Two empty hands in the big city
Jenny Nguyen (29 years old) is a famous nail artist and a large nail salon owner in Los Angeles (USA). Her salon offers many services, from nail care to eyelash extensions.
Vietnamese-American girl earns 14.5 billion VND/year doing nails (Photo: Andrew Evers).
Using gel polishes, clear coats, gems, stickers and other materials, Jenny has been able to create intricate cloudscapes or a spring bouquet of flowers on someone’s fingertips. Each design typically takes 2-3 weeks to complete.
Some of Jenny's celebrity clients include Paris Hilton and Hailey Bieber. Her designs have also been featured in advertising campaigns for companies such as Apple, Converse and Chanel.
According to tax documents obtained by CNBC, her salon earned more than $600,000 in 2022. That number is expected to increase in 2023 as her clientele grows.
Jenny studied education at Hofstra University in New York. However, she dropped out of college in her final year to work full-time to help her parents financially support her three younger siblings.
At the time, Jenny’s family lived in New York. She first moved to Los Angeles in 2019, seeking a respite from New York’s harsh winters. At the time, Jenny became a substitute teacher for a public school district and planned to continue her teaching career in Los Angeles.
“I wasn’t making enough money to live on teaching,” Jenny recalls. She knew she wanted to try a new job, in a new industry, but she wasn’t sure exactly what to do next.
So she decided to try working for herself. “I was always drawn to business because I liked the competition,” says Jenny. “I liked working for myself rather than having someone else tell me what to do.”
After the Covid-19 period, Jenny followed celebrity nail artists on social media. At that time, she thought: "Why don't I try to do their nails?".
Working late at night
It didn’t take Jenny long to perfect her craft. In early 2021, she received her nail license online after spending about $9,000 and a few weeks studying.
At this point, Jenny began advertising her services to clients on Instagram, reaching out to photographers and offering free manicures.
Despite earning a lot of money, Jenny still works late into the night and doesn't take days off on weekends (Photo: Andrew Evers).
Her designs quickly attracted a following on TikTok and Instagram — where social media influencers and celebrity assistants would message her and request appointments.
“Social media and customer referrals have helped me build my client base,” says Jenny.
In January 2022, Jenny opened her nail salon in downtown Los Angeles. She said the salon typically sees about 300 customers a week. Her business currently has 16 employees, including Jenny’s husband, Bryan Truong, who co-owns and manages the salon with her.
"Being an entrepreneur is lonely and stressful. But when I started hiring more people, I felt a lot better and I was able to grow my business faster. So, if you want to go far, you have to go together," Jenny confided.
Jenny shares that she still works late nights and weekends to grow her business. During busy weeks, she estimates she works 80 to 100 hours.
However, Jenny never complained and believed that the long working hours were worth it for her to pursue a creative career that she loved and that paid well.
"Nail art is always fun and makes people happy. I'm so grateful to be able to do this job," Jenny said, laughing.
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