Did You Achieve Your 2008 New Year&#39;s Resolution?

Mare Horak, Nails by Mare, Smryna, Tenn.

Resolution	Achieved?	Details	'09 Resolution
to build a full book to show clients how fun color enhancements can be and get away from plain pink-and-whites	Yes	“I filled my book, which didn’t take me long at all. The hardest thing I ran into was the fear to try something new and unseen. Once I got my clients past that, they became addicted; I even have some of them hooked on embedding. My whole experience last year has given me a new strength and drive to spread my wings!”	to open my own salon and introduce this Tennessee town to fresh ideas about nails

Sayoko Takahashi, freelance Tokyo

Resolution	Achieved?	Details	'09 Resolution
to go to America to create nail art tips for photo shoots of American celebrities	Partially	“I wasn’t able to reach American celebrities, but I did make some great connections to help me reach this goal in 2009. I served as a secretary to the CEO of MySpace.com Japan — lots of celebrities have MySpace accounts for their promotion, and MySpace Japan’s policy is to encourage all kinds of Japanese artists. I joined a club event that is related to MySpace Japan as a nail artist; I could get good opportunities to make connections to show my art via the Internet and live events.”	to keep striving for my 2008 resolution, step-by-step

Michelle Imbler, Morgan Perris Salon, Westmont, Ill.

Resolution	Achieved?	Details	'09 Resolution
to upsell my clients into more spa services	No	“With the current state of the economy, I feel guilty trying to upsell clients and get them to spend another $15. It hasn’t been my priority.”	don’t have one yet

Elyse Perry, Elysium Nail Studio at Celestial Day Spa and Salon, Sumner, Wash.

Resolution	Achieved?	Details	'09 Resolution
to enroll in one of CND’s advanced classes, be invited to boot camp, then become an educational ambassador to add 10 new enhancement clients to my business	Partially	“I did grow my clientele by another 10 clients. It wasn’t that hard to do because of my phone book ad, my website, and word-of-mouth referrals. For my CND goals, the advanced classes haven’t been available yet in my area and I’m waiting to hear back on boot camp.”	to add another 10 new clients

Jill Wright, Jill Wright Spa for Nails, Bowling Green, Ky.

Resolution	Achieved?	Details	'09 Resolution
to become more involved with the local beauty school	Yes	“I visited the local beauty school to drop off samples, menus, and extra NAILS Magazines, but I’d just missed the graduating class and there were no more techs enrolled. The teachers did give me the names of a couple of techs and one visited me incognito for a pedi. We hit it off and one of them has been working with me since Spring. I’ve been mentoring her and since I have no room for any other techs I’ve not visited the school since. I do have another stash of NAILS Magazines that need to be donated now, so I’ll visit the school again within the next month.”	to avoid any foolish, ego-driven mistakes that could lead to the downfall of my quaint little business to grow the Annual Nail Tech Networking Event of the Smokies