The startup story with 7 million VND of a 9X CEO in Nghe An

Refused to go to college because of her passion for beauty

Thao was born in the peaceful countryside of Dong Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district. Since childhood, she has shown a special talent and love for fine arts. Her passion is expressed through simple drawings in her notebook, or on the brick floor, house walls... Fine arts is the subject in which Thao always gets the highest score in all her classes.

She was also a good student, standing at the top of her class. Although she was admitted to two universities, majoring in economics and hotel management, Thao put aside her studies and was determined to pursue her passion for drawing, choosing to study beauty.

Since childhood, Thao has had a passion for drawing. Photo: NVCC

Thao confided: “With my freedom-loving nature, I chose to study cosmetic tattooing to work in line with my strengths and passions, and to be able to unleash my creativity. I remember that day, my parents were not happy but respected my wishes. I started my journey to realize my dream with 7 million VND my parents gave me to study the profession…”.

However, the young girl’s career path was not “full of roses” but turned when Thao got married and had a child at the age of 19. Without a career, Thao started her new life with “empty hands”, with many difficulties, pressures and even sadness and self-doubt that sometimes made Thao fall into depression.

Young mother strives to continue her dream

The young girl's career path seemed to be closed due to the constraints of family life. However, with the desire for a full life for her children and the desire to assert herself, Thao overcame difficulties with extraordinary efforts to continue her unfinished dream.

Without the support of her family, the road became even more difficult. She had to make an effort to learn a trade again after a period of neglect, while also paying for her studies and taking care of her children. At that time, every day, she woke up early, diligently traveled 20 km of village roads to town to learn a trade and returned at dusk. And when her children were fast asleep, she continued to diligently draw and practice her skills... all night.

With a desire for a fulfilling life for her children and for self-affirmation, Thao overcame difficulties with extraordinary efforts to continue her dream... Photo: NVCC

After a period of hard work, gradually improving her skills, and earning a small income, Thao made a turning point decision to leave her 1-year-old daughter with her grandparents and go to Hanoi alone to study and work, with the hope of creating her own career.

After more than a year of hard work and saving some money, Thao continued to attend advanced classes in Hanoi and Saigon. Thanks to her hard work, talented hands and strong passion for the job, Thao was accepted to work at large beauty salons and increasingly gained the trust of many customers.

During her years of hard work, Thao always returned to her hometown to visit her children whenever she had free time. The young mother's journey to find a career was as arduous as that for more than 3 years.

Dare to fail to "touch" success

When the opportunity to develop her career in Hanoi was wide open, Thao made a bold decision to return to her hometown to start a business from scratch, with her greatest "capital" being her work experience and business knowledge gained from her days of studying and working in the capital.

"Thanks to her experience and solid skills, in the early days of starting her career in Vinh, Thao was accepted as a lecturer at several beauty academies in Vinh City and many students were interested in the courses; this further motivated her to pursue her dream" - Thao shared about the first days of starting her career.

In 2020, she founded a beauty spa.Phuong Thao Academy(336 Nguyen Van Cu - Vinh City). However, the initial steps of starting a business were not as... dreamed. The spa and beauty salon were not known by many customers, and the revenue was not enough to cover expenses. Not giving up, Thao rushed to learn and study management methods, find a support team and explore marketing communication channels... to operate her business more effectively.

Work was gradually stabilizing when the Covid-19 epidemic became intense, and Phuong Thao beauty salon had to close. Continuing to face challenges but not discouraged, with the belief that "Thinking will not overcome fear but action can", Thao determined to overcome difficulties with the spirit of a warrior.

Phuong Thao Academy Spa becomes a prestigious beauty address in Nghe An. Photo: PV

At that time, Thao was one of the few pioneers who brought the hairstroke eyebrow technique to Vinh city. Her talent and reputation grew more and more, and many students came to her to attend training courses. She switched to opening online vocational training classes, while promoting communication channels and developing her brand. After a while, more and more students registered for the courses, Thao reopened the training class and devoted herself to teaching and spreading the profession.

Thao regularly opens vocational training classes, attracting many students to participate. Photo: PV

When the epidemic stabilized, along with developing the student training sector, she reopened the Beauty Academy in Vinh city and linked with large beauty salons, diversifying and improving the quality of services: Cosmetic tattooing, spa, nail care, autologous hair transplant... Thanks to that, the brandPhuong Thao AcademyMore and more customers trust her; creating a "launching pad" for her to open more spa facilities in Yen Thanh.

The story of a young girl who started her business from “zero” has inspired her to live fully and strive for her passion. Although there are many difficulties ahead, this determined young girl will soon reach her dream: Opening more branches, aiming to establish a company and develop her brand:Phuong Thao Academyincreasingly strong./.