6 ways nail competitions can improve your salon skills

Sometimes, it really is the taking part that counts. If you do not win a nail competition, there is always something to learn. Setting aside the element of placing, competing in nail competitions -whether live or portfolio based – can be hugely beneficial to your salon work. While the significance is not always initially apparent, it can be one of the most indirect valuable means for refining your salon nails.

I put the success of my career and growth as a nail technician down to competing.

1. Skill building

You can become stuck in your ways when delivering salon nail sets day in, day out, and it can be hard to advance. By forcing you to compare yourself to others and your everyday self, entering competitions can help you identify areas you need to develop and improve.

In order to actually win an award, you are likely to have to step up your game, eliminate bad habits and make improvements that may be necessary. This can be more valuable for your business than winning itself. Competing trains your eye to see mistakes that you never realised existed and helps solve problems you previously couldn’t accomplish. The self-development and feedback that is received from the judge’s wealth of knowledge can be likened to a training course and these skills and advancements can be taken back to the salon. 

2. Consistency 

Consistency wins. Competing in your expert field provides you with the abilities and techniques to create a consistent set, something that we can lack as salon technicians. By creating consistency in your sets, this will in turn improve timings and a more refined result, providing a happier client.

3. Product control

Regular competing offers you the ability to discover how to control and master the correct quantities necessary for the perfect set. A large part of the judging criteria covers product control such as air bubbles, marbling, blending and consistency. When you learn how to master your product control, this allows only the need to refine the application with a lower grit nail file, leading to money saving techniques such as the use of less product and reduction in timings and less chance of service break down.

4. Nail your timings

When you are up against the clock in a competition, you are forced to address your timings. When working on clients, one of the worst habits techs have can be time wasting, including excessive product application and filing and stopping the service to chat. You must break down each working stage and stick to your timings to compete. Taking this skill back to the salon speeds up your salon timings, meaning you can avoid running late for clients and earn more income. 

5. Confidence

When you regularly compete you will continue to see progress in your work. This gives you confidence that you are growing and continually pushing your abilities as a nail tech. Setting goals and taking the steps to complete these provides a sense of achievement. You will, in turn, have more confidence in the salon nails you are creating.

6. Keep existing customers

Customers will be proud that they are clients of an award-winning business and will publicise this. Winning an award improves customer loyalty and reassures customers that they are coming to the best place.

If you are considering entering a competition, my first recommendation would be to invest in competition training to make sure you understand the rules and techniques required to compete to avoid disappointment and misunderstanding.

Entering competitions takes a lot of dedication and practice but I believe to stay on top of your game in this ever-growing industry it is one of the best things you can do to challenge yourself and push your salon skills to set you apart from your competitors.

Love Katie B x

www.katiebarnesacademy.com