Today we’d like to introduce you to Sibley Varghese.
Hi Sibley, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
In 2018 I received news that turned my world upside down-I was diagnosed with breast cancer. For once in my life I did not know what I was going to do, I had no plan as when I was diagnosed it had spread and I was considered metastatic. I battled it and once I showed no evidence of disease on my scans, I decided I was going to go back to work. Before I became a stay at home mom, I worked as a nurse and wanted to go back to nursing. Due to my immune system being compromised and the meds I have to take, the idea of going back to nursing was not something I wanted to do. I remember back when I was getting ready to start chemo, the pharmacy team came in to talk to me about the “dos and don’ts” of chemo. One of recommendations they had was not to go to nail salons. I thought that was strange so I asked why. They said that the number of patients coming back with infections was to high. People with normal immune systems can ward off common infections but people with immune comprised such as chemo patients-it’s a little more complicated and the chances are higher to get an infection. So the recommendation was not to go to nail salons until treatment was over or bring your own stuff. That always stuck out to me and I became more aware of nail salons specifically how they cleanse, sanatize and sterilize. I went to nail tech school to get my nail tech license. I thought I would work at a nail salon, but I quickly found out-not all nail salons disinfect, sanitize and sterilize at a hospital grade level. My husband encouraged me to open my own nail salon and after 2 years of researching brands and products, I finally opened my own nail salon! We are a full service nail salon located in Argyle TX. We offer brands headquartered in the United States. Our pedicure products are diabetic friendly. We also have a state of the art ventilation system beyond what the state of Texas requires. We also follow strict guidelines for disinfection, sanitization and sterilization,
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not a smooth road at all. Some of the struggles are hiring great techs. We have a small team that is talented and speculator but we have more clients than techs -which is a good thing-but it’s hard to meet demand!
Getting a SBA loan/insurance was another struggle. Not many banks were willing to work with me but we did find one eventually. Managing work life balance is still a huge struggle! I feel like there are not enough hours in the day!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We are a nail salon that is committed to quality, nail health and integrity. We follow strict sanitation and sterilization protocols. We also use high quality and proper techniques so damage to client’s nail are very minimum if not zero.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I think the biggest risk I have taken so far is cancer treatment. To do chemo or not, to have treatment done at this hospital or that. To go with a holistic approach or not? Decisions that can’t be undone once made that quickly or easily. For me, I write down the risk and the “what ifs” or consequences. It helps me visualize my choices. Prayer is also very important to me. Before any important decision, I pray for guidance. I have faith that I am making the right choice.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Prestigenailsalonofargyle.com
- Instagram: Prestigenailstudioargyle
- Facebook: Prestige Nail Studio Argyle
Image Credits
Ashley Jordan Photography
