Meet Mai Khanh Nguyen

We recently connected with Mai Khanh Nguyen and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Mai with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

I was born in Vietnam, and my parents moved to the United States when I was little. They had to leave everything they had to afford to move here, but they were hardworking and ready to make any sacrifice to ensure our family a better future. I get my work ethic from them, especially from my mom, who introduced me to hairstyling.
When I was old enough, I started working side by side with her, and soon what I thought would remain a hobby became a profession.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

The beauty industry is complex, ever-changing, and constantly innovative, so my journey began with attending various classes and specialization courses, starting at the Marinello School of Beauty in Lakewood, CA, to earn a cosmetology license. I took several other specialization courses at the famous Joe Blasco Studio in Hollywood, the Dinair Studio in North Hollywood, Dermtologica in Irvine. After specializing in bridal updo and makeup, I realized that I want to pursue my biggest passion- hair styling. Therefore, I completed haircutting and hair coloring courses at the Redken Academy in New York. After 12 years working as a hair stylist in San Diego, I opened the Plaza Hair Salon in Rancho Bernardo, CA.

We offer a wide range of high-quality hair salon services, including hairstyling and coloring, haircuts, and premium hair treatments. I’m not going to go into a detailed description of all our services, since all that info’s already on our website. In short, we are up to date on the latest hairstyling, haircoloring, and makeup trends. The team of skilled, experienced hairstylists is ready to welcome any request, from a subtle hair refresh to a radical hair transformation.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Starting this business on my own, with limited resources, wasn’t easy, and it required great determination. When I first opened the salon, I used to work 10 to 12 hours a day. I couldn’t afford to hire employees, so I did my best to take care of both my clients and the paperwork piling up on my desk. It was challenging, so I needed determination to keep going, learning, and thriving.
Looking back, I was so immersed in my work that I often didn’t realize what time it was. All I knew was that I had a dream; I wanted to make it come true, so I guess perseverance was another skill that helped me succeed.
At first, I struggled to keep up with the demand, the bookings, and I started to feel lost among invoices, bills, and contracts, instead of being out there, doing what I love – giving beauty tips to my clients while creating fabulous hairstyles. Long story short, it wasn’t easy to manage every aspect of my business on my own. Therefore, I started collaborating with great people who shared my passion, learned to delegate tasks, and to focus on developing my organizing skills. The result was better time management and resource allocation, improved planning for a smooth workflow and flawless customer service.
My advice is to choose something you can do with passion, be determined to make your dream come true, take one step at a time, and keep learning along the way.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

As I mentioned before, my parents left everything behind when they decided to move from Vietnam to the US to offer my siblings and me a better life. Their sacrifice was the most impactful thing ever to happen to me.

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