July has been an interesting month. We began with a huge event on the 4th and since then it’s been quiet in the nail room. Since I’ve been here only a short time and still don’t know what to expect when it is quiet or busy, every day is a guessing game. I would say about a third of my acrylic/gel clients decided to "take a break" from doing nails over the summer, and only about half of those have continued to come in for manicures or pedicures. So we continue to market and try to bring in new clients constantly. I had just gotten used to a fat paycheck, and now I’m down about a third. The owner brought in a marketing company, Paradigm International, to sell promo packages to new clients. At the same time, the owner is trying to keep a full staff (we lost two recently) and add more to prepare for the holidays. Good help is hard to find, and definitely harder to keep!

In the middle of it all, I underwent my first inspection since I left Florida. Here in North Carolina, each salon is given a grade so consumers can make an educated decision on where to go for services. Every quarter, the local paper prints the list of "B" salons, which is where you may not want to go. Here at HB&S, we have been an "A" salon, and I’m glad that grade has been maintained.

Being inspected was probably the biggest worry in the back of my mind, simply because I did not know what to expect. On our state's website, there is an inspection guide to help prepare salons for what inspectors will look for. I felt completely prepared and was glad that she took the time to look in each drawer in my table and storage area. She also popped the screen out of the pedi tub to inspect and asked if I had any questions for her. I voiced my opinion on a few things that I lost points on, and she gave me remedies. That's about when my brain began to hurt, because her opinion was different than mine. And she has the upper hand, so I just tried not to argue too much...even though Heather will tell you how I flipped out over the points I lost. ;-)

After she left, I did hear different opinions about what she looked at, and it was clear that the nail department was a specific target, but I would hope that she would be that thorough in some of the surrounding places that I hear stories about.  We still are an "A" salon, so quibbling over the small things sometimes needs to be let go....but next year I will be receiving a 100% in my room.

—Adrienne, nail tech