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

Alright, Shannon thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? The world needs to hear more realistic, actionable stories about this critical part of the business building journey. Tell us your scaling up story – bring us along so we can understand what it was like making the decisions you had, implementing the strategies/tactics etc.

Scaling up or ” the climb” as I like to call it was not easy at all. When I started I didn’t have any clients or at least returning clients. This is hard for most people…zero clients equal zero money. I had a full time job but not doing what I love felt like swallowing a brick….it was hard. So I decided to be intentional about how I showed up. I would show up, practice, and post on social media daily.

I stayed in this season for almost a year. I got some clients, not enough for a full roster but I continued to show up. Things got difficult. I was able to work on some new products and services. I worked on my launching my website all while showing up for myself. I was even able to get branded by the State of Tennessee.

I moved into a new space in the eastern part of my city. In order to attract new clients I left my door open, answered questions and still no new clients. But I didn’t get discouraged. I continued to show up. I passed out cards, left some outside of my suite, and posted the clients I did have. So I prayed and that is when it happened. The shift.

I had an open vision. I was shown a room I had looked at before in the building but couldn’t afford. I saw all of my things in the room. I saw it not once but twice. I decided to be obedient to what I was being shown. So I moved on in and saw my vision come true. It then got tough. During this time I’ve always had a job so I’ve had something to fall back on. Out of nowhere I hurt my knee so now I am getting a third of my pay. But I still had to show up for my business. I had faith that God would see me through. That was when I felt my business scale. People started referring others to me and raving about the services that they had received. I started answering questions and posts about my services. I shared advice and gave others their flowers. I gave support and it felt great.

The strategy was simple. Show up. Be accountable. Most importantly BE STILL AND LET GOD!!

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.

My name is Shannon Tillman. I am the owner of Slayed Klaws Nail Salon located in Memphis, TN. I have been licensed and branded by the state of Tennessee for 2+ years and I hold an AMNT( Advanced Medical Nail Tech) license. I have graciously touched 100+ people in my area and has been awarded by my booking site as ” Highly Recommended 2026″ with a 5.0 review rating. I specialize in all forms of nail care including steam pedicures. I create various products including customizable shimmering cuticle oil, customizable sugar scrub, and at home pedicure kits.

A lot of people ask me how I started and my answer is always one simple word. GOD. I asked and prayed for God to give me a talent or gift. I always had a love for the beauty industry but I wasn’t able to fulfill my dream at the moment. Some journeys are all about timing. God gave me a renewed love for the nail industry. I started doing my family’s nails. I decided to look into taking a class in St. Louis, Missouri. I met with a beautiful soul who owns Her Nail Addiction which is the name of her salon. Afterwards I decided to enroll in school and take this seriously. I really only wanted to do my nails and now I do everyone else’s but mine. Life’s funny that way but I truly enjoy making others feel beautiful.

I think what sets me apart from other nails techs in my area is that I truly educate my clients on the health of their nails, how to take care of them and I travel. I will also say no to something that I feel would not benefit the overall vision that they have for themselves. I am most proud that I am still learning and growing. I am honest about my abilities and I am excited that my clients challenge me with different art. Art is a personal I think so it shows the personality of the person.

I love what I do and I love my clients. I pray for them and over them. My business is my ministry and I give God all glory at my table. I take my time and my main focus is always prep. My space is set up for comfort and gives a homey feel. My next steps are getting my MNT ( Medical Nail Tech) license so that I can better serve the elderly community or those who has diabetes, neuropathy, and other things that can cause foot related issues.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I just recently started a full- time job AGAIN!!! I had left my full time job, went part-time with a 11-4 which turned into an 9-430 am position at FEDEX. I wanted to make sure that I had the time to grow my business. The day time hours were for growing my clientele and the night job allowed for benefits such as health care and retirement. Well I did this for the better part of a year and a half. I had been praying to pay off my car and to get out of the job. Well one day I was at work, I stepped with my left foot and pain shot up behind my knee cap. I wasn’t sure what had happened since I hit nothing and nothing hit me. I eventually went to the doctor only to find out that I had torn my meniscus.

The injury left me with only seventy percent of my income being provided to me while I was on workman’s comp. I hobbled between clients and therapy doing all I could to make it work. Eventually my knee improved but only twenty percent. I was released back to work from the doctor. My very first day was rough because my knee was hurting. I worked for a total of two days. I called in on the third and went to 2 separate doctors appointments. One telling me I may need surgery another telling me there was nothing wrong with my knee. I was eventually released back to work with the final words from the doctor being ” If yuoou want walk or stand, you need to find a new job”. I didn’t understand but I trusted that God knew what was best for me and I had to ” find a new job”. I went home from that appointment feeling defeated. I searched online and stumbled onto my job I currently hold now.

But now I faced a new dilemma. I had clients now and needed to be able to get them on a good schedule since I wouldn’t be available to them most of the day. I got the idea of a three week rotation that would allow me to schedule out future visits all while limiting the admin work that I would have to do. This would allow the booking site to update the clients when their appointment is coming up without having to schedule it themselves. They also have the freedom to reschedule appointments as needed.

This was the best decision I could have made for my business. My life is extremely busy now but my business is now booked monthly without me having to try to schedule each client.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

I am also a licensed life and Annuity insurance agent. I am licensed in both Tennessee and Mississippi. One of my business partners is also my client. We were talking during an appointment and she expressed to me the love that she had for helping people insure themselves and their loved one. The need for insurance is astounding as many don’t see the need or says that its a scam. We talked more about it and I decided to listen to the overview on how it is a necessity. I decided that I wanted to help others secure their legacy, loved ones and build generational wealth. This industry is a game changer and an eye opener.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.slayedklaws.com
• Instagram: slayedklawsbyShannon
• Facebook: Shannon Tillman and Slayed Klaws