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

Isabella, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

One of the biggest risks I have taken so far in my career was quitting my full time job with no back up plan. I had a decent schedule of clients that wasn’t not very consistent throughout the months, very little profit coming into my pockets, and had no guarantee I would be able to keep the business afloat without my second income. While I was still employed at my previous job, I had moved to a studio that was much more affordable for my budget and customizable to fit my liking. Now that my schedule had opened up to more hours of the day, I began receiving more calls and requests for appointments. Word of mouth began spreading, I kept promoting my product and information as much as I could, and in less than 3 months, I was earning around as much as I would have at my previous full time job while working less hours and doing what I love. I have never regretted quitting my job even when business was a bit slower because I was in charge, implementing more time into my craft, and more focus on me and what I want to do with my day.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a 20 year old Hispanic nail tech born and raised in San Diego County. I’ve always loved teaching myself crafts and skills and meeting new people. I received my California Manicuring license in November 2022 and have been working on building my business and brand since then.

Growing up, I could never afford going to the nail salon. so in order to get the long, colorful nails I wanted, I would grow them out and paint them with any nail polish I could afford. While I was going to college, I was recommended a little nail kit to do them yourself at home and that’s where my obsession began. I would practice on myself as much as I could and they were not the best at all, I’ll be honest, but I was having fun and kept going. I would watch videos to find better techniques and after about a year, I had it set I wanted to attend cosmetology school and apply for my state license.

I never planned on turning this into a full time gig. It was just a fun hobby and also never really thought it would be possible for me to start my own business. It wasn’t until I met my now really good friend, who encouraged me to make it my main focus. He gave me pointers on where to begin and I took off from there. I used social media as my biggest tool, experimenting on what worked and what didn’t when it came to engagement. I made myself stand out from other nail technicians in my area by the product I use, polygel. Its a fairly new product that is a hybrid formula of hard gel and acrylic to make a new product that is much more lightweight and no odor which my clients love. I provide extension nail services using polygel, structured manicures for the clients who like to grow out their natural nails, and pedicures!

I also spread helpful information to clients about what to expect during their appointments, clarify any misconceptions about services or products, and emphasize the importance of nail health and safety. Along with nail health and safety, I have learned to say no to clients where it’s needed. Clients have come in with nails that weren’t suitable for the service they had requested. After explaining to them the alternatives I could offer and consistent services, we are finally able to give them the long glamorous nails they wanted, along with strong natural nails. They continue to book with me because I work with their best interest in mind and prioritize their nail health over anything else.

A huge advantage I’ve noticed is being Latina and speaking both English and Spanish. I’ve had many clients who only speak Spanish and have mentioned one of the biggest issues they have when getting their nails done is the language barrier. It has made them feel they cannot communicate what they want, ask any questions they might have, and overall they feel uncomfortable. Knowing that I speak Spanish has been a big relief for most clients because they feel at ease having someone to talk and joke with and be able to really describe what they’d like for their services.

I have created an environment that is welcoming, relaxing, and client focused. My client chair is a place to get away from all the ups and downs of work, home, and have someone to vent with. My main goal is to have every client walk away with nails that express their personalities and make them feel put together and even more confidant than when they walked in. Nail services should be a relaxing and enjoyable experience for everyone to feel their very best.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I began with a very small following of mainly close friends and would only post every so often. Videos and posting consistently has been my biggest tool in growing my social media. Post everything and anything because even though you may not have a big audience, posting something is better than nothing and no one will know you exist. When I didn’t have enough clients to post a nail set every day or every week I thought I had nothing else to show for myself but that’s not true. I began making informational posts aimed to potential clients about the do’s and don’ts of nail appointments , what to look for when finding a nail tech, etc. Many clients have told me that some of this information had never been provided to them and that it built trust knowing I am well informed and prioritize their health and safety.

When working with a client, I take about a million pictures and videos (not an exaggeration) so that I have a wide variety to choose from when posting and am able to create a variety of posts from one nail set. For example, you can just have a simple closeup shot, a before and after, transition video, video using a popular sound, video showing the step by step process with a VoiceOver, and the list goes on. You have all this content ready for you to use with only one client and using the engagement features on Instagram and TikTok, it’s easy to see what style of post your audience loves and wants more of.

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

I had to unlearn the idea that all my clients will become regulars and stick with me. I do have a great amount of clients that have been seeing me consistently for months and have referred friends and family to me and it’s amazing! However, there are others that only come in for a one time set of nails, maybe don’t like the products I use, or I just wasn’t their cup of tea and that is all okay and valid. You cannot please everyone in customer service because everyone is different but you do have to reassure yourself that you are doing your very best and providing the very best service you can. Try and ask for feedback if you can to see if maybe there is something you’re lacking but don’t let it discourage you from continuing on. Keep track of what it is about your or your services that keeps your clients coming back and keep building on it and take criticism as motivation to improve.      

Contact Info: 

• Website: bellitasnails.square.site
• Instagram: bellitas.nails
• Facebook: Bellitas Nails
• TikTok: @bellitasnails