Today we’d like to introduce you to Twee Truong.
Twee, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started doing nails as a part time job while I was going to college; it was ideal because it had flexible hours. I worked at so many different salons who would just hire anyone so that they could have a multitude of employees and realized what a void we were missing as far as great service with great nails. I was tired of working for salons who just cared about the dollar and let clients walk all over their employees as a result. We are human and deserve to be treated as such no matter what services we are offering and our bosses should respect that regardless of how much money their clients are paying. I also did not love that the salons were so cheap with nail products. There are numerous companies out there that make fantastic nails products, yet for maximum profit, these salons kept buying generic, bulk products not realizing using great products help make our jobs easier as well.
I wanted change. I wanted to find a place to work that cared about clients and employees. A place that cared about products used and didn’t scrimp to save a buck or two. Not finding that type of work environment anywhere, I sought out to become my own boss. Also, I love to get my nails done and always leave salons unhappy because my polish is sloppy or my nails would be not the shape I asked for. I knew there was a need for something different. So, three years ago, my fiance and I made the change; we became our own bosses.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No, it hasn’t been smooth. Finding great nail techs is a major struggle. Finding great nail techs who care is even harder. We are always hiring and we don’t always get ideal applicants. I’d say this is our toughest battle; finding enough staff to handle our demand.
It is also hard because consumers don’t know the difference or don’t care enough to learn about the standards and regulations in Florida. They’ll come in and ask us to do something we refuse to do because it’s banned in the state of Florida and then get mad at us stating the other salon they go to, does it for them. Just because it’s being done somewhere else, doesn’t mean it’s right (or legal).
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Nail Express Boca – what should we know?
Salons are a dime and dozen in South Florida and because the regulations in Florida for nails aren’t the toughest, there’s a horde of not so great nail techs. My fiance and I wanted to set a new standard. Our salon does not hire nail technicians on the spot, we go through a hands on interview where the interviewee has to do someone’s nails as a part of the hiring process. I’d say for every 20-30 people we interview, we end up hiring one from the bunch. At times, it’s disheartening, but we find ways to make it work. We know there are great nail techs out there, it’s just a matter of being patient and finding them. A needle in a haystack challenge. English is also a requirement, every member of our staff speaks and understands full English so there is no room for misunderstandings or miscommunication.
We also love the training process and teaching our employees new techniques and innovations. We attend all the nail shows and we are always evolving with the times. We carry the latest and the greatest and we do a lot of market research to find what works and what doesn’t.
We are a smaller, homey salon. We are not a “meat market” for nails. You will often times not be able to get a same day appointment with us and most likely, won’t be able to walk in whenever you feel like it. We lose clients daily because of it, but what most people don’t realize is we aren’t readily available because we take pride in our work and we value the end results. Quality over quantity. Those that have had our services do wait or make their appointments in advance because they know the wait is worth it. We care about the people that come through our doors. We know our clients by name. Our clients know each other and have become friends meeting through our salon. They’re like family to us. And because of that, we are often invited to clients weddings, birthdays, bar/bat mitzvahs, etc. Our clients will attest to the fact that we care and we go out of our way for them because we care.
We are the go to salon for fixes from other salons around the area. People walk around satisfied with their nails because they don’t know better. They don’t realize they’ve been getting bad nail services until they’ve had great nail services. It’s all they know because the nail standards in Florida are sub-par. People in the nail industry come to our salon to get their own nails done for weddings and special events. Celebrities come to us or have us go to them to get their nails done. People come to us for our nail art as well. We can do anything. Bring a screenshot and we can imitate it or we can customize a design for you. We love our jobs and we only hire people who have the same passion for nails. We respect our craft and we do all that we can to harness it.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My fiance. He’s an integral part to the success of our business. He puts in the hours and deals with the logistics.
Our clients deserve major credit. They’re patient, flexible, supportive and very loyal. Without them, we would not be where we are today. They’ve experienced our growing pains with us and have stuck by us. They allow us to experiment and are open to new ideas and trends; they roll with the punches. We love our clients.
Salons around town also have made us a huge success. By hiring unskilled technicians to keep their seats full and not caring enough about the work that leaves their establishments, we end up with those clients who need their nails fixed. Those clients then become our loyal clients and because they know what it’s like to get bad service elsewhere, we rarely ever lose them after.
Contact Info:
- Address: 861 nW 51st Street Suite 6
Boca Raton, FL 33431 - Phone: 561-999-9619
- Email: nailexpressboca@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/nailexpressboca
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/nailexpressboca/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/nail-express-boca-boca-raton
Image Credit:
Oli Truo
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