Today we’d like to introduce you to Lala La.
Hi lala, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My journey has always been rooted in entrepreneurship. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit and have been involved in several businesses throughout my career. I’ve never been afraid to create something, take a risk, or start over when I felt it was time for a new direction.
My journey in the beauty industry began because I wanted to see more faces like mine represented. I wanted people who looked like me to be able to look at the industry and see that there was a place for them too. Representation was important to me, and I wanted to contribute to creating that visibility.
One of the earlier chapters of my beauty career was Exclusive Nail Studio, which I built through a partnership. Eventually, I made the difficult decision to close that company and everything that came with it. Rather than seeing that as the end of my journey, I saw it as an opportunity to start fresh and build something that reflected my own vision.
That led to the creation of The Vantage Collection, with Mong Studio as the DBA and the brand people know today. Starting over gave me the opportunity to take everything I had learned from my previous experiences and use it to create something that was truly my own.
Today, I’m continuing to build Mong Studio while staying true to the reason I entered this industry in the first place: representation, entrepreneurship, and creating opportunities. My journey has had plenty of challenges, but every chapter has helped shape the businesswoman and entrepreneur I am today.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. The beauty industry has been challenging to navigate, particularly when you are trying to establish yourself in an industry where you don’t always see many people who look like you in the same spaces.
I’ve experienced challenges both professionally and personally. There have been times when I felt like I had to work twice as hard to prove that I belonged and that my business deserved to be there. I’ve also dealt with negativity and ongoing harassment from people around me, including difficult experiences with neighbors, which added another layer of stress to running a small business.
I also had to make the difficult decision to close my previous company, Exclusive Nail Studio, which was a partnership. Closing that chapter meant letting go of everything that came with it and essentially starting over. That was not easy, but it ultimately gave me the opportunity to create The Vantage Collection and build Mong Studio from a different place and with a clearer vision.
Then COVID happened, and like so many small businesses, we were forced to shut down. It was an incredibly uncertain time, and there were moments when I questioned how I would keep everything going.
Looking back, I feel like I’ve experienced almost every challenge a small, woman-owned business can face. But those experiences have taught me resilience. I’ve learned how to adapt, how to rebuild, and how to keep moving forward even when things don’t go according to plan.
The challenges have definitely shaped me, but they haven’t stopped me. If anything, they’ve made me more determined to continue building something that represents me, my community, and the vision I had when I first entered the industry.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
**Business / Organization:** The Vantage Collection dba Mong Studio
Mong Studio is the beauty brand operated under The Vantage Collection. The current name represents a new chapter in my entrepreneurial journey, but the experience behind it goes back much further.
Before Mong Studio, I was part of Exclusive Nail Studio, a business I built through a partnership. After eventually closing that company, I decided to take everything I had learned and create something new. The Vantage Collection became the foundation for that next chapter, with Mong Studio as the brand and beauty studio that grew from it.
Mong Studio is built around creativity, individuality, and representation. I entered the beauty industry because I wanted to see more faces like mine represented and wanted people who looked like me to know that there was a place for them in this industry.
What sets Mong Studio apart is the vision behind the brand. For me, it has never been just about providing beauty services. It is about creating a space where people feel seen, comfortable, confident, and celebrated for who they are.
I’m most proud of the fact that I’ve been able to continue building and evolving despite the many challenges that come with entrepreneurship. I’ve had to start over, adapt through difficult circumstances, navigate a partnership ending, survive the impact of COVID, and continue building even when things around me were difficult.
Mong Studio represents that evolution. It represents experience, resilience, creativity, and the freedom to build something based on my own vision.
Ultimately, I want readers to know that Mong Studio is more than a beauty business to me. It is part of a much bigger entrepreneurial journey and a reflection of my belief that representation matters. I hope that when someone sees what I’ve built, they can also see what is possible for themselves.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I believe luck has played a role in my life and business, both good and bad, but I’ve never believed that luck alone determines where you end up.
There have definitely been moments where I was fortunate to meet the right people, have opportunities come my way, or be in the right place at the right time. At the same time, I’ve experienced circumstances that felt like the opposite of luck — from difficult business situations and having to close a previous company to dealing with harassment, navigating the challenges of being a small business owner, and then having COVID completely disrupt the beauty industry.
What I’ve learned is that you can’t always control what happens to you, but you can control what you do next. When one chapter ended, I chose to start again. When my business was challenged, I adapted. When things didn’t go the way I hoped, I kept looking for another way forward.
So I would say luck has certainly been part of my journey, but resilience has played an even bigger role. Sometimes what initially feels like bad luck can push you toward a new opportunity you wouldn’t have pursued otherwise.
The creation of The Vantage Collection and Mong Studio is a good example of that. Closing one chapter of my career ultimately gave me the opportunity to build the next one with a clearer vision and more control over what I wanted to create.
I’ve learned to appreciate the good luck when it comes, but I don’t wait around for it. I believe in creating my own opportunities and being prepared to recognize them when they appear.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Mongstudio.glossgenius.com
- Instagram: its_lala__official
- LinkedIn: its_lala__official
