Meet Janet Kong | Nail Technician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Janet Kong and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Janet, how do you think about risk?
Taking a risk can change your life. I loved getting my nails done, so my mom suggested that I go get my nail license since I was taking forever to getting a college degree to work part time as a nail tech instead of serving. I definitely hesitated but ended up agreeing and enrolled in nail school. It was one of the best decisions ever. I fell in love with nails more than ever, andnfound my passion. I literally ended up dropping out of to pursue my nail career.

After 5 months of working at different nail salons, I took a risk to rent small space to start my own nail business in the mist of searching for a new place to work hoping to provide a nail service I wanted. Someone who truly cared about the nails.

February 2017 is when I first started my business, not as Thepinkong but as The Jkong Studio. Through interaction with client whom became friends I gained through instagram and yelp, I took the risk to officially become Thepinkong. Everything fell in place perfectly.

7 years later, here I am as Thepinkong even after being married with two whole kids. I closed for an year back in 2022 when I found out I was pregnant with my second child with my three month old new born. About one year later after my second child’s birth due to my postpartum, I took another risk to reopen the nail studio to find myself, my happiness again.

Now I am a stay at home mom that works one or two days a week. I am currently living my dream mom life but I want to continue pursing my passion as a nail tech and to grow my business. I am currently working on many special promotion so I hope that people stay tuned!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I absolutely enjoy my career as a self employed nail technician. I love the fact that I have fun doing what I love, getting paid to do creating my own schedule, but most importantly meeting the wonderful people that I can brighten up and inspire through my craft and story.

The proudest moment is when I took the risk to venture out and work for myself, to believe in myself when no one did.

The journey of being self employed is definitely not for the weak. You don’t realize that once you become your own boss, you never clock out. Work will be endless, 24/7, and it will become your life, literally. However, the greatest lesson I learned is that, if you love what you do, believe in yourself and never give up. The hard work you put it in will pay off.

A nail session with me at Thepinkong, isn’t just a place where you get your nails done. It’s a cozy pink private space, where uplifting is priority. A place to allow yourself to be you, because that’s where real beauty starts from. That’s why my motto is Healthy Nails First, pretty nails second.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend was visiting the area and I wanted to show them the best time I would probably take them to Cutaway hair salon. From cuts, color, perm, styling and more, they have the best stylist!

Hermosa beach is great for bar hopping and a fun time.
Redondo beach is grest to chill out and walk around and I personally love the seafood boil place there.
Manhattan beach to do beachy things, tan.

Chicken Maison and Top tenders is easily likable by almost everyone.
Wilsons burgers is a small mom and pop shop with the best chicken teriyaki plate.

And of course cant forget the Delamo Mall. Great for all ages especially for my toddlers .

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The Cutaway Hair Salon. This is the place I rented my space from and still am. One of the best hair salons in the South Bay.

Website: https://Thepinkong.com

Instagram: Thepinkong

Yelp: Thepinkong