In this compelling podcast episode, Matthew and Jason Fuentes from IMAGE Studios in Sparks, NV, dive into the inspiring journey of a dedicated father who made a courageous career shift to prioritize his daughter. Discover how Jason transitioned from a demanding corporate role where he spent over a decade, to pursuing cosmetology and owning his own business. As a single parent, the decision was challenging, but his commitment to being present for his young daughter drove him to seek a career with more flexibility and personal fulfillment.
Jason shares the challenges of attending cosmetology school while juggling a full-time job and parenting responsibilities. He reflects on the sacrifices made, the support system that kept him going, and the ultimate reward of owning his time and being there for his daughter's important moments. The story highlights the importance of following one's passion and the transformative power of making bold life changes for the sake of family and personal happiness.
In addition, he offers valuable insights into building a successful independent salon suite business. From creating a unique client experience to mastering social media marketing, he provides practical advice for aspiring entrepreneurs in the beauty, health, and wellness industry. Learn how he overcame initial setbacks, rebuilt his clientele, and established a reputation for luxury service and personalized care. This episode is a testament to resilience, the power of community, and the pursuit of dreams despite the odds.
In this compelling podcast episode, Matthew and Jason Fuentes from IMAGE Studios in Sparks, NV, dive into the inspiring journey of a dedicated father who made a courageous career shift to prioritize his daughter. Discover how Jason transitioned from a demanding corporate role where he spent over a decade, to pursuing cosmetology and owning his own business. As a single parent, the decision was challenging, but his commitment to being present for his young daughter drove him to seek a career with more flexibility and personal fulfillment.
Jason shares the challenges of attending cosmetology school while juggling a full-time job and parenting responsibilities. He reflects on the sacrifices made, the support system that kept him going, and the ultimate reward of owning his time and being there for his daughter's important moments. The story highlights the importance of following one's passion and the transformative power of making bold life changes for the sake of family and personal happiness.
In addition, he offers valuable insights into building a successful independent salon suite business. From creating a unique client experience to mastering social media marketing, he provides practical advice for aspiring entrepreneurs in the beauty, health, and wellness industry. Learn how he overcame initial setbacks, rebuilt his clientele, and established a reputation for luxury service and personalized care. This episode is a testament to resilience, the power of community, and the pursuit of dreams despite the odds.
Welcome to season three of the VIP Suite at IMAGE Studios. The podcast exclusively designed for independent beauty, health and wellness professionals brought to you by IMAGE Studios, the luxury leader in the salon suite industry. I'm your host industry expert and certified business coach Matthew Landis. In each episode, we will bring you insightful interviews with solo entrepreneurs who have forged their own path to success. From stories of triumph to practical tips and strategies for growing your client base and building your brand. This is the place to thrive and take your Salon Suite business to the next level. Please welcome to the podcast Jason Fuentes of Fade Life Fade Shop at IMAGE Studios in Sparks Nevada. Good morning, Jason.
Jason Fuentes:Good morning, Matt. How you doing?
Matthew Landis:I'm good. Thank you so much for joining me here on the podcast. You know our owners there in Reno. They love you. They can't stop talking about how great you are. That's Tim and Lisa marks. So yeah, you're you're a superstar.
Jason Fuentes:I appreciate that. Definitely honored to be on the podcast. Pretty exciting. So
Matthew Landis:Thank you for being here. It's Fade Life Fade Shop. So tell me how you came about with that name.
Jason Fuentes:So honestly, ironically enough of down here in Nevada and Reno specifically, they have the rules with the State Board and the cosmetology board. So I actually graduated with a cosmetology license and not a barber license technically. So if I were to be calling it a barber shop, and you know, just because of that, they would be able to either find you or try to basically say that you don't have the license for barbering, technically. So I got creative with it and thought of the way to get around it. And I was like, You know what, I'm gonna call it a paint shop. So that's kind of how that came to be.
