Complete newbie, things you wish you'd known when starting out?

[Alison Pilkington-Child]

Do your local research before you pitch your business and when you think you have it done do it again. Do it from a new perspective.
Example. My local research told me that almost everywhere offered Shellac around me, the alternative options were thin on the ground. I focused on this and decided to fill this gap in the market by training for Bio Sculpture instead. It’s not been a bad decision but my original findings sort of polarised me toward the gel aspect of nails. Had I ran through the research again with fresh eyes I might have spotted that my most frequent request would be for acrylic nails! [emoji1]
If I had a pound for every time I heard ‘ It’s great that I don’t have to drive into town again’.

Once the penny dropped I pitched my advertising towards L&P and it really made a difference.

Agree on pricing to list prices in line with your geographical area right from the start. You can always use special offers etc while you build a customer base.

 

[Alison Pilkington-Child]

Oh, one other thing. Get an efile and book your training for it as soon as you can.

I really wasn’t aware about ‘nail bar’ products as in training (VTCT same as you) we used decent stuff that actually soaked off!

Once up and running almost all my new clients arrived wearing it and I went through quite a painful process realising that the soak off method is torturous and takes an insane amount of time.

Once the majority of your clients are returners and have your products on their nails it’s not so bad but be prepared to go through a lengthy period when your efile will be your best friend. You’ll be spending a lot of time together!

 

[Angie72]

Hahaha! Definitely Alison, I agree on so many points you've raised. My course only covers certain things so I'm taking additional courses in gel polish, advanced sculpting, efile and quick dip as well as branded conversion courses. For my area, many seem to not have efile or extension training at all since nails are usually just alongside other beauty treatments but I wanted to be traditionally trained as there is definitely high demand. If nails are all I'm doing for now, then I want as much knowledge under my belt as possible even if I don't offer all the treatments all the time. I have a select brand and products chosen already because of a huge gap in the market for where I am so hopefully these will generate a good buzz and give me a bit of a niche too. It's definitely a long process so I'm going to take my time with setup and get it right rather than rush in and trip myself up Trying to be much older and wiser in my 30's than my 20's!!!

 

[Alison Pilkington-Child]

Advanced sculpting will definitely be useful, it’s the one thing I couldn’t find but wish I could have done. What’s the under-represented brand in your area? Just curious to get an idea of how brand popularity varies geographically...

 

[Angie72]

The gel bottle, I wanted something with a lot of scope, development and education but still vegan friendly and cruelty free. Everyone here is still doing OPI, CND etc and the more classic gel polish brands. There's nothing wrong with that obviously but since I'm starting from scratch I have the luxury of being selective

 

[Fisou]

I subscribe to everything said till now. Its very personal for everyone but I think Melissa's point on Product safety can't be overstated. Not having issues with overexposure, bad product application, mix and matching lines, etc can't be an excuse for doing it. You'll see a lot of people doing nails saying they've always done it that way and never had an issue - these safety and product usage guidelines are there for a reason. They eventually manifest. Then there you go complaining about clients having bad nails and how you can't get a product not to lift, or random rashes/stains appearing - and it can't possibly be me because I haven't changed anything in my application. Guess what it has been you all along. I am paranoid about this after having absolutely botched my own nails in the past testing stuff. And the odd time I've strayed away from this with customers I've also had a bad time.

Lastly don't but into the shiny new thing. I'm with Trinity here. Stay away from social media as much as you can. It's a rabbit whole: you'll want everything and you'll think everyone is perfect and better than you.

These are a few recent things I've discovered myself so I'd also add, don't beat yourself up, go through the process. Stop and analyse your choices/decisions regularly and you'll be fine.

 

[Fisou]

Oh and don't just get a course and think you're done with training. Do it frequently, it takes a while to get good at shaping not to mention art so ongoing education really matters.

 

[Sabbz]

Clients..... friends and family can be the worst at times.
Make your rules and stick to them. Dont bend them or it becomes the norm and clients reoffend.
If a client is 10mins late, they then get a polite sms from me asking if they are on the way.
If they dont reply by 20 mins I will then sms them advising the appt is cancelled and they will have to contact me to reschedule.
I have an appt app on my phone which books all my appointments. It also sends a reminder sms 24 hours beforehand to client reminding them of appt but also asking them to reply with YES or else their appt will be cancelled. It works a treat.

I found working out of a home salon I had to inforce these things because some were taking tge mickey.

Good luck x

What app is it that you use? I’m starting a nail course in March, and hope to first start out to recoup the money spent on getting the kit (starting from scratch). Wanted to do a nail course since I was young, and now I’m a stay at home mum it’s now my time to do what I’ve always wanted!

Can’t wait to start and know how to do it professionally.

