It’s time to celebrate another boss of the month and Bowo would like to feature Lisa Thi Dinh this March!
Lisa is a hairstylist/colorist director and owner of Lisa Dinh Hard Studio. Born and raised in Toronto, Lisa has always had an interest in beauty. She has been in the beauty industry now for over 14 years and a salon owner for 6 years. Hair is her passion and she has dedicated her life to learning, innovating and creating. Lisa specializes in a technique called Foilayage, re-creating balayage highlights in foils.
Lisa made a goal for herself to open a salon before the age of 27. She has worked hard to build her brand & achieve her current success.
We decided to ask Lisa some questions to get the inside scoop on her success as an entrepreneur!
Can you tell us about your career journey?
I enrolled myself & started hair school when I was 18. I graduated from the Aveda Institute of Toronto in 2009 and have been doing hair for over 14 years and a salon owner for 6 years. I started as a freelance hairstylist for 5 years since I couldn’t find a salon where I felt like I belonged. I wanted a salon to reach my full potential and create opportunities for myself. Since I couldn’t find it, in & out of salons for a few years I decided to take matters into my own hands and work for myself. I started from my home salon basement and finally after years of searching, I decided to open my very own salon. I created a safe space where we could all reach our fullest potential and opportunities for myself and for my team to grow. “I couldn’t find it, so I created it.”
If you have any advice to offer your younger self what would it be?
I would tell my younger self to never give up. That there will be hard times but you’ll get through it. You’ll be resilient and come out stronger.
I’ve learned to always stay true to myself. Believe in yourself, in your goals & never give up on your dreams.
Lisa Thi Dinh
What keeps you motivated?
What keeps me motivated is knowing how hard my immigrant parents worked to give me this life. My parents came to Canada with just $20 in their pocket and that’s a reminder to myself to work hard. They’ve worked so hard their entire lives for us to have a better life. So that keeps me motivated and grounded. I want to make sure I reach my fullest potential for not only myself but for them too.
What does your daily routine look like?
My daily routine is getting up by 7am and getting a coffee. I’ll check emails and then open the salon, I greet clients and then we have a full day in the salon. In between the work day I’ll have lunch, answer more emails and do some expenses. After 8pm, I’ll close up the salon when our last clients are done. I’ll make dinner and wind down for the night. I repeat the same thing 5x times a week.
To keep up with her journey, visit @Lisadinhhairstudio on Instagram!
Looking for more inspiration? You can read about our past features here!
If you, or someone you know wants to be our next boss of the month, send us a DM on instagram: @bowocreative.
