We were lucky to catch up with Martina Cruz-Madera recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Martina thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with a hypothetical question – if it were up to you, what would you change about the school or education system to better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career?
I went to Remington College for Cos program. This program was 1 year . We learned hair, nails, make up etc. Being in Cos we had instructors who were simply amazing , professional & has taught us so much more than hair, nails services back when I was in Cos program being taught to be on time to clock in and out, being clocked in late we will have to return home make up our hours on a Saturday which taught me to be on time, to communicate if we were late, running behind . Coming in with uniforms or we would be sent home. We had certain days where we will have receptionist time where I would have to answer the phone professionally, schedule clients in the system, cancel etc. Sanitation was a #1 thing in our schooling washing hands, putting on gloves , wiping the tables, analyzing the client scalp, nails, foot , properly adding barbicide , water with measuring cup with gloves . How to professionally dress for an interview & be prepared.
Cos School, Manicure schools now are only 4 weeks long , 6 weeks long depending on the school that you now find where I feel it’s not enough time to properly train upcoming cos, manicurist aren’t having the proper education on sanitation , dressing for an interview , communication. Many are now coming out of cos school, manicure school wanting to be salon owners, rent a suite , booth rental without knowing the difference of commission , booth rental as well.
Being now a salon owner I have had many interviews with experiences. Have welcomed many ladies into the salon and properly have taken out the time to give monthly training on sanitation & so much more in my salon because I see how the industry is changing & it begins with an instructor who truly cares & is passionate & more of training.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
For those who have not read my previous interviews my name is Martina I am from Cleveland OH born and raised 29 years of age with many life experiences. 14 years in the beauty industry to now being a salon owner of 6 months. What got me in the industry was the art then I grew an absolute passion for the beauty industry/ meeting new people, seeing my craft grow , building a clientele . I built so much love and care for it all that I decided to help those who are upcoming techs , techs who are already licensed to help them with their nail craft & much more. I’m very passionate with doing nails I can’t live without doing nails & being around my clients , new peoples .
Services I provide for my clients in my salon now are
Acrylic , manicure , pedicure , gel x , poly gel , make up , henna.
At Aesthetic Beauty Studio what sets us apart is 1 sanitation , our craft , communication, relationships with clients & an aesthetic pleasing experience. At Aesthetic Beauty Studio we use make 4-5 daily kits with a new nail buffer , nail file , clean, sanitized implements for each and every client at the end of service new file & buffer is given to clients and they absolutely love that. Having a salon that’s clean, organized, relaxed & on top we offer to our clients free coffee, water, tea and snacks that our clients loves so much I have added a henna artist which is also different and set us differently at the salon . Any problem to solve with clients is communication, professionalism, listening and understanding.
I am proud of Aesthetic Beauty Studio team! For potential clients , followers to know that sanitation is our #1 we would love to have you stop in at my salon & have a wonderful , relaxed experience with amazing nail techs & environment
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
Identify your team. Communication. Knowing that they are appreciated. Know what you want in your salon. Giving interviews, having them shadow the salon , calling past salons to see if the person is a great fit for your salon, seeing how well the person communicates with others . At the end of the day on payroll days I always ask my employees how was your week, how did you feel , any ideas ? Anything that we need to work on, anything we need to do for next week to make it a better week .
We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.
My business partner is my husband Esbeey Madera who owns a construction company “All Phase General Construction” who I have known my entire life
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Martina