From DIY nails to owning a home salon: how one tech turned her passion into a business

Bedfordshire-based nail tech, Jodie Day of @talonsbyjodie, started her nail journey simply wanting to learn how to do her own nails, however she enjoyed the training so much that she decided to turn it into her career.

Jodie began her training in 2021 while pregnant, seeking a creative outlet. She says, “I decided to tell my husband I wanted to do a nail course when he was a bit tipsy, something he likes to remind me of all the time!”

The tech chose Glitterbels as her training academy, focusing on acrylic, builder gel and E-file qualifications and became fully qualified in 2022.

“I started doing my mums nails in 2021, and she helped me to complete my case studies. After my youngest son was born in 2022, I began to think more seriously about taking clients, so I started renting a nail space locally.”

One of the biggest challenges she faced was balancing her time at the salon with home life.  She explains, “With three young children and a husband working night shifts, it was really difficult trying to fit clients in. I was still early on in my career, so it took longer for me to complete sets. I found that I wasn’t a good fit for the salon lifestyle and decided to go back to being home-based.”

Jodie now works from her home salon, which she describes as having a ‘mixed theme’. She says, “I went for neutral colours with gold, matching my logo and my desk. I’d love to convert my garage one day to have more space, if my husband allows it!”

Noting what makes her services unique, she says: “I’m happy to experiment. I try to work with the client to create something unique each time, rather than copying an inspiration picture completely.”

“I also love making people smile and helping them relax. It’s so hard for people to feel at ease sometimes, so if someone starts to fall asleep in my chair, I know I’m doing a good job – or maybe I’m just really boring!” laughs Jodie.

Regarding the brands she uses, Jodie says, “I use mainly Nail Order and HONA for gel and builder gel services, fand Glitterbels for acrylic. I also use Vetro, HONA and Glitterbels Unbelievabel Gel for detailed portraits or press-on sets. I think it’s important to be open to trying new brands and new techniques.”

Jodie’s career highlights include winning first place in the Acrylic Innovation category in the Glitterbels Nail Boss Awards 2023 and being featured in Scratch magazine.

When asked what her favourite set, she said: “It would have to be my Lord of the Rings set, because it was one of the first times I felt confident in my portrait painting.”

Looking forward, Josie plans to hone her content creation skills. “My goal is to get into paid content creation on a regular basis – it would be much easier to fit around my family.” She adds, “I’d also love to offer portrait painting classes one day to other people.”

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