Meet Ayana Alston | Owner and Founder of YaNails

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ayana Alston and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ayana, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
On top of Covid coming through and changing the game completely, I got tired of going to a job that only treated me like a number and paid so little. I wanted to feel good about my work and making money from it. I wanted to be in control and not make the same mistakes from prior jobs I had in the past. Even though there is great responsibility in entrepreneurship, I wanted to be responsible for what I loved to do and I love Nails! Once I got a taste of making others feel good about themselves it became addicting. I want my clients to feel just as good as their nails look, and that’s what drives me everyday.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I want to be known for specializing in Holographic Art and Trippy Designs with my nail art. I’m such a fan of galaxy themed designs, they’re so pretty. I’m super excited about meeting new people and bringing their idea or design to life or being able to help them create designs that work for them. I love when someone comes to me and says do your thing. A lot of the knowledge that I have came from the instructors that I met when I went to school. Not only did they show me new techniques but they provided me with resources to help my business grow and to maintain clientele. It is still a work in progress and nothing in life comes easy without hard work. I always want to be known as a professional who puts what the client wants first and also provide exactly what they need. I have learned that truly listening to your client helps you execute exactly what they’re looking for. I want the world to know I strive for perfection in everything I do and I truly enjoy my craft.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would introduce my bestie to my made family because there is fun in numbers and we always have a great time. I love to eat so we would definitely visit some restaurants like Chef Smokey Atl for some great Barria Tacos, we would also visit Zama Mexican Grill, they have the best Pina Colada’s in my personal opinion. We would definitely hit up Edgewood and go bar hopping while meeting new people out and about or even go to Bar Vegan at the Ponce City Market I love amusement parks so Six Flags would definitely be on the itinerary. We would go the High Museum of Art during the day and Bonfire Atl at night. Last but not least You can’t come to Atlanta and not go to Cascade, I’m not the best skater but I still have a great time. They would still be so much more to do but we’re only talking about a week lol.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I don’t have an official organization to thank at this time but I thank my family. Especially my grandmother Odell Thompson. She played a major role in my completion of nail school. Whether it was financial or motivation to keep my head on track. Having that support made all the difference in my success and how I felt about the new line of work I was getting into. Just knowing she believed in what I was trying to do kept me going.

Website: https://app.squarespacescheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=25879899

Instagram: Yanailsatl

Linkedin: Ayana Alston

Facebook: Ya Nails LLC

Image Credits
Headshot- C.G.Productions