Tech Talk: Scratch goes down under to visit Lynda Sanchez of Manicandie, Sydney, Australia
By Alex Fox | 01 June 2021 | Feature, Tech Talk
“My home-based salon has moved with me into four different family homes until my husband and I found our forever home in 2017. I’ve since moved into two different rooms in the house but have finally found my fit!” enthuses Lynda Sanchez.
Lynda Sanchez, Sydney, Australia
A mix of pastel and gold shades exuding cute kawaii vibes in a room filled with crystals, Lynda tells Scratch, “I’m trying to create a fun, comfortable environment where everyone will feel welcome. There’s always something that will catch a client’s eye and we then have something to talk about to break the ice. I love being different. I have a Gashapon machine for mystery sets, a table filled with stickers and a crazy amount of colours and nail art products.”
Citing that in her locality there’s a lack of local nail artists to can create diverse nail art, Lynda proudly notes, “I’m very versatile with my designs and since I don’t have many other nail artists within my immediate area, I’m really lucky. There are quite a few in Sydney in general, but Sydney is huge, so it’s not a big deal.”
A vibrant nail professional of 10 years, Lynda loves being a nail pro, not just for the creativity it affords, but also for the clients. “I love to chat to my clients and I especially love it when I can get super creative making fun nail designs! I love all quirky and creative people!”
Inviting Lynda to share her thoughts on the secret to running a successful nail business, she cites, “Working your ass off and staying humble! I also believe in setting small, realistic goals to build the business up and being present on social media always helps!”
Taking a dive into nails when providing manicures to her mum at the age of 12 for pocket money, Lynda recalls, “My mum owns a butcher’s shop and her hands were constantly in water and her cuticles were always overgrown. I would give fortnightly manicures to maintain her nails. I also manicured my grandmothers, aunties and sister during special events.
“I studied at TAFE NSW Granville obtaining my certificate in Nail Technology. I moved up and into an educator role for a couple of nail brands and have over the years learned and honed my skills with many nail artists from around the world.
Interior Salon Styling
With a love of Japanese and Korean cultures due to their focus on ‘cute’ styling and light colours, Lynda has incorporated these pale colour palettes into her salon interior, while keeping it modern. “I personally like to purchase white furniture, then get out the paint and decorate to suit my style. Creating a quirky and fun atmosphere, the salon furniture on Lynda’s home salon was sourced from Ikea.
Treatments & Business
Your most popular treatment: Nail Art on gel extensions
Nail brands you use in the salon: Gellyfit, Get Buffed Pro, Apres and The Gel Bottle. I love highly pigmented products and Gellyfit really hits the nail in that department as I’m constantly doing line work and art designs, so I prefer doing it all in one coat.
Beauty brands you use: I also offer lash extensions with the BStyles Lashed products
Incentives you offer clients: I operate a card punch system; after 10 star punches, the client receives 50% off their next appointment.
Your most luxurious nail, hand or foot treatment: I offer warm mitts/ a massage / special creams etc for my luxury treatments. All of my services receive a full manicure, a delicious massage with yummy scented moisturisers and yummy cuticle oil scents too.
The percentage of your business that’s nails? 95% is nails as I’ve just started rolling out lash extensions @thelashmums with my sister, Marley.
Passionate about nails because…I love nail art and I hate boring (in general)! Being able to paint and personalise nail art to suit anyone’s personality and style is my passion.
Most in demand nail service: Nail art definitely!
Admire most in the industry: @getbuffednails @dymenails @home_of_deva @thehotblend
How did you navigate the pandemic? Horribly! I’d taken the plunge to open a salon outside of my home in October 2019 – and then from December 2019 to January 2020, business was quiet due to the pandemic. I was behind on rent from the beginning and after throwing all of my savings into renovating a salon, in April 2020, I’d decided to shut the doors and move back home permanently, as the pandemic was too unstable to keep a new business afloat. It was a devastating time as it was one of my happiest moments finally having a shopfront of my own. I lost a lot of clientele during the moves and am only now getting back to a normal flow.
Lockdown life for you: My nails were always bare (because my stuff was all boxed up), but in the downtime from nails, I was working on fixing my website, my business image and slowly collecting things for my new home salon. I also worked on my own line of cuticle oils, which will be released very soon.
Lessons learned & how your business has changed in response: I’ve learnt that clients come and go, and new clients will always find you when it’s the right time. I have learnt to go with the flow, as this pandemic can change everything overnight.
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