Today we’d like to introduce you to Shanique Douglas.
Shanique, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Since I was in about the 2nd or 3rd grade I’ve always watched my mom keep her nails beautiful, she’s actually the person I get my inspiration from, she introduced me into getting my nails done at a young age and that was the start to me being able express myself creatively.
During high school is when I realized how much I loved and took pride in keeping my nails done. I always found myself trying to be different & not ride the current wave for whatever popular nail style that was trending at the time, so I would often spend a few hours at the nail shop. It was usually hard for me to figure out what I wanted my next unique design to be, but I was picky and whatever I had envisioned for my nails to look like I would make sure the nail techs chair I was sitting in could execute my idea 100%. I would piece different things together from several nail pictures that I had come across or I would come up with some off the wall design inside of my head, that’s when I started to realize how creative I could actually be funny thing is, it was only with my nails, I had no interest in anything else accept that.
It wasn’t until I had my second daughter this past summer when I really thought about pursuing a nail career. I was also thinking of what I wanted to pursue that wouldn’t keep me away from my family all hours of the day, I needed something that allowed me the privilege of a flexible schedule while doing what I loved. In the back of my mind I always knew I could do nails but I simply didn’t know where to start. I had asked a few people where I could buy supplies, but of course no one took me serious and I was basically ignored a lot of times, but I couldn’t let that discourage me. So one day, I went and bought a notebook and I started researching and following different nail supply companies, looking for a nail school, watching YouTube tutorials for hours educating myself on the best products, practices, the ins and outs of the nail industry.
I had made a list of the things I needed to get started with this new expedition. On a Sunday afternoon, I finally went to a well-known supply store here in Houston to look around and get familiar with products they offered. After gathering all the information and a list of items to get me started, I went and had lunch with my fiancée later on during the week and talked to him about me wanting to pursue a nail career, he was a bit hesitant but yet supportive at the same time. He is the one that actually bought me everything I needed to get started with pursuing my passion. Once I had the tools I needed in front of me, I put my little to no skills to the test and at that moment I knew I was going after what was meant for me. To invest in myself early on I took a one on one class with an amazingly talented young lady who is a self-taught nail tech back in my hometown of Dallas, TX. She’s the one who taught me how to improve my skills and shared her nail knowledge with me. Everything about this felt right, now I am perfecting my craft every single day and pushing myself to gain all the knowledge I can to hopefully be an inspiration and share any knowledge I gain to any upcoming nail techs in the future.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I’m only a beginner, I officially started pursuing my nail career this past September, so I have a very long road ahead of me… I mean, it’s only been a few months but so far it hasn’t been easy at all, but I didn’t expect for it to be. I honestly didn’t know doing nails were so tedious, I knew it took time but never realized how much work goes into completing a full set because I was so used to being the person sitting on the other side of the nail table if that makes sense?!
But with practice and patience that 4 hours has gone down to about 2 hours and 50 minutes for me to complete a full set for a client. My first sets are okay for a beginner but I know how serious I am about improvement and I know I’m going to have to push myself if I want to deliver quality work in a timely manner to ensure I keep my clients happy. Nothing worth having or pursuing comes easy, you have to stay positive, make sacrifices and work hard, especially when your building your brand from the bottom. You only have yourself to market your brand and get your name out there, that alone these days can be pretty tough.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Mossie Nails story. Tell us more about the business.
Mossie Nails is my nail company that I named after my grandmother, “Mossie” is actually her nickname. I knew I wanted to build a brand and that fierce name always stood out to me so much. I currently only specialize in acrylic nail full sets. I am becoming known for my ombré designs, it’s actually my favorite design to do. I’m most proud of how my company is supported by so many individuals back home in Dallas and here in Houston. I have a lot of people rooting for me to achieve my dream in the nail industry & I refuse to let any one of them down. I really want to help women feel confident, and believe it or not, the right nail set can make a women look and feel great. I believe what sets me apart is my ability to be transparent, I show my good work and my bad work, I’m not ashamed to share my mistakes and my accomplishments, I plan to keep it that way, you never know who is watching you and you may be inspiring someone to never give up, no matter what it is they are trying to achieve.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Luck hasn’t played a role in my life or my business, but faith & the power of prayer have definitely played major roles and it continues to each day. I’m blessed to be able to wake up and see my beautiful family, God grants me another day with the ability to continue to be creative and push my business, many people may not have that opportunity everyday. My motto, I tell myself to follow each day is Practice, patience & passion. Practice – on perfecting my craft to deliver the best service possible to each and every client. Patience – you have to take your time along this journey, embrace every single thing you learn and make mistakes on, mistakes help you grow. Passion- never allow anyone to get in the way of going after what you believe is right for you, always work hard to bring your vision to life, no one can ever take away what you build for yourself.
Contact Info:
- Address: 59 & beltway 8
- Email: mossienailco@gmail.com
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