How to plan & execute your goals for the year ahead

I love the New Year as I find it the perfect time to reflect, reset and set intentions for the months ahead. If you’ve not yet had the time to do this, I highly recommend you block out your diary, treat yourself to some lovely new stationery, get comfy and take an hour or so to work out your goals and write them down.

Too big, too small?

Goals are goals, and your goals are totally personal to you. Try not to compare your journey, path or achievements to others and you’ll have much better clarity and focus. Some examples could be:

• Furthering your technical skills & learning a new nail skill. Maybe this is the year you perfect your polishing skills or add nail enhancements to your service menu?
• Becoming an educator or ambassador for your favourite brand.
• Increasing your profit ~ who doesn’t want to earn more money? Look at increasing the number of clients you have, prices, or ideally, both!
• Learning more about social media, marketing, SEO etc. Don’t limit your goals to just nails, look at the bigger picture and your overall business.
• Better work/life balance. It shouldn’t be all about work and if you felt burnt out at the end of 2019 this is a good goal to have. Look at physically scheduling time in your diary (daily/weekly/monthly) for YOU and use the time to do whatever makes you happy and feeds your mind, body or soul! This could be anything from exercise, reading, social activities or family time. Be strict with this one, as ‘me time’ is usually the first priority to go!

What about entering a nail competition/award?

If you’ve always toyed with the idea of entering a nail competition/award, why not let 2020 be the year you go for it? The Scratch Stars Awards will be open for entry 1-28 February and offer great opportunity to push yourself outside of your comfort zone.  Five years ago, I entered the Scratch Stars Awards for the first time and even though I was relatively new to the industry and didn’t feel ready/confident, I went for it and won!

Here are my top reasons for entering:

• It gives you the chance to review the last year: It’s easy to get caught up in your day to day life and the application process forces you to look back and reflect. It’s surprisingly easy to forget about the great moments, from that wonderful seminar you attended, to the record breaking month!
• Helps you identify any areas that need improvement: The application process really makes you look at your personal development and business as a whole. You might notice a few gaps in your education, technical skills etc and this is the best opportunity to set yourself goals for 2020 to fill in the gaps! How can you exceed last year’s performance?
• Always be on your A-Game: If you plan to enter the awards, it’s another reason to make sure you’re always on your A-Game. From your social media, to your website and photos, make sure everything is looking great.. from today! When it comes to your nail treatments, make sure you’re providing a 5* service each time – think about all of the glowing customer testimonials!
• Get uncomfortable: If the idea of putting yourself forward and entering awards makes you feel awkward and uncomfortable, you’re on the right path! They say the magic happens outside of your comfort zone and entering the Scratch Stars Awards takes determination, overcoming insecurities and lack of confidence to write about yourself and your achievements. However, once you’ve pressed that submit button, you’ll realise it wasn’t so bad… and that you’re pretty amazing in your own right!
• Opportunity awaits: It goes without saying that if you don’t enter, you have no chance of winning, but to even get nominated can help raise your profile in the industry. Entering is a great way to raise your profile in the industry and you’ll also find that your clients love talking about their ‘famous’ nail tech who’s up for an award! Since winning my first Scratch Star, I’ve been invited to special events, I’ve been asked to contribute as a nail expert, I’ve been on the radar of top brands and most recently, I was invited to be part of CND’s 40th Anniversary Iconic campaign! From a business point of view, I’ve been able to charge a premium for my services as a multi award winning nail technician.

I’ll be heading to Scratch Magazine HQ on Monday 3 February to answer any questions about the Scratch Stars Awards in a special Facebook Live session so feel free to send me questions via Instagram or Facebook or just let me know about your goals for this year – I’d love to hear from you.

You’ve got this!

Mets x

www.nailsbymets.com