Nails Magazine

JAN 2018

Magazine for the professional nail industry.

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76 | NAILS MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2018 THE SCOOP: As children, sisters Lauren Hunter and Manda Mason worked as checkout clerks and stocked the backroom of their dad's grocery store, instilling in them both a strong work ethic and the desire to own a family business themselves. Out of college, they stopped working for dad; Mason started to work in finance and Hunter in recruitment, but their entrepreneurial desires lingered. "We didn't know what we were going to do, but one day, I woke up and told my husband I felt called to go to cosmetology school," says Mason. Immediately, their direction was clear: Hunter was onboard with the beauty business idea and they ditched their corporate professions to fully invest themselves into The W Nail Bar in Columbus, Ohio, which opened in April 2015. "Maybe it's weird," Hunter says, "when you compare our previous occupations to now being salon owners, but we've gotten our nails done once a week since we were 16 years old and we saw a need for a healthy salon in the Columbus market." The all-natural nail salon focuses as much on customer service as it does on quality technical skills, even offering new team members an apprentice program that encompasses more than just technical training. "We've troubleshooted what doesn't work to solidify these new techs' skillsets on how to act when something goes wrong or when it's really busy," Hunter says. "We want them to know how to successfully operate and socialize, and I don't think any other local place offers that type of training." Supporting one another is at the core of their values. The team holds group huddles at the beginning of each day to elevate the mood, and Mason emphasizes her drive to lead by salon profile The W Nail Bar: A Sisterly Salon for a Diverse Community The drive to own a family business runs deep in sisters Lauren Hunter and Manda Mason, who left careers in recruitment and finance to pursue their dream of opening an all-natural nail salon in Columbus, Ohio, sparked by an overnight epiphany. BY NANCY KIRK Hunter and Mason grew up working in their dad's grocery store, and always knew they wanted to own a family business. >>> BUSINESS } example. The sisters always make it a point to check in with employees one-on-one, even after the opening of two new nail bars in the Columbus area. "There's nothing we'd ask someone to do that we haven't done ourselves: We clean the floors, we've been the janitors, and answered the phones — for the first year, that's how we came up." QUICK LOOK Salon name: The W Nail Bar Location: Columbus, Ohio Owners: Lauren Hunter and Manda Mason Square Footage: 1,600 sq. ft. Opened: April 2015 Number of Nail Techs/Employees: 34 Specialties: All-natural services using homemade organic products including bath bombs, scrubs, lotions, cuticle oil, candles, room sprays, and perfume that are retailed on their website. Compensation Structure: Percentage plus tips Website: www.thewnailbar.com

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