Matthew Landis:That is so smart. It's interesting, because we're now in over 20 to 23 states, almost half the states across the country. And each state has its own rules, and sometimes Each city has its own. So I love that you were able to find a way around that. And you know, it's interesting when I started back in the mid 90s, barbering was going sort of out and they weren't offering barbering licenses anymore. And I was only I think, in the last 10/15 years, I got my license in Utah. I'm a hairdresser by trade, that they reinstated the barbering programs.
Jason Fuentes:Yeah, it was really hard to be able to do that. And that was the main reason why I decided to go to cosmetology school out here, me, I have a little girl at the time, she's probably about four or five, when I decided to go through with this and make my whole career change. But it was impossible, it was either me going to Sacramento to try to get the barber license or in Vegas. And unfortunately, me having my little girl and being a single parent, there was no way that I was going to be able to, you know, leave her and go or try to uproot her somewhere else for like, six, seven months, or whatever is gonna take a year. So I was just like, You know what, I just need a license to cut hair. So I just dove in and went to cosmetology school.
Matthew Landis:What career were you doing before?
Jason Fuentes:So ironically enough, I've always cut hair as well. So I started when I was about 16/17, in high school, but I always did it as a side thing. And then at the same time around, when I was 17, I started at UPS. So I became a supervisor there and basically climb the ranks. I stayed there for about six years, and then just the transportation management. And I just kept climbing that ladder, several positions, a supervisor, manager, you know, the Walmart distribution center, you know, being second in charge of transportation there. So I ran the facility here and in Sacramento total about 12 years in that industry. In my last job before I finally pulled the plug and said I was ready to go. I was actually the plant manager for Costco out here. So at the end of the day, I was just like, You know what, I'm tired of the corporate America, I don't want to do this anymore. I was pretty miserable. You know, money was great, but I was miserable. And that that was one thing that I started noticing I wasn't spending enough time with my daughter, you know, I sacrifice a lot of years, you know, and at the end of the day, I knew that if I could hop into something like this, I would have full control of my schedule. I could take as much time as I needed. And most importantly, just be there for my daughter on on times that you know, I couldn't you know, whether it was a little show that she was doing at school or a concert or whatever, it was hard for me to do that. So you know, being on call all the time, it was miserable. I finally said I'm done. And I followed through with it, having a full time job and having to go to school at the same time. It was rough, but you know, I'm here now. So, you know, it all worked out.
Matthew Landis:That's so great. And you know, it's so nice to own your own time. And to have that kind of flexibility and to make the kind of money that you need and to support the other people and the other things in your life that we love. Yeah, yeah.
Jason Fuentes:100%
Matthew Landis:Tell me more about your business.
Jason Fuentes:I think what really sets me apart is you know, I do provide a different level, in my opinion. service, you know, it's more than just the haircut to my clients, you know, I definitely take my time I follow through with all the details, you do pay a little bit more, and it is a little bit longer of a cut, but it's well worth it in the end, you know, my clients all know what they're getting at the end of it. And, you know, the goal has always going to have them be satisfied when they walk out of that door, and I do a very good job at, you know, keeping my clients happy. So I think it's just, you know, the, obviously the luxury suite, as part of it, the location is great. I mean, it's awesome. In here, I don't know, as soon as I'm looking around, I don't remember how many times everybody that walked through the door, just even to the main door, you know, seeing that image studios logo, like that's right behind you. And then just looking at the, you know, the ambience of the room, they're just blown away, and then you know, walking in, so I have the penthouse suite. So they just, you know, the solid glass and all that. And, you know, it just really gives off the, you know, the notion that you are coming into something different. It is the luxury cut. And, you know, this is luxury, luxury service overall,
Matthew Landis:That's so great. Now, what made you decide to go independent, and what was that like?