 

[Ericap22]

Hi,

Can I ask what app you use please? I manually text my clients, while this is personal it takes time!

Thanks, Erica x

 

[Bel's Gels]

Hi,

Can I ask what app you use please? I manually text my clients, while this is personal it takes time!

Thanks, Erica x

I use Shedul. Its free and very user friendly.
The sms can be personalised although there's a few things to keep in mind......

The length of the message is quite short
so keep it brief.
Also Clients cant reply directly to the sms.

Here is a sample of mine...

Hi CLIENT_FIRST_NAME, this is a reminder of your SERVICE_NAME on BOOKING_DATE_TIME. To confirm please send 'YES' via SMS to XXXXXXXXXX

 

[Ericap22]

Brilliant Thankyou! I’ll take a look into it, it’ll save me some time! xx

 

[Bel's Gels]

Brilliant Thankyou! I’ll take a look into it, it’ll save me some time! xx

You're welcome.

If you edit your SERVICE NAME correctly it helps. For eg: my service name is 'Nail Appointment at Bels Gels'
There are many ways you can edit them and tweak it to what you want. I actually put all my personal appts in as well and use it as a one stop calendar of sorts. I love it automatically sends out the reminder SMS.
I find it quite user friendly but if you do have any questions please don't hesitate to ask as I know how to do most things and it really is a great program.

Oh and I should mention, you access it via web, https://www.shedul.com/
There is no cell phone app however I have put a shortcut to the webpage on my cell phone and it works fine.

I love that I can access it from any device.

 

[Ericap22]

Brilliant Thankyou! That’s another job ticked off my “to do” list! There’s always something to improve on & thanks I’ll keep that in mind xx

 

[Struggling newbie]

Hi Angie. Congrats on taking a step in a new direction. I have been qualified for 2 yrs now and still struggle with confidence. I worked part time at a salon for a few months to gain experience and learn things which possibly aren't covered on a course. Its great to help build confidence as well as it teaches you how to to deal with different kinds of people. Some love to talk. Some just want to close their eyes and have some peace. I do however still doubt my own work. I think it's the nature of the industry. As you get on in the industry, you tend to have an eye for flaws as you more or less know what to look for regarding shape, application etc. Its rough as one tends to be very critical of your own work. However, it has become a true passion of mine as there is always room for improvement and always new things to learn (be it in the line of new products or techniques). As difficult as the industry can be on our confidence, I wouldn't leave it for anything. Good luck Angie. You seem to have the right outlook for someone starting out. I've Iearnt that if your expectations are not set too high, you generally will be pleasantly surprised. Keep us posted as to how you are getting on. Its an exciting, ever-changing industry to be in.

 

[user 25446]

Many schools are not adequately teaching about nail product allergies and allergy prevention, with the result that many NT are forced to leave the industry. The essentials you can find here: www.saynotoallergies.today

 

[Titleist]

Hi geeks! This is my first thread as i finally just joined today (after a few email complications) so i wondered if i could ask for a little advice please?

I've been browsing the forums for weeks and there are so many of you out there with years of experience/training. It's been so helpful for me reading the threads about training, advice and tips so i'd like to know the following:
If you were starting again from the beginning both training and/or starting out and you could give yourself a little advice knowing what you know now - what would it be? Whether that be products, techniques, mentality or from a business point of view.

I start my VTCT NVQ Level 2 in Nail Technology tomorrow and this is a complete career change for me. I'm really excited but i'm also very nervous as i have no previous experience in the field so i'd really love some seasoned wisdom.

Many thanks, Angie

Thanks for your post! I will be following. You are so well spoken!

 

[Bel's Gels]

Many schools are not adequately teaching about nail product allergies and allergy prevention, with the result that many NT are forced to leave the industry. The essentials you can find here: www.saynotoallergies.today[/QUOTE

I totally agree with this.

I actually studied Nail Technology due to allergies I had developed.
My teachers could not educate me on the subject at all other than directing me towards products.
I was told to use monomer that is not purple as that seems to be one that can cause the allergic reaction.... SHEESH!!! (I know right!!!!!
They did not even mention HEMA.

However my certificate then opened doors for me and once in hand I could speak to different educators in the industry and fast forward 6 years and I have my allergy under control.

I really wish more training facilities focused more on allergies and how you can prevent them.

 

[Bel's Gels]

It appears that a lot of the features (that I loved) have now changed.

I have contacted Shedul but their customer service dept is not responding.

BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE SHEDUL.

I don't know if I will continue using it as it now lacks a lot of the features that were important to me.

Please take any comments I have previously made with a pinch of salt as I am not sure if these features still exist.

I am now having to go through all my posts regarding Shedul on Salon Geek as I sung its praises and it now is making me look like a liar.