Name of Business: Kromática Salon
Business Type: Salon
Location: Peru
We are a family of four: My two children, my husband, and I live by the principles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We have great faith that every effort will lead to a happy ending. We believe in self-reliance as the foundation of our lives, and we faithfully share our love for our neighbors.
Since I was a little girl, I’ve loved everything that had to do with making people beautiful, and I’ve also enjoyed teaching. When I finished high school, I faced many challenges, the biggest being the disability that I have had since I was a year old: sequelae of polio. Doing my studies in a time when there was no technology was difficult; from the age of 18 to 20, I was learning to walk on my own, so I had to study whatever was closest to my house. Thankfully, there was a CEPRO (a technical school) just half a kilometer away from my home. I walked there and studied cosmetology and haute couture. Later, I began to study at a university, because the University of San Martín de Porres opened a branch in my town. Unfortunately, when I was in my eighth semester, the university decided to return to Santa Anita. It was terrible; I could not finish my studies. Even so, I worked for 25 years with a lot of love and passion.
In 2014, temporary workers were dismissed, and I was fired without consideration of my disability status. I fell into a deep depression. After six months of prolonged emotional suffering, I realized that I had other skills and could support my family while my children were in school. I never stopped serving people with what I knew—cosmetics and beauty—which I perfected over the years.
The Church helped me a lot with its self reliance program: How to Start and Grow My Business. I began to grow in the administrative part, and I had a lot of clients. When the pandemic hit, I had to close because my medical condition made me vulnerable to the virus.. Then, in 2024, I participated in the Comas chapter’s Start Now program, which was a great help to me. I began to apply one of the Academy’s 25 Rules of Thumb, “Sell what the market buys.” That opened my eyes and got me thinking. I have a lot of competition, but something favorable for me is that I am the only colorist in my market, so now I am giving another meaning to my business. We offer hair and skin colorimetry services. That is bringing in more clients for my business. I know I am starting over, but I’m doing so with a firm foundation.
