Building a successful business requires tenacity, focus, hard work, and long hours. Add to that the responsibility of being a single parent, and the likelihood of success may seem impossible. We heard from techs who played the odds — and won. We hope their stories inspire you as much as they did us.

 

Lisa Marie Santos

iRock Nails, Crestview, Fla.

I had a dream to do hair and makeup, but it required me to go to school full time. I was a single mom with kids who were 10, 11, and an infant, so I wasn’t able to just quit work. One day my mom told me about a nails-only certification program I could complete in 240 hours. I saw it as a way toward my dream, so I signed up. I worked my retail job during the day, and mom watched the kids while I went to school at night.

When I graduated, I was still working full-time, plus I began doing nails part-time. I eventually left the salon, but stayed in the business by teaching the certification class at the vocational school. I realized I missed the salon and wanted to do nails full time. However, I wasn’t getting child support, and I didn’t have the money to pay for what I needed, plus pay all my bills. So I approached my parents. I said, “God has given me a talent, and I want to use it.” They agreed to help me.

I moved into an empty home they owned, which spared me a mortgage. Then, I worked hard to build my business. My parents helped cover my personal bills, bought products for me when I didn’t have enough money, watched my kids, even paid for me to go to shows. Many times I doubted myself. My girls said I worked too much, and I wondered if I was making the right sacrifices for my family. Eventually, I made a name for myself in my community by offering services clients can’t get at other salons, like rock star nails and embedding. Plus, I provide services that improve the health of the nail.

We struggled, and at times food was scarce, but I knew this was something I wanted to do. It was hard work, and I couldn’t have done it without my parents, but it’s been worth the struggle.

 

Bethany Boyd

Perfectly Polished, Tuscan, Ariz.

My mom had been a nail tech, so it was natural I would choose a career in nails. I attended school in 1985, but quickly dropped out because I was bored. I had learned more from my mom than they were teaching at school! Life went on; I found a job outside the industry, got married, and had a son. When my son was three, my husband and I ­divorced, and I moved in with my mom. In 1996, my dad passed away. The money I received as an inheritance was enough to pay for school, plus cover my personal expenses so I could attend full time. I was done with school in only six weeks. When I graduated, I went right to work. I started off in a small salon, but quickly moved to a larger one with walk-in business. I built my clientele there, but the salon was mismanaged and it closed a year and a half after I started. Today, I rent a room in a salon with an esthetician and a masseuse.

It was really hard to build a successful business as a single parent while trying to pay all the bills. I am very thankful that my family was there to help … especially my mom. Though I didn’t get child support, I am grateful I did have help. I was able to get state assistance to cover childcare during the day, then either my mom or my uncle would watch my son in the evening so I could build my clientele. I would tell anyone in my position to make sure they have a really good support network. Plus, work in a salon with good walk-in clientele so you build your business faster, because building a clientele does not happen overnight!

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Andrea Boyko

tiPs by Andrea, Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada

My nail tech suggested I take a nail class to do nails as a hobby, and it sounded like a good idea except the class was three hours away. However, the certification was simple eight years ago, the fees were within my budget, and the classes were held on the weekends, so I did it. My boyfriend at the time helped by taking care of my daughter. Truthfully, between the drama with my daughter’s father and new step-mom, plus the lawyer’s fees from being in and out of court, along with the expenses of a mortgage and house repairs, doing nails was the only thing in my life that made me happy. When the course was over, I advertised $10 sets of nails in a local paper. I just wanted practice! I was pretty proud of my newfound hobby, so I printed out business cards to hand out to people at work, and I began to build a clientele in the evenings and on weekends.

One day my hairdresser begged me to be a part of her salon team. Unfortunately, she asked me in front of one of the shareholders of the company where I worked. That didn’t end well. A few weeks later, I was laid off and totally unemployed — with a house, child, and lawyer bills. I cried. Then, when I realized crying didn’t help, I stood up, brushed myself off, and got focused.

I received a minimal income from unemployment, plus I had some money from doing nails part time. I budgeted very carefully, which was good because my unemployment was quickly discontinued as soon as the state determined I was making enough money doing nails.

