We recently connected with Breanna Nwakamma and have shared our conversation below.

Breanna, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

2020 was a pivotal year for a lot of people. Having to stay at home could have either been a good thing or a bad thing for you. I just had my second child and was into my second year of teaching. I was overwhelmed with postpartum and too add, I had to figure out how to teach my classes via zoom with limited amount of resources.

Doing nails at first was just for fun. Then my sister let me do my first actual full set on her and it was actually pretty good. I decided to pursue a nail career and obtain my nail licensure . I thought once I obtained my licensed I was going to have a good amount of clientele to were I could leave my full time job, but as we know life is not straight path. I started to get discouraged and wanted to give up because one week, I would have no clients then the next week maybe 2-3 clients. How was I ever going to make enough money to support my family and business. So I kept working and doing nails. I consistently promoted my business to push my name out there.

Fast forward to 2022 , I booked my first wedding party (of 7) built a steady clientele that is still growing, taught my first one on one student , and moved into a my first suite. I am 3 years into the beauty industry , and If would have gave up when things got slow I would not be where I am today. There are a million people doing the same thing that you are doing, but there is only one of you. Hearing that advice has pushed me to become a better nail technician and to consistently nurture and grow my business B Shay Nails.

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

In one sentence , I am a women of. many talents that wear many hats. I have my bachelors degree in health science and is currently a high school teacher. I. I originally started my career out of college in the medical filed, but a part of me always wanted to become a nail technician. I wanted to educate other people on the sole fact that nail enhancements do not damage your nails its the nail technician after years of improper nail care. So I wanted to become the nail technician that people can can go to for healthy nails and feet. I became a licensed manicurist in 2021.

I provide a specialty in health nails and I want to teach other women how to help their client maintain their natural beautiful nails even with enhancements . I cater to all types of clientele and want to expand even more into a medical nail technician .

What sets B Shay Nails apart from any other nail technician is the care and the quality I give my clientele. There are several other nail technicians but there is not another B Shay Nails providing the types of treatments I provide. I also provide a safe and clean environment for my clientele.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I went into this industry wanting to be your “neighborhood affordable nail technician” I wanted my people to look and feel good at an affordable price. But the of course business became business and I was not even making a profit. Thats when I learned certain “clients” only came to me because of my price. I started to do research and market pricing and just charge my worth. That when I started to really grow and gain a new type of clientele. Having to get out of my comfort zone helped me grow B Shay Nails.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

I believe being a visual learner has helped a lot in succeeding my field. I can see anything practice it 1-2 times and after that I got it down packed. This helped learned The structure and foundation and nail technology quick. the nail industry is forever evolving so you have to be prepared to stay updated on the latest trends.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bshaynails.com/
• Instagram: B_Shay_Nails
• Facebook: Breanna Nwakamma

Image Credits
Delmeshia Busby : @buzzb_photos_