September 1st 💕

How the hell is it already September 😂

I feel like August lasted 3 days and 6 months at the exact same time.

I've been sitting here thinking about everything that's happened lately and honestly... a LOT has changed.

Freckled Opal has changed. I've changed. What I want out of this business has changed.
And I feel like I'm at this really weird point where I'm exhausted but also more excited about what I'm building than I've probably ever been. Which makes absolutely no sense but welcome to owning a business 😂

The last few months I've been doing EVERYTHING.
Taking clients.
Making press ons.
Working on my website.
Making products.
Thrifting and reselling.
Creating content.
Working with brands.
Trying to grow my social media.
Learning.
Coming up with 900 new ideas before I finish the last 400 😂and somewhere in the middle of all of that I realized something... I don't just want to do nailz.
I LOVE doing nailz. Obviously.
But I think what I'm building is becoming bigger than me just sitting behind a nail table all day. And honestly that realization has been kinda scary.

Because when you finally admit you want something bigger, now you actually have to TRY for it. And then people can watch you try. 
That's terrifying 😂 But I'm doing it anyway.

One of the biggest things I've been working on is GOOD Nailz. + GOOD Biz.

And this one means a lot to me.

Because I didn't create it because I think I have everything figured out.

Trust me. I do not 😂

I created it because I've had to figure out SO MUCH of this shit the hard way.

Branding.

Pricing.

Policies.

Clients.

Marketing.

Starting over.

Building a clientele.

Then rebuilding one.

Then basically doing it again.

Trying to figure out what makes me different when there are a million talented nail techs online.

Learning that being good at nailz and being good at BUSINESS are two completely different things.

And realizing how much information in this industry gets gatekept for absolutely no freaking reason.

So I made the thing I wish somebody would've handed me when I was trying to figure all of this out.

And now Module 1 is sitting on YouTube completely free for anybody who wants to watch it.

That feels really freaking cool to say.

I've also started talking a LOT more about the business side of the nail industry on TikTok and Instagram.

And that has probably been one of my favorite things happening lately.

People are actually listening.

They're asking questions.

They're commenting that something I said helped them.

Other nail techs are joining the conversation.

And I'm realizing that maybe this is another piece of what I'm supposed to be doing.

Not just showing you the nailz.

Talking about everything that happens BEHIND the nailz too.

The money.

The mistakes.

The awkward shit.

The policies nobody wants to enforce.

The prices we're scared to charge.

The posts that get 200 views after you spent an hour making them 😂

The comparison.

The imposter syndrome.

All of it.

Because running a nail business is a whole different beast than learning how to do a structured manicure.

And I want to talk about that more.

I also hit 6,000 followers on TikTok recently which is freaking WILD to me.

I know 6,000 isn't a million.

But 6,000 PEOPLE?!

Put 6,000 people in a room and tell me that's not a lot of people 😂

There was a time when I would post something and be excited if 200 people watched it.

Actually... that still happens sometimes. Thanks TikTok 😂

But I'm really proud of it.

Not just because of the number.

Because I'm finally starting to feel like people are understanding what Freckled Opal actually IS.

It's nailz.

But it's also business.

It's starting over.

It's creativity.

It's being weird.

It's aliens apparently 😂👽

It's women supporting women.

It's figuring shit out as you go and being willing to admit when you don't know something.

And it's building something that actually feels like YOU instead of trying to make your business look like everybody else's.

That's what I want more of in September.

I don't want to spend this month worrying about looking perfect.

I don't want to obsess over whether somebody thinks I'm qualified enough, cool enough, professional enough, talented enough or whatever enough.

I want to CREATE.

I want to teach.

I want to make really freaking good nailz.

I want to help other nail techs.

I want to keep growing GOOD Nailz. + GOOD Biz.

I want to work with brands I genuinely love.

I want to make content that actually says something.

I want to keep building this weird little Freckled Opal world and see how big I can make it.

And personally...

I want to breathe a little too.

Because I am really freaking bad at that part 😂

I have a habit of deciding that if I'm capable of doing 17 things then obviously I should do all 17 things immediately.

Preferably at the same time.

And then I'm shocked when I'm exhausted.

Imagine that 😂

So maybe September can also be about realizing that building something doesn't mean I have to destroy myself doing it.

That's something I'm still working on.

I'm still figuring all of this out.

I think that's why I wanted to start this blog in the first place.

I can post the pretty nail picture on Instagram.

I can make the 60 second TikTok.

I can show you the new product or the PR package or whatever exciting thing happened that day.

But I also wanted somewhere I could just... talk.

About what this actually feels like.

And right now?

It feels scary.

It feels exciting.

It feels exhausting.

It feels like I'm standing at the beginning of something and I don't totally know what that something is yet.

But I know I want to find out.

So here's to September.

More creating.

More teaching.

More opportunities.

More GOOD Nailz.

More GOOD Biz.

More supporting other women.

More doing shit that scares me.

And hopefully a little more sleep 😂

I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to be writing about when October 1st gets here.

And honestly...

I kinda love that.

Let's see what happens. 💕

Stephanie 💜👽

Good Nailz. Good Vibez. Good You.