Becoming an entrepreneur in high school sounds like quite the hassle, right? Well, senior Yalissa Perez has taken up that challenge with her own nail business. Perez does many of our students’ nails for all types of events such as birthdays, weddings and anniversaries, etc.
“From a young age, I’ve enjoyed doing my nails,” Perez said. “The colors, charms and designs. To me doing nails has no creative limit.”
In mid-2021, Perez started to do her family and friends’ nails, because of the immense positive feedback and support she received, she gained the confidence to begin her own nail business, Tips by Tiny, creating her own personal branding for her up and coming business. “I created my business name and logo based off my nickname ‘Tiny”, Perez said. “And the fact that tips are used for nails, which made an appealing logo name, TBT.”
Even though Perez has only been doing nails for a year and a half, she has been practicing and perfecting her craft and has built a strong and loyal client base who always keep her in mind for big events in their lives.
She works out of a room in her home that she transformed into a welcoming and cozy space for all of her clients. She has been able to balance running her own business and keeping up with school by mainly only taking clients on weekends and occasionally on Mondays and Thursdays. She has even become a licensed nail technician in the state of Florida while still being in school.
“Having my license took me from being self-taught to a professional nail tech,” Perez said. “The course to become a professional took three months to complete. I had to pass tests and complete services to ensure I was educated enough to obtain a Nail Technician License.”
Since starting, Perez has been inspired to explore her creativity and the freedom of having endless options to choose from while doing nails. Another motivation for Perez is her clients who support her and regularly schedule with her.
“I am so grateful and proud when clients book with me on some of the most important days of their lives,” Perez said. “Being able to make people feel confident after each appointment is more than an accomplishment.”
As she continues her business, Perez dreams of opening a professional studio and expanding her business further by opening more businesses around the state – maybe even around the country. “
In the future, I plan to own various studios to allow other artists the opportunity to grow their talents,” Perez said.
She also wants to grow her business to such an extent that she would be able to do the nails of high-profile people like celebrities and models. Even though Perez is proud of what she has already accomplished and what she has been able to do as a business owner and nail technician, she still wants to strive to be better.
“As a business owner, I love to see the growth I have had on social media with all the support and feedback I receive. Although I have grown in the past year and a half as a nail technician and business owner, I have so much more I strive to accomplish,” Perez said. “I am thankful for all the clients that have booked with me and I hope I continue to meet amazing people through my business.”
You can go check her work out on her Instagram page @ TipsByTiny or you can book an appointment on her website tipsbytiny.com.