It all depends on where you live and what kind of town it is. Also if you live in a really small town with practically no competetion you can find a niche.
Unfortunately, I live in a tourist town and there are a TON of NSS. There are a ton of nail tech`s in general but really a massive number of not safe salons. It`s either them or a few very upscale $$ salons. Not a lot in between. Although I would NEVER charge the crazy low prices NSS charge (ranges from $15 - $20 acrylic fills) I do have to compete with them somewhat as there are just SO many and I need to get people in the door - and without a complete spa set up people are not going to pay the huge prices. They have to be a little more modest but still not $15!!! GEESH.
I think it`s just a matter of finding your target market and going after them. It`s difficult because alot of people know basically nothing about nails and many just don`t really care about safety or the finished product. The hardest part is re-educating people because there is SO much misinformation going around here. There is a lot of acrylic fills being covered with a UV top then called a UV Gel Enhancement and charged as such (an example - one salon`s acrylic Full-Set is $28, then their powder acrylic which is the acrylic with the UV top coat - is $40 a Full-Set, so you just paid $12 for a UV Top coat!!!!). Organic is the new buzz word with gels, which kills me as people are thinking of the food they eat instead of the chemical side, which is the real meaning. Just say you like the product and you`ve found it`s fab on nails for so and so reason, don`t spread more misconceptions!
The cruddiest thing in Ontario is that you don`t even technically need a license to be a tech! This is where the misinformation comes from because pretty well anyone can decide they want to start a salon. I had the health inspector in here and thorougly go over everything with me but I honestly doubt he`ll be back which is ridiculous. They need to start checking salons as often as they can. And with the crazy number of salons in some towns I have no idea why they aren`t regulating it yet. Nevermind that, we just got a proper nail course in a nearby college that teaches you ALL aspects of being a Nail Tech including the business side which is so so important. We need to stop treating Nail Technicians like they have a cute little hobby job and start giving more options for proper education here in Ont and probubly other areas as well.