In 30 years of doing nails, I’ve found that my biggest fear is sitting with a client you don’t mesh with, but they keep coming back. That’s pure torture!
Beth Eden Polcari
Via Facebook

I’ve already faced it. My fear was doubting myself. I went through a time where I felt my work wasn’t good enough. I was really hard on myself and wanted to walk away. I finally pulled myself together and saw that techs who have been in the game longer than me sometimes had issues as well. I got out of my funk and snapped back.
Kristal Pounds
Via Facebook

My biggest fear is not being able to recover from the client loss caused by having to take time away from work for cancer treatment.
Melissa Schumann
Via Facebook

I don’t have any fears as a nail tech. Fear can keep you frozen and afraid to venture outward. I guess I have been in the industry too long. Pretty much anything bad that can happen has already happened and it hasn’t stopped me.
Vickie Girardi
Via Facebook

My biggest fear is that I’ll stop improving. I’m always trying to get better with all kinds of techniques. It would be awful to feel like I’m not good enough when I’m always working my hardest.

@nailsbyalyssarivers
Via Instagram

My biggest fear is not entering a nail competition soon. I’ve been in the business 13 years and I’m no spring chicken, but I know I can do it — I just need to enter. Help, I need a mentor!
@nailsbyaa39
Via Instagram

I would say my biggest fear is waking up one day and not loving what I do. Nails are my passion and a big part of my life, and to think I could one day lose all that, well, it’s scary. I’ve built my life around nails and can’t imagine not doing it.
@creativesol
Via Instagram

Having to “break up” with a client. That conversation could be very tricky. You don’t want to hurt their feelings, but you also know you have to let them go for various reasons (rude, never satisfied, always late, insubordinate, etc).
@nailsbynanette
Via Instagram

My biggest fear is not conquering the early onset of arthritis and back pain and then not being able to work as a result of those issues. I love what I do, but after only two years of doing nails professionally, I can tell my hands and wrists are cramping up more than usual.
@rebekahnailsit
Via Instagram

My biggest fear as a nail tech is to have to rush a client out of the chair to accommodate another client based on time and the fact that other clients are waiting.

@nailzbytrudy
Via Instagram

My greatest challenge is when new clients look at my extensive gallery, but still ask me to copy a random picture. I try my best, but when I fail I feel like a bad nail tech. I get so discouraged and doubt myself, even though I am very successful and have a book full of regulars who love my work. I know failure keeps me humble and striving to improve, but I live for that moment when my client says she loves her nails, and it’s such a bummer when she doesn’t. I also have a very good reputation, so it’s even more disappointing for both of us because our expectations are high. People expect perfection from us at all times. Sometimes they will go on social media and slam my business. This scares me so badly. It often escalates into a posting war. It can get ugly and bad reviews are so mean. They leave us all feeling so bullied we start to fear each new client as a potential threat instead of the fun opportunity to make a new friend.
@candacepanner
Via Instagram

Next question:

What’s the worst thing a client has ever said to you? [Answers will be printed in the January 2018 issue.] Share your opinion on the topic by emailing your response by October 15 to Beth.Livesay@bobit.com. Please include your name, salon, city and state, and a high-resolution headshot with your response.

Staff Writer

Editorial

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