Today we’d like to introduce you to Nalyne Pen.
Nalyne, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started the journey of becoming a nail tech just almost a year ago. At the beginning of 2019, I quit my job as a server to be a stay at home mom. My son and his father were my main priority. My everyday life consisted of waking up, cleaning, cooking, running errands, and the typical catering to their daily needs. Some people might look from the outside in and say I had it easy, but in reality, I felt like a maid. It’s easy to lose yourself while taking care of others. Picture this, a 20 year old living to serve her family at every hour of the day. She becomes isolated. Every day is the same routine. & you can forget about social life.
Sure, bills weren’t a problem for me, but is it weird that I wanted to pay bills? I wanted the mail under my name. I wanted the satisfaction of knowing I am capable of providing for my family. The satisfaction of knowing I can put in work too. Call me selfish, but I wanted to step out into the world and OWN it. I just knew I was worth so much more.
The decision to begin nail school came from an opportunity offered to me by one of my two friends at the time. She just wanted me to find purpose in life, so she “pointed me to the bag,” as you could say. She believed in me as much as I did and I’m forever thankful for her being the push I needed. Fast forward, I’m in nail school. Things are going great. I loved it. I love the technique, the detail, the time required to create that perfectly shaped nail. Most of all, I loved the creativity. I enjoyed watching these nail techs make their nail designs come to life! It truly felt amazing to know I was building something for me.
Now it’s the month of September and things at home weren’t going so well. I moved back in with my mom. It was still determined, although I began practicing on actual clients. I was determined to continue this journey. I’m going to admit. It was a bit harder raising my son in a crowded home and trying to focus on a career in a small apartment. But here is where it takes a turn. This was truly God watching over us. At the end of the month, my family gets evicted from the apartment with only a few weeks to find another home. The end of 2019 didn’t start to look so good, but by God’s will, he sent us to the perfect house. I knew it was fate when we found the home with an office space and turned it into my nail room!
Fast forward to now, I am close to getting my certification. My nail room looks great, I picked up my old server job, I met some new friends, and my son is AMAZING at understanding how hard I work for us. Purpose? I found it and I will continue to chase it until I get to where I want to be.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road. But if we’re realistic, it never is. When I describe my struggles, I want the readers to understand that even though it may seem small, my struggles were hard to overcome. As a young mother, the pressure to succeed is much more intense. It becomes a challenge when you realize that having a child makes it harder to reach your goals, but you love them so much that it’s not an option to fail. I didn’t just struggle with mom life. I struggled with losing myself while caring for others. I struggled with searching for that same person, but rather, concluded that I’d never been that person again.
The reason I feel so strongly about wanting to become my boss and be so independent is that I refuse to go back down that path where I doubted my worth. I regret allowing my son to see me so vulnerable because I never want him to feel like he can’t do the impossible. I also struggled with relationships. Because I was so lost, it was hard to build healthy relationships with friends, partners and coworkers. This is something I was able to work on while taking clients. It became a practice! Other than my soul searching struggles, my son and I moved homes a total of 3 times in the year 2019. If that doesn’t best describe how hard it was at home, I don’t know what will. It became my goal to get away from any energy that did not benefit us or moved us forward.
Please tell us about your business.
So I am an independent nail technician. I work from home. I don’t offer pedicures at the moment, but I provide a foot bath for clients to soak their feet during the service. I specialize in 3D structures on acrylics. I recreate characters or objects with acrylic powder. For example on Halloween, I was able to recreate the face of the horror movie character, Scream. I am most proud of my ability to create a comfortable environment for my clients. I offer hookah, alcohol, and wine during the service. For amenities, I also allow some clients to bring one child, being as I know how it might be difficult to find a sitter, and the child is free to play with my son in the next room. There is books, toys, and a ps4! There is an all glass door between the two rooms, so you can still watch your child while enjoying your service. House calls are also another option if you don’t feel like leaving your home. I can make you feel as bougie as Kylie Jenner!
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I want to win. I want to be on top and I want to take everyone with me. There’s a quote that I read that had always kept me going when I was in my lows. It goes, “When you’re at your lowest and you feel like you’ve hit the bottom of the hole, the only way to go is up.” And that’s what I did. and I want to keep going up. My most important quality is that I am all about empowerment. I want everyone to discover their true best selves because I know what it’s like to feel worthless. But when you discover that power that you have over yourself, you’ll realize that we are capable of anything we set our minds too. You’ll be unstoppable. So, we’re all going to win. No matter what. That’s the goal. And if that starts with me, I’m going to make sure my family wins too.
Pricing:
- All sets start at $30
- Manicures for all genders are $25 (includes 10 minute hand/arm/shoulder/neck massage)
- Feet soak is $5
- $15 deposit required (will be added towards the price of your set, but non-refundable)
- $15 soak offs
- $15 house calls within a 10 mile radius ($2 per extra mile)
Contact Info:
- Phone: 2147917364
- Email: nenepen@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_nalynails_/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/nalynene
Suggest a story: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
