Meet Elissa Phan Montpelier

Today we’d like to introduce you to Elissa Phan Montpelier.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born and raised in Vietnam. I was a reporter and worked in public relations for many years. I moved to the US, at the age of 28. I started a family and became a stay-at-home mother. I absolutely love my children and family but deep down I knew I did not want my life to stopping there. I found that staying at home and doing housework was not enough for me.

But I also knew that whatever I did outside the home, was going to be incredibly difficult. I did not speak the English language and did not know the culture. After 5 years, in 2016, my son started kindergarten and I decided to go to Tennessee School of Beauty. It was my best decision. I diligently learned not only the knowledge of but also the culture and behavior, and how to develop a business, which was a really valuable experience for me personally.

After about 1 year of working at a nail salon, I decided that was not where my passion was. In 2017, I saw a picture of a girl, after she had gone through cancer treatment, her eyebrows disappeared but after microblading, she smiled brightly with her new eyebrows. Most importantly it looked so natural, like real hair! I decided to invest all of my money to learn permanent cosmetics. I loved the idea of making people happy, having control over my time, and being financially independent.

I started my business in late 2018, the first few years were really challenging for me. I had to work in many roles. I was a product creator, receptionist, accountant, cashier, marketing director, etc. Not to mention the pressures in customer service, time management, and finances. There were many times when I closed the door and cried like a baby, full of seemingly insurmountable difficulties. But after the sadness, there was determination and the belief that tomorrow will be better than today if I keep going.

For most Americans raised here, if they want to succeed, they must try 5 times more than other people. For an immigrant like me, I have to try 100 times more. I think that’s the only option if you want to move forward and get what you want. After three years, up to now, I am successful and financially independent. I have wonderful customers, who are booking a year in advance, affirming that I am a quality beauty place in town.

In addition to local customers, I have many customers from different states, that take long flights to come to Knoxville to see me. I have a lot of support from other businesses in a town like Plastic Surgeons, Aesthetic Salons, Nail Salons, Hair Salons, etc. In 2021, I started teaching training classes where I get to share my experiences to help students get the best skills in this job field. My students are from all over the United States. I am so lucky to have so much support.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road? As everyone has seen in the past two years, Covid is a challenge for any individual and especially small businesses. I am also one of those who suffered the same effects but I think it is also a challenge for us all to have better experiences in the future.

Really, in my personal opinion, the biggest challenge is myself. Learning how to be better than yesterday, how to make the service I give my customers better than yesterday. Overcoming myself is my biggest challenge.

I hope in the not too distant future, I will build a larger team to better serve customers and can hold more training classes to share my experiences with anyone who wants to learn this business.

Contact Info:

• Email: harmonymicroblading@yahoo.com
• Website: harmonymicroblading.com
• Instagram: @microbladingby.elissa
• Facebook: Harmony Microblading & Beauty Studio
• Yelp: Harmony Microblading and Beauty Studio