Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Lam.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
It was April of 2011. I was taking classes at Irvine Valley College and working part time for a small salon nearby as a manicurist. I lived mostly off of grants and student loans at the time. I came back from a long weekend and the entire staff was told by the owners to pack up all of their things; the salon, which had been struggling and under its third ownership, had two days to move out before the Marshal would come through to lock up the space (apparently the owners had neglected to pay the rent).
As I was packing, Phillip, the owner, asked me if I wanted to buy everything that was in the salon. “Everything?” I repeated. “Yes, everything. For three thousand,” he said. I proceeded to negotiate the price down until we agreed upon $2,000. For $2,000, I bought a whole salon with the cash I pulled from my student loans that very day.
I packed up the entire salon that same day, stored all its contents in a garage, and immediately began “marketing” — calling clients to ask if I could do their nails out of the place where I was living until I could open a salon of my own. Six months later, with a small sum of money borrowed from family, Oh My Nails! opened its doors in the same location where I had worked previously.
I’m proud to say that the salon currently has twenty employees and we have just recently expanded to a second-floor location twice the size of my previous employer’s. I think it’s ironic: I was working on getting get a degree in business when I had to stop to launch one of my own! (I never did finish college.)
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I don’t think any person who has owned a business would ever say that the entrepreneurial pursuit is a smooth road. Some days, I am overjoyed with pride and enthusiasm for how great it is to run my business; some days, I just want to curl up and cry like baby, wondering what the heck I got myself into. Every aspect of being a small business can be a struggle. You weigh every decision you are faced with, with how it will affect your staff, your clients and ultimately, your business. Finding a balance between life and work was the most difficult for me. I had a hard time letting go at the end of every day. I still do. It’s a work in progress.
Oh My Nails! – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Oh My Nails! is located in the city of Irvine, at Parkview Center. We have been open for almost six years and we won “Best of OC” in 2012 and 2017. The salon’s services focus on nail care, waxing and eyelash extensions. We offer skincare as well and plan on expanding more in to the skincare market in the near future. I am most proud of the community of clients and quality of staff that have developed over the years. We have an extremely low turnover rate when it comes to our employees, which helps a tight unit that works well together to better serve our clients.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I don’t think success is ever measured by the amount of money or material things that you have. It is a state of mind. It is the love that surrounds you on a day to day basis. I think success is about the people and experiences you’ve had in your life. Anyone can be successful. It all depends what on what each person defines as success.
Contact Info:
- Address: 5325 University Drive, suite D
Irvine, CA 92691 - Website: www.omnsalon.com
- Phone: 949-786-2457
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ohmynailsirvine/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ohmynailsirvine/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/oh-my-nails-irvine
Image Credit:
Jordan Wright @insidejobfilms.com
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
Zanshin
March 5, 2019 at 05:58
There was a time when this beautiful woman worked in the most run down parts of California. Hustling in small places, doing nails, lashes and facials. Her business sense was the most inspiring this young kid ever witnessed. She traveled weekly from OC to 29 palms just to be with this boy and finish her schedule of clientele. She never stopped working. She is a real Queen among women. Been thru the darkest places to be where she is now. Much love to her and her business and all her success. No other woman deserves it like she does.