NO
OVERNIGHT
SUCCESS
"They don't see the late
nights that I'm up
working on projects,
traveling while I'm dead
tired and still trying to be
a mom and a wife. It looks
good on social media but
it's definitely not as easy as
it looks"
WRAP DRESS: STANDOUT STYLE
BOUTIQUE
As I continue to observe Monique
throughout her shoot, I pick up
on her personality. She's not high
maintenance at all but if she has a
question, she makes it a point to
ask it. She doesn't even bat an eye
when I embarrassingly tell her that
there is no dressing room, only a
closed off area to change. I found
this to be relieving, I didn't honestly
didn't know what to expect of a
woman who was able to sit on the
highly coveted couch of FOX's The
Real daytime talkshow after only two
years in business.
Don't get it twisted though; she's no
overnight success. "(People) don't
really understand like the hard work
and effort that goes on behind the
scenes," Rodriguez states. "They
don't see the late nights that I'm up
working on projects, traveling while
I'm dead tired and still trying to be
a mom and a wife. It looks good on
social media but it's definitely not as
easy as it looks."
Speaking of social media, if you
follow Monique, one can quickly
tell how family-oriented she is. Her
Instagram gallery is full of candids
displaying her husband, who also
plays a strong role in operations
and logistics, accompanying her on
her consistent business trips or her
two beautiful daughters hanging out
around their Indiana office.
"When (my husband and I) travel,
we try to like make a date out of it,
especially if the kids are not with us,"
she explains. "We understand that
you know our marriage comes first
and the business is second."
I can tell that Rodriguez is a true
businesswoman, one of the causes
of her brand being housed on the
shelves of major retailers like Target
and Sally Beauty. I came to find out
this huge opportunity wasn't one
that she sought it out, it practically
chased her down itself.
Rodriguez and her family were
coincidentally in Dallas when she
received the fateful call to meet
executives at Sally's headquarters
in Denton, Texas. "Our first initial
meeting which was like truly a
blessing because that was the day
that they accepted us and signed
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EMPIRELIFEMAG.COM | FALL 2016