Meet Abish Rivera | Dual licensed barber/cosmetologist & owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Abish Rivera and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Abish, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
After working in barbershops for nearly 5 years, I felt like I wasn’t using all of my skills being a licensed cosmetologist and barber. I had reached a point where I had built a steady clientele and I had outgrown the barbershop world. I always knew I had more potential than just cutting men’s hair. As a result, I made the decision to start Ruthless Studio, a place where service providers can offer a variety of services and work independently. My vision was to provide an environment where strong independent women could expand their businesses and form networks all in one place.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My work ethic speaks for itself! To ensure quality work that is not rushed, I exclusively work by appointment. I differentiate myself from others by honoring each appointment time slot, arriving on time, working flexible hours, and creating a pleasant environment. I take pride in providing you with the finest service I can and delivering the results that you expect. As a female barber in a male-dominated industry, I had to prove myself for years. Intimidation is not my weakness, so I overcame everything to demonstrate that a woman can be just as skilled as a barber.
I learned a lot of lessons along the way. But the most important one has been to be true to who I am and never lose sight of where I came from. I want the world to know that women are more than just housewives and mothers. We can also be boss ladies who have many roles yet perform excellently.

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?
Lately my favorite brunch spot is Como En Casa here in Grand Prairie! For drinks and dinner with a mexican atmosphere I love going to Habaneros on Jefferson for their delicious food and drinks. I also love Firehouse Gastro Park, they have great-tasting dirty bird fries and burgers! To wind down and relax I’d take her for a walk at the epic center with amazing water views.

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?
I will always be grateful for the cosmetology program at Dubiski Career High School along with my cosmo instructors Mrs. Rendon and Ms. Escobar. I also want to thank all the barbershops that welcomed me in and those barbers who taught me their tricks and passed on their knowledge.

I’ve always said that if it weren’t for my clients I wouldn’t be where I am now, and that couldn’t be further from the truth. Establishing good relationships with my clients has always been the best part of my profession. I’ll always be grateful for the opportunity to be the person you turn to for your regular haircut and waxing needs. To my clients, thank you for trusting me with your personal experiences, secrets, special life events and most of all thank you for your continued support and loyalty.
Last but not least, my family’s support was crucial to my success; they certainly facilitated the process to get to this point.

Website: https://linktr.ee/ruthless.studio

Instagram: Abish_rivera

Other: Waxing IG : @ruthless_waxstudio Studio IG : @ruthless_studio.llc

Image Credits
Daniel Perez