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

Alright, Jana thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

I started my career before there was social media or even the internet, for that matter. My business grew from referrals and good old fashioned pounding the pavement handing out business cards.

Fast forward 20 years to opening my own salon right in the middle of the Covid pandemic. This was something I was working on pre-pandemic but hadn’t found the right location. Not being able to see clients during this time gave me the freedom and time to find the perfect salon space, but to also put my new salon together. My husband and I thought that this was either the stupidest thing we would ever do or it was going to be the smartest. The latter was correct! Now we have 3 hair stylists, a lash artist and 3 nail artists within our salon.

All of my stylists are independent contractors, but my goal is to create a fun, easy going environment where they can build their clientele and make sure I provide the tools for them to be successful without micromanaging them.

Jana, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have been a nail artist for over 20 years. I specialize in hand painted custom designed nails.

I was originally working in the medical field but was never very fulfilled. I always loved the salon atmosphere and it was only fitting that I go back to school!

The nail industry has evolved into being so much more than manicures and pedicures. It has become a huge creative outlet where there is always new and innovative ways to design a custom set of nails.

My goal is to continue to educate myself through classes and networking with other professionals to be there very best I can be for my clients.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think my willingness to put aside my ego and realize that there is always something that I can learn in the industry. I’ve really concentrated on learning new techniques and found that revisiting the “basics” has helped me to get better at my craft.

I’ve also utilized social media to showcase my work and I think that has helped me the most to build my brand. I have also made sure to ask for google reviews from our clients and I respond to all of them.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Being professional and making sure that all of my clients walk out of my salon feeling beautiful! Most of my clients have been coming to me for many years and have become like family to me. They have watched my children grow up and together we have been there through the good times and the not so good times.

Contact Info:

• Website: Thestudioj.com
• Instagram: Studio.j.salon
• Facebook: Studio J

Image Credits
Darren Seipp Photography Jana Olsen