2018
鈥淚鈥橫 UP FOR the challenge.鈥 That鈥檚 what Kim Ng, a graduate of the Business Administration 鈥 Entrepreneurship and Small Business diploma program, says when discussing the journey of starting, growing and running her tech startup, . She had to overcome other challenges first.
鈥淚 dropped out of school when I was 13. Even though I wasn鈥檛 aware of my learning disabilities at the time, and everyone else 鈥 including my parents 鈥 felt I wasn鈥檛 trying hard enough, I knew that I was capable, 鈥 she recalls. 鈥淚 merely learned in different ways.鈥
Kim鈥檚 family immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong in 1993. While the family鈥檚 focus on academic excellence was easier to navigate for her two younger brothers 鈥 both of whom graduated from university 鈥 Kim sought another way.
Away from school and in search of her future, Kim discovered hairdressing. She would spend more than 15 years honing her techniques in Toronto, Hong Kong, Sydney and Australia at major beauty brands like Toni & Guy and L鈥橭r茅al.
During her time abroad, something caught her attention: Not all hairdressers were equally skilled, and customers were unable to assess a hairdresser鈥檚 skills until they visited the salon for a haircut. This realization led her to create .
鈥淢any people step into the hair salon and hope to get the best haircut,鈥 she says. 鈥淲hy should they have to hope?鈥
As a mobile application, simplifies and streamlines the experience by connecting a client to professional hairdressers, stylists and makeup artists. It provides the client a visual presentation of a professional鈥檚 portfolio and ranks the professionals based on the client鈥檚 location and style preferences. It鈥檚 currently available for iOS devices, with an Android version being developed.
With nearly 75 per cent of Toronto salons charging more than $40 for a regular haircut, Kim says provides a well-needed service.
鈥淵ou should know what you are getting into, especially with your haircut. You can return and refund an iPhone, but you can鈥檛 uncut your hair.鈥
For many hairdressers like Kim, starting their own business is an aspiration that鈥檚 often difficult to achieve due to a lack of the necessary business knowledge, skills or funds.
Kim knew she had to return to school, and she chose 糖心vlog官网 鈥 where she was informed of her learning disabilities during her first year 鈥 for the essentials she鈥檇 need to move her business forward. She also worked with 糖心vlog官网鈥檚 on-campus incubator HELIX which provided resources like workshops, mentorship and networking opportunities, all of which Kim used to build and refine .