Cathie says she understands that moms have many tasks to juggle but they must consider what’s important to them. “People say to me, ‘Oh, you’ve got it all,’ and I say, ‘Yes, on some level,’” she says. “But some days are better than others. Some days it all falls apart. Some days, someone’s sick or you’ve missed a meeting.”

Finding satisfaction can mean striving for what Cathie calls a “360-degree life” balancing your time among family, career and passions. “At the end of the day, you can love your job, but your job is not going to love you back,” Cathie says.

Cathis Black was on the Oprah show promoting her new book, Basic Black, which offers business advice based on her 40 + years in the magazine publishing industry.

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For Motivated Nail Technicians and Salon Entrepreneurs

If you are a nail technician who desires to own a salon or if you just want to own a salon business in general, congratulations! You are on the right path to pursuing your dreams just by researching what it takes to do just that. At this point, you may be interested in owning your own salon business, but not 100% committed to the idea. That is fine. Everyone has to start somewhere. With so many online resources, it is easy to read up on what you may be interested in doing in order to determine if it is the right career move for you. Below are a few questions you should ask yourself to start brainstorming for your potential salon. You may want to simply read them over at first and answer them later. If owning your own salon business is something you have been considering for some time, you may already have the answer to many of these questions.

1. How will I finance my salon business? Hint: loans, bank, credit, friends and family

2. Where will my salon be? Hint: busy city, small town or at home

3. Is the salon industry to competitive in my area? Hint: sometimes with the right tactics, there are ways to beat the competition

4. How will I market my business? Hint: advertisements, marketing and a website

5. How can I find qualified clientele? Hint: resumes, referrals and employment websites

There are many more questions that you will begin to ask yourself as you develop the business plan for your salon. These are just a few basic questions to put you on the right path and to get your ideas rolling.

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Starting your own salon business may be an endeavor you are excited about and eager to pursue. It is a very saturated business, depending on location, but can be very lucrative despite other competition. Even practicing nail technicians may consider opening up their own nail salon because they enjoy what they do and would like to make a profit off of it as well. The great thing about the nail industry is that training is readily available, opening a business is relatively inexpensive and you do not have to be a nail technician to start your own business. Here is helpful advice on becoming a nail salon owner.

With the right resources, your salon business has the potential to make a lot of money. Services your nail salon can service include massage, waxing, tanning, pedicures, nail art, manicures, acrylics, Gels, Wraps and Fiberglass nails.

Communication is also your key to success. It is important that both you and your employees meet customer needs and make them feel comfortable. If you are able to establish this bond, your clients will remain loyal to your salon. The more customers you have, the more profit you can make. An increase in clients will also allow you to expand your business, which means a larger working area, more service options and more employees skilled in those services. For more on customer communication, see Nail Salon Success.

Below is a basic idea of key points to starting your own salon business. You will have to research each topic to figure out how you can use the key points to your advantage and how to achieve them.

• Create a business plan for your salon business
• Decide which services you want to initially offer at your salon
• Decide what type of salon you are interested in purchasing (an already established salon, a nail salon franchise, a home-based nail salon, a mobile salon or a new salon in a retail space)
• Ways to finance your salon
• Getting insurance and license requirements for your salon business
• Salon location
• Salon equipment
• Building a clientele
• Building staff
• The name of your salon

With these basics, you should have a general understanding about what opening a salon business involves. There are many beauty schools, cosmetology schools and community colleges that offer salon business training so you can gain knowledge and pursue your dream!

Nail Technician 101

If you like to take care of nails and produce beautiful and attractive nail art, you may be interested in a career as a nail technician. Nail technicians specialize in nail care and nail art. In other words, your job is to help others maintain and enhance healthy, beautiful nails. As you know, the nail salon business is lucrative and often pulls in numerous customers per day. With the right resources, you can become a nail technician or even operate your own salon business.

There are several basic steps to becoming a nail technician. You will have to apply to a vocational school, beauty school or community college. Education is very important, and your customers will feel comfortable knowing that you have your license. On average, a nail technician program runs from 3-6 months and focuses on manicures, pedicures, nail art, and acrylic nails. You can never learn too much. Learning helps you gain knowledge and experience, potentially making you the top nail artist in your area. You can apply for financial aid to help you pay for your classes, books and other supplies. Community colleges offer classes at a significantly cheaper cost for a very good education.

