The American Dream is very important to me, because I
want to be able to prove that you could be anything
you want. And I want to be able to inspire other people
to do the same thing like I did.
I moved to a new country and didn't have money.
I didn't have anybody.
And I be able to do that.
So you can do it too.
My name is Jenny Nguyen.
I'm 29 and I am a celebrity nail artist based in LA.
I own a salon called Jen nPaintt Lounge, based in
downtown L.A.. My salon is a vegan salon and we
specialize in natural nail growth and soft gel
extensions. We also really good with nail art, so any
nail design that clients want, we can do it all.
I grew up in a village called Hongdae.
I feel like very close to my hometown.
I had a happy childhood, but I didn't have money and
we didn't have enough food sometimes or water.
The only job we could do is making rice, and we depend a
lot on the weather.
So when a storm hits, we basically lost everything.
We grew up very poor, and my parents, they both
farmers, they don't speak English.
So I always look for the opportunity to change our
family fortune.
When I first found out I moved to America, I was so
excited and I feel like it's a new life for me and
it's really like American Dream.
When we first moved to the US, we landed in New York
and my family and I, we share a basement and I
really scared when we moved there, the weather, it was
so cold and we wasn't really prepared for that.
I have three younger siblings.
I have a lot of responsibilities. I will
always looking for opportunities to make more
money to help my family.
I'm the oldest so I feel like I'm like their mom
because. We didn't have our mom with us.
Yeah. I never forget the feeling of being helpless
when I want to help my siblings, but I can't.
When I first moved to L.A., I didn't plan to have a nail
business here. I was on Instagram and I saw so many
nail pictures during Covid because everybody is on
their phone, and nail salons were closing.
So a lot of people were posting, and I thought to
myself, why not give it a try?
So I went to YouTube and taught myself nail art, and
I started doing nail for free to get followers on
Instagram. And from there I reached out to photographers
and started working on set to build my portfolio.
But I always want to build my own business.
So I decided to open my own nail salon.
When you first open a business, it's very
stressful, especially the first day of a month.
You look at your bank account and you see all red
and you're like, oh my God, how can I survive in next
month? So you have to work harder.
I almost quit, but I had no choice because I already
signed the five year lease, so I had no choice.
So I had to make it work.
I couldn't afford a front desk because I put all the
money to build the salon.
So I have to be everything.
I had to be a fun day to be a manager, to doing nails at
the same time. And after work my fiancé had to come
in and help me with the front desk.
I only had two people working at salon, and I have
some unkind people that were telling me that I
should close my salon because I don't have people
working there, and it was really sad, very stressful.
And also it's about mental health as an entrepreneur,
especially when you started building your own company,
you don't have money to hire people, so you're
trying to do everything yourself. But I burnt out
and it's not good for my mental health and also my
physical health. I always feel exhausted.
So if you want to go far, you have to go together.
Another thing about the service business is you have
to make sure that people are happy.
Like I care about my employer happiness.
I make sure they have good income and they're happy
because if if you do nails and you don't feel happy
about it, then you can't do a good job.
The working environment is very important in the
service business.
It's all about people starting your own company.
It's not easy as you think it is until you really do
it, but it will get better over time.
I always want to invest back in the business.
I started my own nail supply brand and it cost a
lot of money to do that.
So all the money I make is going back into hiring,
training new people and invest in my nail brand.
The design is very unique and look very pretty, but
also very efficient at the same time because I have
expertise in the nail business.
So I know all the problems that the nail tech going
through, especially as a self-taught nail artist.
And also I didn't have much money back then.
So I'm trying to make amazing product as a really
reasonable cost so everybody can purchase.
I'm so proud.
We just opened last year, you know.
I think my company doing well because I work really
hard and I would determine to make it work.
I always think about my family like I have to make
it work. I have to have a career here and move my
family here. No choice.
I want to be able to start a family because I love
kids. That's why I wanted to be a teacher at first
place, because I love kids and I want to have my own
kids so I can be their mom, because I think I'm going to
be a great mom because I already have a lot of
experience with my siblings.
So that would be my happy life.
My advice for people want to start their own business
is to just do it.
The best time to start your own company is yesterday, so
just do it and learn your lesson and move on and just
ignore all the noise on the way.
Because I am not afraid of failure.
Because I believe that it's a universal way of
protecting you from the wrong turn.
So just keep looking for your door.
One door closed, another better will open.
Keep looking for your door.