Are you upset about not having your own money to spend? Being bored all day? Not having a job? I have a possible solution for you! Start your own nail business. The summer before 7th grade I got into nail services and passionately explored my interest in it. Of course at first my work wasn’t perfect, it was actually pretty bad if I’m being honest. Apart from not being the best from when I first started I would have peers doubting me and telling me to just quit. Over time I slowly watched my progress and successfully started my own business, and here’s why you should too!
“Why?”
Being a nail tech has brought me happiness from within. I’ve experienced situations like never before, the good and the bad. I remember a time when I was about six months into my business I was shopping at walmart, yes, walmart! And a random girl, I didn’t know her but she asked, “are you that nail tech from instagram?” and at the time my nail page was nailedbyemzz. Being me I asked “whats the username” and she said “nailedbyemzz”. Not only was I surprised that someone who I didn’t even know existed prior to the situation noticed me but happy because I knew that meant my nail business was starting to get more known within my community.
Yes, the majority of the time you’re talking to people you don’t know. Strangers. A part of my job is quite literally talking to people and getting to know them, making them feel comfortable in the space provided. That brings joy to me because I get to be that safe person for some people or the person they tell all the tea to. At first I would be nervous because my talking skills weren’t amazing but over time I got to know more and more people. That itself helped me a lot with my socializing skills.
But I’d say those two are the main reasons why I wanted to get into nail services, the people you meet and the intriguing situations you can get yourself into.
“How should I start out?”
I first started out with a KISS nail kit from Walgreens because at the time it was the most affordable option that had all the supplies needed. After about a month of consistently practicing I did more research and started shopping for nail supplies on more expensive materials from brands such as, valentino, young nails, and dynamic. It is not mandatory or necessary to start out in a suite, starting out in your room or any room really is okay! First, It’s best to work on your acrylic application by testing out what brush sizes and bead order works best for you. This part may take some research and more money but it’s all in order to spend less time on shaping and filing the nail.
Once your work represents a smooth nail base from your acrylic application and filing, create a nail page. You don’t immediately have to start taking in clientele, you can post your work to gain followers little by little. Before taking in clientele practice on friends and family to familiarize yourself with the experience. When you start taking in clientele your work won’t be the best but over time when you get more practice and more experience you’ll see the progress through the work you’ve done. Starting out is just the beginning of a huge adventure so, be prepared and be resilient.
Should this realistically be something you should consider? Yes. I understand nail services may not be for everyone but if I were to have the same job in every universe it’d be being a nail tech. The experiences plus the skills gained overtime are insane. Overall I’d recommend trying to start a nail business forever and always. My passion for the profession could literally be studied by how passionate I am for it. If you take anything from reading this, other than how to start off your own nail business and why, let it be the passion. With passion you can do anything, even the “impossible”.
Instagram page for nails: @Creationsbyemzz
Evolet Quintana – Brooks School – DMSF Class of 2029
Photo Credit: Evolet Quintana