Lost some confidence .. can I regain it?

[MrsR]

Well I have to be honest here, I have been AWOL as I lost all confidence in my nails and would say for 3 months or so I have not done any nails at all - I really messed up someones nails and it knocked every bit of confidence out of me -- I didnt have that much to knock out of me anyway (those of you that know me know that).

Well I am still terrified but the nail bug has never gone and its bubbled back up and so I will be working on getting my confidence back and starting from the beginning again.

 

[blutopaz]

on wards and upwards.....something good came out of it...u know what not to do next time!...... get practising on everyone again and enjoy it. im sure ur good at what u do, u just had a bad day, take it from me who suffers with low confidence to, believe in urself and the rest will follow! good luck!

 

[1999judy]

Just get your books and your nail trainer out and have a fresh start mate.
Would a refresher course or one to one be an idea? x

 

[loubylou]

Welcome back Mrs R,
i did wonder where you had gone to,
we all lose our confidence now and again no matter how long we have been doing nails,
chin up hun and back to the practise, i bet you are loads better than what you give yourself credit for :hug::hug:

 

[geeg]

Well confidence is an absolutely necessary attribute if one is going to be successful in the nail business; you simply HAVE to have it. So what can you do and what can we do to help you gain it??

• Has lack of confidence been a general problem all of your life?
• Is confidence something you feel you can achieve?
• What will help you to BE more confident?

1. Greater nail skills?
2. Greater people skills?
3. Greater business skills?

• Is your interpersonal communication normally good?

1. Normally bad?
2. Hit and miss?

• What actually is it that is frightening you?

All these are questions you must answer before you can make a start so you know what to work on. You are obviously no quitter so if I can help, let me know.

 

[Missy G]

You know what Mrs R ,I was only thinking the other day of all the Geeks I havent seen on here recently , and you were one of them.

Im glad to see you back,you know I had two clients...ex MMa that really put me on a high a few weeks ago, the following week some women really made me feel crap, I give her the elbow , sent her a text to say I wasnt going to be in the area for a while , due to personal circumstances , had to cancel all appointments..not , there was no way she was going to make me feel crap.

I can tell you theres been many a time Ive felt like throwing it all in , but Ive paid too much into the buisness to throw it all away,these two ex MMA clients have prooved to me I can produce a set that last ,and thats made me feel a hell of a lot better,its when people keep loosing them and complaining you think its your fault and it brings you down.

Ive also booked myself recently infore some CND courses which Im looking forward to soon, so I plan to stay on a high...no one pulls me down in my buisness IMA .keep ya chin up hun , dont let the buggers get to you, theres always one out there thats going to get to you , thats part of dealing with the public, either deal with em or ditch them.

 

[geeg]

You know what Mrs R ,I was only thinking the other day of all the Geeks I havent seen on here recently , and you were one of them.

Im glad to see you back,you know I had two clients...ex MMa that really put me on a high a few weeks ago, the following week some women really made me feel crap, I give her the elbow , sent her a text to say I wasnt going to be in the area for a while , due to personal circumstances , had to cancel all appointments..not , there was no way she was going to make me feel crap.

I can tell you theres been many a time Ive felt like throwing it all in , but Ive paid too much into the buisness to throw it all away,these two ex MMA clients have prooved to me I can produce a set that last ,and thats made me feel a hell of a lot better,its when people keep loosing them and complaining you think its your fault and it brings you down.

Ive also booked myself recently infore some CND courses which Im looking forward to soon, so I plan to stay on a high...no one pulls me down in my buisness IMA .keep ya chin up hun , dont let the buggers get to you, theres always one out there thats going to get to you , thats part of dealing with the public, either deal with em or ditch them.

Dealing is always a better option than ditching if building a business is your goal.

 

[busybee32]

Well confidence is an absolutely necessary attribute if one is going to be successful in the nail business; you simply HAVE to have it. So what can you do and what can we do to help you gain it??

• Has lack of confidence been a general problem all of your life?
• Is confidence something you feel you can achieve?
• What will help you to BE more confident?

1. Greater nail skills?
2. Greater people skills?
3. Greater business skills?

• Is your interpersonal communication normally good?

