Entrepreneur and sophomore Angie Samuels started her own nail business at her house around a year ago. “Last February, I went to a girl around my age, she did nails at her home as well… I got inspired by her and I was like oh I can do this myself,” Angie shared. After getting inspired, Angie took this passion and turned it into something bigger; something that could potentially even impact her future. “I got together everything, I watched a lot of YouTube videos, and I put it together. A year later, I am still doing it.”

“I get to work around my own schedule and be my own boss,” said Angie.

One thing that Angie strongly advocates for is for people to “support a black business,” she stated. In fact, she made it clear that “not all black businesses are as supported as others. Small businesses in general aren’t supported as much and they work the hardest,” she explained.

It takes a lot of practice to master the art of nails. “It took me about five to six months to get decent… I practiced on myself and my friends,” Angie explained. Even though she has messed up a few times while learning how to do nails, she used those mistakes as a learning experience. “I’ve gotten better, that’s for sure,” Angie stated. 

Angie’s tomboy nature may catch people by surprise. “I’m very tomboy, I used to do the press ons and things like that. Never really acrylics, but I’m definitely more into it now,” Angie highlighted when describing her personality. Despite this contrasting personality to that of a stereotypical nail artist, Angie’s dedication to her work is stronger than ever. “People should come to my business because of my quality, my communication skills, and my efforts make your nails look good,” Angie elaborated to emphasize her professionalism and commitment.   

Running a business is not without its challenges. “I’ve faced issues when communicating with people and no-shows, and just the business aspect,” Angie shared. Communication is a crucial part of running a business and can often lead to frustration. When it comes to scheduling clients, Angie has to consider the lives of both herself and her clients. “I mainly schedule on the days that work out for me, but I may have times that work out for my clients better so I’ll try to squeeze them in,” Angie expressed. 

Even though this business may interfere with her schedule from time to time, managing her own job can have its advantages when trying to avoid such inconveniences. “I get to work around my own schedule and be my own boss,” Angie clarified. This way, she is able to work around her life instead of interfering with it. “I like to space it out so [conflicting schedules] don’t happen,” Angie continued. The busy life of a high-school student is time-consuming enough, not even taking into consideration the extra work of managing your own business. Therefore, the flexibility of being her own boss makes things like being a student and an athlete much easier.

Angie can even see this business progressing into the future. She is considering making it a side job after high school. “I want to get my own suite, maybe a shop,” Angie explains. 

When looking at the numbers, you could say that her business is very profitable. “You can have good months and bad months so it just depends on how consistent your clients are coming to you,” Angie clarified. Furthermore, Angie has set certain policies in place to manage such incoming payments. “I do have a late fee and I do charge deposits prior to coming that go towards your service,” Angie shared. The prices may vary depending on the size of the nails as well as the design that you choose.

She mainly uses social media such as Instagram and Snapchat to spread the word. “Having people reposting to their story helps a lot as well,” Angie add. 

Feel free to check her Instagram out @nailedbyangiee.