Posts by Marie-Louise Coster
No-shows & cancellations: how to prevent & handle them in your beauty business
Session nail stylist, salon owner & educator, Marie-Louise Coster, shares advice for client no-shows and cancellations… Every beauty business, at some point, has a client that doesn’t turn up for their appointment. You will have blocked out time and potentially turned other clients away, but are left with an empty appointment slot and no pay. It’s…
Read MoreThe mum juggle: how I’ve managed motherhood & a successful beauty business
Session nail stylist, salon owner & educator, Marie-Louise Coster, opens up about her experiences juggling parenthood and her beauty salon… I am not sure there is ever a right time to start a family. I was quite late to the table when it came to being a mum. Having tried for many years to no avail,…
Read MoreNew year, new you: How nail businesses can plan for the year ahead
Session nail stylist, salon owner & educator, Marie-Louise Coster, shares her tips for reviewing the last year and preparing for the next, in order to achieve success… Here we are again, another year gone and a new one in front of us full of opportunity, possibility and hope. It is time to review the year…
Read MoreI’ve been a beauty pro for 30+ years: here’s how I set boundaries with clients
Session nail stylist, salon owner & educator, Marie-Louise Coster, shares her experiences with boundary-pushing clients… I imagine most of you went into the nail/beauty industry to make people happy. I also imagine that you expected clients to be grateful and courteous at all times. I don’t suppose you imagined that sometimes clients can push boundaries, expect…
Read MoreNail salon events: the business benefits & how to organise a successful event
Nail salon events were once very popular, but that popularity has waned over recent years, says session nail stylist, salon owner & educator, Marie-Louise Coster. I think the pandemic caused us to fall out of the habit of in-salon events; we got so used to not being able to gather together, then had the job…
Read More5 time management tips for beauty pros
Session nail stylist, salon owner & educator, Marie-Louise Coster, reveals her advice to healthily manage your time and achieve all your tasks… How good are you at managing your time? If you add up all the time you spent scrolling on social media, googling what you have seen an actress in before, being angry about the…
Read MoreExplained: the power of truly listening to your clients as a beauty pro
Session nail stylist, salon owner & educator, Marie-Louise Coster, shares the value of listening and retaining information shared by clients… Listening and hearing are the same thing aren’t they? Incorrect. I’m sure I’m not the only person whose partner hears what they say but doesn’t listen to it, therefore not absorbing the information. That, my friends,…
Read MoreWant to start a home or mobile nail business? Here’s what you need to know
Session nail stylist, salon owner & educator, Marie-Louise Coster, shares her experiences working from home and on a mobile basis… We are in a cost of living crisis: everything is more expensive than it was and people aren’t spending as much money. So is now a good time to start a business? Absolutely! I started…
Read MoreHow I spotted a sign of skin cancer on my salon client’s nail
Session nail stylist, salon owner & educator, Marie-Louise Coster, reveals how undertaking skin cancer awareness training benefitted a client… As nail techs, we provide a very personal service. The level of touch brings responsibility, because clients often share deeply personal things. We need to listen, and if asked, support clients to find help for their…
Read MoreWhy you should review your beauty business’ opening hours
Session nail stylist, salon owner & educator, Marie-Louise Coster, shares the importance of regularly reviewing your business’ opening times… When you started your business, how much thought did you put into your opening hours? And have you reviewed them since? Many of you will have spent time considering the most sought-after times of the day…
Read MoreDiary of a session nail tech: London Fashion Week AW24
Session nail stylist, salon owner & educator, Marie-Louise Coster, reveals what happened behind the scenes when she led nail looks for the Edward Crutchley autumn/winter 2024 London Fashion Week show… Fashion season is a great time of year. Even if you aren’t working at Fashion Week, it provides a lot of inspiration which can be transferred to the…
Read MoreShould I offer nail service discounts? Marie-Louise Coster explores
In this column, session nail stylist, salon owner & educator, Marie-Louise Coster, talks discounts, their effects and knowing the worth of your services… Christmas is around the corner and your columns, if not already full, will be filling up fast. The festive season may be slower getting started for you this year. We are in…
Read MoreHow to charge your worth as a nail tech
Session nail stylist, salon owner & educator, Marie-Louise Coster, shares her top tips… Stop basing your treatment prices on what others are charging, or charging nominal prices to keep yourself busy. Yes, you will attract clients, but if you work out what it has cost you to provide your services, compared to the money you…
Read MoreDiary of a session nail tech: London Fashion Week SS24
For her second monthly column for Scratch, session nail stylist, salon owner & educator, Marie-Louise Coster, reveals what happened behind the scenes when she led nail looks for the Edward Crutchley spring/summer 2024 London Fashion Week show… It never ceases to amaze me that the five-minute show the world sees at Fashion Week has been…
Read MoreNail techs, here’s why you need a business website
Session nail stylist, salon owner & educator, Marie-Louise Coster, begins her monthly column for Scratch by sharing the benefits of having a business website – and why social media is not an alternative… A website can be an expensive resource, and once built it requires work. So why do you need one? The simplest way…
Read More