1. Normally bad?
2. Hit and miss?

• What actually is it that is frightening you?

All these are questions you must answer before you can make a start so you know what to work on. You are obviously no quitter so if I can help, let me know.

And this is why we love you Geeg! You are always there to offer support!
Cant wait to meet you finally at the Event.
Mrs R you are back on course doing what you love as the others have said when we all start out we all get our confidence back.
If you were not any good you wouldnt have passed your course in the first place hun, and the old practise makes perfect is still very much out there in this situation.
God I know that there were a few times in my first year that I thought I cant do this. And sometimes even now I dread after a new client the phone call to say I have lifting or they have broken off. They never come I have luckily only ever had one client that this happened too but I still get that dreaded feeling in the pit of my stomach, Think its my perfectionist issue coming to the fore.
Hun keep your chin up and you know all us geeks are here to help you in any way we can dont let them grind you down. You can do it! you certainly are not a quitter so keep going!!
Good to see you back hun find that passion again forget about the past and be the best you can be!!
Jen xx:hug:

 

[Missy G]

Dealing is always a better option than ditching if building a business is your goal.

Well the way I see it Im self employed , if I dont want to put up with something I dont like I dont have to , Im prepared to hang on for the good ones if need be in the mean time.

 

[MrsR]

Well confidence is an absolutely necessary attribute if one is going to be successful in the nail business; you simply HAVE to have it. So what can you do and what can we do to help you gain it??

• Has lack of confidence been a general problem all of your life?
• Is confidence something you feel you can achieve?
• What will help you to BE more confident?

1. Greater nail skills?
2. Greater people skills?
3. Greater business skills?

• Is your interpersonal communication normally good?

1. Normally bad?
2. Hit and miss?

• What actually is it that is frightening you?

All these are questions you must answer before you can make a start so you know what to work on. You are obviously no quitter so if I can help, let me know.

Geeg its greater nail skills which I know will only come from practice practice practice, my interpersonal communication is ususally quite good, well I think so and have never been told different in jobs I have done which have always been with the public and I am scared of turning out rubbish nails and people thinking bad of me.

I know I have to start again with tons of practice and I intend when finances are ok to go to some CND refresher days as I know they will help with everything.

I have my nail trainer out and will be working with that today.

 

[geeg]

Well the way I see it Im self employed , if I dont want to put up with something I dont like I dont have to , Im prepared to hang on for the good ones if need be in the mean time.

I for one tend to look at things differently .. I know I'm not crappola at nails, so the challenge for me is to always to work at bringing these people round to my way of thinking and doing -- if they decide to try elsewhere then that is then their decision but I have always enjoyed the 'game' of bringing them to heel ... Maybe it is because I have enough confidence that no one can make me feel bad about my actual work.

Not everyone has the luxury to 'hang on for the good ones' in business. Good Interpersonal skills are so important, particularly in the nail business which is such a 1 2 1 experience ... absolutely vital in fact ... and honing these skills and being able to win and bring the 'bad' ones to heel is a big kick .. not to mention that usually they become your most loyal clients in the end.

We all have different ways of dealing with things, but I do know that keeping loyal clients is one of the most important things any nail technician who wants to make a business of doing nails, can do.

Good business is not all about doing good nails and the hell with them if they don't like it. Clients have to like and respect YOU and they have to enjoy the whole experience when they are with you. WE have to provide the clients with that personal experience and by using the skills that exceed their expectations, at EVERY appointment EVERY time.

It is crucial that we do not ever take loyal clients for 'granted' by 'putting on them' during some appointments when we may be running late etc. Each and every client (most particularly your most loyal ones) need to always know that they are important at each and every visit for service. I always try to go beyond their expectations so that what I offer is always excellent and always a good experience for them.

 

[MrsR]

Well I am biting the bullet - on Friday I am doing my mother in laws L&P's for my sister in laws wedding - nervous but will take my time.

 

[geeg]

Well I am biting the bullet - on Friday I am doing my mother in laws L&P's for my sister in laws wedding - nervous but will take my time.

I'm sure you will do a fine job ... you can't do anything so bad it can't be fixed!!

