always stay stocked up, always invest!
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The most important thing I’ve learned is to always believe in yourself. Every business has its ups and downs and you should never stop believing at what you’re capable of! When I first left the nail shop I was at, business was very slow. I only had 2 to 3 clients a week and I felt like giving up, I felt like a failure. but that is normal for any business that is just starting out. So I learned how to promote myself, how to interact with my followers, what to do to put my name out there. Week by week I started booking more clients and it just kept going until I was booking five clients a day and sometimes even more. Now I am blessed to say I get booked pretty fast! Thanks to the support I am getting from clients, family and friends I am hoping to move to a bigger place and offer more services. I’m excited for the plans we have for Annel Xo Nails. I can’t wait to get started and tell you about them, better yet show you the finished results!
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
You know it’s funny I lived in Houston all my life and I can’t think of one place that’s interesting. I love to explore and take adventures and I realized I haven’t done anything crazy in my life until I got stuck in quarantine due to the virus going on right now. I’ve actually made a bucket list for places I want to try and explore. The only places I’ve been to has been the zoo, the aquarium downtown, and the children’s museum. I’m a fan of pizza I will eat it every day so I want to try the pizza from two guys pizzeria. When you see the size of one pizza slice you’re going to be speechless! For food I recommend just following Houston Foodiess on instagram.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Every morning I wake up and I Give thanks to God for blessing me another day and allowing me to wake up to see all the blessings he has sent me. Second I would like to thank my husband Junior for putting me through school and helping me get my license. He believed in me the whole way through and continues to do so. Thanks to him I have a learned to want more for myself, my business, and our family. Now I don’t settle for just anything! I have learned my worth and I thank him for that. And of course my family for always promoting me at work, parties, stores and just anywhere and everywhere. And most importantly my clients! Without them Annel Xo Nails would not continue to be in business like it has for the past two years. Thank you for promoting me, referring your friends, family, coworkers etc. and most importantly for continuing to be a client. I’ve created many friendships with many of my clients and I just love seeing them grow and being there through every mile stone just like they have with me. And lastly, I would like to thank an old best friend for getting me into this amazing career. They saw potential in me before I even picked up a brush. They’re the reason I even gave nails a chance and I’m glad I did. They supported me from the very beginning and I know they are proud that I continued this path and how far I’ve come, and for that I want to say thank you and I appreciate everything that was done for me. I hope everyone knows how grateful I am for everything that was done throughout these years that got me where I am today even if you think you didn’t do anything, just by sharing my posts and liking them means a lot and I’ll never forget it!
Instagram: www.instagram.com/annelxonails
Facebook: Www.Facebook.com/annelxonails
