Time has changed the constricted meaning of ‘being beautiful,’ often associated with looks, and the word has broken free from the shackles of the past stereotypes. It has created an entirely new meaning that values self-worth and self-care along with impacting the overall feeling about oneself.
As a part of self-care and acceptance, the Beauty and Cosmetic industry are one of the most famous and ever-evolving industries in the dynamic world, with a global value of $511 billion. Branching out into numerous sections, today, there is a significant incline toward the artistic and creative side, which is a full-blown chance for exploration. And one of the most creative and artistic sections providing plenty of opportunities would be ‘nail art.’ Painting and beautifying nails giving them a decent look, matters a lot as it induces a sense of neatness and a well-maintained individual.
Though this branch of cosmetics is very famous, well-doing, and full of opportunities, it lacks in a few areas. Considering hygiene and work environment as one of the major concerns, it could prove in a distasteful environment for both the staff and the customers. Certainly, when Lauren and Manda could not find a salon that cared about the safety and ethical work environment, they decided to give their long resting dream of starting a business a chance.
The W Nail Bar stood up in 2015 under the coherent leadership of its Co-founders, Lauren Hunter and Manda Mason. The creation belief for The W was to create a safe space for nail techs to work and make them feel valued and cared for all together with a loyal, comfortable, and interactive environment for its customers.
Creating a clean, fun, and customer service-based space, The W has expanded itself to 11 shops across Ohio and Indiana and is looking forward to a bright future.
Having an opportunity to get an insight into The W Nail Bar’s space allows us to take you on an amazing walk through their journey!
The W Nail Bar: Venture of 2015
While growing up under the influence of family business and seeing the business world, Lauren and Manda always knew what they wanted to excel in the future. Wanting to pursue a career and earn an aesthetician’s license Manda attended school at night and on weekends while completing her responsibilities as a full-time sales employee.
Along with learning, she also came to a realization about the gaps in the industry and huge opportunities within the nail salon. Lauren and Manda decided to use this knowledge as an opportunity to create a different place that would hopefully lead to change in the nail salon industry. Noticing issues like lack of sanitization, need for technology, and mistreatment of workers, along with the desire to change it, they started The W Nail Bar in 2015, addressing and solving these problems.
From Cuticles to the Tip of Nail
The first store of The W Nail Bar started in Columbus, Ohio, rooting firm hopes of its founders and spreading out into branches; today, it has grown to 11 stores in three cities. They have received a lot of support and love from the community. Both Lauren and Manda firmly believe that this support is what has allowed them to open eight salons in the city. This trail of 7 years has ignited the desire to grow more.
When Following the Trail
The W has stuck to its core value from the beginning making it a fun and safe place. The W Nail Bar was founded on the core values of support, wellness, community, connection, and authenticity with the goal to create a safe, clean, and comfortable space for their team to work and for their guests to relax. The company believes in staff and customer satisfaction and places it above all.
They have created strict sanitation protocols and expanded customer service offerings to include items that make the guest’s life easier. And to support it, they have facilities that include memberships and online payments, participating in community events, creating comprehensive benefits plans for the team, and a lot more.
Standing Out in the Bar
Addressing the issues and filling the gaps in the industry, The W Nail Bar has been able to create a mark. Keeping the health of their team and guests as the main concern, the company is an all-natural nail salon. They do not offer harmful acrylic products, which would prove hazardous to both the guests and the nail technicians.
The striking feature of The W is the use of beautiful copper bowls preventing their guests from infections and providing a chic touch to the salon.
Provisions for Staff
On a mission to change the mistreatment of the staff, which the nail salon industry is notorious for, The W Nail Bar has prioritized the safety of its team. The company offers its employees multiple benefits such as health insurance, paid time off, 401K, continuing education training, and all supplies.
The company understands and values its staff and has created a happy and healthy environment which in return creates a pull for its employees. This excitement is created through various activities, team outings, and by making them part of social media campaigns.
The W knows the importance of the human bond and therefore cherishes the bond between the nail techs and the guests and values it. The company also encourages this relationship through membership options, recurring appointments, online tip payments, and more.
Take on Beau-tech
Knowing that the beauty service industry has been slower to adopt the technology, Lauren and Manda knew that this is exactly the key to set them apart from most of the businesses out there. Including technology in the business has made the experience easy for the team and the guests.
The salon has integrated an online booking, checkout, and customer service platform, along with adding an AI partner to the group to support customer communication. With the involvement of new technology, The W has not given up on the traditional way. Understanding that while technology can make the experience easy for some, it could be challenging for others, they employ a full-time Customer Experience Manager to support the customers. As Lauren and Manda say, “At The W, we know it’s important to adopt technology that makes the service process quicker and easier, but we will never stray from providing the human connection that the industry was built on.”
Begin It from Here
Giving advice to young, aspiring entrepreneurs based on the journey they had with the creation of The W Nail Bar, Lauren, and Manda express, “Create an experience and service that improve the lives of others. Look for where there is a gap in the marketplace!”
Envisioning Time
Loved and favored by its customers, The W has won “Top Nail Salon” by Columbus Weddings three years in a row! Which keeps the fire of continuing to do better ignited in them.
The W Nail Bar is currently hyper-focused on growing further while supporting its teams in the market. They are all set to create the same experience in the hearts of all their customers that made The W stand out.
