For this month's "Ladies'" issue, Red Rock City Lifestyle is highlighting the accomplishments of some very impressive women in our community. These "Fearless Females" have made amazing strides in their respective industries, and their work has inspired others to follow in their footsteps. We sat down with each woman as they shared the secrets of their success.
When it comes to breaking barriers in the culinary world, female chefs have always faced challenges in this male-dominated industry. But for Nittaya Parawong, the owner of Nittaya's Secret Kitchen and Block 9 Thai Street Eats restaurants, she has never let being a woman stop her from pursuing her dreams.
"I first moved to the U.S. from my native Thailand back in the ‘90s. I was going to school to be an accountant, but I soon discovered that my true passion was cooking. That's when I opened my first restaurant," said Parawong. "I knew a lot of successful male chefs and restaurant owners, but I never let that deter me from going after what I wanted. I knew I loved to cook, and I wanted to open my own restaurant. To me, that was enough to keep pushing forward."
Parawong now runs four Thai restaurants in Southern Nevada - Nittaya's Secret Kitchen on West Lake Mead, Nittaya's Little Kitchen in Centennial Hills, and Block 9 Thai Street Eats in both Summerlin and Henderson. Parawong said the road to success has not always been smooth, but the advice of her 70-year-old mother keeps her motivated.
"My mom, Renoo, has always been my inspiration," said Parawong. "She taught me to stay true to myself and that is the philosophy behind all of our restaurants. We are proud of our recipes, and we never copy anyone else. My mom also instilled in me the spirit of resilience and to never give up, no matter what."
A busy wife and mother of two young children, Parawong has this advice for other women who are thinking of starting their own business.
"Believe in yourself. You can do anything if you put your mind to it," said Parawong. "I don't regret anything. I embraced failures because if you never fail, you wouldn't know how to get back up and do things even better."
Another fearless female carving her own success story in Las Vegas is Traci Human, whose long career in real estate goes back to when she first got her license right out of high school.
"My dad worked as a developer here in this town, so real estate has always been in my blood," said Human, a real estate agent with Keller Williams Realty and founder/owner of Traci Human LV Homes. "I went full-time with my real estate career after my kids started school and I have been at it ever since."
With close to 40 years of experience in the world of Las Vegas real estate, Human has unparalleled industry knowledge and experience in this industry. She said the secret to her success has been in her ability to build lasting and positive relationships with her clients.
"Relationship building is number one," said Human. "Maintaining good relationships with your clients really means getting to know the people you are working with and keeping them in mind in different stages of their lives. Also, I don't believe in pressuring people. We are talking about the biggest investment in their lives when you talk about real estate, and I don't believe in pressuring people into something when it comes to my sales strategy. It's not the way to go."
Now with her children grown and running their own careers, Human says she is thinking about retirement over the next few years. Human says that it will be hard to completely leave a business she's grown to love. It was her father who inspired her to keep learning no matter what age you are, and that's the advice she's passing on to other women who are following in her footsteps.
"My dad is 83 years old and every day he's learning something new, like learning Spanish," said Human. "When you stop learning, it's kind of the end, I feel. You need to always be learning and growing and adapt to new challenges. Also, I surround myself with other successful women who are like-minded. That support and inspiration are crucial."
Liza Wolff, owner and senior designer of Inspired Closets, followed her passion when she entered her field more than 30 years ago. Wolff took lessons passed on to her from pioneers in her industry and launched something that became her own.
"I just love how my work changes people's lives," said Wolff. "People have so much pride in their homes. and I want to help them create a personal space that is not only beautiful but also practical. This leads to a stress-free lifestyle. It's all about simplifying the lives of our clients and their families."
Inspired Closets as a brand launched in 2017, but for over 20 years Wolff has been busy building her business focusing on unique storage solutions, tailored to each client's home and lifestyle. As an effective business owner, Wolff says you always must be up to the challenge when it comes to solving problems, for both customers and her own team members.
"It is always a challenge when you work with different types of people," said Wolff. "My goal is for them to keep learning and growing and to be successful in their career. I am proud to say I have several people who have been with me for over 25 years. It's really rewarding to help mentor those who will come after me to create, and go after, their own dreams.”
Wolff's advice for other female business leaders looking to make a mark in their industry? Find and build a relationship with a good mentor, be involved in your community, and give back.
"Our company is really proud of what we do in our community," said Wolff. "We have a great partnership with Opportunity Village, for example. We purchase the artwork created by the wonderful people at this nonprofit and put them up in our showroom. Then, we give them to our Inspired Closets' customers as gifts. My mom has been a very well-known artist, so this partnership has a very special place in my heart."
When it comes to being fearless, Jennifer Knight is a shining example of success in a field dominated by men. As the founder and CEO of True Investigations, Knight has been in the private investigator industry for 18 years. This year, she's celebrating a decade of running her own business and leading a team of private investigators in Las Vegas.
“I absolutely love what I do," said Knight. "Before I started my firm, I was a little reluctant because of my insecurities and worried about being a woman in this field. But, I quickly learned that there are clients out there who only want to work with female investigators or with a female owned firm. That is really empowering, and now 10 years in, I am still doing it."
Knight said she's also happy to see more women entering this industry over the years. She said women can often connect with clients at a level that men may not be able to as effectively, especially when it comes to being empathetic and nurturing. She said the most rewarding part of her work is getting the results her clients are looking for.
“It's not necessarily the bad results, but the good results. Things like helping them reconnect with people they have lost contact with, like a mother, father, or children,” said Knight. “Those situations are extremely rewarding because sometimes, even after the fact, they still email or text me an update of where they are in life and those are the success stories I am really into and feel good about.”
As for the top skills she sees in herself and other successful business owners, she credits organization, the ability to multi-task, and not giving up on your dreams.
"Keep plugging along and stick to your aspirations. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do it. If you want to make it happen, it will,” said Knight.
This philosophy also holds true with Helen K. Vasquez, an insurance agent and business owner with American Family Insurance. With 22 years in the insurance industry, Vasquez took the plunge and launched her own venture just over a decade ago and today her team is known for dependable service, offering their clients auto, home, business, health, and life insurance. She said what makes her stand out as a business owner is to focus on superior customer service.
"That's what I believe in. It all comes down to great customer service," said Vasquez. “I am in a business that's very competitive. You can get out there and get a quote anywhere, right? My goal every day is to get people to see why we are the best at what we do."
Vasquez said getting to this stage in her career took a lot of hard work, but also the willingness for her to step up and take risks. She said one of the biggest challenges when she launched her own venture was marketing.
"I am Hispanic, so I target that demographic. That was a big challenge for me moving from one part of town to another," said Vasquez. "But I took that challenge head on. I did a lot of door knocking and joined new business groups. Over time, it paid off."
When it comes to advice that Vasquez would give other women who want to pursue their dream career, she said it's about building trust with your community and going out there even when you are not sure if things will work out the way you had planned.
"I am always a go-getter and that has worked for me being in sales," said Vasquez. "You don't get clients sitting behind a desk all day. You must go out there, meet and greet people, and tell them your story. I am proud of how far I have come and the team that I have built. We all come from unique backgrounds and have different experiences, but that is a plus when we are trying to connect with our growing and diverse community."