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

Hi Nicole, career-wise, where do you want to be in the end?
The end goal is to pour back into the industry by educating the newer generation of nail technicians. In a day and age of hacks to make things faster and easier many fundamental skills are being lost in lieu of doing things an “easier” way. If my electronics fail me I can continue my day primarily uninterrupted because the fundamental skills that I was taught by my amazing nail school instructor. After graduating and talking with other people over the years I realized most didn’t have the great experience that I did. That in addition to other experiences later in my career have led me to becoming an educator myself. I recently took the steps to obtain my nail instructors license so that I can begin professionally educating others on a one on one basis if they simply need a refresher or if they’re starting from the beginning and would like to become licensed. One day I will have a school full of amazing, well trained nail technician students.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Well, I’m currently branded as “Nails by Nikki” but over the years I’ve grown and offer much more than nails. No matter how many different services I currently or will eventually offer, the primary focus has and will always be on my customer relations and customer service. I am a luxury service provider and what that means to me is that people are CHOOSING to spend their hard earned money with me. What I provide is not a necessity. I believe that my success and growth are a reflection of my dedication to offering my clients quality service by continuing to invest in my education and products, hearing them when they have concerns, and by servicing them in a welcoming and comfortable environment. It was not always easy, there were certainly bumps in the road but I took things one day at a time, doing what I could and not stressing what I couldn’t. I moved to a new state a couple of years after beginning my career which meant starting over. I took my time to find out what suited me best and would allow me to represent my business in the best light. I worked as a reference lab technician and phlebotomist full time for 12 years while simultaneously building a clientele. I initially only saw clients on weekends but eventually added more client days and reduced my lab hours. Over time my clientele grew enough that I decided that I was ready to be a full time entrepreneur. Some lessons that I’ve learned along the way is that tomorrow is a new day, for a new opportunity. Don’t stress things that won’t even matter tomorrow or next week. Another is just get started! Even if you’re only seeing one client per week or month it’s more than zero! If you don’t have clients yet practice daily to be prepared because they will come and you need to be ready when they do! I’d like the world to know that great things are to come from me and that I will continue to give my craft and clientele my all!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I absolutely love the “Atlanta Botanical Garden”! Anytime someone comes into town and the weather permits I try to take them there! It’s very beautiful and relaxing! I also love “Plant House”! You can visit this store just to buy beautiful plants or my favorite thing is the variety of classes they offer! I’ve learned how to make a terrarium, planted a bonsai tree, how to care for air plants and more. For a nice dinner I would have to suggest “Del Bar”! They have been my current obsession! A fun dessert place that I enjoy is “The Yard” milkshake bar. They have a wide variety of fun to look at and tasty milkshakes. “Putt shack” is also a fun outing with creative and different themes at each hole along the golf course.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have been fortunate to be surrounded by amazing women in this industry. While it’s difficult to narrow it down to one my dear friend Monica Evans, owner of Magenta Sky Salon and Mo Loves Hair, has been such an inspiration to me. She has such a passion for her craft and has taken on such a pioneering role in the beauty industry in our home town of Pensacola, Florida. I’ve watched her grow from working side by side together renting space in a salon to owning her own salon, creating a line of products, traveling and selling those products at trade shows, and most recently bringing the first beauty expo of its kind to our city. She had an idea and put in the hard work to bring that vision to life. Through her efforts she was able to bring beauty and self care specialist together in an innovative way that allowed the public to ask questions and learn from beauty professionals directly and also created an opportunity for small business to showcase and sell their products and services directly while connecting with the community. We have some of the best and most productive conversations about business! She’s always encouraging me to go for more, to take a leap of faith, to do the things I’m scared or hesitant to do. She reminds me that I am more than capable and I’m grateful and blessed to have her in my life!

Website: www.nailsbynikki.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/__nailsbynikki

Facebook: www.facebook.com/atlnails

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.