Tricia Lee has been that girl. Long before she wowed Netflix audiences with her enviable style, likable personality and keen business savvy on the hit show Owning Manhattan, which was just renewed for a second season, she was giving her grade school classmates makeovers in the bathroom. As she was growing, so was her entrepreneurial spirit. “In college I did makeup for other students before parties,” Lee recalls with a chuckle. She continues, “I’ve always wanted to be an entrepreneur.”
Lee, who is of Jamaican ancestry, was born in Brooklyn, raised in Arizona and after college, returned to The Big Apple, where she’s resided for the past 23 years. A proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Lee aspired to work in the beauty and fashion fields—and she did. After climbing her way up at beauty giant Estée Lauder, Lee joined cult makeup fave MAC Cosmetics in the early days of the brand’s existence and quickly rose up the ranks there as well. Then in 2005, Lee opened The Polish Bar in the heart of Brooklyn. Her chic nail salon also offered its hip clients waxing, makeup and eyelash services. By 2015, Lee was anxious to try her hand in a new field: real estate. The petite powerhouse closed her beauty business to pursue real estate full-time and focus on learning her new craft. Her drive paid off. Eight years later she is winning the hearts of people across the globe on Netflix’s Owning Manhattan.
We managed to sneak in a chat with the astute businesswoman about her bold career moves, the realities of working with her fiancé—it ain’t always easy—and the surprising ways buying property is more attainable than most of us realize.
ESSENCE: Congratulations on the success of Owning Manhattan! The show was ranked in the top 10 in over 40 countries worldwide. What has the feedback been since the show’s debut?
TRICIA LEE:…
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