The idea for Come to You just came to her. Tamika Hardy was working as a nail tech in her native Philadelphia when she noticed that her businesswomen clients were always looking at their watches during their manicures. From this simple observation, her Manhattan-based mobile manicure service, called Come to You, was born. Hardy was the sole employee when she launched the venture in 1996, but today she supervises six nail techs and is looking for more. The staff provides an array of upscale hand and foot care treatments to a predominantly female clientele in their New York City offices.

Hardy developed her clientele initially through target marketing, and that’s one thing that hasn’t changed. “When I began, I created a ‘hit list’ of busy professional women who under­stood the importance of nice looking hands - mostly women in PR and marketing,” she says.

Her newly designed and expanded service menu includes four hand treatments, ranging from The Busy Executive, for time-pressed clients, to The Bonus, a citrus-aromatherapy hand treatment that includes an intensive moisturizing treatment and an alpha-hydroxy exfoliating masque. The Frontrunner, one of three foot treatments, treats athletic execs to aromatherapy, a mint foot masque, and sports massage. Retailing is emphasized just as it would be in the salon. First-time clients receive a complimentary analysis including a recommended home-care regimen. The tech leaves sample products and any future retail orders are delivered at the client’s next appointment.

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