We recently connected with Alexis D. Brown and have shared our conversation below.
Alexis D. , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
My name is Alexis Brown and I am the creator and owner of Koala Tea Nailz based in Oak Lawn, IL. I created Koala Tea Nailz, pronounced Quality Nails, in 2019 after struggling to locate a nail technician that specialized in UV gel-based nail enhancements in my area.
As a licensed cosmetologist, I decided to take matters into my own hands and began practicing doing my nails. It wasn’t long after I started that I fell in love with everything about nails. I immersed myself in learning as much as I could about the various styles and types of nail enhancements, creating a structurally-sound foundation, and researching new methods and products available.
In my research, I noticed that there weren’t many African-American nail technicians in my area who were familiar with or offered UV gel nail enhancements. I decided that I needed to bridge the gap between the UV gel nail technicians and clients looking for these services. I have made it my mission to educate, teach, and train African-American nail technicians about UV gel nails and how to incorporate this service into their service menus.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Since I was a young girl, I have always loved getting my hair and nails done. I began my career in the beauty industry in 2010 and attended John Amico School of Hair Design in Oak Forest, IL. I received my cosmetology license in 2014; however, I soon lost my passion for being a hairstylist. After moving back to Chicago in 2017, I was unable to find a nail technician to do my nails and decided to start doing my nails
Initially, I worked with acrylic nails because that is what I was used to getting at traditional nail shops. I started practicing acrylic bead application at home in my garage because the fumes were too strong to be used indoors without proper ventilation. Once I mastered bead application and liquid to powder ratios, I moved on to self-application. Unfortunately, the fumes from the acrylic were too harsh for at-home practicing. I attempted to find other ways I could minimize the smell of acrylic, but nothing worked. I began to look into alternatives for odor-free nail enhancements and soon discovered UV gel nail enhancements.
At that moment, it all sort of clicked for me. I fell in love with it because UV gels are free-flowing products that do not require mixing liquids and powders or mastering proper bead ratios. UV gels are considered “liquid” because they are vicious and can resemble the consistency of honey, molasses, or syrup. The best part of UV gels is that you get ample time to maneuver the product as much as you like prior to curing it. UV gels allow you to create structurally sound nails that are less likely to break.
Currently, I am certified in Young Nails Synergy Gel, Luminary Soft Gels, and Apres GelX, all of which are UV gel systems. I provide a high-quality nail experience for my clientele in a private nail studio. One of my goals has been to allow my clients to escape from the everyday hustle and bustle of life. My clientele includes moms, teachers, healthcare workers, and corporate professionals that need a space to unwind, take a break, and focus on self-care. Another one of my goals has been to add another layer of convenience for my clients. Since I pride myself on exceptional quality, my clients are serviced every 3-4 weeks instead of every 2 weeks. I also have clients that can wear their nails for up to 6 weeks. It is important to me that my clients can wear their nail enhancements for longer periods without worry because I understand they have busy lives. For many of my clients, it can be a hassle to visit the nail salon every 2 weeks because they have other priorities outside of the nail salon.
I am most proud of my portfolio and its variety. Since the beginning of my nail career, I have been adamant about capturing pictures of my work. Not only does it show potential clients new nail design ideas, but it also shows my progression and growth during my nail career. My clients are always welcome to provide their nail inspiration they find on the internet or they allow members to come up with the nail design. My clients all have their unique personalities and they all shine throughout my portfolio.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
Prior to July 21st, 2021, my nail career began as a side hustle. From the beginning, I knew I wanted Koala Tea Nailz to be a full-time career from me. I start doing nails in a private nail suite in January 2020 with two other hair stylist in Oak Forest, IL. I was also still working a full-time job as a financial account manager for a lawn care company. In the beginning, my clientele was small so I would mostly take 1 or 2 clients after work during the week and few on weekends. At that time my booth rent was $100, so I was getting just enough clients to pay to rent the space. Everything went well until COVID hit and we were forced to shut down. Luckily, I was able to re-circulate old photos of my work and I also continued to work on my hands and realistic silicone hands to create content and post nail designs.
When COVID restriction were lifted, I was able to return to the salon to service clients. I was very consistent with taking picture and posting to Instagram and Facebook. As a result, many of my Facebook friends and family began allowing me to service them and would also refer their friends and family. Eventually, my clientele grew and I filled my booked steadily with a good amount of clients a week.
I made both my full-time job and part-time hustle work for me and created a schedule that allowed me to do both. Monday-Friday, I worked my full-time job from 8am to 4:30 pm and I focused on my nail career Wednesday-Friday 6pm to 8:30pm, Saturday & Sunday 9am to 6pm. At this point, I worked 7 days a week and used my full-time to fund and further my part-time passion. I continued on this path for 18 months. By July 2021, my clientele grew so much that I had a waiting list because I did not have the time in my schedule to service everyone at that time. I then had the realization that at this time I made more money working my part-time passion than I did working my full-time job. It was then I decide to take my leap of faith and pursue my nail career full-time. I submitted my two week notice to my employer and I officially journeyed into full-time entrepreneurship as a nail technician July 21, 2021.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
The most effective strategy for growing my clientele has been consistency. I have many sources for putting my work out for other to view/and or find me. I have a Google listing, Business Instagram and Facebook pages, LinkedIn, personal Facebook pages, and can be found on countless directories. I make sure that I post to these pages daily/regularly to gain exposure.
I also encourage my clients to refer their friends and family for discounted services as a token of my appreciation.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.koalateanailz.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/koalateanailz/?igshid=25j3amgaz9tn
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/koalateanailz/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/koalateanailz/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/KoalaTeaNailz
Image Credits
Image Credit to Alexis D. Brown, Owner of Koala Tea Nailz®