A Few Things of Note

The newest post is always on top. If you missed a post, click under the "Archives" heading in the lefthand column. (You can also search by blogger name; just click the person’s name under “Post Categories” to view their previous posts.) Your comments and questions are welcome, but they are moderated. Just click on the "Feedback" link under the post you want to talk about. Questions will be answered via the blog; you can read previous questions and answers by clicking on “Q&A” under “Post Categories.”

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Started in December 2006 by new salon owner Robbie Schaeffer, this blog chronicles the ups and downs of opening a new salon. In May 2009, after the opening of Robbie’s salon, several new bloggers — Candice, Marie, and Michelle — were added to share their accomplishments and frustrations of salon ownership. Robbie, too, continues to post regularly. (You can read all of Robbie’s original posts by clicking on the “Robbie” link under “Post Categories.”) Check back here weekly to read about — and comment on — these bloggers’ quests to open and run their brand new salons.

Introducing Alica and Melodie

It’s hard to believe it’s already been a year since Blueprint of a First Year introduced a new batch of new salon owners. A huge thank you goes out to Marie, Michelle, Candice, and original Blueprint blogger Robbie for all of their contributions. These bloggers will continue to answer your salon ownership questions via this blog, plus we hope they’ll continue to post updates — sharing their experience as still fairly new, yet not quite so novice, salon owners.
 
Two brand new salon owners (well, almost new salon owners — both their salons are still in the set-up phase) will be introducing themselves this month. The first is Alica Best, owner of Upscale Nail Bar & Boutique in Griffin, Ga. The second is Melodie Hand, owner of Tickled Pink Salon in Clayton, N.C. Please leave your comments and questions for them on this blog. Both of them hope their experiences will help other new salon owners succeed.
 
—NAILS Magazine Eds.

posted @ Wednesday, September 08, 2010 1:40 PM | Comment (0)

Q&A: Service Offerings Beyond Nails

I love your blog! I am in the process of opening up a nail salon and was going to open a couple of rooms, but am hesitant as well because if the primary focus is on nails, should I just do services that are more geared toward “in and out,” like waxing? How is it working for you between facials or waxing? Where do you see more of the need?
Jo
 
Hi Jo,
 
Thanks for being an avid reader of the blog.
 
Waxing is definitely a great complement to a nail salon because it’s quick and easy. Also, the cost to the salon is very minimal. When you consider how quickly you can complete a waxing service, then you realize you’re making a killing on these services.
 
When you get into facials and other types of skin care services, the cost to you goes up. You have to bring in a product line (or two) that you like. You have to come up with a unique signature facial or other service to draw people in. For me, it’s been a challenge ever since we’ve opened to build a skin care clientele. On the other hand, our waxing clientele has definitely grown.
 
—Robbie, ROB|B: An OPI Concept Salon, Studio City, Calif.

posted @ Tuesday, August 31, 2010 4:10 PM | Comment (0)

Q&A: Marketing a New Salon

My salon been open for two weeks now. What can I do to bring in more clients, besides newspaper ads, fliers, banners, and things like that?
Le
 
Hi Le,
 
Congratulations on opening your salon!
 
I would go to vistaprint.com and create postcards with a buy-one-service-get-a-free-service-for-a-friend promotion and hand them out everywhere. Also create a referral reward system, such as when a client refers a friend (who actually books a service and keeps her appointment), then the original client gets $5 (or any amount or a free product) off her next service. My experience has been that the more personal you can make it the better: word of mouth is a much better advertisement than a newspaper ad. Hope that helps!
 
