We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kimberly Salas. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kimberly below.

Hi Kimberly, thanks for joining us today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

Sometimes. I honestly feel like quitting every other week, you see I am an over-thinker, when something isn’t going as planned my anxiety gets the best of me but I am no quitter. There’s a lot that goes into being a business owner whether it’s big or small. From sales, inventory, to customer service, etc when I feel like I am finally profiting something comes up. I am constantly having to invest in my business because I love providing the best experience possible when visiting my salon, Sleek’d Nails. It’s not always bad, I am a mother of three and honestly being a business owner has helped me become more available when it comes to family. I work non stop but if I need to take the day off for whatever reason I have the liberty to do so. I think about the benefits that come from working for someone else when things aren’t going right like for example, slow season in the industry, stocking up on inventory, marketing, etc. I remember working at my first nail salon, I had to get there to work without having to worry about payroll, cleaning, bills, certifications, inventory, or marketing. I was just making money doing what I love then going home. That’s really what I miss about it all, I do not miss asking for approval to get a day off, calling in, etc. I snap back into reality when I remember all the cons and thank God for allowing me to have my own business, because I’ve worked so hard to get to where I am. It’s been a rocky road and as long as I am allowed too I will continue to push through it all and work harder each and every day. This is only the beginning of building my own empire in the beauty industry.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I was born in the small town of Laredo, TX as a child I was brought to Dallas and grew up in the Oak Cliff area. I’ve lived everywhere you can think of in oak cliff, my mom sure loved to move. Growing up I dreamed of becoming a nurse, I wanted to help people just like I helped my very ill grandmother. I was only 10 years old when I took charge of making sure my grandmother ate, bathed, had company, as well as cleaned her wounds after her surgeries. I thought I had chosen the perfect career path because of my previous experience, fast forward to freshman year in high school I had an unsuspected surprise of becoming a teenage mother. I thought my plans were ruined because everyone around me seemed to think so, so i transferred to Dallas Can where I graduated a year early. As soon as I graduated I went straight to college, since I was a teen mother struggling, working, and continuing my education the only thing keeping me sane was getting my nails done. I would visit my nail tech every 2 to 3 weeks, I felt safe with her because I could tell her all my secrets, my problems, and struggles without any judgement. After being with her for 2 years or so, she finally asked why I didn’t go to nail school since nursing school was becoming hard for me. I was struggling with all my science courses to the point I decided to go ahead and check out nail schools just for fun. Nails never seemed to have crossed my mind as a career path. It all started with me driving by TINT cosmetology school, to starting classes a few weeks later. At this point I had another child who was medically fragile, which just made it harder for me to finish school quickly. It took me a total of 7 months to complete my course because my daughter was in and out of the hospital. I was drained, I wanted to quit several times but I had a goal to reach and I knew the outcome would be very rewarding for my family so I pushed through it all. I finally graduated and fell in love with my craft. I got into my first suite and worked part time at a nail salon for two years, moved suites a couple times, opened my very first nail salon in 2020, opened my second nail salon in 2022 all while closing my first location. I’ve been through it, good, bad, ugly, you name it but I am now very happy with what I have going on. I currently offer acrylic nail enhancements, intense nail art, manicures, and pedicures. I am looking into offering pedicure classes soon for licensed nail technicians, selling merch, as well as continuing my education inn the nail industry. I might have not achieved my dream of becoming a nurse but if I’m being completely honest I am similar to a nurse. I help my clients feel better about themselves, I am there when things aren’t going well, I am their comfort, their counselor and most importantly their friend. I am honored to be chosen as their nail tech, I genuinely build relationships and listen to every single clients wants and needs. I am so proud of the small team I’ve created, the salon I’ve built from my sweat and tears, and the woman I’ve become. My current location wouldn’t be where it is now if it wasn’t for my Manager Maya and amazing clientele.

Has your business ever had a near-death moment? Would you mind sharing the story?

Back in 2021 I was pregnant with my third child, due to so many complications before him I was considered high risk. Long story short, I was attending an outdoor event to try to do some marketing I sold some merch and passed out flyers. I was 27 weeks pregnant and it was extremely hot outside so hot I started dripping sweat down my legs, gross I know. The next day I had a regular check up, I was already planning the things I’ll be doing after my appointment. I had unfinished things at the salon and also had to pick up my kids from school. When they called me back to my examination room they did the usual and checked everything, while lying on the table I notice my doctor looking very worried so I immediately asked what was wrong and she said “Unfortunately, your bag has ruptured. Which means, I’ll have a nurse come get your signature because you will be staying. How long have you been leaking for?” I had no clue so I mentioned the “sweat dripping down my leg the day before, never in a million years did I imagine it was my water breaking. Fast forward to labor and delivery, the doctors were able to keep me on bed rest and stop my contractions. I was hospitalized for two months, keep in mind while still running a nail salon at the time. I had bills, payroll, supplies, etc to provide. In the beginning I freaked out! Who was going to take care of my business, my children, my responsibilities? I was afraid, I was depressed, and I wanted to quit. Luckily, my team was beyond amazing! I had a few girls doing booth rent, an employee who was still working and very trustworthy, and my sister who was an angel sent from above, not only did she clean the shop for me she also helped with my daughters. I had a savings account that got me through those two months, I stretched ,y savings as long as I could. After having my son, I got to working at 4 weeks post par-tum because I could only do so much with what I had saved.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson I had to unlearn in my career was to stop undercharging and know my worth. I’ve always been afraid to charge higher for my services because I felt like this would make me lose all my clientele. I would literally give my work away because I loved doing nails and didn’t focus on profit. Over the years not only has my nail retention, shape, and products, etc improved but I’ve also learned so much more. I learned to start being more fair to my craft and value it as well. Thankfully most of my clients have followed me throughout my nail journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: coming soon
• Instagram: Kimberlysnails_ Sleekdnails2_
• Other: Google: Sleek’d Nails Kessler