Are You Too Big For Your Britches?

That was something my Mother used to say when we were growing up. If one of us started acting a little above our raising, a little entitled, a little too sure of ourselves, she would look at us and say, “Are you getting too big for your britches?” It always landed. And it has stayed with me all these years, because it applies to so much more than a kid who forgot their manners.

It applies to us as nail technicians too. More than we like to admit.

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Remember Where You Started

Think back to your first year behind the table. You took the client who only wanted a fill and never a full set. You took the one who rescheduled three times. You took the late arrival, the client who didn’t tip, the one who talked through the whole appointment, the one who questioned your price. You took them because you needed them. Every single one of them helped you build the book you have today.

You were grateful then. You said yes then. You made it work then.

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However, somewhere along the way, as our skills grew and our schedules filled and our reputation took hold, something quietly shifted. We began to feel entitled to our clients rather than grateful for them. We started keeping a list of expectations they have to meet before we will give them our best.

The Complaints We Did Not Used To Make

We hear and we read it in the groups online. The client who books too close to closing. The one who wants a particular color we do not love working with. The one who only comes every six weeks instead of every three. The one who does not tip the way we think they should.  The one who reschedules at the last minute or cancelled without notice.

Here is the honest part. Most of those are the very things we put up with without a second thought when we were starting out. We did not complain about the six-week client back then. We were thrilled she came back at all.

That is the thing about getting too big for your britches. The complaints are not really about the client. They are about us forgetting the version of ourselves who needed that exact client to survive.

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Growth Is Good. Entitlement Is Not.

I want to be clear, because this is not about staying small or undervaluing your work. You should absolutely grow. You should raise your prices as your skill rises. You should set policies that protect your time and your body. Boundaries are healthy and professional, and a seasoned technician has earned the right to run a tighter ship.

There is a real difference, though, between a boundary and an attitude. A boundary protects your business. An attitude slowly drains the gratitude out of it. One says, “This is how I work so I can serve you well.” The other says, “You are lucky to have me.”

Your clients can feel the difference. They felt the gratitude when you were new, and they can feel its absence now.

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A Simple Gut Check

The next time you catch yourself complaining about a client, try asking one question. Would I have complained about this in my first year?

If the answer is no, that is worth sitting with. It does not mean you have to go back to saying yes to everything. It means the complaint says more about how far you have drifted from your starting point than it does about the client in your chair.

The technicians who keep their books full for decades are not the most talented ones in the room. They are the ones who never got too big for their britches. They grew their skill without losing their gratitude. They raised their prices without raising their nose. They remembered, every single day, that the client is choosing them.

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My Mother was right, as she usually was. Stay grateful. Stay grounded. Keep your britches the right size, and your book will take care of itself.

If you are working on building the kind of practice that lasts, never forget where you came from, where you started and who is sitting in your chair right now that you are not happy with who may have been with you since day one.  Accepting maybe not so perfect nails until you mastered your trade.

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I will be the first to admit…..sitting behind the chair today may be a lot different than it was when I was behind the chair.  However, what isn’t different is human kindness, appreciation and gratitude.  Maybe it’s time you take a deep breath and think about how big you think those britches are compared to what they really should be.

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