Elizabeth Hermosa
Makeup and Image Consultant

Elizabeth Hermosa is a beautiful Latin-American woman who was born in Guatemala. She graduated with a degree in secretary work and bookkeeping and life was great for her in her native land until 1981. That’s when she left Guatemala for the US with her three children to escape an abusive relationship, a story she has difficulty retelling because of the experiences she had to suffer.

When she finally did arrive in the US, Hermosa faced many challenges, the biggest of which was the language barrier. Due to this, the jobs she could manage to find were all cleaning services—cleaning houses, buildings and theaters. On her first cleaning job, she simply couldn’t bare it. “I started to cry and said to myself, ‘I’m not going to be doing this for the rest of my life.’”

However, after a few years Hermosa’s life became more economically stable when she met a great man. Hermosa became interested in becoming a dental technician, a sector her husband was already in, and upon completing the necessary requirements, she and her husband built a small business together. But that endeavor turned out to be difficult because Hermosa realized she didn’t have down-time for herself and she was continuously in the same environment. She needed to move on.

During that same time, Hermosa was struggling with a personal problem: her weight. “I was very overweight and people treated me bad…I was even made fun of and people called me names,” added Hermosa. Soon she became self-conscious and decided to change. She lost an amazing 180 pounds and was “feeling very good,” she noted. Yet Hermosa felt sad for other women who were still struggling with their weight, and her own experiences exposed exactly how other overweight women were treated. Her dream was to reach out and help these women.

Elizabeth Hermosa took action to bring her dreams to reality. She wanted to do her utmost to help women look their best, especially those who did not fit some people’s ideal definition of beauty. After attending conferences and trainings in numerous places, Hermosa started looking for loans and any help that would allow her to open her business. That’s when she heard about Women’s Initiative on a Latino radio. “After that I enrolled myself and then I started taking seminars for about six months.”

For Hermosa, as for many others, the most challenging aspect of starting a business was the money part. Where would she get the money from? And, more importantly, how would she make sure she was using it properly? “Women’s Initiative taught me how to manage my finances, how to be realistic (things are not as easy as one thinks), and to really focus on what I am doing,” said Hermosa. After her training ended in January of this year (2008) she opened up a business as a certified image consultant and make-up artist in San Francisco in February. “Even now I’m still struggling with finances and the difficult task of getting more clients,” said Hermosa. Although she has placed an ad for her business, things are still a bit slow, but she knows exactly why. “This is simply a stage through which I have to go through and be patient about; I’ve been in business for only two months!”

Hermosa is extremely dedicated to her business because it gives her an opportunity to help others, especially overweight Latin-American women, look good no matter what their physical features are. “I feel happier now,” she said smilingly.

In the future, she plans on promoting her business and getting more financial help. She graciously admitted that she’s enthusiastic and motivated about her salon and her work as a make-up artist. Hermosa is currently planning on volunteering at Women’s Initiative to help other women get on their feet and start their dream business.

-Asma Nemati

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