As salon professionals, we are heading into the busiest stretch of the year. Holiday books are filling up, gift card season is here, and before we know it, January will be knocking on the door. This is the time of year I start thinking about what comes next. Not just next week, but next year.
In my last blog, I talked about how the highs are never separate from the low points. I said that a low point can feel a lot like tuition. You are paying for the lesson either way, so you might as well collect the education that comes with it. I also shared three questions to ask yourself after a hard week. The third one was, “Who can help me get better at this?”
This blog is about answering that question.
What Nail Techs Are Asking For
When I talk with technicians at the counter, on the phone, and at shows, I hear the same thing over and over. They are not asking for more classes. They are asking for classes that pay them back. Education that shows up in their book, in their prices, in their confidence, and in their client’s results.
That is a fair thing to ask for. A class costs money. It costs a day or more out of the chair. Sometimes it costs travel and a hotel. If you are going to make that investment, it should come back to you.
However, the class alone does not decide whether it pays you back. You do, by how you choose it.
Start With Your Goals, Not the Class Calendar
Most of us choose classes backwards. We see a flyer, a friend is going, or something is all over social media, so we sign up. Then we wonder why nothing really changed when we got back to the table.
Before you look at a single class, sit down and write out where you want to be by the end of next year. Be specific. Here are a few places to start:
- You want to raise your prices without losing your regulars.
- You want to add a new service to your menu.
- You want to fill the slow days that hit every January and February.
- You want to confidently serve the clients you currently turn away, like diabetic clients or clients going through cancer treatment.
- You want to work fewer hours and earn the same, or more.
Once you know the goal, the right class gets a lot easier to see. A goal gives your education a job to do.
Hoping next year will be better is not a plan. Hope is not a protocol.
Let Your Low Points Point the Way
Go back to the low points from this past year. The set that lifted. The foot you looked at and did not know what you were seeing. The client you sent away because you were not sure it was safe to work on her. The service you lost money on because it took twice as long as it should have.
Those moments already told you what to learn next. You do not have to guess. Your hardest days this year are the best guide you have for choosing your education for next year.
How to Choose the Right Class
Not every class is worth your day out of the chair. Before you register, run it through these checks:
- It solves a real problem you have right now. Not a problem you might have someday. One that shows up in your chair this month.
- It teaches the why, not just the how. Technique is easy to find. Judgment is not. A class that teaches you how to assess, when to adjust, and when to refer out will serve you for years. A class that only shows you one way to do one thing will run out fast.
- You can use it within a week. If you cannot put it to work the following Monday, it will likely end up in a drawer with your certificate.
- It fits the clients you actually have. Look at who sits in your chair. If most of your book is over 55, foot care education will serve you better than the newest art trend.
- You can do the payback math. This is where education starts to pay you back.
Example; a class costs $300. What you learn lets you add a $15 upgrade to your pedicure service. If 10 clients a week say yes, that is $150 a week. The class paid for itself in two weeks. Everything after that is profit, and the skill stays with you for the rest of your career.
Run that math before you register. If you cannot see how a class will come back to you, keep looking.
However, not every class pays you back through a new service on your menu. Some of the most valuable education you will ever take does not teach a new technique at all. It teaches knowledge. How to assess what you are looking at, what questions to ask during intake, which products are safe (and not) for the client in front of you, and when to refer out. You may not be able to add a single upgrade the day you get home. That knowledge still shows up. It shows up when a client sits down with a health condition and you know exactly what to ask instead of hoping for the best. It shows up when a nurse, a doctor’s office, or a client’s daughter starts sending people your way because they heard you understand. Clients who feel safe with you stay, and they talk. That kind of education pays you back in trust, in referrals, and in a book full of clients who choose you because you know what other technicians do not.
How to Choose Who You Learn From
Who teaches the class matters just as much as what is on the outline. Here is what I look for:
- They are still doing the work. An educator who is still keeping themselves educated not necessarily still behind the table or in the pedicure room. Just because they are doesn’t mean they themselves are staying informed and educated.
- They have real training in what they teach. Ask where they learned it. Specialized areas like oncology care, diabetic feet, and nail restoration should come with specialized training behind them.
- They teach outcomes, not just products. Some classes are a sales pitch with a certificate at the end. I sell products, and I believe in them. However, the product should come after the education, not replace it. When you understand the why, you can choose your products with confidence.
- They answer questions after class. The best educators do not disappear when the class ends. Ask if you can call or email with questions once you start using what you learned.
- They are honest about limits. A good educator will tell you what falls outside your scope and when to refer out. That honesty protects you and your client.
- Other techs can tell you what changed. Ask someone who took the class. Not “Did you like it?” Ask “What did you do differently afterward?”
Education Is How You Grow
Every high I have had in this business came after I learned something. When I took my oncology pedicure training in 2019, I thought I was learning how to care for one group of clients. It ended up changing how I did my consultations and how I teach, how I read product labels, and how I look at every foot that is sent my way for observation.
That is what education that pays you back looks like. It does not just add one service. It raises the level of everything you already do.
Growth does not happen by accident. The technicians I have watched build long, successful careers all have one thing in common. They kept learning, especially after the hard seasons. They let the low points send them toward education instead of away from it.
Plan Your Year Before January Plans It For You
You do not need a big plan. You need a simple one you will actually follow.
- Pick one or two goals for next year.
- Choose one class that directly serves each goal.
- Vet the educator using the checklist above.
- Put the class on your calendar now, before the holiday rush takes over.
- Budget for it the same way you budget for your product orders.
- Use what you learn within the first week, and keep track of what it brings back to you.
The time to plan your education is not January 2nd. It is now, while you still have a few minutes to think.
If you are ready to choose education that pays you back, come see us at Centre for Beauty. Ask about our in-house classes, including our Oncology Pedicure Care class. Bring your goals and your questions. Let us help you choose the education and the products that support confident, professional foot care services in the new year and for the long haul.
CJ Murray, President
Outcome based education which drives product selections & confident use!
