Jill, I know I can certainly relate to your last post. I am most definitely the person who wanted to beautify the nails of the world and thought that all that I would need to do is know how to do great nails. Little did I realize that it takes time for a client to see your talent and skill. You have to get them back in your chair a few times for them to recognize that. It requires a lot more than just being able to do a pretty polish job. I know what it is like to struggle with building a clientele, especially when I moved to a new state and didn’t know a single soul in the area. I had to start over, not from the ground floor (as the saying goes) but from the basement.

In my effort to make a living at doing nails I have tried to learn everything that I can to turn my job into a career with varied success. I have taken a ton of continuing education to make me a better nail tech and consider myself highly skilled technically, but it has been difficult to find good business education for nail techs. I often have had to seek out show classes that are more geared to hairstylists, and glean what applicable information I can from them. I have often struggled with self-promotion, the upsell, how to get clients to rebook, buy more retail, and even how to manage my schedule to make the most of the hours I work. 

I am very excited and can’t wait to learn new techniques and skills to turn my job into a career and make myself “stand out above the rest and become the best!” 

— Sandy