Celebrating Women Who Light up the World: Soo-Jin Yang

Soo Jin Yang, CEO & Founder of Illumino ( @illuminoextensions ), opens up about the challenges she faced when opening her first nail/lash shop, where she was expected to have a male co-signer.

Today, we’re shedding light on these barriers, and proving that any women can achieve financial independence, and the freedom to make your own decisions👏

CosmoGlo is honoring International Woman’s Day - all month long💪 We’re spotlighting powerhouse women in beauty, and sharing their hardships, experiences, and accomplishments!🙌

Look out for more upcoming interviews like this one here on our page! @illuminoextensions

 

Transcription:

Like, do you have any male partners? And that just made me feel like as a woman, it doesn't matter what sex you are, you can still financially be independent and make your own decisions.

Hi everybody. My name is Sujin Yang. I'm the CEO and founder of Illumina. I love lash extensions. I invented a safe method of LED lash extension method. 20 years ago, when I wanted to open my first nail shop flash place, I looked at his face in Albany, California. I loved it.

Put in the agreement thing, and all of that lease stuff went back and forth and got to where we were both agreed upon, like, this is great. 

And then when we're about to sign, the landlord wanted me to have male co sign on the lease. And actually, that wasn't the first time after I got turned off from that one.

So then I looked at a space in Oakland saying, crap happened to me. It was a property management company on this one. It wasn't a landlord situation.

They wanted me to have someone co sign they're like, Do you have any male partners? And that just made me feel like as a woman, it doesn't matter what sex you are, you can still financially be independent and make your own decisions.