Once you complete your classes, you can apply for your license. All states require nail technicians to pass state board examinations. Check with your state’s Board of Cosmetology licensing requirements to make sure you qualify. In order to prepare for your nail technician license, you will need both knowledge and experience. To gain experience, become an employee or apprentice at a reputable salon business to perfect your skills. The salon business will probably have you do menial jobs, but maybe they will consider hiring you once you are a certified nail technician. You can also practice nail care and nail designs on yourself as well as on family and friends. Konad Stamping Nail Art is a good at home kit for professional looking nails.

Becoming a nail technician can be both fun and rewarding. However, it is important to have the right resources in order to be successful. You can read magazines, take classes, or attend workshops in order to stay up to date on the latest nail techniques and methods. The Nail Art Video Course may be a valuable resource for nail technicians. It has videos on how to achieve professional nails. If you may possibly be interested in starting your own business, check out Nail Salon Success.

Necessary Salon Equipment

There are many things you will need to decorate the interior of your nail salon. Some salon equipment you can acquire over time and some salon equipment you will need before you ever open your salon. This article will focus on the basic salon equipment for opening a business. Owners of spas and other salon services may also benefit from this article since manicures and pedicures are services that these establishments often provide.

Reception Desk

First impressions are everything, and having a friendly receptionist greet your customers will shape their opinion of your salon business. A reception desk has many compartments to store appointment books, receipts and other paperwork. The reception desk is usually a large piece of furniture, providing a nice welcome area for your clients.

Reception Desks

Pedicure Chair 

A pedicure chair, more commonly known as a pedicure spa, may be one of the most expensive pieces of salon furniture, but it is well worth the cost. Pedicure chairs will last a long time and will service thousands of customers during its lifespan. The pedicure chair is both comfortable and relaxing to the customer, providing a very calm atmosphere. The customer lounges in the comfy pedicure chair while the technician proceeds to cleanse and soften the feet. Providing the client with a comfortable chair is necessary since the client will remain seated in the chair for at least 20 minutes. Services performed in the pedicure chair include a foot bath, foot scrub, foot lotion and nail polish. Similarly, the foot bath has jets that massage the client’s legs and feet. The chair may also come with a massager to make the customer feel even more relaxed.

Pedicure Chairs

Manicure Tables

A manicure table is designed so the nail technician can care for the client’s hands with ease. Manicure tables look like regular tables and often include multiple drawers, outlets, hand rests and swivel casters. Manicure tables are easy to clean.

Manicure Tables

Nail Dryers

If you are a nail technician, you understand the importance of nail dryers. Any salon offering nail care services need them. A customer will use the nail dryer after having their nails painted by the nail technician. The nail dryer dries nails quickly so that the client can get in and out of the salon quickly.

For Motivated Nail Technicians and Salon Entrepreneurs

Having an overall idea of what it takes to run a salon is crucial to a successful salon business. Preparation is key in order to smooth out any bumps later on down the line. If you are planning or even thinking about owning your own salon, I am proud of you for taking action. In order to plan appropriately for your beauty salon business, you will have to make sure that you can pay the bills, welcome customers, hire qualified staff, and run a clean salon.

Finances and Expenses The nail salon business can be very lucrative but there are several costs to consider, sometimes even on a monthly basis. Such costs include rent, electricity and water bills, salon products and equipment, furniture, office supplies (computers, paper, phone, fax, etc.) and salary for staff members.

Customer Satisfaction Making sure that your customers continue to seek the services you offer is very important. The more customers you have, the more profit you will make. This is why it is so important to build a rapport with your customers. Asking customers how their day is going or if they need anything goes a long way. This is especially important in areas where the salon industry is saturated. A happy customer will tell their family and friends about your salon.

Salon Location You can essentially choose any location for your beauty salon business, but picking the right location is what determines how successful your business is. Strategically placing your salon in a busy location, whether it is in a city or a small town, will garner good results. You will get more exposure and more clients.

Qualified Staff Finding qualified staff should not be too difficult if you are looking in the right places. Interested candidates can submit resumes and you can also go on referrals from other people. Placing employment opportunities on major job websites like careerbuilder.com and monster.com will also bring results. Once you hire staff, they will have to be trained. Offering training sessions on a regular basis will ensure that your staff is familiar with salon procedures and current trends in the salon industry.

