While beauty may seem like a lucrative industry, it's a very difficult niche to break into, and even more difficult to thrive in. In the business of glamming up your clients, you can bet all eyes will be keeping a tight watch, and—just like any other service-related enterprise—you're only as good as your last treatment.
Socialite Michelle Takijima took a chance and started out on her entrepreneurial journey when she saw a gap in the market. With an appreciation for the finer things in life, her regular visits to Tokyo salons exposed her to Japanese precision and craftsmanship in nails and in lashes. This was something she wanted to bring to the Philippines, hence, she established Tokyo Glam. It was not an easy journey, what with the pandemic slowing down her plans, but with her go-getter attitude, she blazes on and cements her business' status as the go-to for discerning celebs and influencers. Find out Michelle's secrets to building a successful beauty brand in this episode of How I Started.
WATCH: Michelle Takijima Reveals How She Started Nail and Eyelash Salon Tokyo Glam
Just like any girl, Michelle enjoys dolling up and sees it as an extension of her personality. Her regular trips to Tokyo got her to try out the nail and lash services there, and this was what ultimately inspired her to bring the techniques and materials locally.
Driven by the Japanese's meticulous attention to detail as well as efficiency, Tokyo Glam was borne to recreate her experience abroad to achieve nails and lashes that are "very elegant [and at the same time,] very natural." It didn't happen overnight, however. She opens up to Preview the no-nonsense and practical steps she took in establishing her business. Hands on and detail oriented, Michelle counts securing a strategic location, hiring a good team, investing in training, and procuring high quality materials as non-negotiables for her brand. And oh, she also reveals the number one principle that helped her thrive: treat challenges as goals to accomplish, and not as setbacks.
