The path to success wasn’t always smooth for elite nail artist, educator, and entrepreneur Miranda Richardson. She came to the world of beauty later than most, after earning a four-year Bachelor’s degree and embarking on a lucrative career in business. At 30 she realized she was more suited to a creative path.
Upon getting licensed as a nail tech, Richardson made up for lost time, teaching her knowledge and skills as she built up her clientele.
Recognizing a gap in education for premium nail artists in her home town of Tucson, AZ, she created Mjnailz Academy, which offers both introductory and advanced education. She’s currently in the process of opening a nail salon.
Richardson gave American Salon words of wisdom for nail artists and other beauty professionals who want to level up their career and branch out in business.
One Thing I Wish I Knew Before I Became a Nail Artist: How important it is not to compare myself to others. Be an individual, not a replica.
Everyone sucks in the beginning! Everyone! Give yourself time to grow and get better and be patient with this process.
If you don’t, mentally it can cause you to break down and quit before you see progress. Even if you have natural talent, you will need to practice, practice, and practice some more to get to the master level. Put your head down and focus on honing your existing skills and gaining new ones.
Learn to view other nail artists as inspiration, not competition.
The Best Piece of Professional Advice I Ever Got: “Just because you can bake a cake doesn’t mean you deserve a bakery.”
It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to be a business owner — which is very different than being a nail artist or hair stylist or makeup artist.
Ask yourself if you want to be a business owner because you think you should, or if you want to be a business owner because you genuinely would enjoy and be good at founding, running, and growing a brand.
One Pro Tip That’s Been Insanely Helpful: The key to running a successful business is being skilled in excellent communication practices.
If you do not spend time developing this ability in the beginning of your career, unfortunately, it will not be sustainable or have longevity.
Business runs on relationships. Every successful entrepreneur can interact effectively with a large variety of people, which lets them build and maintain healthy professional relationships.
If communication isn’t your area of strength: the good news is, you can learn. The education is out there. Commit yourself to this area of self-growth and you will see improvement in both your professional and personal life.
How I Fight Burnout and Stay Fired Up: When scheduling my clients’ appointments, I also set aside time for myself. That includes scheduling days off or breaks in between clients. The more you overwork yourself, the easier it is to get burnt out.
Also make sure you frequently re-evaluate your policies and your prices to make sure you’re getting your worth. (Check here for some guidance.)
Nothing causes burnout and professional dissatisfaction faster than pouring yourself into great work while not getting the level of compensation that reflects your time and expertise.
What’s In My Nail Kit:
- Honey Joy long nail forms.
- Sterilization pack with nipper, metal pusher, and fingernail clipper.
- Young Nails Monomer, Cover Pink and Speed clear acrylic.
- Size 14 acrylic nail brush.
- Young Nails protein bond (primer) and Bond Aid dehydrator.
- 2 Nail brushes, one for dust removal and the other to wash clients nails.
- Enailcouture metal file, 150/180 and 80 grit replacement files and a small 240 grit buffer.
- White gel polish from Valentino Beauty Pure.
- Shiny and matte top coat from Enailcouture.
- Clean up brush and lint free wipes
- Bottle of acetone and alcohol
- 2 dampen dishes
- Roll of paper towels
- Mask
(American Salon)
Miranda Richardson will be teaching “Acrylic Encapsulation,” “Acrylic Sculpting,” “Crystal Placement,” and “Marketing Your Business & Finding Your Niche in the Nail Game” at the International Beauty Show-Las Vegas from June 22-24.