I struggled while I built my clientele. I live in a flood zone and in the eight years I’ve been doing nails, I’ve been flooded four times! We’ve lost everything, but my office was upstairs so I could still maintain clients. During one flood, the entire driveway from the garage to the street was full of damaged furniture, pictures, clothes and other belongings I had to remove from the house. After the last flood, my home was hours away from being condemned. The water was so high it was touching the ceiling in my basement, and was two feet high on the main floor. Still, with all this disaster, my clients still came! We laughed. We cried. We sat in silence. They were so supportive. Many times my family told me to get a real job. They thought I was crazy.

It’s been a constant struggle with my daughter’s father during the entire eight years. Sometimes, I look back and I don’t even know how I functioned. Through it all, clients supported me. I’m still a single mom, I run a successful business, and I’m loving every minute of my life.

 

Bernadette Womack

Marquerites Nail Boutique, Spokane, Wash.

I was married when I attended beauty school and kept my job at a restaurant while I went to school full time. After I graduated and began building my clientele, my husband and I split up, and I became a single mom of four kids: 5, 10, 12, and 14. I was fortunate to work in a very busy salon where I could build my book quickly, but I kept my job at the restaurant for about a year until my client base was at a comfortable level. My kids would go to their dad’s on Wednesdays and every other weekend, so those were the times I worked late. As my daughter got older, she watched the boys. Doing nails as a single woman had its advantages: I was able to schedule around doctors’ appointments, conferences, and the kids’ games. I would tell a person who is in my position to make sure they have people to depend on. I never have made it without having reliable and responsible daycare.

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Liz Ashley

Ashley Alwin Hair & Nail Salon, Grayslake, Ill.

I found out I was pregnant while I was attending nail school. I was 22 years old, working part time at Victoria’s Secret and living with my then-boyfriend and father of my child. I finished nail school in four months and started working at one of the top nail salon/day spas in town. I was six-and-a-half months pregnant and starting my career. I booked my clientele in record speed, had top retail sales in the salon, and was promoted to assistant nail manager of 12 nail techs. Then I gave birth to my daughter, and my life really changed. I went back to a 40-hour workweek when my daughter was only three weeks old. I had a lot of help from my parents and my sister. When she was 7 months, my boyfriend and I split up, and I moved in with my parents for three months before I was able to get my own place. My mom would pick up my daughter and watch her until I got out of work. To this day, my daughter goes with my parents after school on Friday and stays with them overnight and all day Saturday so I can accommodate clients.

After a lot of hard work, I am now a co-owner of my own salon. The road was bumpy, but I can proudly say we run the only green salon in Lake County, Ill. We have been open for over three years and are still growing. Now that I am an owner, I finally have the luxury of adjusting my schedule so I can pick up my daughter from school to spend more time with her. I could not have continued my career if it were not for my family. My relationship with my daughter would not be the same if I had her in daycare all the time. My family has been a huge help since she was born.

 

Bri McCloud

Cloud Nine Nails, Athens, Tenn.

I was married for six years to a man who never supported my choice to work as a nail tech. We split when my son was 5 months old, and I moved in with my parents until I could get into public housing. I knew I had to find a way to support myself, and since I had been told I couldn’t make any money doing nails, I believed it, so I got a job at the Dollar Store. This was a terrible time in my life. I was in public housing, working at the Dollar Store; I couldn’t make ends meet, and I ended up losing my car. My ex called me and said now that I have a “real” job, maybe we could try again. I don’t know what happened at that moment, but that was when I decided I was going to be successful at doing nails. I called the salon where I had worked and they took me back. I went back to the salon during prom season, which is big around here, and I was able to work 40-50 hours a week. I saved money like crazy until I could get a two-bedroom apartment that wasn’t much better than the projects, but it was better. Then I kept saving. Eventually, I was able to move into an even better place. I kept working and saving and two years ago, I was able to open my own business in my own space.

