Michelle Nguyen, the founding father of Paris Lash Academy, a line of high-quality lash and nail merchandise meant for skilled use, has grown her enterprise exponentially.
Learn on to study extra about her story.
Nguyen got here to the States from Vietnam on the age of 18, as a school pupil with out a lot cash. Quick ahead to at the moment, she now runs a enterprise that has grown 300% 12 months over 12 months for the previous 4 years, whereas offering jobs to greater than 750 women and men in her residence nation of Vietnam in PLA’s personal manufacturing facility there – situated proper behind the home Michelle grew up in!
As a school pupil with little cash, Nguyen started working as a lash artist for additional earnings and ultimately opened her personal salon and was in a position to rent and assist a workers. 
Michelle Nguyen is the founding father of Paris Lash Academy.Courtesy of Paris Lash Academy
As a self taught lash artist, counting on studying from others in an trade that was identified for gatekeeping, or hiding information from others, Nguyen shortly developed a ardour for instructing others.
Nguyen first started by instructing her workers lash extensions. She expanded by touring throughout the U.S. to show lash artists lash concept, basic and quantity lashes. It was by way of this that Paris Lash Academy was born.
Nguyen opened her personal PLA producer in Vietnam in 2019 after coping with numerous vendor points, from inconsistent merchandise to not even receiving merchandise she’d paid for. She needed merchandise that might meet her personal exacting requirements, whereas with the ability to make use of individuals in native Vietnam. As we speak PLA has 5 producers in Vietnam, using over 750 men and women.
“The spotlight of my journey thus far was the overwhelming gratitude from staff in Vietnam after I visited the producer after Covid,” says Nguyen. “There have been so many individuals there to both ask for a job or to easily thank me for getting them out of unhealthy work conditions. I had moms thanking me for giving their youngsters jobs. I didn’t notice what a distinction PLA was making of their life, simply because I don’t see it on a regular basis. That has been a spotlight of my profession – realizing that we’re not solely worthwhile, however that we’re making such a distinction in a whole lot of ladies’s lives.”
She additionally focuses on giving again to the skilled neighborhood by not solely educating them along with her applications but additionally by way of initiatives like Paris Pays Your Payments the place they supply giveaways and prizes month-to-month to the wonder trade neighborhood. Paris Pays Your Payments is funded by the lash programs PLA teaches, with prizes together with attendance to Lash Con, retailer credit score, product giveaways and entry to on-line programs. It is PLA’s means of continuous to provide again and educate the following technology of lash professionals.
