Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Gabrielle Monroe. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Gabrielle thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s go back in time a bit – can you share a story of a time when you learned an important lesson during your education?

it was early 2017 when i decided to go to trade school to be a nail technician. i was a few years out of high school and going to community college while simultaneously working miscellaneous, soul-crushing jobs, and just missing the point of it all. I decided that i wanted to be paid for something i was actually good at and started looking into nail tech/beauty schools in and around Phoenix. I found one that was a full beauty school that seemed perfect for me, and enrolled in the nail tech program. It took a few weeks to get the paperwork situated and financial aid all taken care of, but finally, I was able to start. Everything was great and i learned so much, the classes were very small, but i liked it. I had only logged about 65 out of 600 hours at my new school when one day, all the students show up to school one day and the school had sold the building and had given the students no notice. The only options were to quit and forfeit all school supplies and financial aid, or finish the program at it’s sister school, over 30 miles away from a school that was already far away. Discouraged, i started looking for a new job and moving on with my life. A year later in yet another soul-crushing job, working long hours, not attending any school. I was talking to a friend about how i felt so drained and she asked me why i didn’t try to go back to nail tech school. The truth was that hadn’t thought about it much, i just went from one thing, to the next, but she was right, so i started looking again. finally, i found another school and started a few months later. A few months into school, the administrator, aware of my previous school situation, allowed me to extend the amount of hours a day i could do, speeding up my schooling. I ended up graduating in january 2019 and not able to take my test till may because of money issues and not getting my license till june.

I think back to this time a lot when i am working on my business and things get hard, because thats just how it is. Obstacles have always gotten in the way, since day one. Learning to stay consistent and never give up early on like that has set a precident in the work i do for my business. Because there will always be things to slow you down, and thats when you have to lean into just that much more.

Gabrielle, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is gabrielle monroe and i decided to open Fingergems nail studio in August 2021. It was a long time coming, after working at a nail salon and being immersed in salon and diet culture got to be too much, i decided to work for myself. I had lots of support from my family friends and partner at the time, and they all helped me in different ways to pursue this goal of mine. After months of licensing and paperwork issues, I finally was able to take my first clients in April 2022. I look forward to what the future will hold in terms of my business and what a few more years of experience will look like.

I love my job and am so passionate about nails and how they allow so much self expression. I mainly do sculpted acrylic nails but i also work with a hard gel system and do gel manicures. I specialize in handprinted nail art with fine details and custom mixed colors. I have done all kinds of designs, from textured nail designs, to characters, to stained glass. I am continuously inspired by my clients and other nail technicians in my community to try different art styles and techniques. Its also so much fun to discover what my clients want together when they have no real plan or preference. I don’t necessarily think that sets me apart, but the relationships i make with my clients are so effortless and personal, i feel like I’m hanging out with a friend. I love that I’ve built a safe space for myself and my clients and found myself in an amazing community, and that is priceless.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I don’t use a lot of material to get business tips and info, but i do like what the company Young Nails has that anyone can utilize. They manufacture and distribute really good nail products, but in addition to this, they have a youtube channel and host a podcast called Biz Talk. Biz Talk is a podcast where the talk about how to grow clientele, how to maintain a relationship with those clients, how to fire clients, if need be, what steps take to start a business and lots of other helpful information. They also do a different segment where they show different nail art techniques and how to fix certain problems that arise while doing nails.

This is a very helpful resource that is completely free and extremely accessible. When i get discouraged, or am dealing with a specific problem, sometimes i will watch biz talk to get some confidence back or to know how to handle a problem.

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

being self employed can be very difficult. Something i have always struggled with is setting my schedule and staying on task for my goals, wether they be long, or short term. When was working for other people, it was easy enough to work with a deadline or to work in a group setting to stay focused. Ive found that have to put in so much more effort into actually finishing the work i need to do, because no one else is in charge of it, its all me. If i forget to block time out of my schedule to go to the supply store, or work on taxes, or make repairs/changes to my studio space or even to eat, it doesn’t happen at all. Ive had to completely restructure how i live my day to day life so that I’m maximizing my time. I still sometimes struggle with this, but i have noticed that now that I’ve made these small changes, I’m able to be so much more productive.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @fingergems
• Other: tiktok @fingergems