Jason Fuentes:Originally, I was at three shops, and it kind of felt like I was returning back to going to work again, I understood, obviously, at the beginning of it. Luckily, I did do a pretty good job of marketing myself while I was in school, and actually had signed up for a booking app while I was doing that. So I did have my foot in the door with at least having some clientele coming in. And but I did, I was very fully aware that it was risky to go straight from school, the sweet, if you're not fully established, I definitely had to go down the route of being at a shop. And, you know, the first experience was pretty, pretty terrible. I only only lasted there about three months. And I was like, I can't do this man, I'm sorry, but they need to go her own way. So I tried another one after that. And I lasted about a year there. It was, it was okay. But again, you know, just just feeling like I was under somebody's thumb, you know, it just wasn't for me. So when as soon as I got myself established is when I was like, You know what, I think I need to make the jump on, you know, just doing it all on my own. And if I can find a good place to be at, then I'll do it. And it all just kind of worked out. So that's that's basically how I got into being an independent and, you know, having the full control of everything, whether it's the money, the price, things that I charge, you know, the hours that I work, the days off that I have, you know, if I don't want to be here, I'm not here, if I do want to be here, I'm here, you know, and it's all up to me to run the business owner percent,
Matthew Landis:You know, we probably have a lot of people listening that are thinking about going independent, or maybe they've just gone independent, and they're in that scary phase of like, Oh, what did I do? How can I do this? Can you tell me a little bit about that sort of the beginning, and then how you really built your business to what it is now?
Jason Fuentes:I guess if I had to say, you know, as a recommendation, anybody out there? I mean, number one, you definitely don't want to make any hasty decisions and just jump in. And, you know, I get it, I understand that, you know, if you feel it, and you just you just want to go for it. Obviously, yeah, that that is part of it, though, as well. You have to have confidence in yourself, you have to believe that you're going to be able to do this and just not take, don't take no for an answer and just go for it. But definitely set yourself up, you know, and if that means having a little bit of a sacrifice of like six months, or up to even a year just to build that clientele up and then you can get out, then I would definitely recommend doing that. Obviously, it did have its challenges, because you know, you depending on where you live, and I know it's probably different everywhere else. At least I can speak for here. It is a pretty small city for the most part from like sparks to Reno. It's 15 minutes. It's not anything crazy. So even like our furthest towns like Carson City, and Burnley and all that, that's 45 minutes, everything's pretty close. But believe it or not, I feel that we do end up being a little spoiled here. Why? And I say why? Because people think about it. Well, if I have to go just right down the street and on it's five minutes away, versus Oh, no, I have to go to downtown or 15 minutes out there, they're gonna want to do that. So and what I'm getting at is location, you know, does play a factor sometimes into that. You know, I was always kind of told, Hey, Jason, as long as you have your clientele base happy and all this, they usually follow you wherever you go. But at the end of the day, I do believe firmly that convenience is a big thing too. People want to have the convenience so if you're making it convenient for them, they'll definitely do that. But I think in the end, the biggest one that I had especially at the beginning, I did lose quite a bit. It was actually this last time that it before I moved over here. I was at a shop called numbers only it's in downtown, great shop, luxury shop. It's beautiful. But in the end, I again didn't see eye to eye with what was going on and I was like you know what I need to get out of here. And the biggest thing that happened to me there, the price jump that I had to be at with them was too sudden obviously going into of the downtown. Now people, my customers deal with parking stuff that they weren't used to before, you know, so I lost about maybe 75% of my clientele. So it was a big blow. And to say that I started right back again, that's exactly how it went. So as soon as I heard about this place, it was literally can being built from the ground up, I got a little sweet that, you know, the manager was really nice enough to not have to put me on a lease, and she said, you know, month to month, you let me know, and your place is ready and give me 30 days, and you're good to go. So luckily, I think God that I was able to find that during that time, you know, it was hard, you know, trying to rebuild all that stuff. And those doubts do come into your mind where you're like, man, like, what did I do? And you know, and then obviously, I was beating myself up even even more, because I'm like, you know, all this, all this time I was already established, or you've been cutting for about four years and or five years. And I was like, What did I do I even start second guessing, you know, Damn, I should have never left my job. You know, like, I should have just stayed in the corporate What was I thinking and, and times got rough, you know, they did get rough. But in the end, I think what really mattered was the belief in myself and not knowing 100% that I was going to stick it through. And that's the biggest thing right there. You can't give up you have to basically have that mentality of like, whatever it takes, it's bad now, but what am I doing, that I need to fix or maybe do an extra thing here to try to get more people in the door or whatever, but not giving up? You know, no matter what happens, the biggest thing is just sticking to it, sticking to it, believing in yourself. And you know, doing whatever you have to do to get through it.