Sanitation One way to keep customers satisfied is to run a clean and hygienic salon business. There are many health risks that can result from dirty salons, such as bacteria growth and skin infections. That is the last thing you want. If there is speculation that your salon is using dirty tools or equipment, it can tarnish your salon’s reputation. Salon equipment should be clean and sterilized several a times a day.

Detailed information on how to start a salon business:

Becoming a professional is very rewarding. However, finding a way to pay for school can be stressful. Fortunately, beauty school training is pretty affordable, and there are also several scholarships, grants and loans that can help pay for your education.

The first resource for financial aid is the institute where you will be schooled at. Most schools have a financial aid department and are more than willing to sit down with you to discuss options. You may be able to get a scholarship or grant from your school. You can also look into the Spa Foundation Scholarship, the Jeanette Rankin Foundation and the American Association of University Women.

If scholarships and grants are not an option, a student loan is the next best thing. Student loans have a lower interest rate. The Stafford loan and private loan are two popular student loans. Other resources for loans include StudentLoan.com, FinAid.com, and SallieMae.com

You may be a nail technician who wishes to start your own salon business. Perhaps you already own your business. Either way, it is important to have the proper resources in order to operate a successful empire. Today, I am reviewing the Nail Salon Success program for the nail stylist in all of us. Nail Salon Success provides strategies and tips on how to run a thriving salon business.

According to Nail Salon Success, it is most profitable to communicate and form a relationship with the customers. This program tells you how to do that. Based on this theme, Nail Salon Success seems like it would also be beneficial for a salon business owner to teach to their nail technician employees. The program is “guaranteed to make you more money” and uses examples directly from the salon profession. While working in a nail salon can be both fun and satisfying, it is important that your customers keep coming back for more. The salon business is very saturated and this course shows you how to work around that. It can be the difference between a customer deciding to come to your salon or someone else’s down the street. Even if you are a practicing nail technician, it is important to keep your customers happy. More customers means more money. If you are a nail technician, this course can give you the boost you need to work towards your own salon business.

This course says that by learning how your customers think, you can keep them happy and have them return over and over again. Sometimes we can lose perspective and forget about customer needs as a business owner. What is most compelling to me about Nail Salon Success is that it is based on scientific research. Some of the specific topics you will learn about include universal law, mind power, the 5 characteristics of successful people, the 6 steps to acquiring wealth, and the 3 basic fundamentals to developing a rapport with your clients.

Other courses direct you on how to start your own successful business through physical means-having the necessary certificates, supplies and location. These are all very important, but they do not tell you how to run a productive salon business on a social or mental level. Overall, I would say that this program may be very beneficial to salon business owners, nail technicians and those in beauty school because of its unique factor. What I believe makes Nail Salon Success unique is that it focuses on communication and your mindset. The Nail Salon Success course comes with other perks, like 5 free guides that touch on such topics as non-verbal communication, healthy nails, and mind power. These guides add to the effectiveness of maximizing your profits.

The Nail Art and Nail Design Course

This is a 7- step course that shows both beginners and nail technicians how to do their own nails. A beginner may be categorized as someone who expresses interest in learning how to do professional nails. If you are looking for simple, fun nail designs I would suggest Konad. When I mention nail technicians, I am referring to anyone who is interested in becoming a nail technician or is already a nail technician. Each step comes with a video clip and a detailed description to reinforce what you are watching. There are also over 30 images to help you with the course. This video will benefit people who have long nails or people who bite their nails.

I have been at the nail salon often and could not fully understand how they were able to make my nails look seemingly perfect and flawless. Part of the reason why was because none of the salon products had labels on them. Since none of the products had labels on them, I did not even know what supplies to get. Supplies are the foundation of nail design and you cannot proceed without the proper apparatus. Most of these products can even be purchased from local stores. If you are in need of something else, a beauty store is certain to have it. I personally would purchase a starter kit from the store just to see how it goes. It is cheaper this way and you can get an idea about how much you are using of each product. This will tell you what size bottles to buy in the future. The Nail Art Video Course costs about as much as one visit to the nail salon. This course would be a great foundation for my Konad kit. I need to learn how to shape my nails in order to make them look professional. This is important before applying nail designs. Otherwise, the nail designs may look amateurish. Once someone shows you how to do something, it is never as hard as it seems. One of the reasons why doing your own nails is frustrating is because you need knowledge on how to do it properly. It really just takes practice. If anything, this course should improve my basic knowledge and performance of doing my own nails.

