Junior Alysia Otero has been running a small nail business for nearly a year. She recently created an instagram account to advertise her business.
“I’ve been doing my nails since my aunt started doing my nails when I was super young,” Otero said. “Whenever I started wanting to do acrylics, I could never find anybody that did them the way that I liked, so then I just started to do them on my own.”
When Otero started learning how to do acrylic nails, her grandma became a large factor in the inspiration to start her business.
“When my grandma saw how much I was improving, she gave me the courage to start doing other people’s nails and create my small business,” Otero said. “It was really scary at first, but the more encouragement I got from other people and the more I practiced and gained my confidence, the more fun I had.”
After Otero had been doing other people’s nails for several months, she realized that she would need to reach more people in order to grow her business.
“When I first started doing other people’s nails, I needed to find a way to put myself out there and show people what I did,” Otero said. “I thought that through an Instagram account was the easiest way to. I started it a couple months ago.”
The number of clients Otero has weekly has grown since she started sharing acrylic sets she’s done on instagram.
“I’d say on a weekly basis I have two or three clients,” Otero said.
Otero communicates with her clients and schedules appointments through Instagram DM’s, or by talking to them in person at school. Otero allows her clients to choose whatever they want done, whether it’s something she’s had experience doing in the past or something completely new to her.
“I do acrylic nails,” Otero said. “Really any shape, design, size, anything. I have inspo for them, but really it’s just whatever they want,” Otero said. “I definitely have [done new, challenging sets],” Otero said. “I’ve done that a lot to be honest, which is why I like to ask them a week or so ahead so then if it’s something I haven’t done, I have the entire week to practice.”
After years of having experience with doing nails, and nearly a year as a beginner nail tech, Otero sees a future in cosmetology.
“One hundred percent,” Otero said. “I have always wanted to do cosmetology. I just want to do all of it, but nails are definitely a part of it.”
