Rummaging through her acrylics and charms, sophomore Mikayla Tabada polishes the final coat of her latest nail set. The creative, beginner nail artist approaches the second anniversary of opening her business, nailsbykvyla, later this fall.
What began as a hobby quickly blossomed into a passion, and much of it was rooted in inspiration coming from TikTok.
“I saw people doing nails on TikTok,” Tabada said. “I just thought the process of it was interesting, so I took it as doing nails as a hobby at first, for fun.”
What started as a fun pastime activity quickly evolved into something more than what Tabada originally expected when starting the hobby.
Long before launching her own business, Tabada had harbored entrepreneurial ideals, creating, selling, and organizing with the goal to generate income.
“In elementary school, I was selling slime and all that stuff,” Tabada said. “So, I feel like you could tell I had determination from elementary school, and growing up with that mindset of making my own money, I was always kind of just dedicated to starting my own business.”
Unfortunately, the pathway to success was not easy for Tabada. It was filled with challenges and moments of uncertainty. In fact, self-doubt played a major role in starting the business.
“My biggest challenge was confidence and the amount of time it took to gain it,” Tabada said. “It was a problem because I always felt like I was not good enough to keep going with nails, or I felt like I did not have the skill.”
Slowly but surely, as Tabada’s skills improved, so did her supporters. In particular, her following on her social media page, “nailsbykvyla,” is nearing 800 followers thanks to family and friends promoting her work.
“I got to build my clientele, now I have a little bit more confidence,” Tabada said. “I know what I am capable of doing.”
Throughout Tabada’s nail journey, close friends and family have been supportive of her and her goals. Providing encouragement has helped her stay motivated and confident along the way.
“My experience with Mikayla felt so natural because she and I are really good friends,” Rhaine Dahill, a client of Tabada, said. “Even if we were not close, I can tell that she has had a lot of experience making conversations with her clients and making them feel welcome.”
Being a nail technician means Tabada is flexible with different designs, which ultimately means she is capable of bringing her clients’ ideas to life. Now, it can be challenging to find a nail technician who specializes in all nail types and designs, but Tabada makes it so that her clients are satisfied with their service.
“Her work is very professional and so impressive for a high school girl,” Dahill said. “Her designs range from simple to intricate, and she absolutely delivers every time. Genuinely can not see myself getting my nails done anywhere else.”
In addition to being open-minded to new things, having her own business means experiencing internal conflicts that future business owners may also endure. This can include not meeting personal expectations and being unable to keep self-composure.
“Definitely be patient with yourself. Just know that you start somewhere, you do not just naturally get it,” Tabada said. “You have to work for it, and as time goes on, it gets easier. Just remember to be patient with yourself and know that not everyone starts with a good clientele or knowing what to do, you learn as you go.”
For the time being, Tabada envisions her nail business to become more than what it is now, even becoming a licensed esthetician to do work outside of nails. Evidently, Tabada has a clear understanding of what she exactly wants to accomplish in the future.
“I want my business in like three to five years to be skyrocketing, people know about me,” Tabada said. “I want to be able to have my own suite. I want to be able to do other things besides nails, so I can do more in the beauty industry and become an esthetician.”
