She Rises The Stories of Cross-Cultural Women
Author: Kim Ackun
Company: KT Beauty & Academy
Profession: Skin Management, Permanent Make Up and Professional Beauty Training.
Position: Founder, Family Entrepreneur and Beauty Consultant
Crossing Borders and Languages: An Immigrant Single Mother’s Journey to Success in the Beauty Industry
Hello everyone, I’m Kim, the founder of KT Beauty & Academy.
Many years ago, I moved from Vietnam to Malaysia. When I first arrived, everything was unfamiliar. I struggled with the language and found it difficult to communicate even in everyday situations. Later, following changes in my marriage, I became a single mother. With no background, resources, or support system—and unable to speak the local language fluently—I found myself raising my child in a foreign country with nowhere to turn.
But adversity awakened a strength within me that I never knew I had. I understood that I could not rely on anyone else forever; the one thing no one could take away from me was the skill in my own hands. To build a secure home for my child, I worked tirelessly to master semi-permanent makeup and professional beauty techniques, pouring my heart and dedication into every detail.
“People may not understand my language, but they can see the quality of my work and feel my sincerity.”
Through my skills and genuine care for my clients, I earned the trust of my first customers. Their recommendations helped me gradually establish myself in the local community and build a name through word of mouth.
From struggling simply to survive to eventually owning and managing two beauty and semi-permanent makeup boutiques, I have not only broken free from the label of being a vulnerable immigrant, but also built a better future for my child with my own two hands.
Looking back, I realise that this journey has not only changed my destiny; it has also allowed me to show my child, through my actions, that while our starting point in life may be difficult, there is no mountain we cannot overcome as long as we refuse to give up on ourselves.
Today, I am no longer the insecure and timid foreign woman I once was. I have become an independent, confident, and empowered entrepreneur, beauty mentor, and family business owner.She Rises The Stories of Cross-Cultural Women
Author: Kim Ackun
Company: KT Beauty & Academy
Profession: Skin Management, Permanent Make Up and Professional Beauty Training.
Position: Founder, Family Entrepreneur and Beauty Consultant
Crossing Borders and Languages: An Immigrant Single Mother’s Journey to Success in the Beauty Industry
Hello everyone, I’m Kim, the founder of KT Beauty & Academy.
Many years ago, I moved from Vietnam to Malaysia. When I first arrived, everything was unfamiliar. I struggled with the language and found it difficult to communicate even in everyday situations. Later, following changes in my marriage, I became a single mother. With no background, resources, or support system—and unable to speak the local language fluently—I found myself raising my child in a foreign country with nowhere to turn.
But adversity awakened a strength within me that I never knew I had. I understood that I could not rely on anyone else forever; the one thing no one could take away from me was the skill in my own hands. To build a secure home for my child, I worked tirelessly to master semi-permanent makeup and professional beauty techniques, pouring my heart and dedication into every detail.
“People may not understand my language, but they can see the quality of my work and feel my sincerity.”
Through my skills and genuine care for my clients, I earned the trust of my first customers. Their recommendations helped me gradually establish myself in the local community and build a name through word of mouth.
From struggling simply to survive to eventually owning and managing two beauty and semi-permanent makeup boutiques, I have not only broken free from the label of being a vulnerable immigrant, but also built a better future for my child with my own two hands.
Looking back, I realise that this journey has not only changed my destiny; it has also allowed me to show my child, through my actions, that while our starting point in life may be difficult, there is no mountain we cannot overcome as long as we refuse to give up on ourselves.
Today, I am no longer the insecure and timid foreign woman I once was. I have become an independent, confident, and empowered entrepreneur, beauty mentor, and family business owner.