—Marie, All Polished Up!, Dallas, Ore.

posted @ Friday, June 25, 2010 1:18 PM | Comment (4)

Q & A: Leukonychia

I am taking a nail course and need to answer a question for an assessment, but I can’t find an answer to this question anywhere: What is leukonychia? Please help. Thanks.
Dominique
 
Hi Dominique,
White spots on the nail is perhaps the most common nail disorder and are called leukonychia, which literally means "whiteness of the nails." There are many types of nail whiteness, some of which indicate serious illness; fortunately, by far the most common cause of white spots on the nail is minor injury to the nail matrix. Caused by trauma or minor injury to the nail matrix, these spots will grow out from the matrix with the nail plate and eventually disappear. Nail technicians should be aware that this type of leukonychia could be caused by over-vigorous pushing back of the cuticles with a metal or wooden instrument. Always soften the cuticles first with a lotion or warm water before pushing them back, and never use anything but gentle pressure. However, should the condition persist or its cause be inexplicable, recommend that the client have the disorder evaluated by a dermatologist.
 
For similar technical and nail health related questions, we recommend researching through the NAILS Magazine “Help Desk” archives, available here: www.nailsmag.com/resources/helpDesk.aspx. Just type your query into the “search Help Desk” box and press submit.
 
—NAILS Eds.

posted @ Friday, June 18, 2010 9:34 AM | Comment (0)

The HRTE Recap, Pricing, and More

I can't believe summer is here already! I have officially been open for eight months now. Business is steady, and I'm very happy with that. After tax season this year, I raised my prices and to my amazement not one client complained. In fact, many of them said they would never leave me. It was so great to feel appreciated.

The increase in price isn't the only thing that has changed at my studio. I have been having major problems with my back. Because of that, I made the decision to resign from traveling and working at beauty shows. Instead I am going to focus my energy toward my health, first and foremost, and then my business. I am focusing on getting even the little tasks completed. For instance, my hubby helped me hang all of my educational certificates this weekend. I am also setting aside money to attend as many educational opportunities as possible. This studio is my dream and I want to offer my clients the best of everything.

I recently attended The HRTE in Portland, Ore., and I have to say it was worth every penny and then some. The education offered was above and beyond any training I have attended so far. Jim McConnell of Light Elegance gave us an in-depth look at the science behind our business, and it was incredible! I also had the opportunity to be the model for my friend, Denise Anderson, in a private class with Carla Collier. I was so inspired by her words of wisdom that I have been practicing, practicing, practicing. Jamie Schrabeck of Precision Nails also gave us sound advice about how to run our businesses efficiently. Finally, I had the opportunity to stalk Sandy Combs and just absorb all of her overflowing creativity. I even purchased the entire Hand & Nail Harmony acrylic color line and Sandy is a rep for them — they are so beautiful!

In the next few weeks I will be seeing a surgeon and making the decision as to whether I will be having back surgery. Depending on that, my summer plans in the studio may be drastically changed, but as for now, my intentions are to host several play dates with my nail tech girl friends to exchange as much knowledge as possible. I will also be having a booth at our Summerfest, here in Dallas, Ore., to promote my studio.
 
—Marie, All Polished Up!, Dallas, Ore.

posted @ Monday, June 14, 2010 10:55 AM | Comment (0)

Q & A: Hair Shampooing & Styling

I was told at work that just styling a client’s hair without shampooing it is against all salon policies. Is this a true statement? I would love to know. Thanks.
Charissa
 
Hi Charissa,
 
Every state has different laws and every salon has different policies, so I can’t speak to what your salon’s or state’s policies might be. However, based on my experience (I am licensed in hair, in addition to nails), that statement doesn’t hold true. When doing updos for one-time events like weddings and proms, it’s common practice to ask the client to have her hair washed and dried before she comes in. On the flip side, some clients come in for a weekly style and frequently those clients don’t wash their own hair, instead they rely on the stylist to wash, dry, and style them every week. Hope that helps! 
 
—Marie, All Polished Up!, Dallas, Ore.

posted @ Friday, March 12, 2010 3:45 PM | Comment (1)

Q & A: Venting System

How is your venting system set up? Do you have vents in the table or a central system with some kind of pick up at each station?
TLD
 
Hi TLD,
 
The venting system is a central system. The air is pushed down toward the center of the space, then moves toward the sides where the exhaust fans, which are along the walls of the salon, catch it. The system lets fresh air come in throughout the day. It was built in as part of the air conditioning system.
 