Matthew Landis:What were some of the things, the practical things, that you did? What do you what do you think really contributed to your success in rebuilding that clientele?
Jason Fuentes:I had at least the skin in the game, if you want to say at least I know I had that. So I was well known. And I think it just had to be moving into this new location and really just, you know, marketing 100% Normally, the way that I've always worked about getting booked, it was through books, see that book. See, it's been phenomenal for me. And you know, that has obviously just like anything has its pros and cons, one of the biggest cons and I feel like I had just that you if you're not with them, if you if you don't use their app, and say you delete it or whatever, there goes your whole clientele base, it goes everything. And I you know, that's the only thing that does is that if you're not with them, then you're pretty much screwed. Other than that, though, I do have to attribute about 80% of my clientele base came from that they do a really good job of marketing you out there. But obviously, like I said, I had to kick it up a little bit, because I had just lost a lot of people. So how to discover ways on how to do it. And number one, you know, very powerful tool, Instagram, tick tock, you know, those things is such powerful tools. Nobody really realizes it. And I know it took me a while and for the longest time I've never really been a big social media buff. And I was like, Oh my God, dude, am I like antisocial, because I don't like to have social media so much. And it was kind of like a really hard transition to get myself to think like, well do this is so necessary for your business. And you know, whether you like Like it or not, at least for your business, you're gonna have to, you know, really get into this and figure out how the algorithm works. All this, the whole thing. So I would say the marketing that between Instagram, but see and all that I did fire up Yelp for a little bit, as well as all those things. I mean, it basically to say it this way I looked for any way in every way possible to just get my name out there trying to you know, let people see the ads, the picture, the Instagram, all that. And that's, that's what I can attribute just being able to build my business
Matthew Landis:You know, I've seen a lot of our pros use all back. of these. I've seen some build their business on Yelp. I've seen some of it on Google, even Facebook, we know that most of our pros are on Instagram. So I have a few questions for you about that. Because I think people really want to know and your Instagram is fantastic. What what is your Instagram handle for our listeners so that they can find you?
Jason Fuentes:so it'll be@_jscissorhands__fadelife
Matthew Landis:And they can also look up your name Jason Fuentes, right?
Jason Fuentes:Right. Yeah, yeah. And it'll come up or you can even look up Fadelife Fadeshop.
Matthew Landis:I've seen your Instagram. I hope everyone listening checks that out. It's really good. So how did you get to that point? I think for a lot of people, they do feel overwhelmed. So I'm always really curious how you improve your Instagram game to what it is now?
Jason Fuentes:The biggest thing was basically like the posting part of it and I still kind of struggled to it to this day where it's like, making that time but the only way that I had to get myself there is setting days aside, you know, whether it's a day off that you have I know it's staff to work on your day off. But you know, that's that goes with the part of being a business owner. I think I work harder now than I did before. You know, I work more hours now than I did. Before when I was in the corporate world, but the enjoyment of knowing that it's, it's, for me, it's online makes a whole difference coming down to a schedule, whether it's a day off like say, every Tuesday, that's the day that you're gonna go through and make videos, obviously, you don't want to post everything every day or like all of it in one day, but maybe scheduling posts throughout the week, whether it's, you know, say, starting out with like, maybe two posts a week, at least, you know, and then kind of going up from there. That was my strategy, I did go and watch a ton of YouTube videos. And that, ironically enough, was kind of hard, because obviously, everybody has their method that's mine works. And this one doesn't. And you know, you just, it's kind of like a never ending cycle of just like, well try this or try that, I think where I started to kind of really see improvement is where I shied away from trying to, more or less, take people's advice and just learn how to actually make the videos. So it was like, hey, like, this is the app that I use the Zillow kind of transitions that you want to do, how to get the, you know, the attention of people like the call to action, all that kind of stuff. So if I had to say one thing for sure, and that's kind of where my, where my Instagram is successful is just showcasing the work, learning how to do the videos, and getting on a normal posting cycles. So that would be my way of saying it. And obviously, I can do a lot more improving. I've seen other people that I admire so much more, because I'm like, dude, like you guys are killing it. I don't, you know, I gotta get up to that level, you know, but I think just doing it, you just have to try. And I know a lot of people, especially as barbers, I hear this all the time, especially with people that are coming up. Well, I'm not that good, right. And it's like, I don't want to post my stuff yet until I get there. And it's like, No man, like, even if you're not good or not. Or if you are not, it doesn't matter, you need to get yourself out there, you'll figure that out with either the pricing or whatever you have to do, but you have to showcase your work. If you're not doing that, it's going to be really rough, whether it's word of mouth to you know, that works a lot too. But obviously, we live in this, you know, era where social media is king, and it's almost better than word of mouth, you know what I mean? So, you know, if you can showcase that word, get on a schedule, learn as much as you can, to see what the new trends are, whatever you have to do with those videos, that would be the best bet on how I got myself there as well.
