Focus & Motivation

[Karen]

Hi all,

I was just wondering about your individual goals. How do you keep focused? How do you get motivated? :?:

If you're just starting out in business I can understand how setting up and running a business is exciting and motivating in itself, but what about well seasoned nail techs who have a lot of experience under their belts. What motivates them to go forward each day? Does the thrill of creating beautiful new sets of nails everyday keep you going? Or is there something else?

And if you are a salon owner how do you motivate your staff to come in each day, sit behind their desk and produce set after set of nails??? Do you offer performance related pay or bonuses? If so how do you measure performance and progress? Do you sit down with your staff and offer performance reviews? What do you discuss; timings, quality of work, client care? :idea:

I'm still new to nails and have a list of goals as long as my arm, but my motivation (and confidence) still ebbs and flows. This website helps keep me focused - just wondered how others keep the enthusiasm going?

Karen
xxx

 

[Jaffacake]

Hiya, dont have a salon, just trying to start out in the world of nails mobile for now lol. like you say my confidence ebbs and flows too, somedays i just feel sorry for myself and think im never going to be good enough. what keeps me going is my yearning for the new mini!!! LOL. i just keep telling myself ive got to succeed at this or i cant have one of those, that normally does the trick! x

 

[Peppercorn Nails]

What gives keeps me gives me enthusiasm is attending training and trade shows and speaking to fellow geeks. Whenever I've attended training I always come back buzzing ready for the next set!!

Adele

 

[glittergirl]

The only thing that keeps me going sometimes is this board.

I do start to feel sorry for myself but i always find something to cheer me up on the board if it's not Claire1 with her jokes is a nice story someone has posted or someone telling us all that they have passed an exam or it was their first day in their new salon and i sit and think one day that will be me and the members excitement rubs off on me and i feel better and think "right it's my turn now" and i go at it like guns blazing and i feel fine.

I know it's sad but i don't know what i would do with out this forum if your feeling down and you post it everyone sends you messages to cheer you up if you have a problem everyones there to help you fix it.

I love you guys!

 

[Sassy Hassy]

The thing that keeps me going is the prospect of doing a perfect set of nails. My Clients keep me going as being a nail tech is part agony aunt too. My mortgage payments keep me going too.

But what keeps me motivated and focussed is training. I come back buzzing - like Adele - and my nails turn another corner for the better. I attend a course at least every six months.

And I set myself goals and targets in my business plan. My next target is to enter the Nailympics. My next target after that will be to be placed in a comp, and then my next target is to WIN! I always make my goals achievable.

I have just come out of my comfort zone completely though and just completed my first part of permanent makeup training. I am buzzing so much from the excitement of this that I think Rentokil are looking for a swarm of hornets!!

As to motivating staff, I think making them valued and part of the team is the key. there is a great anecdote of J F Kennedy who, when visiting NASA, asked the man who was sweeping the floor "what are you doing?", he replied "i'm helping get a man on the moon"! Now that's teamwork at its best! All striving for the same goal.

 

[Kellyc]

Hi Ya, what keeps me going is the need to complete a good set of nails lol!


I do find it difficult, as confidence is a big test due to lack of great training and finding things out the hard way, if i hadnt come across this board and met the people who have helped me then i wouldnt being doing nails today, through Geek meetings and people generally on the board it gives me determination to create a set of nails that are the best (and that last!) so a big thanks to people on the board that have kept me going x x

 

[jnail]

Hi there . It has taken alot of yrs alot of lessons & now the rewards.Many a time I have just wanted to WALK AWAY....... But along comes another great additive to an alredy brill product & retail range CREATIVE NAIL DESIGN & the twinge starts again.....So I decided not to do all the things [yucky stuff,but we are going back early eighties]when I grew up Nails wise, that I had experienced or seen. Listened & watched the best available to me at the time NOW we are at each others finger tips.so to speak.Many a client who really believes that they'd really just be able to walk in tomorrow & pick up where you left off has of course been proved wrong.The Motivation comes from ALL YOU gals n guys who demand the best from yourself .educators & peers.[On the WORST days there is the knowledge that I'm not the only one that reaches for precision.Lonely as it can be sometimes, that knowledge alone keeps ya going]The Inspiration from the beautful product range Creative present to us .Standards have been set. To introduce novices to the industry I fully make them aware they are meeting & training with the BEST. instilling pride with their involment they are amongst now their peers.They realize they have to commit 100%& it's not a prob, if they try & not stay.Trade shows when available get em really excited & lots of nail art stuff they can do see result

