Playing Hooky
I did not attend the nails-only tradeshow in Sacramento, Calif., on Sunday even though I had been looking forward to the show and had, in fact, booked my hotel room several months ago. The Sacramento show has
Maggie Franklin
Blogger
Rocking the Impossible
I can't believe how often new clients come in and tell me that the last salon they went to told them they couldn't do nail art on top of rockstar nails.I'm so confused as to why
Defining “Soon”
Movie studios are the worst. You watch those previews in the beginning of your movie and they all say, “Coming soon to a theater near you.” And it never fails that you see previews for a
Read Carefully
Uh oh. So I got a call the other day from a client who's looking for “Shellac.” Well I'm sorry. Although I do now have a smattering of brand-specific “Shellac” colors, including the corresponding top and
People Who Need People
I live under a rock. Figuratively speaking, of course. Not that I wouldn't live under a rock literally if I could find a nice enough rock. But my point is, I have no idea who you're
If You Build It ...
... you might be sitting in it for a long time before they come. I always find myself wondering why people decide to go to nail school. So many people do it for so many reasons. Many of
Losing at Monopoly
I spend the weekend thinking so many great thoughts for blogging, then the week starts over and I sit here wondering what all those ideas were. Someone really ought to start keeping notes — not me
These Boots Ain't Made for Walking
I have two clients whose toenails are wrecked. We're talking some serious messed-up-ness here.Every month I scrutinize the new damage and determine whether or not the nails are even safe to work on while I answer
A Certain Flare
I've come to a reluctant truce with flares and we've been negotiating a treaty for the last year or so — we still have some fine points to work out, but thus far, flare nails and
Registration Please
I cannot seem to talk my clients into spending 10 minutes to write a positive review for me or the salon on Yelp ... or any other peer-review site it seems. I've posted numerous requests for reviews
Raising Clients
I love teenage clients. Well, I traditionally have loved teenage clients. But the last two or three years now have increasingly highlighted the growing chasm between a 40-something Maggie and the 16- to 18-year-old girls from
Disappearing Ink
I am not the most organized when it comes to keeping track of my receipts. I have a bank deposit bag and throughout the year I shove fistfuls of receipts into it. At the end of
Early Birds
I work by appointment. I have worked by appointment since I began doing nails 19 years ago. I went through all the standard growing pains of getting my service times down to what I felt was
A Tech of Many Talents
Like many nail artists out there, I put nail art on much more than just nails. In fact, depending on how busy I am, I spend my free time putting nail art on anything that doesn't
Owning People
Today has not been the most fun day I've had. It all started a few posts ago when I got on a tangent about disability insurance. It's true, I still don't have it. But I have
It's a Good Thing, Really
So I finally decided it was time to seriously consider my options for a service that would allow clients to schedule their own appointments via my website. Deciding on the right service was a long and
Sleepin’ on the Job
Many years ago, in another life, before I started doing nails, I used to be a client. For a few years I worked at a small mail order company that sold ancient coins and artifacts —