Matthew Landis:That's great advice. There's so much to unpack there. I think one of the things to your point people are afraid to post, you know, I think that we are afraid of being vulnerable. We don't want to look stupid, we're afraid that it's going to be cringy. But the only way to get better at something is to do it. So you kind of have to just close your eyes and put it out there. And also what I tell people is, most people are only interacting with your material for one or two seconds. So they're really picking it apart. They're just scrolling through and you know, maybe something stands out there.
Jason Fuentes:Exactly.
Matthew Landis:And I think the most important thing about what I heard you saying is whatever your strategy is, the most important thing is to have a strategy, right. And I you know, this is one thing, I'm a business coach as well. And one thing I really tried to coach people on, you really have to plan you really have to put it out there you and be less reactive, be be proactive, and have a plan. Because if you're reacting all the time, it's going to feel like you're never going to catch up. You're just always going to be running behind. I had one question when it comes to Instagram, did you pay for it? Have you done paid ads on any of these apps?
Jason Fuentes:So I have done it a few times. Honestly, I didn't really see too much of a crazy, like a whole bunch of people came looking after I did it. Obviously I think it was more the way that I tried to look at it because at first, I was a little discouraged. And I was like oh man, like, let's just say 500 People saw my video, but nobody looked like what the heck, right. And at that point, I did get discouraged. But I think the important thing that I realized at that point was like 500 people saw your video, whether they booked now, it didn't matter if 500 people saw it. So kind of having that mentality and it didn't work. But I also think that if you are under budget, if you can't afford it, your business day, you're starting out and you're struggling a little bit with it. I think you need to stick to the free stuff. First, try to get the most that you can out of that. If you do have the money to spend, I don't think it's a bad idea. But I definitely don't think that people should get those high hopes of like, oh, you know, I'm gonna get a whole bunch of beer because it's more than that. You know, it's like the consistency of posting videos is probably more important than you paying for an ad for one video that you only tell us once a month. That's
Matthew Landis:Great advice. I think one of the things there you said is consistency. And one thing I try to remind people with marketing is most people because you know I started in the mid 90s Before you know the internet. Nobody even really knew what that was yet. We were still that was all word of mouth and when it comes to marketing, most people don't see an ad they don't see something and immediately react when it comes to brand awareness and you're building your brand. It's consistency and rep attrition when our pros and this is something we, we've talked about with our owners, sometimes people need to see your brand, they need to see it over and over and over and over again. Until they go, You know what, I've seen this guy on Instagram for two years. Ya know, a lot of pros are like, I can't wait two years, whatever the time frame is, but you know, eventually it's going to when they're ready, they're going to they're going to book that appointment. Yeah, but you may not see immediate results. Yeah.
Jason Fuentes:And that's the thing. I think just getting over that, because like I said, it's easy to fall into that trap of like, Well, that didn't work. And it was a waste of money. And, you know, being upset over that. But it's like, you know, in the end, don't think that way, try to see it as you know, whatever exposures exposure and take it for what it is, you know, and like you said, whether it's that day, two weeks from there, or a month from there, or a year from there, it's still work.
