I live in Missouri where licensing has been in place for a lot longer than Illinois so when I started doing nails in 1987, a license was already required. I loved the "nail boom". I did nail art and inch long nails on everyone and I was booked tight. Sigh....those were the days. I agree, even a bad nail tech could make a lot of money. It used to drive me crazy when I'd see nail techs do bad nails, no sanitation, they gossiped and talk about clients to other clients and they were busy! They did everything wrong and still made money. Drove me nuts. I do not know if they are still doing nails because I have removed myself from working with toxic people and I do not keep up with them.
I have evolved by continuing my education even though Missouri does not require CEU's. I have fewer classes and shows to pick from because many have gone extinct. I too would like to see the return of the nail classes to the local beauty supply. Unfortunately, nail techs who are willing to pay for education are a dying breed. I mentored a nail tech about 8 years ago. She loves doing nails but I can not get her to go to a class or convention to save my (or her) life. She just asks me what I learned at the show or class and what new products I've tried. At least she networks, but only with me. I've gotten her to go to 2 conventions in the 8 years that she's been doing nails. Business is down a little and I'm adding some new services to fill up the empty spots (gel polish, paraffin wax, waterless pedicure, gel toes, glitter gel). I send out birthday cards to clients and always say, "Thank you" to every client to retain the clients that I already have. I hope that the nail boom of the 80's makes a comeback. It was so much fun doing nail art. My clients now want natural looking nails at a manageable length, little to no art. Sigh...I do some art on my nails sometimes just to scratch that nail art itch. I'll still be doing nails for another 20 years before I will be ready to retire and I'm not in the least concerned about changes that are coming. I lead the pack in the latest, newest and best. Other tech around here have just started doing the services that I've been doing for 5 years or longer. I've been doing sculptured gel nails for 15 years, color gels for 5 years and no one does sculptured gel nails and a few salons have just started offering color gels. I'm not sure if they offer gel polish, if they do, they are not marketing it as such. The techs who evolve will flourish and the ones who don't will fade away. We lead the pack, keep flourishing Nail Tech Mailing List Techs! Katherine St.Louis, MO ________________________________ From: Sheryl Goldberg <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Sunday, March 29, 2009 1:09:42 PM Subject: NailTech:: Re: are we a dying breed?-Evolution I think we are an "Evolving" Breed. (Back on My Soap Box) We are never going to see the Nail Craze of the 80'S again and that is a good thing. A lot of women made a living from the boom but it was an child, with some bad habits. I remember a women who did my AC back then. She would never take the time to get off all of my polish and would just apply over it. Yuck. If I complained she would say " Hon I just don’t have the time". She was booked so tight... she did $h!t nails. ONE of the big reasons I became a Nail Tech (once I got out of the office). I always thought I could do better with a little training and professional products. I was RIGHT! Licensing was a Good Thing! Evolution! As the Backlash against Damaging Acrylic and Bad Nail Techs began, people changed back to natural nails, it made us change our products, methods and application. We made safer products and our nails became stunningly natural in appearance. We Evolved. Many women were painfully reminded WHY they had acrylic in the first place. They were never able to grow their own nubby nails! They were biters or were hard on their hands and their fingers hurt! So they came back to a short neat natural looking acrylic. Some went for the newer better Gels, but they did come back. In the last 2 years of helping to get New Salon off the ground, I have lost some natural nail clients, but I have gained new clients as well. The new clients are Mostly Acrylic people who are looking for someone to do the job well. I added a new service, Gel Polish , it was time to add something new to get attention . I am taking every opportunity to make my clients remember why they come to me and spend their hard earned $$$$$. Everyone likes to feel appreciated! This year is the first in 12 I will not be going to the CMWBS. It is the first in 10 years that I have not worked it. I chose instead to go the THRTE here in Chicago in April. For the cost of admittance, parking and the type of classes offered it was by far the better way to spend my money. This is a BIG EVOLVMENT for me! I LOVE the shows and could NEVER imagine missing CMWBS for anything! I am going to miss So Many People! But THIS year I had to chose which was going to give me the best return for My Money. THRTE is another Evolution in the Education of our Industry. For the first time in years the Cosmetology Schools are ADDING Nail Technology back to their Curriculum HERE! There has not been a school within 20 miles who had not dropped it! It is coming back, hopefully better than before. Evolving means some disappear and some survive. It forces change. Many don't like change or can't change and leave the industry. It makes room for the new to join and learn from those of US who survive, we have valuable knowledge. We have to teach the new to invest in themselves, not expect someone else to do it. WE have to keep investing in the Evolution of this Industry if we want it to survive as it should. Enough said, off my soap box, Sheryl Goldberg The Experience Salon & Spa Wheeling, IL http://www.theexperiencesalon.net/index.html --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "NailTech" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/NailTech?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
