Making It Sparkle: Kim Sanchez

Kim Sanchez became a mother at 20 and she says that’s when her life “truly began”. Through trials, tribulations, and tenacity; Kim’s story is one of perseverance and a can-do attitude.

Kim’s daughter, Darrien (left) and Kim at a concert in 2012. Photo Credit: Kim Sanchez

Hailing from Crane, Missouri, which holds a current population of roughly 1,500 people, options for work were limited. After becoming a certified nail technician, Kim decided to go into business with a close friend, Shelley Carroll-Drew, and opened a beauty parlor called Three’s Company Beauty Salon in Branson, Missouri. The salon was open from 1998 to 2004.

Shelley Caroll-Drew, Kim’s business partner at Three’s Company Beauty Salon. Photo credit: Kim Sanchez.

Unfortunately, Kim would be diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel, which effectively stopped her from continuing to do nails. The following year, in 2005, she would marry Brian Oliver, who owned Classic Boards in Branson, MO. The two would soon move their business to Springfield, Missouri, quickly becoming a staple in the skateboarding community there.

Left to Right: Jake Bush, Unnamed, Tyler, Brian Oliver, Kim Sanchez, Darrien Everly, Antwuan Dixon (Professional Skateboarder), & “Slash” (Professional Skateboarder). This was taken during a signing during a skateboard tour in 2007. Photo Credit: Kim Sanchez.

While everything seemed fine on the surface, a raging storm was taking place at home. Brian was an alcoholic, often leaving Kim to run the shop alone. “It was a difficult time, but I loved the boys I worked with,” says Kim. After her daughter’s graduation from High School in 2011, Kim left with her daughter and moved back to Branson. Her divorce was finalized in 2015. During this time, money was tight and the future uncertain, a common occurrence amongst single mothers.

During this uncertain time, Kim worked at several jobs ranging from a truck-dispatcher to doing traveling time-share relief. “I’m a worker, it’s what I do. When the going got tough, I went until it was better,” Kim says, “There’s no stopping when you don’t have any other options.” After being laid off at a Timeshare Company in Branson in 2019, Kim had enough. “It was time to start doing my own thing,” Kim says.

Following the 2020 pandemic, Kim started working for herself cleaning vacation rentals in Branson. In 2025, she fully opened her own cleaning company, We Make It Sparkle. “It’s been my hardest, but most successful, business,” Kim says in our interview. “She has really put everything into this, you know,” says Leroy Sanchez, Kim’s husband and owner of LKS Lawncare. “It’s impressive to see someone work seventy-plus hours a week and keep going.”