Most success stories in the beauty world don’t begin with adversity, but this one does. Brazilian-American Flavia Leal felt hopeless after losing her mother. But instead of giving in, she tried to harness her beloved mother’s beauty and business sense. The result was Flavia Leal Beauty School.
Among the things that make Leal’s brand resonate with her audience is that she teaches inner beauty and strength in addition to outer attractiveness.
After her mother’s passing, she founded her Massachusetts beauty education center, and the accolades came pouring in. She has won several awards, including 2012’s Small Companies, Big Business’s Entrepreneur of the Year, 2018’s Portuguese Brazilian Awards, and 2022’s Brazilian Women in Power Award. Her institute empowers women through education that helps them enter the beauty world.
Finding Her Voice
The entrepreneur is a motivational speaker as well as a beauty guru. She relocated to the US from Brazil 22 years ago in hopes of providing a better situation for her family. Success did not come easily, though. For many years she worked 80-hour weeks while studying toward a degree, caring for her mother and daughter, and living in substandard housing.
Instead of letting the days depress her, she found God and used her position to motivate her to make life better for her loved ones. “Do what you have to do, not what you want to do,” she said of her positive mindset.
But 2008 brought more difficulty for the soon-to-be success story. Her father died that year, and her mother quickly followed in 2009. Her daughter was also diagnosed with ADHD.
To honor her mother’s legacy, she soon founded her first school, an already well-established beauty institute in Florida. She opened a second branch two years later and she continued to win business awards the following year.
This early success spurred her to introduce her own cosmetics line, prompted her to produce her own cosmetics line, and she hasn’t looked back since. Her unique combination of talents: beautifying skills, instructing talent, and heart-led student motivation has given her a worldwide following, and she has spoken at the events in Austria, France, and her native Brazil.
The Business of Beauty
Leal operates Flavia Leal Beauty School differently than most of her competitors. Instead of welcoming only those with credentials or funds, she opens her arms and doors to less empowered women, inviting immigrants, low-income students, and aspiring beauty professionals that are in the same position she was in a decade ago.
Her life mission is based on having a heart and serving others, helping women with fewer opportunities to grow their dreams and embrace their gifts. “Life makes sense when you are helping others,” said the inspiring entrepreneur.
They can develop a host of professional beauty skills at the school, including manicure specialties, esthetic courses, traditional cosmetology, and advanced beauty classes. In addition, they can earn certification to practice in the US or overseas,.network with industry peers, earn their Florida state beauty licenses, and change their perception of their lives and themselves in a way that’s truly attractive.
The founder herself is licensed in almost all of these vocations; she is an expert in eyebrow design, esthetics, airbrushing, natural and artificial nail techniques, and makeup application and has also worked as a demonstrator of cosmetics at events. She pairs her skill-sharing with talks on self-improvement, motivation, overcoming adversity, and inner beauty at many of these professional engagements.
Pretty on the Inside
Taking her lessons and making them personal is essential to Leal. She wants to lead her students on an inner journey and an outer one. She hopes that each student will graduate with a new perspective, improved self-esteem, and a new mindset that will let them take on the world with love, kindness, and beauty.
“I like to help people. No one can tell anyone that they are not good enough. I opened my school to help all students, regardless of where they come from. I want people to know that everything — anything — is possible. It depends on what you want and believe in — but not where you come from or your current situation,” she said.
She lives her life by this mantra: Meet people. Help people. Be generous. She always tries to keep this in her mind. People who are lucky enough to be around this big-hearted beauty school founder see it in action each day.
About Flavia Leal
Flavia Leal, Founder of the Flavia Leal Beauty School, is an award-winning instructor, serial entrepreneur, and motivational speaker. For more information, please visit: https://www.flavialeal.com/
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