Story Time: Being a Nail Tech and a Parent

“I had no idea how awesome a nail career would be for raising children…”

When I started doing nails in my early twenties, I wasn’t thinking about children at all. It wasn’t until I was twenty-eight and became pregnant with my first that I ended up learning how great this career is for being a stay-at-home parent.

At this time, I had a full clientele and was the owner of the most popular salon in my city. I was having a blast! Although I was throwing up literally every single day- pregnancy did not agree with me- I was so excited to be having a baby!

I’m not one to plan much of anything in my life. I’m someone who flies by the seat of their pants- which has actually worked out rather well for me. When my first baby did arrive though, I found myself having to be a bit more organized. Running a salon while raising a baby seemed doable at first. My first baby was very chill and easy-going and fit right into the rhythm. But, if you’ve had a baby, you know that at about four months they become more active and need more attention. It was then that I realized I needed to make a change. To boot, just a few months later, I became pregnant with my second. I knew that managing a salon and taking clients on a full-time basis while raising a two year old and a newborn was just not realistic for me. So, it was settled. I was going to move my nail business to my home.

Making this move was a whole new chapter for me, and it was also uncharted territory. There was a lot about the change that I was unsure of and didn’t know about yet. I was moving from an upscaled downtown store location to a room in my suburban home located 45 minutes away. I was worried about it not being as professional. But, I was a mom now and that was my #1 priority. Everything would work around my kids. And so, they did just that…

“Instead of catering to busy city-goers on their lunch breaks, my appointments at home much of the time were with fellow moms.”

Although I lost much of my clientele (I knew I would lose the majority due to the commute) as well as aspects of the work environment from before that I liked, I ended up gaining a different kind of clientele and a situation that worked much better and suited me now as a mom. Instead of catering to busy city-goers on their lunch breaks, my appointments at home much of the time were with fellow moms. I was now located in a neighborhood community that was family focused. There were many people within the community that were looking for services closeby. Many had children of their own and were able to come to me for their nails without needing to hire a babysitter. I also learned that my new clients from the community did not expect a fancy salon experience at all and actually preferred the comforts of a more casual home environment. So, despite my worries and reservations, I was able to build back my clientele quite quickly and I was enjoying the many advantages of working at home.

Of course, my main advantage of working from home was being there for my kids. At first, when I would need to interrupt an appointment to tend to my children, I would feel guilty about it. But then I remembered that even at the salon, I would often have to get up to answer the phone or address a customer at the door while doing a set. So really, what was the difference? The interruptions were of a different nature, but they were equally circumstantial. I found that my clients were very understanding- many being parents themselves- and even more, they admired that I was maintaining my career while still looking after my children. And besides, my kids came first. The clients that didn’t appreciate this would simply go somewhere else. This was absolutely fine with me, because my children were the reason why I worked, not the other way around.

“… my children were the reason why I worked, not the other way around.”

When my kids were starting school, I seriously considered opening up a salon again. It remained in the back of my mind that I would always get back to it. But, weighing the options, I decided that the at-home situation I had built over those few years would transition perfectly to being worked around my kids’ school schedules. And again, being there for them was my top priority. For the next eighteen years, I was able to spend the mornings with my kids and drive them to school. During their grade school days, I was able to do clients in the morning and have lunch off to bring them home. We had the afternoons, and as they got older and didn’t need me around after school, I was able to take a couple clients before dinner. Even on the weekends, when they would sleep in as teenagers, I could fit in a few appointments before the afternoon when we would do things together. It was the perfect set up.

That’s one thing that I love about being a nail tech- it is so adaptable! I drastically changed my schedule and my location, and I was still able to continue my nail career- without skipping a beat, really. If you’re a good technician, you will be able to find a clientele that will blend with whatever your lifestyle is otherwise. For me- and I know for many- that lifestyle is parenthood.

“I also never anticipated how much I would learn about parenting from my clients who were also moms. Grandmothers, mothers, new mothers… I gained an absolute wealth of knowledge!”

One more aspect I found from doing nails at home that I didn’t expect was how much more friendly and intimate my relationships with my clients were. I was inviting them into my home. They would often meet my children and even chat with them. Many of my clients lived within my community, so we were also neighbours and often times I would have met their children as well. Sure, I made friends with clients from my salon, but I would say the types of relationships I had with my neighborhood clientele was very different. I also never anticipated how much I would learn about parenting from my clients who were also moms. Grandmothers, mothers, new mothers… I gained an absolute wealth of knowledge! It helped me become a better parent.

All in all, I can’t recommend this career enough for parents who want to work from home. Mother or father- this is a fantastic career! It has been extremely valuable for myself as a mom.