30 new tips, tricks, hints and nuggets of advice from Young Nails that will improve the way you do business.

Young Nails and NAILS Magazine have joined forces to bring you 30 tips to help you work faster and smarter, make more money, improve your technique, upsell clients, and keep you happy and healthy. And more. And then more after that. Over the next 90 days or so, we’re going to email you 30 different, new ideas (or pertinent reminders) to consider. These are tried-and-true pearls of wisdom we’ve learned from the field, from our techs, the hard way. And we’re here to share them with you because, as you know, our business is about you.

Tip 1

Increase your full set price by 5%.

Sure. Sounds simple. But it has far-reaching impact.

Many of you are perhaps a little too reluctant to raise your price because, you tell yourself, the market is so competitive. But our advice is this: you deserve a fair price for your services. In 2007, inflation rose each and every month—over the year the increases ranged from just under 2% to over 3.5%. And we’re recommending an increase in only one service.

Let’s do the math. The average price for a full set of pink and whites is $48.03. If you raised it 5%, the new price would be $50.43. Based on statistics from NAILS about how many full sets nail techs typically do in a week, that little increase comes out to nearly $1250 per year.

Just from this one simple change.

To see what effect a 5% increase in pink-and-white service prices can have on your business, use this calculator and plug in your own numbers.

Tip 2

Feel the power.

Use an electric file for extension services.

If you could cut 5 minutes off your fill time, it could help you stay on schedule all day long. But where do the 5 minutes come from? Your electric file. It saves both time and energy and speeds things up without compromising the quality of your work.

Don’t just grab anything that files—be discriminating and make a careful decision. Here’s how we designed ours. The Young Nails MT-20 electric file is all about the vibe—it has none. Running at 20,000 RPM, this handpiece is ultra-light and designed to help you work faster with less fatigue. It handles equally well for both left- and right-handers and there’s a special circuit that acts as a cruise control so the file doesn’t hang up or change speed. Better yet, there’s a neutral setting so you don’t have to keep powering down and powering up.

If you’re not yet truly comfortable using an electric file, check into taking a class from a Young Nails Educator.

Tip 3

The art of the put down.

Stop acrylic lifting.

Acrylic lifting is going to drive you crazy. You don’t like and—what’s worse—your clients don’t like it, either.

Here’s the good news. Lifting can be all but eliminated with proper preparation and a little technique. The most effective way to prep the nail is to use an electric file.

Start by gently using the arbor band; it’s more effective with a cylindrical file than with a flat file. Begin at the perimeter of the nail and then follow through with the body.

If you aren’t trained in electric file use, it is well worth your time to invest in both a good file and the training to use it. This indispensable tool can simplify many tasks, reduce service time, and improve your own physical comfort during those long days.

Tip 4

Big is beautiful.

Buy in bulk for massive savings.

This is one of the simplest changes you can make and you’ll start seeing savings immediately in your business overhead.

A lot of nail techs operate on what is called a “just-in-time” method of product inventory. They buy only what they need and only when they need it. But that adds up. Not only do they spend more money buying smaller quantities in smaller sizes, they spend more time ordering and they pay lots more for shipping in the long run. As an example, there are two sizes of nail liquid: a 6 oz and a 32 oz. On average, the 6 oz is $19.95 ($3.33 per oz.) and the 32 oz is $69.95 ($2.18 per oz.). The difference is a savings of 1.14 cents per ounce—over $145 a gallon.

Smart shopping and watching expenses is as important to profitability as your income. Use today’s calculator to find the per-ounce cost on your acrylic liquid.

Tip 5

$1 saved is $4 earned.

Know how to calculate your profit margin for a better understanding of your business.

All you need to know to understand profitability is how to add and subtract. Profit is simply what you have left over after you subtract all of your expenses from all of your income. What’s called the “profit margin” is the percentage of income that you keep.

This percentage is what makes it all worthwhile. You want to keep as much of your income as you can, of course, so that means keeping a close watch on everything—your time, your techniques, your supply ordering, your management skills. In fact, if you’re watching your margin carefully, it’s possible to take home the same amount of money even if you work less.

Use the calculator to see what your profit margin is. And what you want it to be.

Tip 6

Go from grrrrrrrrrr to great.

Have a complaint-free day.

Sayings become clichés because they’re true—hakuna matata, keep your sunny side up, happiness is an attitude. True, true and true.

Did you know that a positive mental attitude is one of the quickest, cheapest, easiest and most impactful things you can do to improve your life? Not to mention your health, your business, your beauty, your finances, your relationships. What’s not to like about that?

You’ve got to try it. Just for one day. Then see how you feel. Try to stop complaining, gossiping or criticizing and go as long as you can. To start, it’s as easy as keeping a positive train of thought. Don’t let negativity control you and don’t beat yourself up when you go off-track. You will. A lot. No one’s expecting you to be perfect.

Hang in there with the baby steps and before you know it, it’ll be a way of life. Then you’ll be one of those people who seem to always have a smile on her face, a nice thing to say and positive state of mind. That’s worth a million bucks.

(If you really get inspired, check out A Complaint-Free World.

Tip 7

Don't cry over spilled Swipe.

Prevent liquid spills.

It's a nice and tidy tip for today. Spilling liquid is not only a nuisance, it's a waste of money, product, and time. Here are a couple ideas on preventing common spills:

• When you’re pouring liquid into a dappen dish, hold the ferrule of a brush to the bottle opening and pour the liquid down the side of the brush.
• You’ll never spill when pouring liquid from a dappen dish back into the bottle if you follow this tip: never try to recycle liquid that’s been used or poured out into the salon environment.
• Always cap bottles when not in use. Better yet, clear them away altogether from your work area.

Tip 8

The benefit of believing.

Give your coworkers the benefit of the doubt.

So maybe your files keep coming up a few short at the end of each week. Two people are whispering and you wonder if it’s about you. Your lunch was pilfered in the breakroom fridge.

The solution? Give people the benefit of the doubt. Chances are the files are misplaced, those two are whispering about themselves and you just might have driven off with your lunch still on the roof of your car.

People are generally nice, helpful, honest and well-intentioned. If you approach them first with that mind-set, they won’t disappoint you. When a conflict does arise, do your best at practicing good communication. Chances are there’s just a little misunderstanding going on that’s easy to fix.

Tip 9

The Happy Ending.

Add "Finish" to your menu as a standalone service.

When you seal with a gel sealer, you create an impermeable layer that nothing can penetrate—not polish, not lotions, not UV. Your clients just have gorgeous, shiny nails, and they love it.

Another beautiful benefit is that we’ve found that you can charge up to $8 per set when you use Finish or you can simply increase the price of your full set by $5 if it includes Finish.

If you don’t have a finish product that you’re happy with, may we suggest Young Nails Finish Gel, the original non-tacky gel sealer. It’s a clear, thin viscosity, self-leveling, polish-on gel. Finish Gel’s easy application cures in just 90 seconds with an ordinary 9-watt UV light. This amazing gel can save up to 15 minutes of filing time and can be used on any artificial enhancement such as gel, acrylic, or wraps.

To read more about this product, see our website.