August 7, 2006
Head to toe | A chat with Kim Nguyen, owner, and Noel Nguyen, manager, of Princess Nails & Salon in Portland.
By Erview By Kerry Elson
Founded: October 2005
Employees: Three
Startup costs: $45,000-$50,000
Projected revenue, year one: $30,000
Projected revenue, year two: $90,000
Contact: 773-7999
290 Congress St., Portland 04101
Tell me about Princess Nails & Salon.
Kim: We offer nails, hair, facial and waxing, but we specialize in nails: manicure, pedicure and artificial nails.
Where did you get the idea for the salon?
Kim: During my senior year in high school, I helped my sister in her salon in Sanford. I went to school to be a business person and I graduated from the business major. I wanted to open a business so I can work for myself [and] can help all my sisters and my family, too.
How did you become interested in the beauty industry?
Kim: I saw that it is very quick money to earn, and I can save money to go to college, so that is why I went into the beauty industry. Also, it gives me the opportunity to meet people, and to communicate with other people because English is my second language. I like helping people and working with people.
Where did you go to school?
Kim: Husson College, to [study] accounting.
How were you able to finance the launch of the business?
Kim: Well, I took over the business in Sanford. [When my sister] had a baby, she couldn't take care of her business anymore, so I bought her business. I bought it in October 2004 and then I sold it in July 2005. I had some of the money from that, and I got a loan from a local bank.
Was it hard to learn about the techniques and the equipment that you needed?
Kim: Well, it is. But you have to be patient, and if you want to do it, I think you can do it.
When I started this business, I struggled a little bit about how to set up. I sat down and talked to my parents and my sister and brother and they gave me some ideas.
How did you learn how to do waxing and nails and everything?
Kim: Experience. And you have to go to school for it. And then you have to take a test.
Did you go to a local school to learn?
Kim: No, I went to Chinatown in Boston, to Academy Beauty School.
What has it been like so far?
Kim: It's like a baby that grows up to be a teenager! I have to take the responsibility for all the deals and there are a lot of things to think about. From the beginning, you have to work more hours. For myself, it's 14-hour days.
Who are your clients?
Noel: It varies, because we're stuck in the middle between all the business people [downtown] and all the residential people. Our really busy time is during noontime, when the business people come in here. But it's all different age groups. We also get men in here, too. They like to come in and do their manicures and pedicures, so we have some regulars, which is a good thing.
How do you market the business?
Noel: I think our most successful way of marketing our business is probably by word of mouth. Our customers are satisfied with the quality and they tell their family and friends. And the other ways that we advertise are by radio and magazines and flyers, but our most successful advertising is by word of mouth.
Kim: I have my nails done so people can see them and ask about them. The other day I had my nails done and I went to an event on Great Diamond Island to do the advertising.
Do people pick really loud colors?
Kim: Yes. Definitely. Like when they have to go to the prom, they want to match with their dress and their shoes so they pick a wild color and then we do the wild design for them.
What's the craziest design you've ever done for somebody?
Kim: We have nail art and we have the airbrush. We have [designs for] all the holidays, too, like Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day. Halloween season, [customers] get all the funky, long nails. Some of them, they put ten different colors on for Halloween.
New Entrepreneurs profiles young businesses, 6-18 months old. Send your suggestions and contact information to editorial@mainebiz.biz.
Employees: Three
Startup costs: $45,000-$50,000
Projected revenue, year one: $30,000
Projected revenue, year two: $90,000
Contact: 773-7999
290 Congress St., Portland 04101
Tell me about Princess Nails & Salon.
Kim: We offer nails, hair, facial and waxing, but we specialize in nails: manicure, pedicure and artificial nails.
Where did you get the idea for the salon?
Kim: During my senior year in high school, I helped my sister in her salon in Sanford. I went to school to be a business person and I graduated from the business major. I wanted to open a business so I can work for myself [and] can help all my sisters and my family, too.
How did you become interested in the beauty industry?
Kim: I saw that it is very quick money to earn, and I can save money to go to college, so that is why I went into the beauty industry. Also, it gives me the opportunity to meet people, and to communicate with other people because English is my second language. I like helping people and working with people.
Where did you go to school?
Kim: Husson College, to [study] accounting.
How were you able to finance the launch of the business?
Kim: Well, I took over the business in Sanford. [When my sister] had a baby, she couldn't take care of her business anymore, so I bought her business. I bought it in October 2004 and then I sold it in July 2005. I had some of the money from that, and I got a loan from a local bank.
Was it hard to learn about the techniques and the equipment that you needed?
Kim: Well, it is. But you have to be patient, and if you want to do it, I think you can do it.
When I started this business, I struggled a little bit about how to set up. I sat down and talked to my parents and my sister and brother and they gave me some ideas.
How did you learn how to do waxing and nails and everything?
Kim: Experience. And you have to go to school for it. And then you have to take a test.
Did you go to a local school to learn?
Kim: No, I went to Chinatown in Boston, to Academy Beauty School.
What has it been like so far?
Kim: It's like a baby that grows up to be a teenager! I have to take the responsibility for all the deals and there are a lot of things to think about. From the beginning, you have to work more hours. For myself, it's 14-hour days.
Who are your clients?
Noel: It varies, because we're stuck in the middle between all the business people [downtown] and all the residential people. Our really busy time is during noontime, when the business people come in here. But it's all different age groups. We also get men in here, too. They like to come in and do their manicures and pedicures, so we have some regulars, which is a good thing.
How do you market the business?
Noel: I think our most successful way of marketing our business is probably by word of mouth. Our customers are satisfied with the quality and they tell their family and friends. And the other ways that we advertise are by radio and magazines and flyers, but our most successful advertising is by word of mouth.
Kim: I have my nails done so people can see them and ask about them. The other day I had my nails done and I went to an event on Great Diamond Island to do the advertising.
Do people pick really loud colors?
Kim: Yes. Definitely. Like when they have to go to the prom, they want to match with their dress and their shoes so they pick a wild color and then we do the wild design for them.
What's the craziest design you've ever done for somebody?
Kim: We have nail art and we have the airbrush. We have [designs for] all the holidays, too, like Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day. Halloween season, [customers] get all the funky, long nails. Some of them, they put ten different colors on for Halloween.
New Entrepreneurs profiles young businesses, 6-18 months old. Send your suggestions and contact information to editorial@mainebiz.biz.
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