Matthew Landis:What would you say, is your superpower.
Jason Fuentes:I guess one of the best things in what I usually hear at least even reviews, or just people being honest with me, while I'm here is just being able to interact with people in a way that makes it more personable. So I think the biggest thing my clients really enjoy, obviously, they're getting a good time. But I think it's the relationships that I build with them, that's more important than that, if I would have to say that's probably you know, is being able to give my clients a really good time, while they're here. It's an experience. It's not just there, I saw this crazy post the other day on Instagram, and it really stuck with me, because I fully agree with it. But it said something along the lines, it was actually a real video, but the client was sitting on the chair and the barbers going. He's like, what's, what's one of those, you know, quotes that you would say, you know, like a kind of like a quote, at the beginning of the day, I had a successful quote or something like that. And he said something along the lines, and I might, you know, chop this up and murder, but I'm gonna try to remember exactly what it was, but it's something along the lines of your client will become a friend, before your friend becomes a client. And that stuck with me deep because I have a lot of friends that didn't support my business that didn't, you know, come over. But it was so easy to see a client, you know, become a friend, where it was like, you know, it's crazy, right? That's something that really stuck out with me. And going along the lines of that, that was really powerful. I really liked that.
Matthew Landis:And it's so true.
Jason Fuentes:Sadly, it is.
Matthew Landis:Who or what inspires you?
Jason Fuentes:I would have to say, you know, and I know it's gonna sound a little cheesy, but right now, who really inspires me is kind of like Tim and Lisa(Mulks). I think the biggest parts of my actual dream is to actually own one of these one day. That's my dream, you know, I used to dream about opening a shop and being a barber, you know, owner or whatever. But I've came to realize how awesome this environment is. And it's, it's still necessarily be a brand or a shop and still be that but you give full anatomy or autonomy to your renters, you know, so it's more of like, Hey, I'm not your boss, I'm just your landlord. That is one of those things that I look up to them for that. Because like I said, it's a dream for me, but in general entrepreneurs, people that have become very successful in owning multiple businesses, those people are my heroes, I definitely fantasize that dream of being that person one day, I know I'm gonna get it. I wish I could get it off faster, because I'm an impatient person. But you know, I know that Patience is the virtue and at the end of the day, I'll get there one day, that's what I would have to say, this is like my heroes.
Matthew Landis:I love hearing that. And, you know, I'll give a shout out to Tim and Lisa Mulks. They're in Reno and Sparks. They just won IMAGE Studios Owners of the Year. I don't know if they they told you that or past that. But they're incredible. And it's absolutely well deserved. They're just such great people.
Jason Fuentes:Yeah, I agree. 100% Ever since the day I met them, you know, it just clicked and I respect them both as business owners as people. And like you said, they're amazing people, they definitely deserve that award.
Matthew Landis:I asked this question of all my guests, because I feel like we love our businesses. We love what we do. We love our clients, but we also have rough days. Yeah. And for most of us, we have days where we just want to pack it all in and say okay, quit. How do you overcome those days?
Jason Fuentes:I think the way that I do it is more or less. In the moment, obviously, you're gonna be feeling the way that you do and you might even, you know, pack a little, maybe pack a little bag and start walking out and start thinking to yourself that I'm gonna start rethinking this and maybe it's time for a change or whatever. That's, that's okay. You know, I feel like that and that's the biggest part of it is being okay with thinking that because we all have doubts, we're all gonna go through those moments. So I think that that's okay, but obviously recognizing that it's just for the moment at It's not forever, it's not something that's gonna last. It's just for the moment. And if you can think of it that way, I know once you cool down in here more than a sane mind, it's not going to be worth it. You know, I think the thing that really pulls me back to think, is where I came from all the hard work I put in, and I refuse to let it go after giving up a full career that I was good at good at all these lessons, whether they were good or bad, I'm not going to let it go. Because of that, you know, I clawed my way up here, and I'm definitely not going to just throw it away, because I had one bad day or one bad pine or one, you know, it's just not worth it in the end for what I put into it. It's not worth what, you know, it's something you did. So I think overcoming that would be that, you know, trying to think of it in the sense of, hey, you worked your ass off to get here, you're not just gonna throw it away just like that. It's just right now, it's not going to be forever.
