keeping your business competitive

Learn What Retail Clients Really Want

"The Retail Help Kit" produced by The Spa Association includes this valuable resource for identifying and satisfying your most challenging retail clients.

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SWOT: Analyze Your Business

SWOT means you should ask yourself: What are your Strengths, Weaknesses, Oppportunities, and Threats?

The 7 Habits of Highly Successful Nail Technicians

Taking a cue from Steven Covey, author of “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective people”, the NAILS editorial team identified seven characteristics, or habits, of the highly successful nail technicians we’ve met over the past 18 years.

As I See It: Do Your Own Thing and Do It Well.

Lessons From the Discount Salon Front

There are a couple of practices found in most discount salons that I think all nail salons could learn from.

When Your Competition Comes Calling

As a salon owner for more than 10 years, I have found myself in some uncomfortable situations—from confronting an employee with poor workmanship to taking a customer to small claims court to recover money form a bad check. But nothing unnerves me more than when a competitor walks through my salon door.

Editor's note: 1997: A Year of Controversy

his year, state boards took a beating, especially in California. Several other states scrutinized whether they even need licensing at all.

Asian Influence: Building A Bridge

As competition increases, the gap between Asian salons and the rest of the industry is actually getting smaller. To keep their English-speaking clientele, Asian nail technicians are making efforts to learn the language and expand their salon services, while non-Asian salons are discovering the value of quick service and client convenience.

We Aim to Serve You Better

Try as we might, the staff of NAILS does not know everything there is to know about nails. The daily ins and outs of the business are something only professionals working in the field can really know. That’s why NAILS invited a prestigious group of individuals-salon owners, nail technicians, and educators-to act as our Editorial Advisory Board. Members of the board will suggest article ideas, provide expert counsel, and keep us up-to-date on trends, salons, and people worth noticing. By way of introducing them to you, we’ve asked them to share their own professional achievements and their thoughts on the biggest challenges facing the industry.

Day Spa Or Discount Salon? There's Lots Of Room In Between