Are you currently a licensed nail tech, already running a nail business as a solopreneur in a nail suite or booth renter scenario?
Or are you brand new and wanting to dive in fully into the business of nails as a solo-preneurship?
In today’s video I’ll be taking you through the 7 things you MUST have in place for your nail business.
And I want to be clear, When I say ‘nail business’ I am talking about the solo nail tech, the solo-preneur. I am not speaking about opening up your own shop and hiring stylists, neither am I talking about going commission. I am talking about owning up to it all yourself.
Wearing all the hats… which may sound a little bit intimidating right now… but I’ll let you know that in the near future I do have a program coming that will help you make that super easy, and also help you balance the business of doing nails in person and making money online potentially as an educator!
I know! Super exciting!
More about that in the next week or two, so make sure you’re super attentive to my profile or if you’re part of our newsletter, for all the details!
So now that we’ve confirmed that you are in the right place right now… now is a good time to grab your notebook and a pen and take notes, I do not want you to forget anything.
Alright, time to jump into the 7 things in the to-do of setting up for nail business. And I am listing them in order of importance, to me at least.
To-Do #1
Licensing. The required licenses at least in the US to start operating legitimately are at minimum a professional and a business license. Now the professional license you need is typically that of either a cosmetologist or manicurist license. The business license requirement will depend on whether you are just subleasing space at a beauty salon (this is commonly known as booth renting) or if you actually have an establishment. Typically, and it all depends on your state, you don’t need a business or establishment license if you’re just booth renting. However, if you are leasing a suite or other type of private space, you will most likely have to file with your municipality for a business and/or other establishment license.
To-Do #2
Insurance. Before touching anyones hands in exchange for payment of your services. I need you to minimally apply for liability insurance. Listen chances are you’ll never hurt anyone to the point of getting sued, but that 0.001% chance is all you need to get your butt protected. I’ll list the 2 insurance companies I’ve used in the past, down in the description box below.
To-Do #3
Payments. You will be tempted to be cash only. But not only are we moving into a cashless society, you actually will be leaving a lot of money on the table by not accepting card payments. Here’s a little insider’s commentary. I averaged about $700 per month, on just tips. That is roughly $8,000 per year! And I attribute that income primarily on client’s generosity when using a card. I personally really loved Square as my merchant processor. It also had a booking feature! Which is my next business to-do.
To-Do #4
Booking Site. Now listen, I understand if you are in high demand and later down the line, you’re like hmmm… what is the point of this booking system?? The majority of my clients have standing appointments, and if anything needs to be canceled or rescheduled I have to take care of it.
Ok. That was the case for me, but a booking system was still highly valuable to me because it sent out appointment reminders which drastically decreased no-shows, and also having a booking system in place allowed me to see analytics like… My busiest days, my highest spending clients, and average daily sales, as well as comparing last year’s income to the present year’s and seriously so much more. And at the end of the year the software computed all of earnings, so that I never had to sit for hours figuring out what I made per year. Again I did it all through Square, and I do highly recommend that software, it’s super easy to navigate.
To-Do #5
Advertising. But wait! Before you freak out on me in thinking we need to set aside a budget, I want you to instead take a deep breath, and come back to me. Nowadays, you don’t have to do that, and that’s because of the different social vehicles that lie at our fingertips. I’m talking about Instagram, Google, & Yelp. And you may be wondering, ok… but I first need clients to showcase my work, and also to have them raving online about my amazing work. Listen I’m all for organic reviews, but there are a couple ethical strategies to get your clients to start thinking about supporting your growth via reviews. For now… take lots of pictures of your work and upload them as soon as you can to sites like Instagram, Google and Yelp. The reviews will come, be patient. And in case you don’t have much work to showcase you can upload pictures of the high quality products you use, along with any qualifications or certifications you may have and would like to flaunt.
To-Do #6
Branding. Now you may be thinking… shouldn’t branding be way at the top of this list Paola? But here is why it is not. The name of your business is not going to increase or decrease your bookings. For as much thought as we put into our brand name & looks believe it or not… it does not have a significant impact on our revenue. It does not move the needle in our business as much as any one of the to-do items we have thus spoken about do. Your signature, your brand, is the amazing nails you create, do not deviate from that. Master that and everything else will come easy… Believe me… and even if branding did matter that much, I would still list it way down here at #6 because I want it to be a super fun process when you do decide to jump into the thoughts of what your business name will be, the lettering for it, and the color themes you will choose. You can always do business in your name… just look at Tammy Taylor, or yours truly. Don’t over complicate this task.
To-Do #7
Service Menu & Pricing. Now we get to even more fun stuff!
Ok. If you are in the states, I want you to think of 2 restaurant menus you’re very familiar with. McDonald’s & In-N-Out. In any case you’re most likely there for the same thing: a burger, fries, and a drink. If you’ve never been to either and you just pop in and see their menu, which one will help you complete your order faster? And get you exactly what you want… a burger, fries and drink. Most likely IN-N-OUT’s. They only sell burgers, fries and drinks! While at Mcdonalds, you’re pondering away at the thought of -should you really get that McFlurrry or Apple Pie even though that is not the main reason you’re there, or you’re probably now so off-track perusing the menu you’re inquiring about their seasonal sandwich.
(alright now that we’re all so hungry)
Im much the same way, when it comes to service offerings I want you to think about the clients nail goals. And believe it or not, although we’re all different beings, the variations of what you offer does not have to be extensive. Your client wants… for sure wants, 2 things: beautiful nails, and nails that last.
To get here to these 2 goals… here’s your task: I literally want you to offer no more than 3 core service offerings, and really watch the add-ons sub-menu. In fact, eliminate it if possible.
So here’s an example, If you’re a natural nails-only-tech your offerings can be Gel Manicure, Gel Manicure w/ Art, or Full Removal + Regular Manicure.
I know, I know what you’re thinking but what about removals and French Tips and etc… Well, I’ll just tell you, that I had great success including consistent income predictability when I just charged a flat fee on my services, and aimed to complete all of my services within 90 minutes. Yes, I charged a more premium price, but I also included a lot in my service, and the price was not different whether a client needed what I included. This actually allowed me to tailor my service to what that client needed, as oppose to for example arguing over whether or not she needed a new set or rebalance.
Just something to think about. But oversimplification of your service menu is truly one way to not only increase your income, but make it more consistent and predictable.
If you’ve been in business even for just a year, you know there are services in your service menu right now, that hardly anyone books. These are the ones you can start shedding. But if you’re a younger tech, it is ok to offer more than 3 for now and having an add-on menu to see what your clients gravitate to.
Wee, we did it! The 7 Things You Must Have In Place For Your Nail Business have now all been identified.
In about a week I’m hosting a free masterclass where I’ll be teaching you how to start making the transition from being booked solid but also glued to your nail table, to really start freeing yourself a little bit more to share your craft and start educating others so that you can start claiming your slice of the online pie. If you’re at this stage in your nail journey as a nail solo-preneur then please, please, do not miss joining me in this live masterclass. Register here!
