Senior Business Counselor George Siragusa attends Grand Opening of Creative Beauty Academy (Manassas, VA).

When the founder of a new Prince William County small business, Ms. Paciencia DaCosta , asked Mason Small Business Development Center (Mason SBDC) Senior Business Adviser, and GMU Adjunct Professor, George Siragusa to speak at the grand opening of Creative Beauty Academy in Manassas, VA., George was thrilled and honored. Surrounded by Ms. DaCosta’s family along with Prince William Chamber of Commerce members and ambassadors, small business owners themselves, George framed his brief comments for this ceremony, emphasizing the number 4.5, the number 30 and “PX5”.?

Beginning her journey in 2019, the number 4.5 represented the number of years that Ms. DaCosta sought guidance from Adviser Siragusa (interrupted by COVID-19 in 2020), and the Mason SBDC. She began with buying the inventory of a business for sale, certifying, branding, developing business plans, reducing and accounting for the remaining inventory, and developing a pitch for small business capital funding.

George continued by saying the?number '30' represented the confidential, ‘no-cost’, 1:1 business counseling sessions Ms. DaCosta scheduled and held, both in person at CenterFuse Cowork in Downtown Manassas and on zoom, to move the business vision forward through a series of actionable steps.

Finally, George spoke of some of the many attributes demonstrated by Ms. DaCosta as founder and owner. Among them passion for the vision she had, perseverance through the challenges, patience and professionalism to take the foundational steps and to become a subject-matter expert in the cosmetology industry and the pivot that most startups experience, including rebranding and identifying an exciting, new, intended targeted customer-segment needing training in beauty techniques.

Located in Manassas, Virginia, Creative Beauty Academy (CBA) is making waves in shaping?the next generation of talented artists who are versatile in?pursuing a career in Esthetics, Makeup, and Special Effects.?

Founded and operated by licensed television & special effects Makeup Artist, Paciencia DaCosta , the academy offers continued education?with professional certified programs and specialized courses.

Creative Beauty Academy has courses for makeup artists, estheticians, cosmetologists, special effects artists, and our local first responders needing realism for their disaster training exercises. Other classes include?airbrushing, updo styling, lash extensions, lash lifts,?micro-blading and more.?They have a unique class entitled “Financial Management for Beauty Pros”!

Creative Beauty Academy offers online beginner classes for everyday people and advanced classes for pros to expand their beauty skills and knowledge.??

As they cut the ribbon and opened for business, Creative Beauty Academy became the first school in Manassas, Virginia, serving the DC Metro area with specialized, continuing education and training for professionals in the beauty industry.

Congratulations to Ms. Pacientia DaCosta, founder and owner of this latest Prince William County small business!