Burnt out to booked up: how funding changed my life & can benefit your nail business

By Guest Writer | 11 May 2025 | Business, Expert Advice, Feature

Sarah Abel, funded growth strategist & founder of TNB Skills Training, shares how funding helped her find success – and can do the same for you…

Fifteen years ago, I was drowning in £50,000 of debt. I had maxed out credit cards, just left a job with a company car and salary, and bought a salon I couldn’t really afford. Everyone thought I was mad. And maybe I was, because I had no safety net and no clue how I was going to pay the rent, let alone grow a business.

But I had one thing that changed everything: I discovered funding.

Not bank loans. Not credit cards. I mean government-backed money, grants, training contracts, apprenticeships and adult education budgets that helped me train my team, launch new courses and bring in consistent monthly income.

What started as survival turned into strategy. That one salon became six businesses. I built a training academy, grew a team, secured £7 million of government funding for multiple hair and beauty businesses, and eventually hit seven figures in our training business. Now, I teach other salon owners in the hair, beauty and nail space how to do the same.

Your story could be next

You might be where I was: working all hours and dreaming of growing your team, creating a course or becoming an educator, but stuck because the money just isn’t there. That’s where funding comes in.

If you run a nail business, whether from home, in a high street salon or as a mobile tech, you might already qualify for pots of money you didn’t even know existed.

Here are a few of the most powerful UK funding options:

Apprenticeship funding: Want to grow your team? The government will pay you to train a junior while they learn on the job.

Advanced learner loans: Ready to teach? These loans cover level 3 and 4 qualifications like Nail Technology or Education & Training – and you can get paid to deliver them.

Adult skills funding: If your clients or learners are adults on a low income, funding can cover their training, so they don’t pay a penny.

Local grants: These often go unclaimed. I’ve seen salons receive over £5,000 to invest in training or expand their services.

Let me be clear – this isn’t just about cash. It’s about freedom.

Here’s what changed when I accessed funding:

I stopped saying ‘yes’ to every client out of desperation.
I trained staff who became loyal, skilled team members.
I launched accredited courses and watched women gain skills, confidence and income.
I had predictable income, even during quiet months, because my training arm paid the bills.
Most importantly, I felt in control of my business (and my life) again.

This is the transformation I now see in the salons I mentor. They go from burnt out to booked up, from undercharging to building proper pricing structures, and from doing it all themselves to building teams and training programmes that fund their future.

Your next step starts here

If all of this sounds exciting but slightly overwhelming, I get it. I was there too. The good news? You don’t need to figure it all out alone. You can partner with training providers, like TNB Skills Training, who already have the contracts in place. Or start small with a funded apprentice and build from there.

The money is out there. The support is out there. And you deserve to grow without burning out.

So if you’re reading this thinking, ‘this sounds like the step I’ve been waiting for‘, I want you to know: it is. Because when you unlock funding, you’re not just adding a new income stream. You’re creating space to breathe. You’re building something that lasts, and you’re turning your talent into a business that can finally support the life you want.

Follow Sarah on Instagram here, and buy her bestselling book, The Power of Funding, here.