Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tracy Nguyen. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Tracy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Your ability to build a team is often a key determinant of your success as a business owner and so we’d love to get a conversation going with successful entrepreneurs like yourself around what your recruiting process was like -especially early on. How did you build your team?

We started off so fast that we didn’t get a chance to get anyone to work with us. It was just my husband as the receptionist, and I was the only Technician. It went like that for about a month of our grand opening. Soon after that, we started getting technicians applying for work. Some were great, and some weren’t so much. We were running into issues of having great technicians leaving us because of how new we were, and the income wasn’t as stable as other established Salons. After 6 months, we finally have a stable team, and we believe this team will be with us for the long run of the business.

Tracy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Tracy and I have dedicated most of our lives to the service industry, each of us originating from distinct career paths. Tracy, coming from Vietnam, has been honing an expertise in nail care over the past 12 years. She began her journey learning the artistry at her sister’s nail salon in Wisconsin. Over the years, she expanded her horizons, taking opportunities to work at different salons and learned bye her mistakes and trying to master the trade.

As for me, I’ve devoted over 25 years to the restaurant industry. I grew up in my parent’s restaurant, a formative experience that stirred my interest in the culinary arts. This interest eventually propelled me from a dishwashing position to an Executive Chef role at a renowned hotel in Texas, where I juggled both banquets and a la carte services. After relocating back to Minnesota, I crossed paths with Tracy. Love blossomed, and we began building our life together, nurturing a shared dream of entrepreneurship.

As we contemplated the direction of our joint venture, we had to choose between pursuing my culinary aspirations or actualizing Tracy’s dream of owning a nail salon. For six months, we diligently scoured the market for both types of businesses. It was by pure chance that we stumbled upon the perfect salon. After meeting the owners and resonating with their vision, we decided to seize the opportunity. Within two weeks, we had agreed on the terms of the purchase and finalized the transaction.

Our entrepreneurial journey began on March 17th, 2023, when we took ownership of the salon. The transition from employee to business owner marked a significant milestone in our lives, a testament to our determination and shared vision. As we move forward, we’re excited to create a space that reflects our commitment to excellence in service, celebrates Tracy’s nail artistry, and, hopefully, in time, incorporates my culinary passion.

We are committed to redefining the perception and stereotype of a nail salon. For us, it’s not just about aesthetics or beauty services. Instead, we view our salon as a place that helps individuals add the final touch to their personal style and standards. We believe in the power of visual appeal that boosts one’s confidence and helps them feel presentable, not for others, but for themselves. This passion for elevating people’s self-image and self-esteem is what fuels our work each day.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

In the funding part of the business, we borrowed from Family and friends and anyway possible. Before we found this Salon, I was applying for state fundings and loans from 3rd parties. I was turned down and denied many times that started to damage my credit score. While I was busy looking for other options. Tracy my wife, started asking her family and friends for any help possible. Any dollar would help us move closer to our dream of being a business owner.

After we found enough to financially put a deposit into the business, We started to work while I reached out to other institutions to help us finance the business. I finally had a response from a Hmong association called “H.A.P.” They finally approved me with a Government assistance loan for local entrepreneurs that would help the community expand the economy and help it grow locally.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

For the lessons that I had to unlearn, as the saying goes, “can’t teach a old dog new tricks.” What I mean is from all of the years of working for other businesses. We have to learn to forget how other businesses ran their businesses and learn to structure our own. We both have our own views in management ways and at times, in many cases we would disagree on how to run the Salon. Often times, we would take a step back and think about the different ways of management and the type of Salon we want to organize for operation.

Contact Info:

• Website: DaisynailsnewhopeMn.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daisynailsnewhope
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DaisyNailsNewHope