We recently connected with Giovanni Junor and have shared our conversation below.

Giovanni, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Alright, let’s take a stroll on memory lane, back to when you were an apprentice or intern. What’s a memorable story from that time that you can share with us?

I’ve often been told that an aspiring leader learns more from having a bad leader than a good one. My supervisor during my nail apprenticeship in South America was positively awful. She would constantly blame and berate everyone working for her. She refused to document or certify any of my work, meaning I returned to America with no written proof of my skills. The most notable example of her impropriety was when she screamed at me, calling me stupid and other things in front of several customers because I had dropped a metal implement and it made a noise.
At the time, I was too afraid of getting in trouble to make a retort, but that kind of behaviour stuck with me and made this lesson clear: that’s never the kind of supervisor I want to be. If you want to run a successful business, being rude, disrespectful, and willing to humiliate your subordinates is never the way to go. Leading with compassion and respect will win out every time.

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

My name is Giovanni! I also go by Gio. I initially gained interest in designing my own nails in 2014 before starting professionally in 2019. I started by watching YouTube tutorials showing you how to use toothpicks, floss, pencil erasers, and all kinds of other odds and ends to create nail art. I started my apprenticeship in 2019. Then, in late 2020, I refined my craft and opened my own press on nail business, selling to the other girls in my high school. I finished high school in Guyana, South America, enlisted in the US Air Force, then opened my shop!
At this moment I sell specialised, highly detailed press on nails with a focus on hand-painted nail art, as well as other cosmetics such as body scrubs and lip balms.
I wanted my press ons to stand out, so I prioritised creating eye-catching nail art and consistently creating quality nails. I paint more elaborate designs on nails than most, and I take great pride in ensuring they’re the best I can offer. I love what I do, and I try to make that evident in my work.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

My apprenticeship was a paid one, although not well-paid. I saved and scraped together any extra money I had until I had amassed a humble collection of gel polishes and other foundational items.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

As my business is still small-scale, I maintain a close sense of community with my clients by personally messaging them. They love that they can reach me at a moment’s notice, while I love that it helps create trust and a professional bond.
Brand loyalty for me boils down to three simple things: consistency, clear communication, and quality. Consistency in things like brand colours and good customer service will make any business easily distinguishable from the rest. Clear communication allows clients to feel comfortable and business owners to quickly and professionally disperse information. These two tenets have helped me build loyalty. However, in terms of maintaining that loyalty, always delivering high-quality products is tantamount. People won’t return to a poor quality product, so I keep that in mind while creating.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @GiosBeautyStudio
• Facebook: Gio’s Beauty Studio