My Salon Life / Lessons: Just a small town girl
This guest (visiting Minnesota) goes to a tech with a home based business. Let's call the tech Jane. Jane lives in a very small town, has no local competition and has a goldmine for clientele. But, sweet sweet Jane needs a mentor and maybe doesn't know it. She clearly has awesomeness potential. Her application and finish filing just needs some tweaking. But my guest can't work up the nerve to tell Jane she needs help. Maybe Jane thinks she's already great? How can you tell someone they need a class without shredding their ego?
And if she (guest) did (tell Jane), Jane would probably say, "I can't afford a class. They're never in my area. I'd have to travel. It's too expensive."
But what Jane doesn't understand is with education and practice, her work will improve and she'll earn a higher wage because her clientele will be so very very happy to pay more for excellent work.
Working alone, especially in a small town, can leave anyone feeling a bit disconnected from the nail community. But there's so many resources online, we can't automatically give the Janes out there a free pass because they're located in the middle of nowhere.
So, here's a very special message to you, Jane. (And my readers who feel like they're just like Jane)...
I'm here for you.
I'm not a trained educator per se, but I'll evaluate what you're doing, how you're doing it, and offer my support if you're truly seeking a mentor. I have decades of e-file experience. Decades of acrylic applications under my belt. I'd be honored to help.
And I bet there are some techs reading this that would also offer to be mentors. We're constantly talking about elevating our industry. Let's do it. Lift from within.
So here's what I propose. In the comments, post "student" or "mentor" and where you're from. Add what you need help with ·or· your specialty (shaping, e-file, brush work, finishing... etc) and see if we can find a match. Ideally, you could meet in person. But don't discount the power of video chats and pictures.
If mentors wish to be compensated, that's fine. (Especially if you're working one on one, hands-on.) Discuss it with your student.
I'm excited to see this in action.
Eileen Johnson
My Salon Life Woodbury MN
