Tell us a bit about yourself and your journey in the beauty industry.

My name is Katie I am the owner of official nails uk, I am a fully qualified private nail technician and I specialise in all things gel & acrylic. My journey in the beauty industry started during Covid, I decided to take the leap and bought a kit from Amazon and practiced until I felt I could take clients. I then found a course to make sure I was qualified so I could get insured and start taking clients. Joining the beauty industry has been amazing, scary and overall the most rewarding experience you could have ever imagined!

What inspired you to become a self-employed beauty professional?

I’ve had many jobs since I was 16 and nothing really felt like me! From desk work to DJing to working in a nursery. When I decided I was going to throw myself in the deep end and build my own business and become self employed with no prior experience, it was the most terrifying feeling ever but Official Nails UK has been going for 5 years now and it’s thriving.

What services do you specialise in, and what do you love most about the treatment?

I specialise in all things gel and acrylic, I was originally just an acrylic based nail technician but as my journey continued I invested more and more time and money into not only myself but my business. There is a huge stigma around GelX techs and acrylic techs as to which one is the true nail tech but all forms of nails treatments makes you a nail technician. I love doing all of the treatments I offer as they change up my day and I get to see a range of clients.

What has been your biggest challenge as a self-employed professional, and how did you overcome it?

The biggest thing I had to overcome as a self-employed professional is learning to be confident in my work and to not get nervous posting or meeting new clients. The way I stopped being so insecure in my work is as long as my clients loves it my job is done and when it comes to meeting new clients I take the nervous feeling as excitement and that seems to help.

How do you balance work and personal life, especially as a self-employed professional?

Personal life? Only joking! I schedule days off when i feel like I’m starting to burn out and whenever i have events i need to attend. I also switch off my business account & number after a certain time to remember I need time apart from my business so it doesn’t consume me. This is how I manage to stay fresh and current without becoming bored, tired and not wanting to work anymore.

What advice would you give to someone just starting out in the beauty industry?

POST EVERYTHING!!! I wish someone told me that when I first started, don’t worry about what people are going to think use your socials as a way to show people yourself! Your true identity as that will help clients feel like they know you before they’ve met you so your clients can decide if your their vibe!

What do you enjoy most about being part of the Solo community?

Solo has played a MASSIVE role in my life from helping me build a website to connecting me with other beauty professionals. Solo is not only a booking system it’s a family, we help each-other in all hours.

What is your favourite Solo feature when it comes to building your business?

My favourite Solo feature has to be the Client referrals, as when building up your clientele word-of-mouth is the biggest and quickest way to build your clientele up. With the Client referral feature, it’s all done through the app. All my clients have their own code which they give out to whoever they please which gives the new Client 15% off and once their appointment is finished it gives the existing Client 10% off. I would also have to say the loyalty card is also a fave just as my clients can’t lose the card. It is all done through the system and in their emails.