—Robbie, ROB|B: An OPI Concept Salon, Studio City, Calif.

posted @ Thursday, March 04, 2010 9:50 AM | Comment (1)

ISSE, Taxes, and Play Dates

I ended January with a fun trip to Long Beach, Calif., to work for Nubar at ISSE. It was so fun to see all my nail tech friends and to find new products and equipment I just had to have. Some of my new buys include: a UV lamp from Light Elegance, a Sunflower 2 from Young Nails, and of course, more glitter and the new Prism polishes from Nubar! I have used all of these every day since I returned home. I also had the privilege of finally meeting Sree Roy (shown with me in the picture), the managing editor for NAILS Magazine. She was very lovely and caring, and I look forward to connecting with her at future shows.

The end of January also brought the dreaded tax season. This was not fun at all for me this year. Last year was financially a disaster, but my accountant gave me some really good advice and I am very optimistic for this year. The major thing I will be doing is raising my prices. I made flyers and posted them throughout the shop to give my customers advance notice of the changes. So far I have only received positive feedback and even more money-making suggestions from my clientele. One of the things I'm considering is having a small menu of non-alcoholic, cold drinks for sale.

The last thing I would like to share with all of you is the value I have discovered in hosting and/or attending play dates with other nail techs. I hosted one here at my shop a few days ago. I invited a few of my friends over and we each came with products to share with the group (whether we traded or just gifted those products it was a way to make use of what we had). We also had a little fun food and of course, coffee. Everyone had something they wanted help with and everyone had something they could give advice on. It was an inexpensive way to network and gain nuggets of knowledge, as well as just have fun. 
 
—Marie, All Polished Up!, Dallas, Ore.

posted @ Friday, February 26, 2010 2:05 PM | Comment (1)

ISSE Recap

I took my whole staff to ISSE, and I thought it was a great show. The energy level, including for nails, was really strong, which is a good sign for the industry (especially considering that it was poor for the past two years). I noticed that the soak-off gel trend is strong.
 
My big find at the show was the Napoleon Perdis make-up line. I just got the display set up in my salon, and I’m excited to add make-up to our menu. This will make ROB|B a one-stop beauty shop. The salon isn’t selling the product just yet, as I’m currently getting my staff trained in it, but three of my employees are amazing make-up artists so I’m optimistic about this addition. The plan is to offer make-up services by the nail bar, and I’m hoping this new activity at the front of the salon will draw in more passers-by.
 
I also stopped by the European Touch booth to see what’s new with the company that makes my pedicure chairs, and by the booth for the salon’s software company SalonSTX. SalonSTX has come up with a new iPhone and iTouch app that we’re looking into making work at our salon.
 
Another exciting development is that last month my salon started offering Minx nail coatings. Plus, the Damone Roberts partnership in the new brow room is going well. Our two brands complement each other very well.
 
—Robbie, ROB|B: An OPI Concept Salon, Studio City, Calif.

posted @ Tuesday, February 23, 2010 9:43 AM | Comment (1)

New Year, New Accomplishments

The holidays came and went and we are now into the New Year! In December I was able to add a few more things to the studio. My custom cabinet, for above the sink, was installed and I was able to get a few retail shelves. My favorite new addition, however, is my Marilyn Monroe picture, which is right above my hair station.

This month I had the privilege of having my salon featured in NAILS Magazine (p. 115). My clients are so excited when I show them! I am also placing my first ad in the local newspaper. It will be in a special leaflet that talks about the businesses in Polk County. Business is steady and I add a few clients every month. More and more of my nails clients are turning into hair clients as well. January will end with me taking a few days away from the studio to work at the Long Beach show for Nubar. I am really excited to see all of the new products and to see many friends from our business! 
 
—Marie, All Polished Up!, Dallas, Ore.

posted @ Thursday, January 07, 2010 10:53 AM | Comment (1)
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