Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Ngo and Craig Cumba.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
We got started in 2011. We weren’t necessarily looking to open up an eyelash extension salon – it sort of fell on our laps. We both had previously started companies before but at the time were working for corporate America, with our background in healthcare and oil and gas.
We were working to save up in order to open up a business of our own. We evaluated all types of businesses, in all different industries. We searched for inefficiencies in each market and determined whether we could capitalize off of creating solutions for these inefficiencies.
We went through many evaluations, many meetings, and many spreadsheet calculations. And one day it hit me. I was getting my eyelashes done at a very popular and now almost ubiquitous eyelash salon, during each session I would interview the employee, evaluate the costs, and determine client flow.
I asked my partner to run the numbers and voila! The numbers worked. The driving point wasn’t just the numbers though, back then the current market for eyelash extensions was not near the saturation point it is now, and there were major inefficiencies in the market. Many of the artists were not trained properly, and clients were still coming.
I myself had stopped going to this particular salon because the artist glued my eyelid shut and upon removal I had gaps and almost non-existent lashes. I knew there had to be a better way to offer this service without damaging or hurting the clients.
So we asked ourselves if we did it right, brought on the right employees that are properly trained, would we be able to charge a little more and would we be able to grab a large enough population that truly cared about quality and proper lash health to pay these prices?
As time has proven, the answer became an outstanding yes. The people of Houston needed a high-quality lash salon that educated them, cared about reduction in employee turnover, and maintained proper lash health and protocols. Our success has been in the selection and care of our employees.
The beauty industry is notorious for yearly turnover rates of employees. We are proud to say we have employees that have been with us since day one. We love our clients, and we love the amount of care and detail they notice and require for each service.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t been a completely smooth road, as all great things come with their hurdles. I am humbled and would not change any of the obstacles we encountered as it has strengthened our company culture and infrastructure. The greatest struggle, which I believe would be for any company, is creating systems to manage employees. We believe in taking care of our employees, having open communication and walking through each problem, as this is the best way to enhance the system. We have also struggled with location construction delays.
We currently have three locations, the location off mid lane was delayed for two years after we signed the lease. We had all the same contractors and the architectural plans laid out. Unfortunately, there were delays on the landlord’s end which set us back quite a bit as we pulled out a loan to open this location. With the location being delayed and most of the commercial real estate being a non-starter for us, we didn’t have many great options, so we opted to wait.
During this time we invested our monies into another company in order to get a return, and we set into motion the opening of a 3rd location which was close to the same time frame as the 2nd location. It all ended up working out, and it was frustrating during the situation, but I believe we made the best financial decisions given the circumstances. The employees who were holding out for more hours or to be brought on to the 2nd location were also great and fully understood the situation which we absolutely appreciate.
Lastly, an ongoing struggle that we deal with is how to reduce waste and preserve the planet while still operating multiple businesses. We do little things here and there like getting rid of keurigs, recycling lash wands by sending them to wildlife reserves for use in saving animals and, using re-washable cleaning cloths for maintenance instead of napkins. But with any business, there’s always a margin of waste that we work on reducing.
Chic Lash Boutique – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Chic Lash Boutique is a lash and brow boutique. We offer eyelash extensions, eyebrow threading, lash lifting, tinting, facials, and microblading. We are best known for eyelash extensions and brow work (threading and microblading). I am most proud of the company culture we have built, the agility in which we move, and the ability for us to improve everyday.
I am extremely proud of the employees and the quality of work we put out everyday. We operate as a large company, but our culture and the way we treat our employees is full of joy and love. We believe in being vulnerable, open in our communication, transparent, and providing the best quality of work while protecting all parties interest. I believe this is also what sets us apart from other competitors.
We have no problem turning clients away if we believe the service is not suited for them or their natural lashes are not healthy enough for the service. People come before the dollar, we try to never lose sight of this message. It has worked well for us as many of our clients are from word of mouth. We love the city of Houston and are glad we can contribute to its beauty as artists.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest moment of our careers so far can’t be summed into a moment. It’s a series of moments. We feel the proudest when our employees have major wins in their life and were able to achieve that win through working with us. We love employee personal success stories.
For instance, we have an amazing brow artist that’s a single mom of two, through working with us she has grown, gained confidence, sent her daughter to college, purchased a home, and a new car. She is an amazing woman, all of her success was her own. We honestly are so proud that we were there with her throughout the journey.
It’s really cool to be able to help someone through their life journey and to help them grow from a tough place – it’s the best feeling we’ve ever had. We think it brings life into context – full circle. We are all connected so when one person thrives, we all thrive as a community.
Pricing:
- Eyebrow Threading $15
- Full set Lashes $225
- Member Re-lash (30 min) $30
- Lash Lifting $75
- Microblading Full set & touchup $595
Contact Info:
- Address: 544 A Waugh Dr. Houston, Texas 77019
- Website: chiclashboutique.com
- Phone: 713-87-0114
- Email: info@chiclashboutique.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chiclashboutique/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChicLashBoutique/?fref=ts&ref=br_tf
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/chic_lash
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/chic-lash-boutique-houston-9
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7cTyYxDqvBc1nwHt0wPOJw
https://www.chiclashboutique.com/microblading-service-page/
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston 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.
