Tech Talk: From nail salon to home studio with Holly Phillips
By Zoe Wickens | 25 March 2020 | Feature, Tech Talk
Scratch catches up with nail tech, Holly Phillips, to learn more about her industry journey…
Holly Phillips
Holly Phillips works as a self-employed nail tech from a studio in her home in Cambridgeshire.
“After qualifying as a beauty therapist 12 years ago, I got a job as a full-time nail tech,” she explains. “I didn’t know if this was the path I wanted to follow, but after lots of training and practice it was very clear that I had found my passion within the industry. My enthusiasm, drive and determination grew stronger and I knew I had to follow my dream of being self-employed.”
This led to Holly setting up her own salon in her local village, where she offered nail services and lash extensions. “With a lovely team working alongside me and the support of my husband and family, we started offering more treatments and the business grew into a very successful, busy little salon,” she says. “Two years later, I fell pregnant. I had every intention of going back to work but after having my daughter, I knew I wouldn’t be able to give the salon the time it needed, so I made the difficult decision to sell the business.
“Once my second child turned two and my daughter went to school, I decided to go back to work but wanted to work around the children, which led me to where I am today. We brought our dream house and created a beautiful studio space in which I could work from.”
One of Holly’s leopard print designs
Holly is always happy to give any design a go and enjoys coming up with exciting ideas. “One of my favourite designs and something that always proves popular is leopard print. As there are so many different options, it’s great that we always manage to come up with a new design.”
Her goals for 2020 are to get better at sharing her designs and being more present on social media. “I have some extra training coming up to improve my skills. I’m making a few little changes to the studio, including a re-brand of my logo and I hope to continue to expand my knowledge within the industry.
“Last year I made the decision to change to The Gel Bottle Inc products and it has been a game changer for my business. I have now grown my colour collection to over 100 and my clients seem to love it as much as I do. The Gel Bottle Inc ambassadors are a huge inspiration and are always there to answer any questions I may have. Their support as a brand has been exceptional.”
Holly’s biggest career highlight has been during the past year. “After having four years off, I really thought it would take years to grow a small business again but it’s only taken months. I now have a full client base, which I am excited to be able to grow again once my little boy starts school.”
Check out more of Holly’s work here.
