On My Mind: How to Stay Enthusiastic About Your Work

One year of doing nails can be much the same as the year that came before it. Same chair at the manicure table, same standing appointments, same polish companies announcing collections with clever names, nothing seems to change. This is not necessarily a bad thing; there is a distinctly cyclical nature to the business, an ebb and flow of process and procedure that for seasoned nail techs is often comforting. To know your business well, to have certain parts of it almost automatic, provides you with a confidence and an efficiency that clients respond favorably to.

Yet when comfort turns into complacency — or worse, cynicism — then it’s time to take stock. Here are some questions you can ask yourself to assess your JQ (Jaded Quotient).

Do you say to yourself “what’s the point?” First, doing nails is your livelihood. You do it first and foremost to support yourself and your family. So to have an income be “the point” is perfectly valid. Perhaps you can expand on that point and focus your efforts on expanding your salon or opening a second one.

When someone talks about an exciting new product or technique they’ve seen, is your first thought “been there, done that”?  Very tempting response; it comforts you because you have so much experience. Yet despite the feeling that nothing changes, it does. When technique and technology pass you by, your jaded attitude turns into “uh oh, I think I missed the flight.”

Has it been a long time since you’ve attended a trade show or taken a class? It always seems to be your busiest time that these nail shows come up, or maybe you think that you already know everything. If that’s the case, consider an art class or working on your speaking skills at Toastmasters.

Nothing gets the blood flowing like a makeover. A makeover — whether it’s your salon, your wardrobe, or your business goals — forces fresh, clean air through the mind. Even the fear you experience, when you wonder how the heck you can afford to finally build that pedicure area you’ve been wanting, is not a negative. Fear can actually be the antidote to a jaded mind.

In Nail Salon Makeovers you’ll see Jessica Vartoughian’s Sunset Boulevard clinic, which just received its first makeover since 1975. Vartoughian and many of her colleagues have been in the industry for decades, yet they continue to create, to innovate, and to be open to new ways of doing business.

You know what else gets the brain cells recharged? Planning for something special. Without a party or a new promotion ahead of you to anticipate and prepare for, it’s going to be very difficult to pull yourself out of the status quo. We have a few ideas (10 to be exact) on how you can get more out of the holiday seasons ahead — more fun and money.

And finally, did you know you have an honest-to-goodness art gallery right here in your own industry? Yes that’s right, the artistry of NAILS Next Top Nail Artist Top 12 is on exhibit right now and you have free entry for life! Get comfy and peruse the visual excitement every week; I can guarantee you that a daily walk through the art gallery of NTNA or Nail Art Gallery will erase that jaded feeling forever.