So, yes, take your time and relax and enjoy the whole thing. A job really is not worth doing if you do not enjoy it yourself. and one thing is for certain, if y ou don't enjoy the experience your client certainly won't.

 

[Gilly T]

Well I have to be honest here, I have been AWOL as I lost all confidence in my nails and would say for 3 months or so I have not done any nails at all - I really messed up someones nails and it knocked every bit of confidence out of me -- I didnt have that much to knock out of me anyway (those of you that know me know that).

Well I am still terrified but the nail bug has never gone and its bubbled back up and so I will be working on getting my confidence back and starting from the beginning again.

This forum gives me lots of confidence.. why not get some of your work posted or put some pics in your album.. I've had a look in your album hoping to find something there but there's no pictures of your work at all. I'm betting that your work is top notch and I think this is just the place to help get that confidence back up again. :hug:

 

[suzy k]

Geeg its greater nail skills which I know will only come from practice practice practice, my interpersonal communication is ususally quite good, well I think so and have never been told different in jobs I have done which have always been with the public and I am scared of turning out rubbish nails and people thinking bad of me.

I know I have to start again with tons of practice and I intend when finances are ok to go to some CND refresher days as I know they will help with everything.

I have my nail trainer out and will be working with that today.

I feel the same way. I only do my familys nails at the moment as im terrified of people saying they dont like what i have done. I have been reassured by the lovely ladies at MK that my enhancements look lovely and a lot better then some they seen which people have paid £50 -£60 for.
I need to be more confident and more assertive. I think we just need to bite the bullet and go for it. If the clients can see that we are not confident, then they will have no confidence in us.

 

[Tallony]

Suzy K i know exactly where your coming from. I'm exactly the same as you.

The ladies are FAB! at MK are'nt they. If they say your nails are good, then there good.

Take care and good luck

Tallony

 

[suzy k]

Suzy K i know exactly where your coming from. I'm exactly the same as you.

The ladies are FAB! at MK are'nt they. If they say your nails are good, then there good.

Take care and good luck

Tallony

Yes they are fantansic. They really put you at ease. It was Anne that made the comment about my nails and it really boosted my confidence but I still need to build on it. It will come, Im sure.
I think a lot of people are in he same boat. Nobody likes it when someone says they are not happy with what you have worked so hard.

 

[geeg]

Can you not judge for yourself if your own work is good enough for someone to pay for?? How do they look on you and how long do they last on you?

It isn't all about how your nails look .. it is also about how your nails LAST for your clients.

I may tell students that their work is looking nice, but "the proof" as they say "is in the eating". If the nails do not last then you will loose clients no matter how nice they looked when they walked out the door.

We all love praise and it does build confidence, if it is truthful praise, but what really builds confidence is a happy and loyal client base ... and knowing YOURSELF that your work is worthy of someone paying you to do it.

 

[cro-mari]

If you want to do nails, MrsR, if you think and dream about it, and even if you have problems, questions and worries, that means that YOU ARE ABLE TO DO NAILS. And you'll do great nails when you take it as a game, when it's fun, it's not hard work, it's not stress, it all comes naturally.

Of course, nothing will ever come if we just twirl our thumbs and do nothing. We have to make it happen. We all have troubles, nails are not perfect every time, we all have to learn and learn again, but you have to believe in yourself.

Confidence is 90 % of your nails. Of everything. When I stopped worrying, my nails improved. When I said - what the hell, I'm so good at this!, everything went better. Some things that were bothering me just clicked somehow, and all of a sudden, look! I'm able to sculpt! My smile line is perfect! The clients are coming out of nowhere!

Clients are sometimes like wolfs - they can smell fear. They sense insecurity. One came and watched me during work. Then, suddenly she said: I look at you how you're holding that file. Your moves are so confident, you must have been doing nails for years, right? And I looked up and said: it's been 3 months since I finnished nail course. And she was amased. And never, never questioned my work and was always satisfied, even though my nails were far from perfect, my God, after 3 months how else they would be? :green: See my point?

hth :hug: sorry for being long. It's just how it happened for me.
and yes, i practiced like crazy