Today we’d like to introduce you to Michaela Malotte.
Michaela, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I stumbled into doing nails right before the pandemic in 2020. I had a friend that I went to cosmetology school with who did nails and I always saw her work on instagram and it looked like so much fun, and I wanted to learn. She started to teach me what she knew and then the world shut down. My husband was gracious enough to let me practice anything I could come up with on him and because of that I fell in love with doing nails. After things started to open back up I was eager to put my new skills to work. After 3 years I had built enough of a clientele that I was able to step out of the salon, rent a small studio in the Crossroads, and start my own business.
Alright, 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?
The road has been smoother than anticipated but there have definitely been challenges, mostly navigating the world of licensing and making sure I am operating legally and paying all of the right fees and taxes. I’ve learned that every mistake or bump along the road has something you can learn or a way you can grow from it.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I do nails, but a very specific type of nails. I have carved out a tiny niche in the nail world for myself. I specialize in gel on natural nails and I offer a more gentle approach to nails. Essentially, I only work on natural nails and I do everything by hand as opposed to using an e-file or drill. I aim for my space and my services to be as comfortable as possible. I also love to paint tiny things on nails! I have painted a couple of sets that I think are pretty cool, I did a set with a portrait of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce that I have mounted for display in my studio. I also painted an anatomical heart and Taco Bell Nacho Fries that got the approval from Taco Bell on Instagram. I think the combination of having a unique approach to nails and ability to create on such a small scale have definitely given me an edge.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I think confidence and determination will get you really far, even if you have to fake the confidence until you feel it. I think you have to be determined almost to the point of being stubborn, sometime it’s the only way they will know you’re serious.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://michaelamalotte.glossgenius.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/killernails.kc?igsh=eG1oYjBudTB3aTN6&utm_source=qr
