Inspiring Conversations with Nathan Han of Han’s Beauty Stor

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nathan Han.

Hi Nathan, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I am the founder and creator of www.HansBeautyStor.com and 1 of the twin sons of the Founders and Owners of Han’s Beauty Stor. I am from Arcadia, CA and have worked directly with my parents since graduating college almost four years ago to operate and manage 4 locations in the Los Angeles area, in addition to our online store. I received my undergraduate degree with a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Redlands in 2018 and I have always had an entrepreneurial mindset since a young age. Coming from an immigrant family of entrepreneurs and small business owners, topics surrounding business and entrepreneurship were frequently discussed, which happened to resonate deeply with me and intrigue me more than any traditional approach to work or a career. Outside of family, whether on purpose or not, I have always happened to be in business and entrepreneur-centric environments because of my fascination for entrepreneurs, their thinking, and their ability to bring ideas to life. As a golfer, this has been convenient for me as I have had the pleasure to meet and play golf with incredible individuals who have already reached milestones in their entrepreneurial careers that I have set for myself. From multinational companies to small business owners, they are a source of motivation and knowledge for me in my own endeavors.

At just 25 years old and with little experience in my field relative to my peers, I have also heavily relied on studying already successful companies and the trajectory of their business models to try and understand the thought process of each company’s leaders and pinpoint where they saw growth potential. Some of these include Jeff Bezos with Amazon, Paul Tran with Manscaped, Tony Hsieh with Zappos, and Michael Dubin with Dollar Shave Club. These people and companies would not only spark a fire in me years before any thought of a career path because of my interest in them but also provide me with a lot of insight when developing our goals, as well as decision making, at Han’s Beauty Stor up to this day. I am fortunate and blessed to have met and interacted with the thousands of customers that have walked in our doors and entrusted us to serve them and I couldn’t be more thankful for their support. From vaguely remembering or seeing pictures of me as a child with past and current employees and customers then fast-forwarding to my role in the business today, life has really come full circle. Carrying on the name of Han’s Beauty Stor and the traditions built-in it holds significant value to me and I am proud to be part of our one year anniversary celebration of www.HansBeautyStor.com and 37 years anniversary celebration of Han’s Beauty Stor this year.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Looking back, there have definitely been a lot of challenges that have been presented in my short career, but I have also noticed a big change in my demeanor when issues or struggles present themselves today in comparison to a few years ago. My emotional capacity from being presented with an issue to carrying out a plan to solve such an issue has improved greatly and I attribute that to the degree of difficulty that some struggles have presented, as well as the confidence that derives from being able to overcome them. From moving out of a 6,000 sqf lease to building a new location during the height of Covid to dealing with the repercussions of Covid shutdowns and product shortages, as just a few examples, I feel as if my ability to remain calm in tumultuous times has made things feel more smooth than what may have appeared. I am a believer that business is a war of attrition, so I perceive solutions as not only opportunistic but required/necessary in order to compete over the course of many decades. So I encourage a little struggle, whatever form that it comes because at my core, solving difficult problems is what gives me fulfillment and enjoyment.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Han’s Beauty Stor?
Han’s Beauty Stør is a family-owned beauty supply retailer and full-service salon founded in Baldwin Park, CA in 1985. For over 30 years, we have been committed to providing customers, licensed professionals, beauty fanatics, and more with an exceptional one-stop-shop shopping experience for all of their beauty and personal care needs. As a one-stop-shop, our salon offers services ranging from hair, skin, and nails, while our beauty supply offers the best products in beauty. As an authorized retailer, we take pride in our ability to carry and sell a wide selection of some of the best salon-quality brands and products that are 100% authentic & genuine. This includes a selection of approximately 150 beauty brands and over 10,000 products that includes a variety of women and men’s haircare, skincare, cosmetics, and nail supplies, ranging from brands such as Redken, UNITE, & Olaplex to Dermalogica & Murad, to Jane Iredale & Sorme, to OPI and Zoya. Today, Han’s Beauty Stør is located in Pasadena, South Pasadena, La Cañada Flintridge, and La Crescenta, as well as online at www.HansBeautyStor.com.

Han’s Beauty Stor is not just any ordinary salon or beauty supply, we are truly a one-stop-shop that caters to the average person or beauty enthusiast. Our product selection is quality and results-driven and can be found being used in professional settings, such as by our very own hairstylists, estheticians, or nail technicians in our salons. Han’s Beauty Stor helps bridge the gap in the idea that only licensed professionals have access or know how to properly use the best salon products. We do so through the recurring education and testing of products by our team members who are capable of narrowing down the plethora of products to what would best suit the customer’s unique profile and needs while explaining the process of how to use the product for the best results. This allows our customers to not only bring professional beauty products directly into their home without the added expense of seeing a specialist but to also leave our store feeling confident in their products, as well as excited for the glam and glow that follows. There are certain services, however, that just aren’t feasible to do ourselves or in a home-setting, to which our licensed specialists offer their expertise and care. These specialists can offer up to 20-30 years of experience in their field, many of which have been solely with Han’s Beauty Stor, truly bringing together an atmosphere of camaraderie. Han’s Beauty Stor locations and our Online store is open nearly everyday of the year in order to serve our customers at their convenience and we take pride in that when our customers need us most, we are present and ready to serve. While I could go on and on about our competitive edges and what we do well, the aspect of Han’s Beauty Stor that makes me most proud are the relationships that have been cultivated amongst team members and customers in our stores and salons. We are truly a big family at Han’s and getting to see familiar faces, as well as new ones, makes our days.

Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
This is probably the most difficult question so far because there isn’t just one thing that stands out. I was blessed to be able to travel the world, meet great people, and have some of the best experiences in my life in my childhood years, so I am really just grateful for all those years. My twin brother and I weren’t the best at sitting still so my parents allowed us to burn off steam by putting us in all the extracurricular activities where we could socialize and be entertained. My parents, however, would often be busy with work and so often times we’d be left in the office to kill time. This would frequently turn into my brother and I chasing each other around the store or we would go to one of our neighboring restaurants at the time, Fudruckers. My brother and I would have burgers and milkshakes while playing in their arcade and just have the best time ever. Memories like these stand out and bring nostalgia to me because we recently closed that chapter in our lives last year by relocating our Pasadena location out of that shopping center after being there for nearly 30 years.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.HansBeautyStor.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hansbeautystor/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hansbeautystor/
• Yelp: Han’s Beauty Stor

Image Credits
Aaron Han @its.aaronhan on IG https://www.aaronhanphotography.com/