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On My Mind: What I'm Thankful For...
NAILS editor Hannah Lee lists the things she's thankful for at work.
November 16, 2011
3 min to read
Back in late August I wrote a post on our Facebook wall asking nail techs to tell me what you were thankful for in your professional lives. From some of you who are thankful for your clients to others who are thankful for your employees (or employers), we get what you’re saying. A great work environment is something I think anyone can relate to and be thankful for.
In the spirit of the season and being fair, I thought I’d answer my own question right here on this page. There are many things I’m thankful for. And when it comes to my professional life, that couldn’t be more true. Without further ado, may I present a few of the things I’m thankful for at work.
1. The NAILS team. Above all else, I’m so lucky to work with such an amazing group of people. It starts with a great boss and continues with the rest of our stellar team — edit, graphics, sales, production, web, and audience marketing. We love what we do here at NAILS and we have a great time doing it.
2. You — our readers. What would this magazine even be without you? NAILS consistently strives to put out the best possible content to help inspire you and to help you improve your business. You send in inspirational stories, cool service ideas, helpful techniques, and beautiful nail styles. You call us and tell us what you love. (And you call us and tell us what you don’t love.) All of which helps shape what you see in the pages of this magazine from month to month.
3. Social media. We’ve learned that social media and social networking (especially Facebook and Twitter) are a great way to reach out to a larger audience. We’ve “met” so many new nail techs — especially international techs — through these sites, and it’s really exciting to be able to engage in real-time conversations with you all this way. It also allows us to bring you information more quickly than simply relying on a monthly print magazine.
4. E-mail, the Internet, and my iPhone. That might sound silly. But when I started here almost 13 years ago, we were barely using the Internet and e-mail to do business and iPhones were probably only a sparkle in Steve Jobs’ eye. Through the Internet, we can more easily access salons, products, and news from all over the world. And e-mail and my iPhone allow me to stay in constant contact with everyone no matter where I am.
5. Professional product manufacturers. No matter how big the nail industry is ($6.27 billion last year), it still feels like a tight-knit, family-oriented community. Company principals are often seen working their booths at trade shows, meeting their customers, and helping to educate all of you on better ways to use their products and make more money at the salon level. Do you think the food and beverage industry could say the same thing about the president of Coke?
6. New technologies. All of the gel-polish hybrid products that have been released over the last few years are really helping to reinvigorate the industry. What a great way to help pull salons out of the recession — by offering them an exciting new service that clients can’t seem to get enough of. I’m constantly looking forward to new colors, new products, and other innovations in the industry.
7. Working in California. Not to gloat, but I’m also pretty thankful that our office is located in Southern California, where there’s a mild climate, a more relaxed atmosphere, many of the top nail companies, and an abundance of salons!
All in all, I’d say I have to agree with so many of you. A great work environment is definitely something to be thankful for.
What are you thankful for? Click here to see what other nail techs and salon owners are thankful for this year.
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