We recently had the chance to connect with Ben Huynh and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Ben, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: Have you stood up for someone when it cost you something?
Yes, we fired a high-paying client, and it was the right call.
We had a regular guest whose sense of entitlement had created a toxic environment that was completely counter to our salon’s culture. Our team, who are the heart of BeautyBar, began to dread her appointments. For us, that is a non-negotiable line. Our salon is a sanctuary, and that begins with the well-being of our staff.
I told her directly that the way she treated our team didn’t align with our values and that we were no longer the right fit for her.
The cost? We lost her business and got a few bad reviews. The gain? My team knew, without a doubt, that I will always put them first. Their trust and morale are worth more than any single client. It’s a simple choice: people over profit. Every time.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Ben Huynh, and alongside my wife and partner, Kimi, I am the co-founder of BeautyBar SGV. At its heart, our brand is built on a simple, yet powerful, idea: a salon should be a sanctuary, not just for its guests, but for its team first.
On the surface, we are an award-winning nail and beauty sanctuary in San Gabriel, but what truly makes us unique is our fiercely “people-first” culture. Kimi and I believe that the exceptional, mindful experience our guests love is a direct reflection of our team’s happiness and well-being. They are our family, and we’ve built our entire business around supporting them. Our philosophy is that true luxury isn’t just about beautiful artistry—it’s about creating a space where kindness, connection, and mutual respect are the foundation of everything we do.
Our story is a partnership in every sense. Kimi is the creative soul of BeautyBar—our Head Artist and the mentor who sets our incredibly high standards for technical skill. I handle the operations and hospitality, ensuring every person who walks through our door feels seen and cared for. In 2015, we took a leap of faith and purchased a dated salon, transforming it into the BeautyBar our community knows today.
We’re constantly evolving, and this past year has been one of significant growth. We just completed a six-month remodel, reimagining our physical space to fully align with the serene, sophisticated, and welcoming spirit we’ve cultivated for nearly a decade. Seeing our vision come to life and having our community honor us as the Best Nail Salon in San Gabriel for two consecutive years has been an incredibly rewarding experience.
Ultimately, our mission is to prove that you never have to sacrifice your values or your team’s happiness to succeed. At BeautyBar, we put people over profit every single time, because we believe that is the most beautiful standard of all.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who taught you the most about work?
The most important lessons I’ve learned about work came from two people, but I have to start with my father.
He was the one who showed me what sacrifice looked like. As immigrant refugees, work for my father was about survival. I watched him work seven days a week for years to provide for us. He was an entrepreneur who preached the independence that comes from owning your own labor. To be honest, I was a lazy kid and didn’t fully appreciate it at the time. I saw his incredible work ethic but couldn’t mirror it. It took me years to understand that his relentless effort was his expression of love and his way of building a future for us from nothing. He taught me the fundamental ‘why’ of hard work.
Then, my wife Kimi showed me that same lesson in our own generation. She became the second most important teacher in my life. For years, I watched her work with incredible intensity, not just for herself, but to help provide for her family back in Vietnam. She was sending support home to her parents and her many brothers and their families—a profound responsibility she took on without hesitation.
Seeing Kimi pour that same level of dedication and love into her work, driven by that deep sense of duty, made my father’s lessons truly resonate with me. It was the same heart, the same fire. My dad taught me the blueprint of sacrifice, and Kimi showed me that spirit in action every single day.
BeautyBar is built on the foundation they both gave me. It’s a business born from an immigrant’s drive for independence and fueled by a deep-seated belief that work is an act of love and provision for the family you have and the family you choose.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
I can’t say we ever seriously considered giving up, but the closest we ever came was definitely during the pandemic. We were forced to shut down for eleven months, and it was incredibly difficult to see a path forward.
The financial pressure was terrifying, but what brought us to that low point wasn’t just the money. It was the emotional weight of feeling responsible for our team—our family. The thought of not being able to support them was devastating, and that sense of helplessness was harder to bear than any financial loss.
So, instead of letting that feeling take over, Kimi and I decided to focus on what we could still control: our people. Our energy went into supporting our team, holding virtual check-ins just to make sure they were okay, and helping them find financial resources. We stayed connected with our guests online, keeping our community’s spirit alive. In a way, instead of giving up, we doubled down on our “people-first” philosophy.
That experience, as difficult as it was, ended up reinforcing everything we believe in. It showed us that our salon is more than just a business—it’s a community. Coming through that time proved that our commitment to our people wasn’t just a nice idea; it was the very thing that ensured our survival and brought us back stronger than ever.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes, it is. The person you see running the salon—the one who’s all about kindness and taking care of our team and our wonderful guests—that’s the real me. But I have to be honest, it’s a version of me I’ve worked hard on for a very long time.
When I was younger, I wasn’t always this person. I was a good kid deep down, but as an immigrant trying to figure out the “American dream,” I picked up some bad habits. I kind of lost myself for a while. To be blunt, I was no angel, and I ended up miserable because of my own actions.
That misery was my turning point, which happened about 25 years ago. It wasn’t an overnight change, but the beginning of a long process. It forced me to start the daily work of looking at myself and figuring out who I really wanted to be. I’ve worked hard over the past several decades to become this person, and in shedding those bad habits, I realized the only path to a meaningful life was to get back to a core focus on people—both the team I lead and the guests we have the privilege to serve.
That journey is also why I’m so direct. I’m a kind person, but I’m also very blunt. I’ve learned that being direct is a form of kindness. It’s about being honest to protect our team and the positive atmosphere we’ve built, which is ultimately what creates the sanctuary experience our guests deserve.
So yes, what you see is what you get. The guy who is fiercely protective of his team and deeply appreciative of his guests is the same guy who has spent decades working to become someone who understands that a life without kindness just doesn’t work.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: When do you feel most at peace?
For me, peace is simple. I feel most at peace when I’m surrounded by my loved ones.
That feeling isn’t tied to one specific place; it’s about the people. It starts with my wife, Kimi. Whether we’re at home with our Shih Tzus, Bella and Bobby, or working side-by-side at the salon, being with her brings a sense of calm and partnership that centers me.
Because we’ve cultivated a true family culture at BeautyBar, that feeling extends to my workday. I find peace at the salon because I’m surrounded by a team I genuinely care about. That sense of connection is the same whether we’re spending time together outside of work or when I’m with my own extended family.
So for me, peace isn’t about being alone or in a quiet place. It’s the feeling I get from being connected to the people I love.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://beautybarsgv.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beautybarsgv/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beautybar-sgv
- Twitter: https://x.com/BeautyBarSGV
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beautybarsgv/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/beautybar-sgv-san-gabriel-3
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzlxTac3N3QyoCw2AVXTv-Q
Image Credits
@beautybarsgv
