Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Priscila Quezada. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Priscila, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?
One of the greatest risks I’ve taken was leaving my full-time day job in December of 2022 to fully dive into my business. Being a single parent and sole provider for my son and me leaves little to no room for failure. Through the past five years, I ran my first studio and brand part-time. Due to the pandemic and state-mandated closures, I made the difficult decision to temporarily close my first small private studio. Two years later, in January of 2022, I was embarking on another risk. Except this time, I was ready to build a team, take on a larger space, and reopen Nailme&Co. The new studio is thriving and I couldn’t be happier with the team of professionals that are part of my team. Leaving my full-time 9-5 job with no backup plan was daunting, but that just fueled my fire to move forward and continue pushing to grow my brand. Building relationships with other professionals within the industry has led me to work alongside designers and glam teams for New York Fashion Week, and participate in a number of other projects within the beauty industry. Taking the leap of letting go of my full-time opened the doors to so many more opportunities I would have never imagined.
Priscila, 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 became interested in nail polish during my early teenage years when I would spend my summers with my Godmother. She kept a plastic bin with a plethora of nail polishes, and this was when I first fell in love with OPI. Alpine Snow was the go-to for my DIY French tips. Many years later, that love for nail polish would turn into a career that I am passionate about. One of my life mottos has been “I didn’t come this far to only come this far” and that has propelled me to continue to grow in this industry. When you really want something, you work hard, stay disciplined and never stop learning.
Being born in Mexico, I always felt different, and the beauty industry can be daunting for minorities like myself. When I made the decision to enroll in beauty school, I just knew I wanted to help change the narrative. I am a firm believer in community over competition and have made it my mission to stand behind that, while also setting myself apart from your traditional walk-in salons. Nailme&Co Studio is an all-inclusive space where our clients feel safe and welcomed, and where they can disconnect and enjoy. Our services are available by appointment only which allows us to build relationships with our clients and give them a 1 on 1 experience. I focus on maintaining the integrity of my client’s natural nails while specializing in gel enhancements and abstract nail art. I encourage my clients to ask nail-related questions while I share tips on how they can protect their nails at home and never skip the use of cuticle oil.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
During the pandemic I had to pivot. Due to the state-mandated closures I made the decision to temporarily close my private studio and found a way to still be able to provide services to my clients. This led me to transition to offering press-on nails and formulating my own line of cuticle oils. It kept my creativity flowing and I was able to provide beautiful nails to my clients from a distance. My online store grew, and since the reopening of the studio, our cuticle oils have remained a top seller nationwide.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
Being a small business, I used the very little I had in savings as the initial capital to furnish my first studio and have bootstrapped my journey since. Starting out in this industry can be overwhelming as there are so many products and options out there. The advice I always like to share with new professionals is to start small; begin with your basics, little by little build on from there, and never stop learning.
Contact Info:
- Website: nailmeandco.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/nailmeandco
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nailmeandco
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/priscila-quezada/
- Email: [email protected]