So you wanna be a nail tech? New book shares insight into working in the industry

A nail technician from London has written a book to highlight what it’s like to work in the nail industry and help navigate some of the issues that existing workers face.

Thirty-year-old Natifa Mai wrote So You Wanna Be A Nail Tech? over 11 weeks while grounded in Jamaica during the coronavirus lockdown. She spent seven weeks of that time without WiFi, during which she had time to focus and pen her chapters.

“My book has three missions; to help people find their purpose in nails, help transition trained nail techs from unemployment to employment, and encourage diversity within the Vietnamese sector,” comments Natifa, who was born to a Vietnamese mother and Jamaican father.

“I have grown up in the nail salon environment as my mum is a nail technician. I trained in nails in 2014 after working as an actress and now offer nail services alongside my mum in Kent.”

After listening to a business podcast, Natifa was spurred on to create an extra stream of revenue and inspire others, particularly while many nail techs could not benefit from the government furlough scheme during lockdown. “I thought about the problems I was aware of in the nail industry and wondered whether I was equipped to offer support. For many of these problems, I believed I was – so the idea for the book was born.”

One such issue that Natifa addresses is staffing, particularly in Vietnamese-run nail salons, and adapting to a busy way of work. “As I’m from a family of Vietnamese nail techs, I understand how to help others transition into salon life and how to run a salon and build a brand.

“So You Wanna Be A Nail Tech? is for aspiring nail techs, those that have lost their way and those that have been in the industry for 15 years strong. It serves to showcase the reality of the industry and how to build up that drive to pursue the dream.”

So You Wanna Be A Nail Tech? is available for £9.99 from leading book stores worldwide, as well as Amazon, iBooks and BarnesAndNoble. It is also available in e-book form.