"It was humbling and inspiring."

I was the sole caregiver for my mother when she was sick, so I moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles to take care of her. She was diagnosed with colon cancer and ended up being sick for a few years. It was humbling and inspiring that she lived for as long as she did. She was given six months to live and she ended up living for two and a half years. Just watching her be strong was very inspiring.

"I needed something to cheer me up."

It is motivating to see someone live with a sickness, but still try to live and enjoy life and find joy in small things and maintain happiness. You definitely learn not to sweat the small stuff.

For fun, my mother and I would go to nail parlors when she was sick, but we didn't have a cute place to go. We would go to the corner discount shop, and it was good for us to bond but it wasn't a very fun atmosphere. While we were there I got the idea that it would be nice to have a cuter place to go to get our nails done, that getting a manicure and pedicure could be a fun, social experience instead of just time spent getting your nails done. After my mother passed away, I needed something to cheer me up, so I decided to follow through with my idea.

Sometimes, when you have a goal and a vision it makes it easier to move on with your life, so in that way starting a business was good for me. I decided to open a spa that was more fun and less clinical than the ones my mother and I had been to, and since I am a night owl it made sense to me to have the hours extend past 7 p.m. Whenever I would explain the concept I would say, "It is not a day spa, it is a night spa." The name just stuck.

"We do all the typical spa things, but also provide an atmosphere for girls to bond."

NiteSpa has a comfortable, unique and fun atmosphere. We provide a good, organized space where girls can have fun and bond together. It is essential for me to have a space that is not gossipy or snobby so we encourage girls to be friendly with each other. It's also nice to provide a place for people to meet that's not a bar or a club. You never know who you're going to meet here. We've had some of our customers meet from across the room and start dating.

"I want to educate the community."

It is particularly heart felt for me to give back to the community so we are very involved in philanthropy. For our opening we did a fundraiser with the Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Program because my mother passed away from colon cancer. We also offer people with cancer a discount several times a month, and it is very rewarding that we can make people feel better about their illness.

I am motivated to bring the bonding experience that my mother and I shared to other people by giving them the best space that I can and the best business that I can. I think that my mother would be very proud.