Serious....pondering becoming a nail tech...?

I am a 35 year old stay at home married mom of three children and totally LOVE LOVE the spa/salon scene. I would love to work at one or actually even own one...I am thinking of making it a family affair..my neice is going to be starting cosmetology school and I want to do nails and two of my sisters can help out with reception and the cafe' part of it...wanting tips on success of nail technicians and what it takes to be REALLY good....thanks!Serious....pondering becoming a nail tech...?
What it takes to be really good, huh? The short answer is years of total dedication and practice, lots of training, more classes, more practice, and even more practice on top of that! It is NOT easy. It looks like doing nails is easy work, but it is not.There are some facts that you must be willing to face if you decide to go into this profession. First of which is this. You need to go to an approved nail training program, and put in your hours there. Each state has a minimum requirement of hours that you need before you can take your state's licensing exams. Without a license, you don't go anywhere. In other words - no job without a license. Period. No exceptions.


Once you get out of school, you will need to start at the very bottom of the food chain, so to speak. Clients will NOT come running to you simply because you have a salon. It takes a lot of time to build up your 'book.' You will spend a LOT of time with absolutely no customers because you will not have very many when you start out. You have to build them. The way to do that is to promote yourself by doing top quality work - every time, maintain a professional attitude even in the face of the nastiest customers - and believe me, some can get pretty nasty at times. You have to always work on improving your skills, and becoming a better nail technician. The real money in this business goes to those who are highly skilled, and do GREAT work. They build a reputation over time, and slowly the customers start to come. The industry is filled with people who get out of school, and think that they can just start right out without 'paying their dues,' only to have a big shock coming to them when they realize the reality of the situation. And that is the nail business takes dedication, long hours, and perserverance - if you want to go anywhere, that is.


One other thing. The nail business is NOT a 9-5, Monday-Friday job. Not even close, actually. Sure, you can work those hours, but you won't have many customers. To make it, you NEED to be available when women who get their nails done are available. That means working nights, weekends, and some holidays too because that is when most people have time off and can do this sort of thing. Thus, you have to work around their schedule. They do not work around your schedule. It just doesn't work that way.


But don't let anything I said discourage you from going into the nail industry. Just go into it with the knowledge that it takes time to become skilled at doing nails. It takes time too bring in clients. And it takes time to be able to go out on your own. I would never suggest that anyone try to go into business for themselves without first paying their dues by working for someone else. This is how you get the necessary experience.


I have been doing nails for many years now. I LOVE my job, and would not trade it for anything else. But, it took time to get to where I am now. Everyone has to pay their dues in this business. That is just how it is. And that is a fact.


Look, I don't know how well I answered your question, but it is late here right now, and I had a LONG day today. Thus I am tired, and I might not be giving you the best information. I'll check back tomorrow to see if you added any comments/questions, and go from there, OK? But, I hope I at least helped a little bit.


Either way, best of luck to you, and dont ever give up hope. You can do it if you really want to do it. You have to make it happen because it will not happen for you. You must create your own success, or failure...