How a local immigrant entrepreneur is passing on her skills
PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — A local entrepreneur is working to pass on her knowledge and skills so that others can start their own businesses.
Kelly Brechting is a permanent cosmetic tattoo artist in Plainfield Township. She owns two businesses, Nail Masters and Transformolgy by Kelly, both in the same space at 4640 West River Dr. near US-131 in Plainfield Township.
She grew up in Vietnam and moved to the U.S. when she was around 20 years old. After living in San Diego for a few years, she moved to the Grand Rapids area.
“I love San Diego, but I feel like Grand Rapids (is) a nice place to raise family,” she said. “People are friendly, very sweet and very helpful.”
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She’s been working in the cosmetic industry for more than two decades, getting her start as a nail tech, when she worked long hours each day, she said. She later expanded into permanent cosmetic tattoos, offering permanent makeup.
Brechting said she likes helping people feel their best, adding it can give them confidence and make them feel happier.
“It’s not a job to me anymore,” she said. “Because I love and I’m looking forward to be at work, to meet new people and make them more beautiful. I love it.”
Along with working as a permanent cosmetic makeup artist and running her own nail studio, she empowers others to start their own businesses by teaching classes. Students can learn skills like microblading, eyebrow nanoshading and permanent eyeliner.
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Students don’t need any experience or license to take the class, Brechting said. Several have gone on to start their own business and she has helped them work through the necessary paperwork to do so.
“It means a lot to me to help other people,” she said. “I want them to be successful … that’s why I’m always there for them. No matter what I’m here to support them.”
In the future, Brechting said her goal is to expand her business, maybe opening into a bigger studio.
As the community celebrates Asian & Pacific American Heritage Month, she said it means a lot to her to have a successful Asian American woman-owned business.
She said she was raised to be hard-working in Vietnam and she’s proud to be a business woman in America.
“I always try to do my best every single day to be where I’m at, to be successful,” she said.
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She added she’s thankful for her clients.
“I feel so thankful to all my clients who trust me to let me work on them,” she said. “I’m very thankful for them, for all the support and all the love that they gave me. That’s helped me a lot.”
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