From $11 to Teaching, Transforming, & Thriving
Alicia Muma. Photos by Wezz De La Rosa / JEFAS Magazine
“During my final month of school, I got a life-changing opportunity,” Alicia Muma shares of her time as a student at La James International College in Davenport, Iowa. With just eleven dollars to her name, she stood at a crossroads. The owner of Studio Luxe was looking for a lash technician and offered to pay for her course, including all the supplies she needed, which would be a lifeline for the single mother who had been piecing together odd jobs to make ends meet while she completed an esthetics program.
Struggling as a single mom with two little ones under the age of 2, Muma understood that survival meant more than just scraping by, and coming from a family of Latina entrepreneurs, she had witnessed the power of hustle and vision. She knew that the Studio Luxe opportunity could be the launchpad she needed. She had a small following of clients from promoting CBD-infused skincare products she created in her home, and she leveraged that in her new beauty business. “By the end of that first week, I had earned enough to cover my booth rent and buy additional supplies,” she recalls. “I kept pushing, stayed consistent, and eventually built a steady client base with a fully booked schedule each week.”
Building Alicia Peña Skincare: A New Beginning for a Latina Entrepreneur
What began as a survival strategy soon transformed into Alicia Peña Skincare where she combines her skills in lash technology and her passion for skincare with her ability to connect with clients. While she is not fluent in Spanish, her team and family help her provide services to Spanish-speakers and she’s developed a loyal clientele in both languages.
In 2023, Muma’s vision expanded beyond her own success when she earned her instructor’s license. Today she teaches up-and-coming estheticians at her alma mater. “Teaching isn’t about the paycheck for me — I earn more working for myself. I do it to uplift others and be the mentor I wish I’d had when I was in their shoes.”
Helping Students Navigate Career and Family Challenges
Her relationship with her students is deeply personal. She guides them through complex processes like student loan consolidation and earning specialized licenses that can dramatically increase their earning potential doing tattooing and permanent makeup. She even connects them with childcare providers, knowing intimately the challenges of balancing education, career, and parenthood. Once they graduate, she keeps in touch by offering them discounted services at her salon.
She sees herself in her students, knowing that if it hadn’t been for those who saw her potential, she wouldn’t be where she is today. Thankful for her community, Muma’s choice to open her business where she was born and raised was intentional. “When it came time to open my business, I knew there was no better place than home. I had already built a strong clientele here, and I wanted to contribute to the community that shaped me.”
As she looks to train lash technicians to work alongside her and help cement her position as one of the best salon owners in the Quad Cities, Muma is excited to see more women like her excel in the field she loves. Her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs resonates with experience and hard-earned wisdom: “Stay focused on your goal and go after it with everything you’ve got. Be relentless, even if you don’t feel fully ready to take the leap. Sometimes, you just have to work with what you have and cross the road anyway—you’ll figure it out along the way!” Anyone who walks into her salon will clearly see that she lives and breathes her message of tenacity as a blueprint for success that is paying off.
