Story Time: Owning My First Nail Salon
I remember my feelings about opening my first salon… It was actually pretty terrifying.
I was twenty three at the time and had been working for a nail only salon- the first nail salon in Victoria (BC, Canada) in the 80’s. The owner decided to close the salon down when I had only been working there for eight months. I thought, “Well that was a fun and interesting experience... Time to move onto something else, I guess.” But then I wondered... where would the clientele that I had built over all that time go? In the 80’s, nail technicians were very scarce. And there weren’t any other nail salons that I could go work for... So, what could I do? And just like that, the obvious- and overwhelming- solution came to my mind. “Could I open my own salon? I mean I guess… No- that’s crazy! I don’t know the first thing about it!”
My main worry in owning my own salon was that there would be no one else I could turn to when I needed help.
Everything would fall onto my shoulders. If I had staff, they’d look to me for answers, and what if I didn’t have them? How could I take on that role?!
But being the optimist that I am, I just as quickly began to think, “So what? Sure, I’m not going to have all the answers, but I’m willing to learn and investigate when I need to. I can figure it out! And if people don’t like that, too bad! At least I’m trying.” Almost simultaneously along with my worries, I was able to calm myself down so much that I was left feeling… determined! “As long as I’m having fun,” I thought, “I’m going to do this.” Maybe I was a bit crazy, but it’s what it took to get me to go for it. I decided to own it, whether it flopped or it flew! I knew I’d still be better off, either way, than if I did nothing.
My second salon, circa 1987
When I did open my salon, my staff did come to me with their questions and it was my job to figure it out and fix things when they came up.
There’s a secret though, that I didn’t know until I found myself at the deep end…
And it’s that I still didn’t have all the answers. In fact, even today, I sometimes don’t have the answer. That’s never where it ends though. I learned, that being the owner didn’t mean I had to have all the answers all the time. It just meant that I had to be resourceful and inquisitive, so that if I didn’t know, I would find out from someone else who might or have a collective conversation where one is decided.
Another well kept secret I found out as I went further along in my profession was that the people who I would look up to and think were so much more knowledgeable and superior than I was didn’t know it all either! In reality, I found out that I actually have experience and knowledge in some areas that they don’t, and vice-versa. In discovering the people who I looked up to weren’t all knowing and all together all the time after all, there wasn’t much of a need to feel intimidated anymore.
I started to embrace the attitude that we’re all just people, in everything that I did.
For instance, years ago I booked a gig for my daughter to play (she’s a musician). It was for a fancy political event that was being held in a very elegant hotel. It was formal and very professional, with many well respected political figures in attendance. I found myself in an upscaled penthouse suite surrounded by people who I felt unable to mingle with as I knew nothing of politics and quite frankly, I must have looked out of place, as I was not nearly as posh and on trend as this crowd was! Even though I am a social person, I ended up finding myself not engaging in much conversation. Just like that, I felt taken back to that same feeling I had when I was twenty-three and was worrying about being out of my element. The feeling of being unequipped started creeping back in... But once again and equally as quickly, I knew what I needed to do!
Just like those many years ago when I decided to open up my salon, not fully knowing what I was getting myself into, I decided to dive into conversations with people at this event- even though I felt a bit intimidated. I thought, “Hey- I probably won’t even see these people ever again! What do I have to lose? If I don’t engage, I’ll miss the moment… And frankly, if I’m judged for whatever reason, that’s their issue, not mine!” And with that, I went for it!
A sophisticated british gentleman who was about twenty-five years my senior, dressed in a very expensive suit and who appeared quite intimidating at first glance became a sweet and down-to-earth grandfather who, while he was in the political arena himself, was admittedly feeling a tad socially awkward that evening for lack of familiar faces at the party. All it took was to start a conversation to find that he and I weren’t that different at all. We mostly talked about social issues and raising children, which were topics and things that we had in common. For where we differed, I was able to learn a bit about politics, which grew my knowledge on a subject that I knew nothing of beforehand.
It was enlightening and refreshing! Two strangers, putting aside their apprehensions and choosing to be open instead. We were then able to just relax and enjoy the party.
It became evidently clear to me, all over again, that the scariest part about putting ourselves out there- whether it’s starting a business or starting a conversation- is the unknown. Not knowing how something will turn out can be terrifying. We tend to think of the worst case scenario in our minds to protect/prepare ourselves. While this is natural, it still doesn’t mean that the opposite couldn’t be the case. What if it works? What if your business works? What if you end up turning that stranger into a new friend? What if it leads to something great?
You’ll never know if you don’t decide to quiet your fears, go forward and see where it could take you! Even if it doesn’t work out- you will always be better off trying. You will only learn from experience- whether the experience is a complete success or not. This is honestly how I’ve run my entire life. Taking something new that I have enough interest in to explore and just running with it. It almost always leads to something good, even if it wasn’t what I had originally planned.
