Why We Took the Leap to Build Dahree Full Time
When Hong Jik Lee left his six-figure job to pursue Dahree full time with his wife and cofounder, Tina Lee, they were choosing to build around a problem they understood personally: independent beauty professionals deserve technology made for the way they actually work.
Quick facts
Post at a glance
- Founders
- Hong Jik Lee and Tina Lee
- Turning point
- Hong Jik left his six-figure job to pursue Dahree full time
- Starting point
- Technology inspired by Tina's experience as a solo nail artist
- Built for
- Independent beauty professionals
- Founder story
- Watch the 43-second YouTube Short
A 43-second look at a much bigger decision
Our latest YouTube Short begins with a question that followed us through one of the biggest decisions in Dahree's story: when Hong Jik left his six-figure job to chase our startup, could we really make it work?
The video moves quickly through moments from the journey, but the decision behind it was not quick or easy. Leaving a stable career meant choosing uncertainty, responsibility, and the chance to devote our full attention to a problem that had become deeply personal to us.
Dahree started with a working nail artist
Before Dahree was a full-time company, it was a response to Tina's experience as a solo nail artist. She understood the creative side of the work, but also the daily business behind it: presenting services clearly, answering client questions, organizing appointments, and building trust before a client ever sits down.
Hong Jik brought his experience as a software developer. Tina brought the perspective of a beauty professional serving real clients. Dahree grew from the combination of those two viewpoints and a simple belief that beauty business technology should fit the artist, not force the artist to fit the software.
Choosing to build Dahree full time
A six-figure job offers something every early startup lacks: predictability. Walking away from it was not a statement that risk is easy. It was a commitment to give Dahree the time, care, and focus required to become genuinely useful.
That commitment meant listening closely to beauty professionals, responding to feature requests, improving the booking experience, and continuing to learn from the people who use Dahree in their businesses. The goal was never to build from a distance. It was to build alongside the community we wanted to serve.
What making it work means to us
For us, making Dahree work is not one dramatic moment. It is a collection of smaller ones: meeting artists, seeing a booking page go live, hearing that a workflow feels easier, learning what still needs to improve, and earning enough trust for someone to build part of their business with us.
The montage in our Short captures some of that progress. More importantly, it captures the people around it. Dahree only matters if it helps beauty professionals spend less energy fighting their tools and more energy developing their craft, serving clients, and building sustainable careers.
Looking toward even greater things in 2026
We are proud of how far this leap has taken us, and we are still early in the journey. Our focus remains the same: listen carefully, build thoughtfully, and create technology that reflects the realities of independent beauty work.
To every artist, student, educator, client, and partner who has shared feedback or spent time with us, thank you for helping Dahree become more than an idea. Here is to even greater things in 2026.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Who founded Dahree?
Dahree was founded by husband-and-wife team Hong Jik Lee and Tina Lee. Hong Jik is a software developer and Dahree's CEO, while Tina is a professional nail artist and Dahree's nail art expert.
Why did Hong Jik Lee leave his six-figure job?
Hong Jik left his job to pursue Dahree full time with Tina and focus on building practical booking technology for independent beauty professionals.
Why did Hong Jik and Tina create Dahree?
Dahree began with the founders' firsthand experience of Tina's work as a solo nail artist and their desire to give independent beauty professionals a better way to present services, manage appointments, and serve clients.
What does Dahree do for beauty professionals?
Dahree provides independent beauty professionals with online booking websites and tools for presenting services, organizing availability, communicating with clients, and growing their businesses.
Who is Dahree built for?
Dahree is built for independent beauty professionals, including nail artists and other service providers who want a polished online presence and a simpler client booking experience.