We’re looking forward to introducing you to Catie Buda. Check out our conversation below.
Catie , we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: Have you ever been glad you didn’t act fast?
There are many times in life where people or situations may push your limits or attempt to provoke a response. I always try to act in a rational way when it comes to dealing with difficult choices or obstacles that are presented to me. A lot of times our emotions may try to weigh out thinking and acting clearly. I’ve had times in business just as a provider, where a client wanted to provoke a response or bait me into saying something. Professionally as a salon owner and employer, I’ve had prior employees do or say things that would cause an internal stir but I’ve never spoken or acted on things right away. I like to process my thoughts and the situation to think rationally and clearly and then approach and handle it when my heart and mind are calm.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi! I’m Catie and I’m the founder of Buda Beauty. I’ve been a nail professional for the last 14 years and spent the last 5 years proudly running my own brick-and-mortar salon in the heart of East Boca Raton, in sunny South Florida. Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of working with, and mentoring a range of talented artists, from brand new nail techs to seasoned professionals. Nail art is my passion, and I believe in using only the best products for my clients. At Buda Beauty, we specialize in high-end Japanese, and Korean gel products, offering both quality and creativity in each and every service. My mission has always been to create a welcoming, and inviting salon space where clients can have their nail art dreams come true, achieve optimal nail health, and leave feeling more confident than when they walked in.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who taught you the most about work?
One of the most prevalent people that comes to mind when I think about work ethic is my father. Although I don’t remember conversations with him directly about working, the ethics of it, why it’s important, and so on, I followed by example. I had a family full of hard workers that were very successful which is most likely what inspired me and how I developed my drive to work. Since I was at an age that I was able to understand the concept of working and making money, I was always eager to start work.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
There was indeed a time recently where I felt like giving up. It was during a time period where I was facing many obstacles and some loss in my personal life, as well as hardships in my professional life. I’ve been in my career for about 14 years now and there have been certain times throughout it where I’ve felt uninspired and felt like I hit a plateau. This was also one of those times where those factors contributed to when I felt like giving up but it was a compound effect. Running a business will always have its ebbs and flows which I am always aware of, so I understood it was a time in business where it was ebbing. At the time it felt like hit, after hit and I couldn’t catch a break. And I started to question if I even wanted to see through it, see the light at the end of the dark and long tunnel I happened to be in. But in my core and how I am built, I couldn’t let myself give up. There have been times in my life where many people would’ve folded. I won’t let myself. I’ve persevered once, twice, multiple times, and I was going to do just that once again. And with due time and more hard work and effort I saw hard times through once again. At the end of the day, and through times like these is what I believe makes myself a good business owner and a much more strong person.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
Honestly, there are tons of intellectual people and well educated people in the world today, but people are really lacking common sense. I’ve seen, heard, read articles, videos, and have conversations with people and every day I say to myself, where has the basic knowledge, the common sense gone? Is it all the social media and mindless scrolling that is rotting our minds? Or is there some other unfortunate factor out there that makes critical thinking become obsolete? I do believe that people don’t think for themselves anymore. There are too many sources and channels that are out there just telling people things and they believe it as face value instead of people actually taking the time to do their own research and find out themselves.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. If you retired tomorrow, what would your customers miss most?
If I retired tomorrow, I think there would be an angry mob outside of my house and salon. Lol. On a serious note, if I retired tomorrow, my clients would not only miss my skills the most, such as getting incredible and detail oriented nails at every appointment. But they would miss our individual and personable conversations and experiences together. It’s not just about getting your nails done, but sitting in my chair allows clients to open up about their lives whether its during good times or bad, and sharing laughs, gossip, all the updates in our lives.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @nailsbycatie_ @budabeautyboca
Image Credits
All work shown is handprinted and done by me
