We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Anesha Nixon a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Anesha, thanks for joining us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

Naming a business can be hard and that was definitely the case for me. In the beginning of starting my business I wanted a name that was different from everyone else but still easy to say and recognize. The first name I came up with “sleek minks” was cute and simple but it didn’t fit me and I actually thought it was too simple and boring. One day I was telling my mom how I wanted to rebrand with a different name that fit me and a different logo that looked more professional. I always thought about incorporating my name into my brand but I wanted to do it in a way that was different, so I incorporated my middle name instead of my first name. There are not many people with the name LaNai, which made things even better because it is a very unique name. Once I told everyone that I was changing the name to “LaNai Minks” everyone liked it giving me my confirmation that I made a great decision to rebrand with that name.

Anesha, 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 Anesha and I have been a lash technician for three years. I started doing lashes when I was a senior in high school because I knew I was going to need a good paying job that could help pay for college. I was introduced to lashes by my mom and my sister. They would get their lashes done all the time which made me curious about the process of getting your lashes done, so I looked it up. After doing some research I finally chose to be a lash tech because I would be able to work for myself and make my own schedule. With doing lashes I have a very flexible schedule that allows me to be in school and make good money at the same time, which could be difficult with a regular job. Every lash tech is different when it comes to their work but I pride myself in being a versatile lash tech. I could do really bold statement lashes or I could do very natural lashes. One problem that I solve for my clients is figuring out which lash set would best fit their criteria. Sometimes clients know what the volume looks but not too bold so I would suggest a “light volume set” or sometimes clients would want a hybrid set but also no to bold so I would suggest a “light hybrid more natural set”. Something that I am most proud of is starting this business at a very young age of 18 and it being successful. The main thing that I want potential clients to know is that I would do anything I could to make sure they are leaving my bed happy with their service. If they do not like something I am willing to work with them and fix it.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

As a lash tech something that I had to unlearn in the beginning was focusing on speed instead of placement. The placement of a lash is the KEY to good retention. Primers and super bonders can only do so much when it comes to getting a set to last past a couple of days. In the beginning I had a client that came to me and in the next two days all her lashes were gone and I didn’t know why. Of course I offered to redo her lashes free of charge and I also went back to see what I had done wrong through research and it came down to my placement. Once I started putting placement as my primary focus instead of speed my lashes started to last longer, even though it took me twice as long to finish a set. Speed would come with time so I had to focus on perfecting my craft first and now my lash set can last up to a month if the client takes care of their lashes.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

The journey of trying to grow a business while also being a full-time college student is very difficult. There have been so many instances where I have wanted to put my business on the back burner because of my college workload. One example was when I was trying to get more involved on campus, so I joined an entrepreneurship based club that I was the secretary of. Many events that we had interfered with my work schedule. With my school being located in Kennesaw and the salon being in douglasville it was a lot of times I had to drive back and forth in one day or have to move clients to other days and times to be able to go to those events. Instead of stopping doing lashes until the summer (potentially losing clients) I kept taking clients and decided to make it work despite the challenges.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://LaNaiMink.as.me/
• Instagram: @lanaiminks
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lanai.minks
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/anesha-nixon-4b5851269

Image Credits
anesha nixon