Today we’d like to introduce you to Tam Nguyen. Him and his team share their story with us below:
Please kick things off for us with some background on Tim’s story.
Tam Nguyen is the President & co-owner of Advance Beauty College with campuses in Garden Grove and Laguna Hills, California. More than 40,000 graduates have gone through the innovative program in its 33-year history with training from leading educators & industry professionals. The majority of graduates are proudly employed in the beauty-care industry with many becoming successful business owners & influencers.
Advance Beauty College has won numerous awards including the 2020 National School Spirit Award given by the American Association of Cosmetology Schools for its exemplary industry leadership & 2020 National Philanthropy Day Honoree for outstanding business of the year. After experiencing the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Advance Beauty College joined forces with the nail care industry to lead a “Nailing It For America” campaign that collected more than 1.2 million medical-grade masks, gloves, and other PPE’s along with teaming up with restaurants to provide more than 52,000 meals to front line workers.
Tam is an active and dedicated member of the beauty industry and community. He served from 2010-2016 on the national board of directors for American Association of Cosmetology Schools representing the nation’s leading beauty & wellness academies. As an industry leader, he has appeared on CNN, FOX, PBS, BBC, CBS, ABC, NBC, KTLA, KFI, NPR, LA Times, OC Register, Chicago Tribune, Podcasts, documentaries and numerous Vietnamese media. During the pandemic, Advance Beauty College pivoted to offer online distance education to future beauty professionals and participated in multiple meetings with the California Governor’s office to establish and review beauty industry safety guidelines. Tam comes from a family of beauty educators where both his parents & sister are licensed experts and educators.
Besides serving as the President at the beauty colleges, he currently teaches as a faculty member at Cal State Fullerton’s College of Business and Economics. He has a deep belief that “beauty changes lives” and “knowledge is power” and has dedicated his professional career to the Advance Beauty College mission of “Inspire, Educate and Give Back.” He currently resides in Orange County, CA but has also called Vietnam, Caribbean and England home.
Tim, we’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has been a challenging yet rewarding journey. Some of the struggles include coming to grips with my identity as an Asian American, balancing my parent’s dreams for me versus my own passions and a major career change shift.
We’d love to hear more about your business. What else should we know?
My company is Advance Beauty College and we are an accredited private beauty academy that provides programs in nails, skin, hair and barbering. We are most known for as a National and global leader in the nails education segment with over 40,000 graduates working in all 50 states and around the world.
Our mission is to inspire, educate and give back. We are most proud of the over 40,000 lives changed and continuing to contribute our part to the nail and beauty industry.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was super shy, made fun of and very uncomfortable with my name, how I looked, socially awkward and just had a few friends. My teenage years were tough on me so I just smiled and went with the flow while laying low.
I’m happy to share that I’ve found myself and I’m a late bloomer and my late 20’s, terrific 30’s and now fantastic 40’s have been happier times for me.
Contact Info:
- Address: Advance Beauty College Two locations:
10121 Westminster Avenue
Garden Grove, CA 92843
25332 McIntyre Street
Laguna Hills, CA 92653 - Website: www.advancebeautycollege.com
- Phone: 714-530-2131
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: tamnguyenabc
- Facebook: tamnguyenmba
- Twitter: tamnguyenabc
Image Credit:
Images were provided by Advance Beauty College
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