Joyce Poon - Noir Lash Lounge Inc.

Noir Lash Lounge Inc. – Vancouver’s premier lash extension salon

The Business

Noir Lash Lounge, a fun idea which started as a hobby, has achieved great success in the Vancouver beauty industry since it started in 2008.  A salon offering over 100 different types of lash extensions; Noir Lash Lounge has been featured across the media including: Breakfast Television, CBC’s Living Vancouver and at the 2009 Juno Awards (Gifting Lounge).

The Founder

After graduating with a Bachelor of Science from UBC and working with for Vancouver Coastal Health for almost 6 years, founder Joyce Poon juggled a number of jobs in the search for her niche.  Starting Noir as her third job, she confesses “I chose to start [Noir] out of my own vanity and obsession with lashes”.

Support of the Local Community

Originally a small home-based service; Joyce grew her business to become a store-front salon in Vancouver’s Yaletown.  She contributes her success in the early days to the support of the other local Yaletown businesses.  In a time of economic uncertainty it was these neighbourhood businesses who gave her the confidence to take the leap of faith and create a store-front business.  She commented: “Yaletown was my dream location.  I would drive by it wistfully thinking how it would be a dream come true if I could open my lounge there”.

Planning For Success

During the early days of the business Joyce attended one of Small Business BC’s Bookkeeping/Accounting for small business seminars, helping her set up her financial records and bookkeeping system.  

Within 3 years of opening her flagship lounge in Yaletown, Joyce grew her business to include premises in South Granville and a franchise location in Morgan Crossing.

Entrepreneurial Advice

Commenting that “in the current economy, it never hurts to start out small and start out slowly”, Joyce went on to tell us her top five tips for aspiring business owners:

1. Don’t be afraid to try things and make mistakes, because those lessons are more valuable than anything anyone can tell you.
2. Be prepared for growth – great ideas often fail when they cannot handle the volume.
3. Don’t go looking for volume until you’re ready.
4. Put customer service first, no matter how much marketing you do around the product your customer’s feedback will be the biggest influencer to potential clients.
5. Put yourself in the client’s shoes. One of the most common reasons for starting a business is because you saw a gap in the market for a product or service you wanted.  Put yourself back in those shoes to help make those business decisions.

Read more stories and tips from other small business owners around BC.

Feel inspired? Find out more about the complete range of small business seminars and resources held in the Small Business BC Education Centre.

Website: noirlashlounge.com
Facebook: facebook.com/noirlashlounge
Twitter : @noirlashlounge

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