But her most popular offering is nail art: Using different types of gel paints, polish, gemstones, stickers and other materials, Nguyen can create an intricate cloudscape or a bouquet of spring flowers on a person's fingertips. The designs usually take two to three weeks.
Nguyen's most famous clients include Paris Hilton and Hailey Bieber, but her salon is also open to non-celebrities. Her designs have also been featured in advertising campaigns for companies such as Apple, Converse and Chanel.
In 2022, her salon brought in over $600,000, according to tax records reviewed by CNBC Make It – a number Nguyen is expected to surpass before the end of 2023 given her greatly increased client base.
Jenny Nguyen estimates that on a busier week she spends between 80 and 100 hours on the job.
Andrew Evers
Nguyen studied education at Hofstra University in New York, but left college in her freshman year to work full-time and help her parents financially support her three younger siblings, all of whom were living in New York at the time.
She first moved to Los Angeles in 2019 to take a break from New York's harsh winters. At the time, Nguyen was a substitute teacher for a public school district and had planned to continue her teaching career in Los Angeles.
“But I didn’t make enough money teaching,” Nguyen remembers. She knew she wanted to try a new job in a new industry, but wasn't sure what to do next.
So she decided to try self-employment. “I've always been drawn to entrepreneurship because I'm very competitive and bossy and would rather work for myself than listen to other people telling me what to do,” she says.
Then the pandemic came. “I follow a lot of nail artists on Instagram. So while I was at home in lockdown, I kept seeing it on my feed and thought, 'Why not give it a try?'” says Nguyen.
It only took a few months for Nguyen to perfect her craft. In early 2021, she earned her manicure license online through Advance Beauty College — a program she says cost about $9,000 and took a few weeks to complete — and began promoting her services to clients on Instagram, reaching out to photographers and offering free nail art for their shoots to build their portfolio.
Her colorful designs quickly gained a following on TikTok and Instagram, where social media influencers and celebrity assistants messaged her and asked for appointments. “Social media and customer recommendations helped me build my customer base,” says Nguyen.
In January 2022, Nguyen opened JennPaintt Nail Lounge in downtown Los Angeles. She says the salon sees about 300 customers in a typical week. JennPaintt Nail Lounge currently employs 16 people, including Nguyen's husband, Bryan Truong, who co-owns and operates the salon with her.
“Being an entrepreneur is very lonely and stressful… but once I started hiring more people, I felt much better and was able to grow my business faster,” says Nguyen. “If you want to go far, you have to go together.”
Nguyen says she still works late nights and weekends to grow her business – on a busier week, she estimates she's on the job between 80 and 100 hours.
But Nguyen says the long hours are worth it to pursue a creative pursuit that she loves and pays well. “Nail art is always exciting and makes people happy,” she says. “I am so grateful to be able to do this work.”
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