you don’t need this to hit 6 figures


“When are you going to buy a house to deduct? When are you going to have kids to claim?”

My stomach clenched in rebellion.

“Not in time to help with this year’s taxes,” I told the accountant.

It was my first time filing taxes as a booth renter. I didn’t know I was supposed to keep track of my expenses throughout the year.

So now I was sitting across from a Khmer church auntie who could win an RBF staring contest with Miranda Priestly as she impatiently brainstormed business expenses.

The worst part: she seemed annoyed that I didn’t know any of this as a new + completely accidental business owner.

Auntie Accountant knew her stuff + she was BUSY with a full book of clients, even if spending 3 hours with 24-year-old me might indicate otherwise.

But if she’d had a system, she wouldn’t have had to babysit a naive business owner baby as I scribbled + added transactions by hand on scratch paper.

And as the client, I would’ve felt way more relaxed + confident if I knew what to expect.

Even a simple client onboarding system would’ve done the trick:

  • A welcome letter telling me what to expect working together
  • A form I could fill out for basic information + common business expenses
  • A list of what to bring to our appointment

As an indie nail tech, systems save you time + frustration when working with clients, but they also help you:

✅ fill your books with new clients who are delighted to pay whatever you ask

✅ educate clients before they come in so they know how to act with you

✅ create an unforgettable experience so that clients keep coming back + tell all their friends about you

✅ innovate your services smartly

✅ stay ahead of challenges like economic downturns, new salons opening across the street from you + the dreaded client bleed out

You don’t need systems to hit your first 6-figure (or $200k+) year.

But you probably want them if you don’t want to burn out as you grow + want to keep more of what you make.

Tell me Reader! What systems do you have in your business that support your business growth?

oxv,
Mary 💅

p.s. Is there some part of your business feels like it needs some help? There’s probably a system that will help fix it!

Here's an IG reel I made sharing some of mine.

Nailfriends for Indie Nail Professionals

Weekly emails, stories + non-cookie cutter tips to help helping indie beauty pros build healthy businesses financially, mentally, physically. If you've ever wondered if you're charging enough for your area or wanted to scale your service biz, you're in the right place! 🙌 Mary (she/her) is a nail professional and marketing nerd who believes that, as co-creators of beauty that moves in the world, we deserve to be well compensated for our creations and we get to decide what that means.

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