In this edition of the Biz Talk, we receive a few pearls of wisdom for
new nail artists on the block from the extremely talented YN Mentor and
our friend Rhiannon (Rhi) Miles. A successful money-making professional
nail artist, Rhi has built a thriving career over the past 13 years.
What does a profitable professional nail business look like? After a few
rocky years laying down the groundwork for her business, all that hard
work culminates in a 3 day work week where she provides kick ass
services for a select group of happy and healthy clients booked on
repeat. Rhi is living her best life, and if this sounds good to you,
keep reading to discover how she managed to get in the nail game and how
she stays on top!
SET A GOAL
Back when I started out, I worked full time at a call center and went to
cosmetology school at night. I remember the first goal I set for myself
was to earn $350 per week. I’m a huge believer in the power of
manifestation. I wrote it down. I vocalized it. Then I worked my day job
and sat in the salon as often as possible. Any time there wasn’t a
client in the chair, I kept busy working on my practice hand.
BE A SHOW OFF
Wear your own work and hit the streets. Let your nails be seen. Show
them off around town specifically in the vicinity of your nail station
location. Visit every gas station, coffee shop, bakery, restaurant,
grocery store, hair salon, bank, etc. Basically be on the lookout for
any potential future clients.
GET THE CONVERSATION STARTED
Have a good opening line when you are conducting any kind of
transaction. People will always comment on your great set of nails. Be
sure to know how to take that compliment and convert it into a chance to
sell yourself. Be gracious and grab the opening to let them know you
work in the area and could do an awesome set for them, too.
THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD
Nail professionals just starting out always want to know how long it
takes to get things off the ground. I found a booth and the rent was
inexpensive. It took about 8 months for me to get things going; and 2
years to really build up the business to where I could earn on my own. I
was working double duty with a full day job; then heading into the
salon every night and weekend. Some days I would leave my salon at 10
PM. Before Google, you had the yellow pages listing businesses. I was
lucky, my salon started with the letter A; so I guess I got a lot of
exposure that way.
DO WHATEVER IT TAKES
To be a professional nail artist, a lot of people don’t understand, that
you are first and foremost a business owner. Running your own thing is
really challenging. It’s so hard. It can be taxing. You have to put in
the hours to reach your goal which was to not work at my day job
anymore. It’s crazy to think about even working for anybody else except
myself. At the beginning, I would do whatever it took to book a client.
If a client asked for 3PM or Sat at 6PM. I said OK. I took every
appointment. Even if I had to come and go from the salon several times.
It didn’t matter.
FIND YOUR VOICE
Today, it’s different. I have control over my schedule. I stopped
working on Saturdays which is a huge deal for professionals. I was
totally nervous at first. Now I book late on two days (Tues/Wed) during
the week. It can be so hard to even feel comfortable to talk to your
clients about any changes to pricing or schedule. I ended up condensing
my schedule. I prioritize my health and body, so that I am not
punishing myself with my work. In the beginning, there is no choice.
This is the only option. Today is so different. It’s cool. Social media
has changed the game. It’s easier to build your business now. You can
market on your down time and connect to a local clientele on Instagram.
You don’t even have to pay for it. You just have to do it with location
marketing. You just have to put the time in.
LIVE THE DREAM
So what does my business look like today? I only work on Tuesday,
Wednesday, and Friday. I take my first client at 8AM or 9AM and finish
around 8PM or 9PM. I take 10-11 clients a day who are mostly fills. I
raise my prices consistently, so I don’t have to work that many hours. I
try to raise my prices right before the holidays. I put up a sign and
give everyone 6 weeks notice. S they have time to find other people (or I
guess get trapped into staying). I charge $70 for a fill. I raise
prices $5 a year. So far, I lost 4 clients. I still feel good though.
Even if I don’t get tipped, I know that I am charging what I feel like I
deserve. You have to have a reason to raise your prices. I literally
continue my professional education, by mentoring and always taking
classes to improve my work. It’s a process.
This is an adaption from our Young Nails “Biz Talk: Top Piece of Advice
for Nail Beginners” playlist on YouTube. Click here to watch the
interview in its entirety:
20 June 2019