Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kiara LaSha. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kiara, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

In my teen years, I was someone that always enjoyed having eye-catching nails. My cousins took me to a nail shop for the first time for my 15th birthday, and from that point on I was addicted. I enjoyed the entire experience from choosing colors to asking my nail tech to come up with creative designs. It made me smile each time someone asked who did my nails and where I got the ideas from. I would even search photos to bring for each visit to make sure my vision came to life. This went on for years until my life became much busier between working and attending school. I started to notice when I was out shopping that stores had different press on nails. I was in a pinch one weekend when I was headed out for vacation and decided to grab a set. After that, I decided I loved the convenience and the chance to change my nails frequently. Plus, it was nearly half the price. People still noticed my nails and could never believe they were press ons. Usually I didn’t say anything because it wasn’t a popular thing at the time. The more I went through press on pack after press on pack, I began to think that I could just do this myself. I had watched it done a thousand times, and I had studied the press ons I wore so often. So I figured why not, and I bought a gel lamp and gel set on Amazon. I bought some clear tips and I went to work. Now fast forward to two years later, and I’ve taught myself so many techniques and I’ve improved my skills with each set. I’ve even managed to build a clientele and I get to share the thing I love so much with other people now.

Kiara, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My brand is called PressMeUpKi. I offer press on nail sets and toenail sets as well. I can create sets for anyone-adults, children, males, or females. I also offer the option to apply the set for anyone in the Baton Rouge or Houston areas. I have an inventory of pre-made sets in small, medium, and large. The majority of my sets are custom sets that have been sized to fit the customer perfectly. I can do sizing in person or virtually, which allows me to offer sets to anyone in the United States. I want everyone to have beautiful and polished nails without the headache of a traditional nail shop experience. I have clientele that enjoy the versatility of applying and removing nails at their leisure; some of them are in medical school, the military, new moms, and all other awesome walks of life. The main things that I want people to know about my brand is that each set is hand painted and created solely by me. I only create each set once, so there are no duplicates with the exception of solid nails and standard French tips. I use quality 100% gel tips and gel polish for each set. Each set comes with an application kit that includes nail glue, a cuticle stick, a nail buffer, and alcohol pads. I’m most proud of the hard work I put into each set, and that I hold all creative authority on the sets I put out. I know that there are a lot of press on creators out there now but I take pride in only offering the highest quality for affordable prices, without re-creating nails I’ve already made for others.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think the most important thing in building my reputation is what I refer to as “good business”. For me and my brand, that means to stick to deadlines, stick to commitments, address concerns professionally, accept constructive criticism, and to always lead with kindness. I believe that kindness and professionalism go a very long way. I consider how my personal decisions will affect my brand and I behave accordingly. That has built a reputation that my clients know they can trust and depend on.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

I foster brand loyalty by keeping a file of all custom sizes and contact info for my clients, which makes re-ordering a very simple process. I also make notes about likes and dislikes in this file, such as preference on nail shape or length. This shows my clients that I value them and encourages them to be repeat customers. I keep in touch with clients through email blasts and social media. I’ve also been working on putting together a monthly newsletter to keep clients updated on what’s going on with PressMeUpKi.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @pressmeupki