By Ximena Juarez, Owner Master Esthetician, Dalior Salon & Esthetics

Like many small business owners, we are looking for every advantage as our community transitions out of the pandemic. It’s been an unpredictable two and half years for myself, my employees, and the clients we’ve missed, but we’re so happy to be back doing what we all love.

Among the things, I’m most proud of as a small business owner is our ability to change, learn and adapt. That change – and even growth – might not have been possible without the help of the Comcast RISE grant program.

Dalior Salon & Esthetics has called Bellevue home for more than eight years. We started the business out of a spare bedroom in our home and have slowly built a loyal clientele through the years, expanding into a larger space and now having room for our booth renters.

Like many small business owners, I started my own business because I wanted to have more freedom. I felt the need to break away from a years-long pattern of working for someone else and have a company to call my own. That decision has given me the chance to help change the lives of my clients one skincare treatment at a time.

Small business owners have faced unprecedented struggles during the COVID-19 pandemic. We all had to find ways to adjust to keep our businesses alive during that time. Our company has always thrived on that in-person connection, finding ways to nurture our clients when they walk in. But when that was no longer possible, I still found a way to serve our clients by designing home care tools and classes.

Because of our struggles, it’s more important than ever to find every opportunity available to provide stability and new opportunities. One way to do that is by applying for the Comcast RISE grant program focused on women and POC-owned small businesses. The marketing and technology grants are a multi-year commitment to provide marketing, creative, media, and technology services. They can do so much to help revolutionize a business by providing support to improve and maintain a robust tech support system.

Comcast RISE is accepting applications through June 17, 2022 for Marketing Technology Services awards through the Comcast RISE Investment Fund.

Whenever someone asks for advice on starting their own business, I say do it! Don’t let fear or doubt get in the way. It will be challenging, but it sure will be worth it. We are immigrants and veterans with a strong focus on serving our clients in every way we can. We believe it’s vital that more people with diverse backgrounds and different lived experiences like ours also have the chance to pursue the dream that we’re living today.

Comcast RISE is accepting applications through June 17, 2022 for Marketing & Technology Services awards through the Comcast RISE Investment Fund. For more information and to apply, visit https://www.comcastrise.com/.