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SEARCHAfter 24 years in the business, salon owner Shari Finger is a pretty good resource for how to prevent burnout. See what keeps her from getting bored.
Shari Finger (right) is the owner of Finger's Nail Studio in W. Dundee, Ill.
Shari Finger (right) is the owner of Finger's Nail Studio in W. Dundee, Ill.
10. Get to a nail show. I love everything about nail shows — shopping, demos, new products, networking, education ...all of it. I always return to work with new toys and an attitude adjustment.
9. Take a class. I always find learning something new refreshing and still get excited about it.
8. Teach a class. There is nothing more rewarding than inspiring others. When teaching a new tech how to do enhancements, there is a magic moment when she finally gets it! It’s that fi rst really perfect nail and you can see in her eyes that she sees the beauty in it.
7. Go on vacation. I always realize how much I love my job when I am away from it for a while.
6. Take a day off and go to another salon for a day of pampering. When you pamper people all day it’s nice to be the one who is pampered.
5. Re-invent your business. When I get bored, I changemy service menu. I print new brochures. I take off services that aren’t as popular. I add new ones and change old ones. I also like to change the look of the salon. Anything from new equipment or paint color to something as simple as new flowers can give me a lift.
4. Set goals. I am competitive, so I set goals for myself. It might involve mastering a new technique so I can add it to my service menu or setting a larger career goal. But don’t set yourself up for failure by being too outrageous. Keep it fun. Make sure you reap the reward.
3. Book an appointment with a favorite fun client who likes nail art. I have a fun customer who loves anything to do with nail art. I set up her appointment at the end of my day or on a day off, so I don’t have an appointment following and there are no phones to interrupt us. We may open a bottle of wine and just laugh and do nail art. I am always booked back-to-back and never have the time to be crazy and try new things anymore. When I have the opportunity to challenge myself and be creative I feel like I did when I first started to do nails.
2. Get organized. I really feel out of whack when I am not organized. So I take a day off or designate a slow day to clean the work closet, rework a budget, etc. The feeling of being on top of my game is energizing.
1. Love your industry! When times get tough, or work becomes monotonous, or when I wake up and think I can’t do this another day, I think about how lucky I am to have a job that I truly love. All I have to do is think about how much I would hate to go to an office and work 9 to 5 with the same unhappy coworkers every day. Instead I go to a beautiful salon where I have interesting people in my chair and all I have to do is smile and do gorgeous nails.
Oh yes, after 24 years in this business, life is still good.
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