Recently, salon owner Sheera Gersh received a unique opportunity to immerse herself in the worldwide nail scene by networking with other nail artists from 21 countries. After receiving an email from Scra2ch — a global fashion and beauty startup with offices in India, Germany, and the U.S. — Gersh, the owner of Addicted to Nails in Tempe, Ariz., dove into a four-month Global Fellowship Program. “Scra2ch was looking for applicants for a unique program they were offering to encourage and support nail artists in their entrepreneurial efforts. The invitation was definitely intriguing,” she says. The program was designed to challenge participants to further develop their professional and entrepreneurial goals. “In this group of 81 people, we had professional nail artists, YouTube nail sensations, and awesome nail bloggers who had all come together from 50 cities to learn from each other. The fact that we came from different areas of the world, with different goals and experiences, exposed us to different perspectives and cultures,” she says.

As one of their projects, the participants were each given a Facebook group within their city to promote nail artistry and build their network, while learning more about their field. “As the editor/curator for Scra2ch.Phoenix, I shared nail art tutorials, nail art trends, raised discussion questions, and conducted interviews with nail artists both locally and around the globe,” says Gersh. “I really enjoyed the experience. The administrators at Scra2ch were very supportive and encouraging throughout, and I owe them a lot.”  The experience ultimately motivated Gersh to create her own blog, Nail Addict Society (www.nailaddictsociety.com), something she’d been wanting to do for years.

The next Scra2ch Fellowship Program will be comprised of six week-long modules. This free, online program will provide networking and mentoring on a flexible schedule. To learn more, go to www.scra2ch.com/iamstarting2016.