One thing that helped me grow my business was offering something new and different. I didn’t have money for classes, but I would learn techniques on YouTube and offer them to my clients. My life is different now; I’m remarried and I run a successful business. It was hard, but I had a lot of support. My mom and my in-laws helped me a lot, not just with my son, but with food and with money. The salon where I worked was very helpful and accommodating to me. There are so many people who helped me. Without their support, I couldn’t have done it.

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Lynn Luu

Shine Nail Bar, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada

Ever since I can remember I’ve been obsessed with everything to do with nails. After graduating high school in 1999, I received my nail license and learned the trade as a hobby, never thinking it would turn into a career. I went on to study human resources and eventually became a full-time housewife and mom. In 2010, my marriage ended, leaving me a single mom without a job or career. I had to go back to the drawing board.

Growing up in a family whose only answer to a future career was to own a business, my gut feeling told me this was the next step. I decided to do this not only to give my daughter a future, but to rebuild myself and to gain my independence again. I thought back to what I enjoyed and was passionate about, and it was nails! My vision was to create a luxurious yet affordable nail salon that was trendy, sleek, and girly. The only option I had for capital to open the salon was to sell my home and take the leap of turning my vision into reality.

Shine Nail Bar launched in April 2011. Six months later we won “best nail salon” in our city. In October 2012, I was nominated for “Young Entrepreneur of the Year.” The success did not come without obstacles, especially the responsibilities that come with being a single parent. Juggling it all wasn’t easy, but my daughter and I have been extremely fortunate to have a great support system. Long hours working to train staff, and building the business meant Alyssa spent a lot of time with friends and family.

In addition, the staff at Shine provides support. All the ladies who work at Shine are single parents, so sometimes we take turns on days off to pick up the kids to save on after-school care.

 

Christel Weixelman

Julep Nail Parlor, Seattle, Wash.

I moved to Albuquerque with my husband and daughter when I was 24. I went to school full time and earned my degree in five or six months, but even in school I knew my marriage was in trouble. After graduation I began my career in a salon where I was able to split booth rent with another student, but within three months, my husband and I split. I left Albuquerque to move back in with my parents in Alaska. It was definitely hard to make it as a single parent, but I had a lot of help from my parents, and I did get some aid from the state.

In Alaska, I got a job doing nails at JC Penney, which offered health insurance and provided walk-ins. I worked around the hours my daughter was in school, and my parents watched her on weekends. I stayed with my parents for only three months before I moved to Anchorage, which is about a half-hour away. There I shared an apartment with a friend of my dad’s who was also a single mom. My roommate and I would help each other out during the week and my parents would take my daughter from Friday afternoon until Sunday so I could work at the salon over the weekend. Five years ago, I asked for a transfer to Seattle, where I had friends. I quickly found Julep Nail Parlor and was able to build my clientele quickly. At this point I make a comfortable living at Julep, and I have the financial flexibility to work  less than full time so I have more time with my daughter.

 

Tania Rice,

Certified Esthetics, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

My son was 2 years old when I started esthetics school. It was very difficult: Every month I paid $770 for child care, over $200 for utilities, and $750 for rent. I received $950 every month from a student loan, way less than what I needed. Plus, it took a while to even begin receiving the loan money. I saved every single penny from the job I was working while in school. After I ran out of that money, I sold the clothes and toys my son outgrew. I also sold extra implements from the esthetics kit I had from school. I had a low-interest credit card, and I racked that up. I paid it off with my income tax return later in the year. I ate at my parents’ house almost every day, and my son’s grandparents made sure he never wanted for anything.

I found a full-time job right after I graduated, and both sets of grandparents helped me by watching my son on evenings and weekends. My friends and family continued to support me by coming to the spa and passing out my cards to everyone they knew. I invited women from the local moms’ group, and they supported me by passing on my information. I also let all the girls at my son’s daycare know I was accepting clients. It was definitely hard to build the clientele and pay my bills and take care of my son, but I had a good support network. The advice I’d give to other techs: Take advantage of family support. If they offer to babysit for you or invite you for supper — accept it! Then remember to say thank you. I clipped a lot of coupons and pinched my pennies, plus I had a lot of support, so I managed. It’s definitely been worth it. I’m so glad I made it, because now I’m the happiest I have ever been.

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