Overview Of Home Based Nail Art Technician Business
Nail Art / Design Technicians only became part of everyday self-care a few years ago. Up until then, most people were perfectly happy doing home manicures and having a professional manicure at a salon for important social gatherings or business functions. With the advent of acrylic nail extensions and gel nails and tips the professional manicure became more accessible and thus much more mainstream and now we even have "specialist" nail technicians that can create amazing works of art on your fingernails.
As well as acrylic and gel nail extensions, there are nail tips and all kinds of artistic embellishment available. The elegant extended fingernails can be studded with rhinestones, dotted with glitter or painted with seasonal pictures. As I mentioned above, there are even nail techs that specialize: some specialize in airbrushing your nails, some are experts at applying fine metal foils, and I've even seen techs that specialize in sculpting nails. It's no longer simply a matter of choosing a colour for your nail polish.
Nail art has become so popular now that you can find a huge assortment of nail art supplies and embelishments at your local Walmart or drugstore. When I first began putting art on my nails, I had a hard time finding decorations and had to be creative and make a lot of my own. But now when I go to the beauty department of a store, I can find rows and rows of items for creating nail art.
There's enormous potential for earning money with your own home nail art technician business. You only have to pass by a nail salon a few times to see how busy they are at all times of the day. If you want to try out nail extensions for yourself, and check out the business and your competition, you'll find there's a long waiting list for appointments. As a home based nail art technician, you'll have more independence and flexibility in respect of the hours you work than you would if you worked in a salon belonging to somebody else.
Getting Started
There's quite a bit of debate as to whether you need to be certified or not, and I think to add to the issue, some provinces/states and cities require licensing while others don't. However, I think, if you're offering ONLY nail design services, there's some lieniency in licensing and/or certification requirements. I would recommend, though, if you aren't a certified nail technician already, that you take some courses. There are some health issues and concerns that you should be aware of.
As the demand for nail technician training has increased, the number of centers offering training courses has also increased but they are not all Government accredited educational institutions. When choosing a nail technician training center (before paying anything to them) make very sure the training will lead to a recognised qualification and not just a worthless diploma invented by the owner of the training center.
If you've never seen what fungal nail infections look like, do a search on the nternet and have a look at some pictures. You'll quickly understand why clients would sue you for damages. It would be highly irresponsible to risk inflicting this sort of damage on anyone, so it might be a good idea to take a proper training course. Also, to avoid such things, always, always use top quality materials. Remember, business is about competition, so you want to offer the best service you possibly can. A good reputation will be your key to building a loyal customer base who will recommend you to their friends and family.
A nail technician is intimately involved in the most important and exciting events of people’s lives: from weddings to special occasions, and even to helping someone land that perfect job. Because of this, you need to perfect your tecniques before you actually start charging clients. I know I wouldn't want to be the one to wreck a bride's nail job on her wedding day!
Here's a list of the primary tools you'll need to start with:
- A nail file machine and emery boards
- Many different colours of nail polish
- Acrylic and gel nails, tips and extensions
- A wide variety of embellishments -different coloured rhinestones, sparkles, decorations, etc.
- Paraffin wax
- Cotton balls and tissues
- Nail polish remover (non-acetate)
- A storage container for all your supplies (a tackle box will do)
- A portable table (optional but useful even if you're not taking your business mobile)
Pricing
Part art, part science, pricing your services is one of the most important and delicate tasks you’ll undertake in your home based nail art technician business. And no two technicians approach it quite the same. As well, there are other factors to be considered in the equation. The area you live and will be working in. Technicians in major metroploitian areas can get away with charging much higher fees. While small town techs have to consider their client-base and what their area can support. Also, how many other salons or technicians are in your area? Is there a lot of competition? Will you have to do a lot of advertising? I've seen rates range from $50 for basic nail extensions, to $25 a nail for the full service -nail application, paint and art.
You might want to set a base price for the nail/extension applications, and then add to it depending on what type of art your client wants.
A Few Final Pointers
Creativity and application are what makes you stand out in a nail technology business. You'll also need to be in tune with new technologies and the latest trends in nail fashion. As a home based nail art technician business owner, you're going to need excellent communication skills and be willing to go the extra mile to provide exceptional services to your clients.
The increasing demand for nail technicians makes it easy for anyone who specialises in the business to have as many clients as they can handle. By offering a nail design service from home, you can offer three things that'll put you ahead of the salons:
1. Flexible hours. You can offer evening and weekend appointments for people who are at work during the day or want to get their nails done when their partner is at home to look after the children. You can also offer an emergency repair service.
2. Discounted rates. Fancy fingernails are not cheap to maintain but your overheads will be far lower than those of a salon owner. You can, therefore, compete with the salons on price and still make a good profit.
3. Mobile service. To put yourself even further ahead of the salons, you can offer a mobile nail technician service. This will be a valuable service for people such as mothers who don't want to take young children to a salon, disabled people who find travelling difficult and anyone where transport would be a problem or parking a nuisance.
Here's an idea just for my readers. I used to do this myself and I ALWAYS got positive comments and big reactions: To create an even more interesting design, pierce one or both baby fingernails (or any nail for that matter). You can purchase little charms for fingernails, and they have a little circular tip attached. Use a darning needle (make sure it's sterile), or if you can find something better, by all means, use it, and pierce the outer part of the baby fingernail. Then insert the tiny charm through the hole you just made with the darning needle. Do this after you've created the art because it's a pain to try to paint around the piercing.
This is an unbelievably creative and fun business to get into. If you're already a nail technician, or if you enjoy doing your own and friends and familys' nails, then this would be a great home business for you to start.
Additional Resources
Nails Magazine
Well, that's it for today's idea. Don't forget, no matter which home business you decide to start, have fun with it.
Until tomorrow,
Terry
