The Nail Salon Basics

It is vital for any business to have the basics all laid down before you can expect considerable growth. If the foundations are not in place, the business will collapse later on down the track, as the foundations are there to support and the business as it grows.

The foundations of a Nail Salon business are what makes it different and stronger than the competition. Have a strong foundation and your Nail Salon business will grow easily and you will see yourself reaching your goals in the best possible circumstances. Don’t get the foundations right, and as your Nail Salon expands you will start to see cracks and it will be difficult for you to maintain any growth for a long period of time.

Following a system and getting the structure of your Nail Salon strong right from the beginning will prove later on the be the best time and decision you ever made for your business.

We will cover some of the basics here such as product use, your salon services and the business plan you have in place for your Nail Salon. Even if you have been in business for a while, some of these areas may need reviewing and restyling to suit the needs of your business today. Remember times change and your goals become expanded and new as you grow personally and in your business. It is good practice to be aware of this and keep your Nail Salon evolving also.

Products

It doesn’t matter if your Nail Salon has everything available on the market today! If you don’t know the basics and are good at them, your business will not survive.

I know what it’s like when you are in the Nail Industry. Bright shiny objects everywhere, or should I say glittery objects! You feel you just have to have it all so you can offer everything and be prepared for any client that walks into the salon! My salons were full of all the latest and greatest products!

The difference, however, is that I knew the basics of nails, application techniques, and business and could actually use these products to improve my salon, the client experience and my profits.

If you are a Nail Technician that invests in all the newest products thinking you will get more clients and increase your profits, please beware and be sensible about it. The problem is you may be spending a lot of money on products you will not use or do not know how to use! These products will sit on your shelf, in your cupboards and drawers collecting dust and draining the bank account.

I see a lot of Nail Techs who have only been in the Industry for a short time and want to fast track straight to all the exciting glittery things! Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the glittery stuff, actually, you do need a certain amount of it to attract certain clients but please, learn your basic nail skills first so you are actually able to do a great job with all the other products!

The biggest advice I can give Nail Technicians who want to increase their clientele and expand their services is to learn the basics first! Practice, Practice, Practice!

How can you reasonably expect to do great service with the latest products and nail art accessories if you are not well skilled in doing the basic nail services?

• If you haven’t learned to shape a nail correctly, what makes you think you will be able to make a stiletto nail look good?
• If you haven’t learned how to do a full set of basic nails in less than 1.5 hours, how will you be making enough money to cover your time and products and how much longer will it take you to do glitter and artwork etc.?

It may sound a bit harsh but the reasons I feel this is so important is this:

• Your self-worth will absolutely go out the door if you attempt too many things and find you are not good at them! Once your self-worth plummets, you may feel like giving up, that you are just not good enough and you will never get your salon to be successful!
• Your profit margins will decrease with products that are sitting, rarely used or unused on the shelf.
• Your time is valuable and if you are spending too much time per appointment because you are not up to scratch on your technique, it will be money lost.

By getting the basics right in the beginning, when you start to experiment with new products you will find that if it doesn’t work for you, you will still feel confident in your ability because you have built up a clientele on the basics.

As a nail artist, I understand exactly the passion and drive that encompasses us and our work. We want to be doing all the new things that are available.

I’m not saying don’t do them.

I am aware of how important it is in your salon to have extra services to increase your profits.

What I am saying is make sure you have absolutely mastered your basic nail skills first and practice practice practice!

Believe me, having great technical skills will make you and your services absolutely stand out from the competition. If you actually care about the quality that you give to your clients, this will automatically put you in front.

Your services are an important process in the overall picture of a successful salon. They need to be consistent, professional and of a very high quality. I have specific processes when performing a service and it would be a great idea if you wrote your system down also. If you have staff, this would be an operations manual that they could refer, to make sure all Nail Technicians in the salon were performing the same quality service.

Consistency in a salon is important. The clients feel more at home going to any of the staff knowing they will receive the same outcome and satisfaction.

I have included my process for a Manicure, Pedicure and Acrylic Application for you to get the idea of what you could create in your operations manual. I have also included the procedure for cleaning your brush.