Beauty Pro University

Owner and founder of The Beauty Pro University, Shauntavia Williams, didn’t start off as a cosmetologist, she worked in corporate for a bank. But after the 2008 housing crash, she decided to follow her passion, be her own boss, and went back to school to earn her cosmetology license.

During her training, she took a film class for makeup and hair. Liking her work ethic, her instructor helped her land her first role as a makeup artist for a movie. Shortly after, she did makeup for her first musical, The Sound of Music, which led her to the world of theater.

“I didn’t realize there was a path to production. I always thought if you were doing cosmetology, that you had to be in a salon,” Williams said. “Now that I’ve walked that road, both working in a salon and in production, I can help guide others.”

Williams opened a salon in Arlington, close to State Highway 360 and Randol Mill Road, to work at during the theater off-season. After a few years, she decided to transform her salon into a beauty school. The Beauty Pro University officially opened for business in April 2022.

“A lot of times when I was brought in during production, it was because the key artists didn’t know how to work on minorities. I want to pass that on to others,” William expressed. “I wanted to be the person to bring the beauty industry to a different level. So, when new artists leave school, they can work on everybody.”

The Beauty Pro University offers TDLR Licensing courses for Cosmetology Operator, Class A Barber to Cosmetology Operator, Eyelash Extension Specialty and Hair Weaving Specialty. William also teaches makeup artistry and wig making, and she also repairs wigs and toppers.

During the course programs, Williams also likes to go above and beyond, including lessons on how to set up a business and focusing on the benefits of social media marketing.

“Here my goal was to be diverse, no matter who walks in, they touch everybody’s hair, they touch everybody’s skin,” Williams emphasized. “I like to take it beyond the licensing requirements. I want everyone to feel comfortable when they leave to work.”

You can visit The Beauty Pro University website at www.beautyprouniversity.org, to learn more. Or you can visit the One Start Development Center, on the second floor at City Hall from Aug. 28 – Sept. 1, 2023, during Small Business Promotion Week. The City’s Planning and Development Service Department is also hosting Customer Appreciation Week during the same time and will be providing refreshments and bottled water for the customers visiting the Small Business Promotion table.

The City of Arlington is highlighting minority-owned and/or women-owned small businesses throughout 2023. Canales Furniture, another Small Business of Arlington, who has grown substantially in the last few years, wants to give back to the community and is sponsoring this program with the Planning & Development Services Department for the year 2023. In their new headquarters at 102 E. I-20 Highway, they have dedicated a training room for their growing community, including free English-speaking classes, citizenship classes, and teaching small businesses on how to utilize social media as a marketing tool.