NAIL TECH TALK: Meet Nikol Nikolova, Scratch Stars Mobile Nailist of the Year 20/21
By Callie Iley | 04 September 2021 | Feature, Tech Talk
Scratch chats to Nikol Nikolova of Triple N Mobile Salon about launching her own educational platform for nail techs and her excitement at winning the Scratch Stars Award for Mobile Nailist of the Year 20/21…
I’ve done my own nails since I was little. My mom owned a salon and the nail tech renting there was my idol. I found her super inspirational, but I was made believe that there is no money in this business. I proceeded to graduate and go into the corporate world. A year later I realised that the office environment was not for me and I prefer to have more flexibility.
I decided to develop my hobby into a career and give myself a year to see what can come out of it. Fast forward 3 years, I have proven to myself and everyone around me that being a nail technician doesn’t have to be a minimum wage job and can be a serious career path.
From the beginning of my career, I knew that the Scratch Stars Awards are the biggest in the UK and I set myself the long-term goal of winning one day. It is a huge accomplishment and it shows that this is not just a job but a passion for me and I want to keep growing and achieving big things.
In addition, I knew it was a great thing for my business. It shows clients that they are in safe hands and allows me to attract the right audience, who will appreciate my work.
During lockdown, my creativity needed to be channelled in another way since it wasn’t safe to see clients. After the first announcement of the lockdown, I took the time to create a few videos for my existing clients. I demonstrated safe ways of removing gel polish or nail extensions at home and caring for their nails after.
In November 2020 I launched ‘Learnesto’ which is an educational platform for nail technicians. Currently, more than 600 people have been through a course on the website, and I plan on growing it further and partnering with other educators to inspire and support new and upcoming artists.
Entering the Scratch Stars Awards was pretty straightforward. The questions were interesting and I believe they were enough to let you describe your business and why you think you are worth being nominated. This was my first time at a Scratch Stars party. I was impressed with the organisation, food and entertainment. Everyone was excited and bubbly. I met with lovely artists and made great connections.
When I was announced as the winner, the rush of adrenaline was huge. I almost blacked out when going on stage. I was extremely thankful to be nominated and felt honoured to be was chosen as the winner. I still can’t get the smile off my face.
“I couldn’t wait to go and meet fellow nail techs at the Scratch Stars Awards. Working mobile by yourself can be lonely so gatherings like this one are a great place to introduce yourself and find like-minded people.”
My dream for the coming year is to use Learnesto’s platform to encourage nail technicians, on a global scale, to know their worth and not be afraid to name their prices properly. I want to deliver inspiration and support through their journey in the industry and decrease the number of people who go out of business and lose motivation.
In the future, I hope to keep improving the service I provide as a mobile nailist and teach others how to achieve the same.
Follow Nikol on Instagram, here.