Nail Technician

Those who want to become nail technicians may also find this course helpful. The Nail Art Video Course is a great resource to add to a collection. A nail technician would learn this course more quickly since they are used to working with nails. Others who work in the nail industry, such as nail salon business owners or spa owners will also benefit from the video course because they can teach the course to their employees. The more resources you have, the more capable you are of running a successful salon.

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Quite frankly, I am tired of spending all of my money on getting my nails done, especially in this economy. Sometimes I will sacrifice getting my nails done, but a pedicure is a must for when I wear flip-flops and sandals. I have seen some promising resources that I am considering. I do not want to be a nail technician, put I would like to make my nails look attractive without bruising my wallet. It cannot be that hard to do nails and it actually sounds like fun! Here are a few products I will examine over the next few days. These resources are intended for different levels of interests in nail art and nail designs from the very beginner to the very advanced. If anything, I should be able to pick up some very helpful tips on making my nails look beautiful.

Konad Stamping Nail Art

I have been interested in the Konad Stamping Nail Art Starter Kit
for quite some time now and just may make the leap. In a nutshell, Konad lets you stamp professional looking designs right onto your nails. It is intended for people who wish for intricate and professional nail designs but may not be artistically inclined. It is also intended for people who want professional and attractive nail designs for less. What is appealing to me about Konad is its easy and quick application. With some practice, it seems like I will be able to pull it off. The Konad Stamping Nail Art kit comes with a stamper, a scraper, 2 nail plates with a total of 14 nail designs, and 3 basic colors of nail polishes. I do not find this product intimidating and even simple nail designs will make me happy. If this product does what it says, I would have paid less than it costs for 2 visits to the nail salon.
Level: Beginner-Medium

Nail Art Video Course

The Nail Art Video Course is a 7 -step program on how to do professional nails. What is most appealing to me about this course is that it is a visual aid. I personally learn faster if something is shown to me. One of the reasons why I have not been able to figure out how to do my nails is because every time I go to the nail salon, the products do not have any labels on them. I am interested in learning the basics and believe this is a good foundation course. It looks like a good nail preparation resource. This nail design video course seems appropriate for a nail technician or anyone who is serious about achieving salon nail results. However, even a beginner should be able to learn something beneficial.
Level: Medium-Advanced

Stop Biting Your Nails Secrets

Stop Biting Your Nails Secrets is a video that guarantees to stop your bad nail biting habits in 9 minutes. I admit that I am not that bad of a nail biter, but it would help if I started off with nice, smooth nails before applying my nail designs. I have tried methods like putting hot sauce on my fingertips to no avail. The majority of the time, I do not even realize that I am biting on my nails. This program comes with a money back guarantee, so I can not help but be interested in it. Apparently, there are triggers that cause us to bite our nails and this video shows you how to overcome that. It also tells you why most nail biting treatments result in failure. Another similar program is Hypnosis and Nail Biting. I will decide on one of the two to do a review on in a few days.
Level: All levels

 Nail Salon Success

Nail Salon Success provides nail technicians and salon business owners with information that is very valuable—the art of communication. Nail Salon Success is based on scientific research and promises to maximize salon business profits. Nail technicians may also find this appealing because more business means more money. The nail salon industry is saturated, so keeping loyal customers will be financially rewarding. The program seems to focus on establishing relationships with customers while improving your mindset as well. In that way, Nail Salon Success serves a dual purpose.
Level: Advanced

What I like about all of these programs is that none of them seem to overlap. In my opinion, these courses would be beneficial in the following order: Stop Biting Your Nails Secrets, Nail Art Video course, Konad Stamping Nail Art Kit and Nail Salon Success. Between the four of them, there are options for those interested in nail art on all levels. Although I only want to learn how to properly care for and be creative with my nails, I may just feel privy to make money off of it. Actually, I am only joking, but you never know.

All images belong to their original owners

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