Matthew Landis:That's great perspective. Because we do we put we invest. And this is what I tell our owners, this is what I tell people outside the industry that maybe they don't understand about people in the beauty, health and wellness industry is how much blood sweat and tears that we put into this, how many years that we have worked to hone our craft and build our clienteles and the amount of money that we've invested. I mean, it is an expensive career to be in. And so all of that adds up. And I think you're right, even on our worst days, it's still better than almost anything else. Right? I know that tomorrow it's gonna be better and it's gonna be great. I wouldn't want to do anything else.
Jason Fuentes:Yeah, or even thinking of it is offensive. You kind of want to scare yourself a little bit. It's like, well, what's the other option? Going back to what I was doing before? Like, yeah, no.
Matthew Landis:I agree. All right. So a couple other questions, what other parts of your life bring you joy and happiness?
Jason Fuentes:Honestly, my daughter means the world to me. She's everything to me. She's been able to meet Tim and Lisa. Especially Lisa loves her. So just kind of seeing that because I always given her ironically enough and a little sidetrack, but like, even with my love life, you know, I was trying to tell people a day, that's my heart right there. So if you can get to her, you got me, man. So it's like at the end of the day, that means the world to me right there. So that that is probably the main thing that brings joy outside of my work. And normally, I mean, I'm a big homebody person. So I love being at home. I've invested a lot of money into my home theater. So I'm a movie fanatics are one of those things that I just, you know, bring joy to me is one of those things, too. And, you know, traveling, stuff like that.
Matthew Landis:I'm a homebody as well, you know, one of the things about this business that someone said to me years ago, is we throw a party every day. Yeah, the last thing we want to do when we get home is go to another party.
Jason Fuentes:I never really thought of it that way too. Because it's like all the people you interact with. Sometimes you just need to unplug and get away. You know what I mean? Because you see, however many clients each day yeah, that I never really thought of it that way. That's cool.
Matthew Landis:We're playing host every single day. So you know, when we go home, we just we want to be in our home theater. We want to have the best experience we can with our loved ones in our plays. Yeah, I agree. 100%. All right. One last question. What are you looking forward to?
Jason Fuentes:Kind of like I was saying just a little bit ago, I look forward to really see myself become that person. I want to I definitely want to own my own place like this. And I think that that's what I look forward to the most. And just seeing the benefits that come from that, you know, whether there's obviously everything is not money, but money is kind of everything right? You know, it sucks. But I think at the end of the day, if if I can get to a place where I'm a little bit more financially free, I look forward to being able to travel the world see things that I've never seen before. You know, I said all the time, the luxury of my career, so I can take it with me anywhere. I definitely look forward to those things, those benefits that I you know, that I'm getting because of the hard work I put in?
Matthew Landis:Well, Jason, it looks like all the hard work that you put in is really paying off. You look like you're in a great place. You look happy. And I'm really happy for you. It looks like you've created something really great there. And I just want to thank you so much for joining me on the podcast today.
Jason Fuentes:Yeah, thanks for inviting me over man. I appreciate it.
Matthew Landis:Thank you so much for joining me on this episode of The VIP Suite. I'm Matthew Landis and I hope you found the insights and inspiration shared today truly valuable for your journey as a Salon Suite entrepreneur and independent beauty, health or wellness professional. Don't forget to follow us on Instagram@imagestudios360. And if you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe to the VIP Suite on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an opportunity to connect with our vibrant community and to discover more incredible stories and strategies. We love hearing from our listeners. If you have any questions, topic suggestions or want to share your own success story, feel free to reach out To me at matthew@imagestudios360.com. Remember listener, you are the heartbeat of the beauty, health and wellness industry. Your dedication and passion make the world a better place, one client at a time. We'll be back with more engaging and inspiring conversations in our next episode. Until then, take care, stay inspired, and continue to create your own VIP Suite. For more information about becoming a part of the image studios luxury Salon Suite community, visit our website at imagestudios360.com.