We recently connected with Elaina Hittle and have shared our conversation below.

Elaina, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

The biggest risk I have taken in life was for my business. I was 20 years old and was completely over a job that didn’t treat me with respect, give any raises , and was making my mental health plummet … Aka retail. I was fed up and quit on July 20th, of 2021. It was literally the best, but also a scary feeling to leave a life of comfort in a corporate job, and into a life of unknowns and no security in owning your own business. Big risk equals big reward, and boy was it worth it. As J. Cole, YG, and Moneybagg Yo “scared money don’t make no money”

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

I’m Elaina Hittle, I’m 21 years old , and I’m a nail tech who runs independently. I have known since I was 13 years old I wanted to do nails. Instagram in 2014 was full of people doing cool nail art and making videos of their work so I got my iPad, got any polishes I could find around the house and got started with some tooth picks for painting. Over time I got more supplies, and started to make better content for my Instagram. I started to get products sent to me to show off and review around 15 years old. I was so excited to be apart of such a cool industry that was ever chainring so I was determined to get my license. To my luck I was offered an opportunity in a advanced learning center in high school to get my license, so I had my whole heart in it. I did nail art competition during the program for a organization called Skills USA and my first competition i won first place for my Greece the movie themed nails, such a big win for me. I eventually got through the program and got my licensing during the pandemic (which made everything hard). I eventually quite my 9-5 job and started my business in my bedroom taking anyone and everyone to do their nails. In between my free time I was a student teacher for the same place where I got my license to become a cosmetology instructor, which made me love teaching so much and gave me so much more insight into the beauty industry even more. Then I was fed up in doing it in my room so I moved into a shared suite with a hairstylist and my business took off within 6 months. So After the 6 months I decided I wanted to move to my own suite and that’s where we land today, i am fully booked with a regular clientele. I believe a lot of my clients would say my heart is in my business, and I don’t just cater to giving a luxury service but a safe place where you can relax, talk about anything and everything, and even be little vulnerable. I understand as a nail tech the other side as being a client so I always think “would I like that as a clients”. I am pretty honest and blunt about this industry, so I will always be honest and transparent. My followers on social media will find me making educational content, humorous light heart humor, days in my life showing what I’m doing and using, and of course all my hand painted nail art.’

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

My best source of new clients was Tik Tok. I started to film everything I did including background stuff that a client doesn’t usually see, and I recognize clients loved it. I like to say Tik Tok is a mini documentary of my life as a nail tech, and I remember one of my clients who have been with me since the beginning told me when she first came in that she felt like she already knew and my business. So I eventually learned the power of key words in your captions and hashtags and when people looked up “Fort Worth gel nail tech” you better believe I made sure I was the first thing that popped up. So once I started get more clients I would ask where did you find me from? They would all say “Tik Tok”. So about 80% of my client have came from it!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A huge lesson I had to unlearn was to not compare yourself to others. In the industry where someone gives you a picture and you have to copy another persons art, it can get yourself comparing and nitpicking your end result. I had to tell myself it’s never will look the exact same as the image and has to almost tune out the comparison, and after I did that my business finally started to pick up. It’s crazy how we are the only thing in our own way at times.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @_evhnails_
• Other: Tik Tik @_evhnails_