Honokaa entrepreneur goes into the ‘Shark Tank’

Years ago, when a 20-something Mai Lieu traveled the world as an accomplished hair stylist, she noticed a particular trend.

“It didn’t matter where I was, I always had to fix haircuts,” the now 40-year-old Lieu said. “People were always cutting their own bangs and didn’t have time to go to the salon, or moms were always cutting their kids’ hair and (after a mishap), they didn’t have time to fix it. So I thought, ‘Why not invent something that will allow them to do it at home?’”

That “aha” moment ultimately gave birth to the CreaClip, Lieu’s do-it-yourself hair-cutting tool and the first product in her line of beauty tools called CreaProducts.

Lieu’s since expanded CreaProducts to include a nail-painting device, a tool for eye-shadow application — even a clipper for pets. Online tutorials for her products have racked up millions of views on YouTube, and the CreaClip has been featured on the “Rachael Ray Show” and the Home Shopping Network.

On Friday, Lieu, a Honokaa resident, is anticipating what she says is her biggest feat yet. She’s set to appear on “Shark Tank,” an ABC reality TV show in which hopeful entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to a panel of self-made business leaders in hope of securing investments.

Lieu can’t talk about the show’s outcome until after it airs, but she said appearing on “Shark Tank” has been a dream for several years.

“So often, people don’t set goals,” Lieu said. “They stop dreaming. But you’ve got to set goals and keep the momentum going. I never thought (nine years ago) I’d now be on ‘Shark Tank,’ a national TV show that’s huge — and perfect for my products. If I had been doubtful or stopped moving forward, I wouldn’t have reached this point.”

Lieu still cringes recalling her own bad childhood haircuts. Her family immigrated from Vietnam to Canada when she was a small child. She grew up poor, and was subjected to at-home haircuts by her mother to save money.

“My bangs would be so short,” Lieu said with a chuckle. “I (had) horrible pictures.”

Lucky for Lieu, bad hair days are a thing of the past. These days, her highlighted, shoulder-length locks often are styled into elegant barrel curls. And early hardships, she said, have since fueled her incessant drive to achieve success.

In her early 20s, she left for Europe to study at renowned hair academies in the United Kingdom.

Once a stylist, she traveled throughout Asia, Europe and North America doing hair, including the locks of celebrities such as Hawaiian great Don Ho and actresses Amanda Righetti and Lauren Velez. She’s won multiple hair-cutting awards now proudly displayed on a shelf in her new Honokaa studio space, and once charged premium prices — up to $2,000 to install a set of hair extensions.

And the CreaClip, which started out as a simple prototype made of paper mache and chicken wire from Home Depot, has also taken off. In 2008, the product was featured on the Home Shopping Network and sold out — 5,000 units — within just a few minutes, she said. These days, Lieu sells about 20,000 units through CreaProducts per year.

Now, Lieu, who has lived in Hawaii for more than a decade including the last three years on the Big Island, has several other ventures up her sleeve. Last year, she purchased a 3,000-square-foot building in Honokaa to house her new studio, which she plans to use for filming tutorial videos. And she’s also spearheading several other business ventures including a Mexican restaurant and a shaved ice business.

“She’s just got this new energy coming into the community,” said Paul Takamatsu, a Realtor who helped Lieu purchase the building. “She’s young and very committed — it’s not too often you see young people wanting to come into a smaller community and commit, and I feel she’s doing that.”

Lieu also gives motivational speeches — she says she enjoys sharing with youth her mantra of striving for success and following dreams. She’s brainstorming new product ideas, including an at-home highlighting device, and is mulling the idea of someday converting the studio into a CreaClip hair salon.

“What I say to a lot of people is, when you’re doing what you love and you’re passionate about it, it just seems like the universe is on your side,” she said. “Solutions will come to you and things just flow. It doesn’t feel like work because you love what you do.”

Lieu is inviting the community to come see the “Shark Tank” debut at a viewing party Friday in Honokaa. The free event is slated for 7-9 p.m. at Honokaa People’s Theatre, 45-3574 Mamane St.

Email Kirsten Johnson at kjohnson@hawaiitribune-herald.com.