We had the good fortune of connecting with Liz Gonzalez-Lara and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Liz, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Growing up I saw my grandmother in Mexico running her own “shop” I was surrounded by entrepreneurs and small business owners and from a very young age I started dreaming big and loving the idea of creating my own business (little did I know the hard work behind it). Creating jobs and contributing to our economy is so rewarding, the possibilities are endless when you start a business and what drives me is the pride of showing other girls who look like me or may have the same background that hard work pays off and that they can also create something amazing and make an impact in their communities. Also as immigrants sometimes you have no choice but to start your own business and work hard to get into the system, I believe that unconsciously we are wanting to prove that we are worthy of living in this amazing country that we love as much as where we were born.

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.
It sure has not been easy but I would not want it any other way. From a young age I discover my passion for entrepreneurship; I would sell candy at school and then as a teenager I would bring silver jewelry from Mexico and literally walk into boutiques in Los Gatos, CA and Campbell, CA to see if they would purchase from me to resell, I even offered consignment to win their trust, it was fun to shop for my “business” and to learn that what I liked was not necessarily what customers were looking for or what they liked. It was a great learning experience to overcome my fear of rejection and to gain confidence and feel proud of my small contributions to my family, helping mom and dad was very rewarding. After finishing cosmetology school I met my amazing mentor Monina Wright who introduced me to the world of bridal beauty which I felt in love with since day one, as a girly girl it was so fun showing up to work and surround myself by so much beauty from the beautiful wedding gowns to the marvelous venues, the flowers, I was living the dream and found my passion in the bridal beauty industry at an early age. I started my business as a freelancer and 15 years later we are now one of the top beauty teams in Colorado.
My brain is always running at 1000 mph many, many business ideas pop up all the time and in March of 2020 when I found myself with more time in my hands because all events had cancelled due to covid, my friend Erica and I decided to get busy offering the most convenient and authentic fully prepared yet delivered frozen Mexican meals to our community who was in lockdown, the idea took off, weddings came back in 2021 and now I am so busy still learning how to manage my time and run two businesses. I’m so incredibly grateful for the support of my family, my community and friends, I could not do everything I do without them believing and supporting my crazy ideas.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Fun! Say they are visiting in the Summer, we would definitely book a few days in Vail, CO the mountains, flowers, farmers market and the vibe is everything there, we would go on a nice hike and enjoy the day in the village with dinner at the yummy Mountain Standard. I would also book find tickets to go to a concert at Red Rocks, it’s such a unique venue and everyone absolutely adores it.
A Colorado Rockies game also sounds fun, we would have a drink somewhere in Union Station and then walk to the stadium.
Another day in Boulder or Golden walking by the river would also be a must.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
So many people, first of all; my family, mom, dad and my amazing husband Fernando Lara for believing in me and supporting my dreams. My wonderful friends for the encouragement and love and the amazing mentors I’ve been so lucky to work with through the journey from Monina Wright whom inspired me to start my own beauty business when I met her 19 years ago to Leslie Snyder whom I learned so much from and most recently James Clark and Ali Davachi who have been instrumental in the growth and success of the business.

Website: www.dosamigas.com www.beautyonlocationstudio.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/dosamigas www.instagram.com/beautyonlocationstudio

Image Credits
Jenna Sparks Photography

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.