We were lucky to catch up with Catie Buda recently and have shared our conversation below.

Catie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

I believe there are many ways to achieve and define success. Some of the main factors behind success in my experience are drive, passion, patience, and focus. You must have genuine passion for what you are doing. I think people have the idea that having your own business is fun and easy and leads to immediate success but it takes so much more than that. It takes hard work and focus to keep adding to, and growing your business. It is showing up when on your days off to handle unexpected issues that arise, constantly thinking of the next move or next task to achieve, and knowing that at the end of the day no one else will be there to care and put the energy into your business like you do. If you don’t have passion for what you do, it can only take you so far in the growth of your business. Success to me is when you can finally take a step back and see all of your hard work and effort pay off.

Catie, 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 name is Catie Buda. I am a 27 year old small business owner of my nail salon Buda Beauty. I am a nail artist based in South Florida and have been doing nails and specializing in nail art for 11 years this October. I honestly never grew up dreaming about doing nails for a living but growing up being a creative and an artist opened the door for me in the nail industry. When I was 16 I sat home and decided to design my own nails with the trends that were current in 2011 and realized how talented I was and decided to enroll in beauty school. I went to beauty school after my day of high school was over and started looking for work in salons once I graduated beauty school. I have worked in traditional nail salons and then transitioned to my own studio suite and worked by myself for 4 years. During COVID I was mandated to stop working for about 2 months. In that time I realized how I wanted to have a safe space for my fellow friends in the industry to be able to work together and feel secure with our jobs which led to the idea and birth of my salon Buda Beauty. I specialize in using all Japanese and Korean gel polishes and when I first got into my craft I pulled a lot of inspiration from Japanese nail artists. Being half Japanese I really admired the talent in Japan and learned as much as I could about the techniques and products they used over there. I love to do handpainted nail art on my clients and also love to use small nail charms and decor on my clients. One of my other specialties I do is growing out my clients natural nails long and strong with my overlay service. Clients come in believing they can never grow their natural nails long without enhancements and it brings me so much joy to see the process and end results of long, healthy, strong, and beautiful nails.

I think one of the things that I am most proud of is being a business owner and having my own storefront at such a young age. When I opened Buda Beauty I was 25 years old and all I have ever done in my work life was nails. I always believe everything happens for a reason and when I opened my salon in Sept of 2020 it was during the height of COVID and I was fully booked from day 1. I love being able to have a space where I welcome other nail artists and beauty professionals in the industry where we can all support each other and be a strong and powerful team of young women.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Running a business on your own is already a task to begin with. Having a business with multiple employees or subcontractors is a constant list of things to do. I do not only have to focus on myself and my clientele but I also have to focus on making sure that my other artists are fully booked, making sure they are happy in the workplace and making sure our product inventory is stocked and available. Even when my work day is finished, I have to promote and work to schedule clients for my other artists of they have openings and communicate with clients to help them book appointments or if they have questions in anything else. I love all of the women I get to work alongside and it is a blessing develop friendships with, but one of the best pieces of advice I can give to managing a team, is that you must put your personal emotions aside while running your business. It is still important to be empathetic to your team and their feelings but also you must be aware of the position of being a leader and focusing on making sure tasks are completed and maintaining the respect and boundaries of a boss.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

When I decided to open my salon, I came up with the idea of Buda Beauty when I was sitting home during lockdown. I have always been conservative with finances so I had money saved up for emergencies or whatever came my way. I first came up with the idea of renting privates spaces in a salon and then came up with a list of individuals who could potentially be a part of my team. I then began to look for spaces to rent and came up with the numbers needed to be able to comfortably run my future business. During COVID there was a lot of government funds to assist businesses at the time. Already having a small space for myself to do nails out of I was able to qualify for a loan for relief during these times. The loan I applied for was granted by the Small Business Association and I was able to gain capital to then move forward in renting and finding a space for my salon. Fortunately I had enough products and equipment to move in right away and begin work without worry.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @nailsbycatie_ @budabeautyboca
• Facebook: Nails By Catie
• Other: www.schedulicity.com/scheduling/nbcfr8