Meet Justine Nguyen | Entrepreneur & Founder of Two Businesses

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

Hi Justine, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
When I started my first business at the age of 29, I had to learn EVERYTHING from scratch, literally ground ZERO. It was like getting a 4 year MBA in less than 6 months. This was not an easy task, especially as an indignant & proud college drop out with very little formal education. There were several reasons I chose to drop out of college: one, I was struggling financially after leaving home at a young age after I moved to LA from SF & didn’t have any financial assistance. Two, It felt pointless and useless at that time in my life & I preferred to learn real life skills from experience, trial & error, rather than absorbing secondhand information from a professor in a lecture class. I also had a huge aversion to conforming to societal standards and always rebelled in that way. Though this so -called ‘attitude’ got me in trouble in my teenage years, both with teachers/professors and especially with my parents, it has definitely proved advantageous for me as an adult. I now label this ‘attitude’ as the ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT, which has been the most important factor in my success & my business’s successes.

What does the entrepreneurial spirit mean to me? It is the ability to identity a problem or market for a product, idea, or solution, the willingness and eagerness to work hard (constantly), to be resourceful, and to learn & do whatever it takes to execute each small step to consistently move the needle forward to the absolute best of your ability. Last but certainly not least, it is the courage to be daring, to accept the possibility of failure or setbacks, but to never allow that fear to stop you from sprinting after your dreams.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I am super proud of both of my current businesses, but I’d like to highlight my newest baby, Penderie Inc. Since launching May 4, we have amassed a following of 11k followers, been featured on an upcoming Netflix show, showcased at New York Fashion Week, & preparing for our first runway show in LA next week. Even with my 5 years of experience running my first business, it hasn’t been easy to get Penderie to where we are today, but it has definitely been FUN. My first business is in the construction industry, very traditional, analytical & VERY male dominated. Penderie Inc, an LA based curated fashion boutique, is creative, feminine, stylistic, social, inspirational and fun. Running both of these businesses is like using two different brains, which is exhausting yet so rewarding, meaningful & purposeful.

A fun fact that most people don’t know, is that I am currently the sole employee at Penderie. I do all of the buying, receiving/intake, packing/shipping, marketing/social media, sales, shows, accounting, website/ecommerce, customer service, branding, etc. I have always been someone that believes in doing it yourself to the best of your abilities, until it’s physically & logistically impossible to continue. That being said, I am so looking forward to building a great team of employees in the near future, one that is inclusive of all marginalized races/genders/levels of education/sexual preferences, etc.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The west side is the best side!!! I live in Marina Del Rey where I walk EVERYWHERE — to the beach, Abbot Kinney, a plenthora of restaurants that you can get to by foot or water bus, fitness classes, etc. When my friends come and stay with me, I take them everywhere by foot, so they can truly experience what it’s like to live by the water. Washington Blvd by the Venice pier is amazing for people watching, with so many places to eat & drink. We would then venture north along the coast to Santa Monica and then Malibu.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I know this might be completely backwards but I partially dedicate my shoutout to all those who disapproved, disbelieved, and tried to convince me that I would never amount to anything. Because of those people, I had the hunger and drive to work twice as hard as anyone else in my same field in order to prove them wrong.

Hear me out, it gets positive from this point on, I promise. After the initial phase of obsessively needing to silence those critical voices, I met the FIRST PERSON to ever truly believe in me. He was my manager at my first real job at the ripe young age of 22, and today, he is my business partner & cofounder in my first business. His total confidence in my abilities and potential made me want to continue to work my ass off to make him proud. This drive pushed me to consistently exceed all of my sales quotas & goals & I moved up pretty quickly in the company. I went on to surpass a company record in sales & new accounts & at this point, the old me had shed away to reveal someone who was confident, enthusiastic, eager, driven, passionate, fearless, and ready to take on the world, brimming with limitless possibilities.

10 years later, I am still the same eager beaver, never backing down from a challenge or an opportunity, and I truly have my business partner to thank for that initial push. Today, he continues to be a source of support and encouragement, along with my best friends, Kiran, Rob & Jordan and my amazing loving boyfriend, Jesse. I now have a team of people who provide much needed encouragement & emotional support in this rollercoaster that is entrepreneurship & they deserve most of the credit & recognition in my story.

Website: www.penderie-la.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/penderie.inc

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinetng/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090830390110