Today we’d like to introduce you to Odette Yang.
Hi Odette, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started Licensed to Glow from a really personal place. As someone who genuinely loves beauty services and prioritizing self care, I kept running into the same frustration: these treatments felt like luxuries I had to budget for and schedule around, when really they’re part of how so many women show up for themselves every day. I wanted to change that relationship entirely.
The idea was simple but ambitious: what if you could access salon and spa services the way you access a gym, through a membership? No more “is this worth it this month?” guilt. Just show up, feel great, go live your life.
I built Licensed to Glow as that platform. We started in New York, and the response was immediate. Women were hungry for exactly this. We’ve since expanded to multiple cities nationwide, and we operate through a native iOS app that makes the whole experience seamless, from booking to membership management.
What I’m most proud of isn’t just the growth. Our members aren’t just customers, they’re women who’ve fundamentally shifted how they prioritize themselves. That’s the mission.
Getting here wasn’t linear. I’m originally from Montreal, came to the U.S. on a scholarship to study business at Wharton, I started my career working in investment banking at Goldman Sachs and Evercore, before spending a few years in software Private Equity. I learned a lot about what it means to bet on yourself before anyone else does. That mentality is woven into everything I do at LTG.
We’re still early, honestly. There’s so much more to build — more cities, more services, more ways to make feeling good an everyday thing rather than an occasional treat.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Honestly? No, think anyone who tells you their entrepreneurial journey was smooth is either leaving something out or hasn’t taken enough risks.
The hardest part early on was the two-sided marketplace problem. To make Licensed to Glow work, I needed salons and spas to trust a model they’d never seen before, AND I needed members to believe the value was real before we had the track record to prove it. You’re essentially selling a vision on both sides simultaneously, and some days that’s exhilarating and other days it’s exhausting.
Building a tech-enabled platform in the beauty space also means you’re bridging two worlds that don’t always speak the same language. The salon industry is deeply relationship-driven and traditional in a lot of ways, and coming in with an app and a membership model required a lot of patience, a lot of conversations, and honestly a lot training one partner at a time.
There were also the things nobody prepares you for as a founder (I started this business when I was 24). No one teaches you how to raise VC money, hire the right people, know when to pivot and when to stay the course. I’ve had to make some really hard calls.
And as a woman, as an immigrant, building in a space that’s dominated by women but not always led by them – that comes with its own quiet challenges. You learn to take up space intentionally.
But I think the struggles are the story. They’re what make the wins meaningful, and more importantly, they’re what make the product better. Every hard conversation with a partner or a member has sharpened what Licensed to Glow is today.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Licensed to Glow?
Licensed to Glow is a beauty and wellness membership platform: think of us as the subscription that makes self-care a lifestyle rather than a splurge. Starting at $99 a month, our members get access to salon and spa services: blowouts, manicures, facials, lashes, massage. You book through our app, show up, and leave feeling like yourself again. That’s it.
What we specialize in is access and consistency. The beauty industry has always been aspirational. You see the glossy ads, you know how good a facial or a fresh blowout makes you feel, but the price point and the logistics make it something you save for special occasions. We fundamentally reject that model. Licensed to Glow is built on the belief that feeling good shouldn’t be a reward, it should be a rhythm.
What sets us apart is the combination of technology and curation. We’re not a marketplace where you scroll through a thousand options and hope for the best. We partner with vetted salons and spas in each city, so every experience our members have meets a real quality standard. And because it’s a membership, our partners build real relationships with our members over time. That’s rare in this space.
Brand-wise, what I’m most proud of is that Licensed to Glow feels like it was built *by* the women who use it. The tone, the experience, the services we’ve prioritized – it all comes from a genuine understanding of how women actually live and what they actually need. We’re not trying to be a luxury brand that’s out of reach, and we’re not a discount platform either. We sit in this sweet spot of quality and accessibility that I think women have been quietly waiting for.
What I want your readers to know is simple: if you’ve ever felt like taking care of yourself was something you had to earn or justify – Licensed to Glow was built for you. We exist to make that guilt disappear. Your membership is your permission slip.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
If you’re a woman who values her wellness routine: the most direct way to support us is to become a member. Download the app, start your membership, and experience it for yourself. And then tell a friend. Honestly, word of mouth from women who love the product is the most powerful thing we have. Our community grows because members genuinely believe in what we’re doing.
If you’re a salon or spa owner: I’d love to talk. We’re always looking for quality partners who want to grow their client base, fill their books, and be part of something bigger than a single location. We bring the members, we handle the technology, and we make the partnership as seamless as possible. Reach out to tamara@licensedtoglow.com
If you’re a brand: we have a highly engaged, female-forward membership base that skews toward women who want to invest in themselves. That’s a really specific, valuable audience. We’re open to co-marketing partnerships, product integrations, member gifting, and creative collaborations or events that genuinely add value to our members’ lives. If your brand serves women who care about how they feel, we should be talking. Reach out to odette@licensedtoglow.com
If you’re an investor or operator: we’re building something with real traction and a clear vision for national expansion. I’m always open to conversations with people who want to be part of where this goes next.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.licensedtoglow.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/licensedtoglowofficial/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576020133511
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@licensedtoglow
