Meet Desire’ Frenchie” Clark | Licensed Nail Tech”

We had the good fortune of connecting with Desire’ “Frenchie” Clark and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Desire’ “Frenchie”, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I took a risk going into business for myself, I had no experience. I got fired from an insurance job and it ended up being the biggest blessing I needed. I was miserable there. After getting fired, I had no clue what I was gong to do next. My parents had been telling me for years to just take a leap of faith and just going for it but I was scared.

An opportunity presented itself and little did I know, it was perfect timing to do just that. Almost 2 years later, my life has changed completely. I was scared, I didn’t know what I was doing but I knew that this was something I wanted and I was going to have to work hard for it. Now, although I’m successful, most of all, I’m happy. My consistent clients are the best and appreciated. Even though I’ve learned a lot in this short, I’ll always be a student. That risk was definitely worth the reward.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Many people don’t think doing nails is a real career. Doing nails isn’t easy at all. Nothing about my journey was easy. I doubted myself a lot and wanted to quit and go back to what I thought was comfortable plenty of times. The bad days felt like the end of the world at the time but I’ve survived them. They helped me. Getting fired from my previous job was the best thing for me. I honestly wouldn’t be where I am today if that didn’t happen.

When clients started booking consistently, I thought, “Maybe I am doing something right.”. Even through my mistakes, they’ve still stayed down. I’ve built relationships with them and they’ve kept me going. The encouragement from my family keeps me going. Learning from my mistakes keeps me going. Knowing that I’m running my own race and writing my own story keeps me going. I love the challenge and creativity. When I was an enthusiast, there weren’t a lot of Black women doing nails. Now I am one and I hope I can help the next person on their journey.

Now that I’m working for myself, I’ve learned setting boundaries is so important. Although I’m an entrepreneur, I’m human. I also have a personal life and make sure to separate the two. I’m allowed to decompress. I’m allowed to say no. I’m allowed to refuse service. I’m allowed to have a life. I’m allowed to not think about nails when I’m out enjoying myself. When I’m at work, I’m always present. Many people think you’re obligated to accept any kind of treatment and that’s just not true. I want my clients to enjoy their time with me. I want them to enjoy their service. I want them to enjoy me as their nail tech. I also want them to know that I respect them, their time, and money but in turn expect them to do the same. When boundaries are set, I’ve realized things go smoothly.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love Sivas! Pasha, Mod-is, Fin & Feathers, Barcelona, Mojave, Superica, Publico, Chattahoochee Food Hall, Food Terminal, etc.

Soigne is my new favorite spot too.

The Painted Duck/Pin, the Beltline, Krog Street, The Battery, Colony Square, St. Julep, Whiskey Blue, Ponce, etc.

Catch me where the seafood is at.

If there are concerts/festivals, I’ll be there too.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My parents. They owned a unisex barbershop and salon. I never had a desire to be an entrepreneur but I admired their work ethic. I graduated college and was never really fulfilled. Now that I’m working for myself, I realized I had it in me the whole time. I’m fulfilled and happy.

Website: www.frenchiedidit.com

Instagram: @Frenchie_DidIt

Facebook: Frenchie Did It

Youtube: Frenchie Did It

Other: TikTok – @frenchiedidit1

Image Credits
@tmcguirejr @frenchie_didit