 

[jnail]

Sorry eveybody just learnig to fly this baby [my comput] still pouring it out & off it went.MMMMM,OK Right & a goal they can see. I am pulling back these days heading more towards education side of things[HOPEFULLY] so I'm prob not as competitive in salon these days & can see exactly the same look when their work is praised either by myself or the clients as I had {SHERR RELIEF]I've been lucky & unlucky with staff they are really the only thing that can let you down these days[so much support everywhere now]How do you keep them at their desks,UUMMM They have to want to be there as much as you.Incentives for jnail[MY DESK] are totally diff from Team Spa Experience.jnail ALL NATURAL & ARTIFICIAL SERVICES TSP mani/pedi.& they earn their way to the desk only after they are INVITED to it.We have all had to work our way through & today is more structured.I put the girls through CREATIVE Spa First.Then go from there.Making their NailWorld bigger by doing this hopefully doesnt make me the baddy as these are Industry Standards & not my opinion. & welcome them to THE INTERNATIONAL WORLD OF NAIL BEAUTY then they realize the calibre of the people they are now involved with. STOP ME NOW ...... jnail AUSTRALIA

 

[mgloverfam]

What keeps me going is the desire to please God in all that I do. I want to be a good steward over what He has entrusted me with. Being recently promoted to manage the nail department at the Spa was a wonderful feeling. I was reluctant to take on the extra responsibilities, but thinking about my long term goals, I realize that this is prime time for me to get managerial experience before I open my own Nail Spa, and School. So I know that by showing God I can handle the responsiblilities with someone else's Spa, He can bless/trust me with my own.
Didn't mean to get preachy..........*hugs*

 

[Jesbica]

what keeps me going is seeing how good you guys are at your nails.... i am no where near where u guys are but i cant wait.... i want to be able to produce sets like you lil geeks here. keep up the good work okay!!

 

[talented talons]

I have to say what keeps me going is this site and the Geeky friends i have made on this site. I too am reasonably new to it all and only qualified in March. Although its only now i feel i am producing reasonable nails, its hard to prove it to new clients if they don't walk into your world.

I know building a clientele is the hardest thing to do, but it does sometimes seem to disappear when you don't want it to. I think the worse thing to attack your confidence is when you know you did a great set of nails but the client doesn't come back, then you immediately think its your fault. I bumped into one of those clients, and she said she was gonna ring me again soon as she'd just moved so money was tight at the mo, but she had loved the nails i'd done so will be having them again.

Sometimes i wish people would let you know how pleased they are, as you always blame your self if they don't come back. I suppose its the way people are. This site has definately kept me going though.

Thanks to all you Nail Geeks out there.

 

[Fab Freak]

Hmm it seems like ages since I had a right old winge about my skills...but I just cant get my L&P atio spot on...i either work to dry or slighlt to wet, as much as I follow Geegs tutorial its not sinking in I guess...should my bead feel quite springy almost like the consistancy of dough or more, it looks nice and glossy and not to wet but then the L&P still clings to my brush why or why....

I really really feel like dumping this lark, end off..... Just as soon as I feel I have mastered a system it all goes to pot! Even my fibreglass wouldn't lay down this week, it was like aladins magic carpet, to wet lifts to dry it wont dissapear, I think I have lost all my skills...

 

[Nailsinlondon1]

What keeps me going............. a Voddy and Orange ..........LOL
No seriously, I love what I do............simple......... I have a passion and that is nails.....I see someone with stubs coming to see me and walk out a whole different person........ instant ego boost for the client and it is down to me ...............

When I had staff it wasn't always easy, to keep them motivated, so staff came and went, they lacked something special...... but then when I trained my daughter and she came to work for me everything changed....she has that something special......... She shares the same passion for great nails...........and even now she is at home looking after her twin boys, she still is just as passionate about nails as ever and does them from home...........

I have times too, when things just don't seem to gel together for some reason or other...........
I still have the moments when I just can't get that fibreglass to lay flat or the silk to dissapear...........but they are moments, just that and then I go and think sod this,perservere and afterwards think to my self, lets chill and have a break............because a moment isn't very long, but my passion for nails is much longer and deeper xxxx

 

[dee]

wot keeps me going ? erm pro plus lol , no i really wanna do a perfect set of nails , it took me ages after i passed my course to get my bum into gear and advertise but i am just getting some clients now , and it is great , it is so much better when you are doing it on people (not that i dont love my nail trainer :hug: ,which helps me out all the time )but i prefer real live people