I’m Tina Caton, the proud owner of Polished Nail Lounge in Richmond, Va. I’ve been a nail tech for 18 years and working in the industry for a little over 20.

I'm part of the second generation in the nail business in my family, so I've seen so much change in the past two decades. I was so excited when I opened my very own salon, just myself without the involvement of my family. In March of 2011, Polished Nail Lounge opened its doors for the first time. My dream is to open multiple locations to serve the community. In Richmond I see lots of discount nail salons, but not many quality salons. I was so excited to open the first location of Polished. I got to decorate it the way I liked, train my staff the way I wanted, and saw my hard work pay off with all of the compliments and repeat clients. Doing nails is second nature to me -- it’s easy, it’s fun, and it’s like hanging out with your girlfriends, i.e. my clients, all day long.

But then as I was about to celebrate Polished's fist anniversary, I got a visit from my landlord asking to relocate me. I was upset, furious, pissed, you named it, I felt it all. My blessing is that my husband is a general contractor, so I accepted the deal and moved my salon five doors down the street. The experience was almost unbearable, but on August 31, after almost five months of planning and designing, Polished Nail Lounge opened again for business.I thought the day would never come. I've survived the work, the renovation, and my marriage is also intact.

I have worked with my family, building about nine salons in the past, and with so much experience from each project I thought I had it all down until this. Things are forever changing, and I want to share my own Blueprint of a First Year experience, so people can understand what is involved and what it takes coming from all angles as a nail tech, a business owner, a designer, and a mom.