Beauty Designer by Kari

Karina began her entrepreneurial journey working as a receptionist in a beauty salon. Motivated by her desire for professional growth and encouraged by others, she pursued a cosmetology license. Her passion for beauty services grew, and she started her business as a home-based studio during the pandemic. 

In 2020, many people were unable to access beauty services. By following health professionals’ recommended precautions and ensuring everything was properly sanitized, Karina was able to provide highly sought-after services while also contributing to her family’s livelihood during this challenging time. 

Years later, as she continued pursuing her passion for beauty, Karina realized that her dream didn’t end there. Karina then discovered the Latino Business Foundation Silicon Valley (LBFSV), a MOBI Partner that offers entrepreneurship courses featuring MOBI curriculum along with other educational and training programs for small businesses. 

Through LBFSV, Karina continued her education, learning about entrepreneurship and earning a Certificate of Completion through the Gestión Empresarial para Pequeños Negocios (Business Management for Small Businesses) course. In 2024 she expanded her business, opening the doors to the storefront location of Beauty Designer by Kary in Sunnyvale, California.

"You’re never truly ready for something new—you just have to take the leap and manage what you want well," Karina shares. And that’s exactly what she did. Without waiting for the “perfect” moment, in 2020—when the global pandemic shut down many businesses—Karina saw an opportunity. At that time, she needed a source of income to support her family while also recognizing a growing need in the community. That’s how her home-based business was born, marking the start of her entrepreneurial journey.

Since then, with focused determination, Karina has learned to balance her life with discipline and perseverance as a woman, mother, wife, and entrepreneur. "Yes, sometimes you have to work a lot—maybe it’s easier for others—but if you want to do something, you have to take the risk and give it your all to achieve your goals," Karina shares. Beyond her personal ambition, her desire to provide a better life for her daughters has been a major source of motivation. With the support of her husband and the inspiration of seeing other women successfully start their own businesses, Karina began to imagine the next steps for her business.

Karina explains that while cosmetology school provided the foundation for her craft, it was the course from LBFSV and MOBI that taught her how to finance her business and navigate the necessary licenses and permits to expand her home-based business. "You may be efficient and skilled in your career, but you might not have the education and knowledge on how to start a business," Karina says. Her course through LBFSV gave her the knowledge, preparation, and confidence to open a storefront location for her business.

With the help of MOBI and LBFSV, Karina opened the doors to her salon in Sunnyvale in 2024. Karina has since built a team of three employees, and together, they offer beauty services such as haircuts for women and men, waxing, hairstyling, and makeup. 

LBFSV also offers programs like Mujeres Imparables (“Unstoppable Women”) and training workshops, where Karina developed, among other things, her public speaking skills. This training and skills development gave her the courage to carry herself with greater confidence.

Karina shares that self-doubt can be a major obstacle when pursuing our dreams. "You have to write down your dream and work toward it… That’s what it’s all about—making decisions, taking risks, because if you don’t take the risk, you’ll never know how things could have turned out," Karina says.

What’s Next? In the future, Karina hopes to expand her salon to continue offering a variety of services. She would also like to hire more employees and grow her team.

Additionally, she plans to keep training and developing her skills to better support her team and teach them new techniques. One day, she would love to offer workshops for colleagues to support their continued learning as well.

For Karina, the cycle of support doesn’t stop there. She dreams of creating job opportunities for women seeking work. "I believe that by sharing, you innovate, refine, and open up a world of possibilities to inspire more people. If I can help by sharing information, I want to do it. Just like I received [help], I can now support someone else. Maybe I can share knowledge or something that will help them," Karina says.

Dreams, Passion, and Determination Fuel a Cycle of Support

Karina’s dream, passion, and determination have led her to achieve her goals and set an example for her two daughters, showing them that anything in life is possible. Karina explains that her daughters are her greatest motivation, along with the unwavering support of her husband. Seeing other brave women achieve their dreams showed her that she could do it too. Today, she hopes to inspire and continue a cycle of support for other aspiring women entrepreneurs and cosmetologists.

To learn more about Karina and her business visit her Instagram account (@beauty_designer_by_Kary) and Facebook profile (Kary Moreno).