DEUR STELLA JOUBERT (VERTAAL DEUR MIEKE DE WET)
[The English version of this article follows the Afrikaans]
Baie mense hou daarvan om hulle naels te laat doen. Dit laat hulle netjies en chic voel. Gelukkig is daar verskeie onafhanklike naelsalons tot studente se beskikking presies vir hierdie rede. Telvina Samuels van Gosh Nails, Mia Stols van Groovy Nails by Mia en Jacki Rossouw van Get Nailing is drie sulke vroue.
Om ’n besigheid te bestuur is al klaar ’n beproewing, maar hierdie drie vroue studeer almal terwyl hulle hul besighede bestuur. Samuels het in 2020 aan haar tweede graad begin studeer en sy is tans ’n derdejaar-BRek-student. Samuels het eers BSc (Molekulêre Biologie en Biotegnologie) studeer en sy bestuur haar besigheid al van haar tweede jaar op universiteit af. Sy sê: “Elke dag en elke jaar is ’n nuwe leerkurwe oor hoe om [my studies en besigheid] te balanseer, maar dit het al oor die jare verbeter, veral hierdie jaar, soos ek geleer het om persoonlike tyd by my week in te korporeer.”
Stols is in haar derde jaar besig met BA (Visuele Kunste), ’n graad wat sonder twyfel help met hierdie kreatiewe werk, maar dit is ook baie tydrowend. Sodat sy genoeg tyd vir haar graad maak, verduidelik Stols dat sy ’n rooster gemaak het volgens die rooster wat sy vir haar klasse gebruik.
“Normaalweg doen ek naels in die oggend, want wanneer ek terugkom van klasse af, is ek uitgeput,” verduidelik sy. Stols se rooster kan elke dag op haar Instagram-story gevind word. Sy sê: “Ek probeer om myself nie te vol te bespreek of te oorwerk nie, want dit sal veroorsaak dat ek nie soveel aandag aan my studies gee nie.”
Verder mag sommige mense die vraag hê, “hoekom naels as ’n besigheid?” Rossouw, ’n meesterstudent in Landbou-ekonomie en -bestuur, verduidelik: “Ek was in Isa Dameskoshuis, so ek was omring deur Somatologie-studente. [Naels] was ’n klein deel van wat hulle gedoen het, so toe het ek besluit om my klein besigheid na te volg!”
Stols het die mark betree omdat, soos vele ander Stellenbosse studente mee kan vereenselwig, sy dit nie op haar studentebegroting kon bekostig om na enige hoofstroomnaelsalons te gaan nie.
“Ek was nog altyd lief vir daardie helder kleure met die detail en kuns, maar ek kon dit nooit bekostig nie … en toe my kamermaat vir my ’n klein gel masjien vir my 20ste verjaarsdag gekoop het, en al die basiese gereedskap, het ek begin om haar en my naels te doen en soos die trends aanbeweeg het, het ek begin dink ‘Ek moet regtig dit navolg’ en dit was dit!”
Saam met ’n besigheid kom daar egter bemarking en om ’n mens se naam in Stellenbosch se skoonheid- en naelgemeenskap te kry – dit kan nogal intimiderend wees. Stols sê: “Toe ek begin het, was dit obviously angswekkend, want jy sien baie meer mense wat jy nie ken nie … ek moes met my vrese tot aangesig kom en drie of vier mense per dag sien en hulle van ’n diens verskaf waarvoor hulle betaal, want jy wil obviously jou beste doen en die kliënt moet gelukkig wegloop.”
Rossouw sluit hierby aan wanneer sy verduidelik dat “dit jou eers ’n bietjie afskrik … ek glo vas daarin dat ‘hoe meer jy moet doen, hoe meer kry jy gedoen.’ My deursettingsvermoë om ’n sukses van elke aspek van my lewe te maak, is wat my motiveer!”
Al drie naelkunstenaars het besluit om Instagram as ’n platform te gebruik vir hulle besighede se bemarking, met boeiende en herkenbare handles soos @goshnailsstellies, @groovynails.bymia en @getnailing.
Aangesien Stellenbosch hoofsaaklik ’n studentedorp is, is al die naelsalons ingestel op die studentebegroting. Stols se besigheid bied ’n half-set manicure aan wat bestaan uit ’n onderlaag, ’n bietjie naelkuns en ’n boonste laag sodat daar geen soliede kleur onder dit is nie, en dit is net R70! Rossouw stel iets soortgelyks voor dat ’n mens ’n gel manicure moet kry en sy sê: “Ek voel altyd dat my lewe super agtermekaar is en dat ek enigiets kan doen sodra my naels gedoen is!”
Wanneer daar na die vrouens van Gosh Nails, Groovy Nails by Mia en Get Nailing geluister word, word daar besef hoeveel passie, deursettingsvermoë en liefde elkeen van hulle vir hulle besighede het.
Samuels sê: “Iemand het my die ander dag gevra, ‘hoekom hou jy nie net op met Gosh Nails en fokus voltyds op jou studies nie?’ en ek het by myself gedink, ‘ek weet nie wat my lewe sonder Gosh Nails is nie; dit is my lewe en dit is wie ek is.’”
Rossouw se passie is om selfvertroue aan die mense van Stellenbosch te gee. “Ek is mal daaroor om nuwe mense te ontmoet en hulle dag beter te maak op die kleinste manier … en hulle net op te kikker,” noem Rossouw.
Stols geniet dit om haar besigheid te bestuur, want dit het vir haar geleer hoe om geld te verdien en te spaar sowel as met mense te doen kry. Sy sê: “Om al daardie komplimente van amazing meisies te kry wat sê dat die naels wat ek doen so pragtig is, en om verby iemand te loop en dan vra hulle of ek my eie naels gedoen het … dit gee regtig vir my ’n sprong in my stap!”
Hierdie besighede is voorbeelde waarom ’n mens klein besighede moet ondersteun. Talle ure se werk en toewyding word by die besigheid ingetap sodat die kliënte ’n goeie ervaring het. Stols sê: “Ek glo vas daaraan dat ek eers iets moet uittoets voordat ek dit [op ’n kliënt] uit probeer … ek probeer ontwerpe op my en my kamermaat se naels om te sien of ek dit kan doen.”
Samuels noem dat klein besighede nie onderskat of verkleineer moet word nie. “Ek bestuur my besigheid al vir vier jaar en dit het my ure, maande en geld geneem om tot die plek te kom waar ek nou is. En, my motto is: ‘Ek sal jou nooit uit die salon laat loop met naels wat ek nie self sal dra nie.’”
Al drie hierdie besighede wys die waarde daarvan om in jouself, jou vaardighede en jou ervaring te glo. Samuels, Stols en Rossouw werk hard om bekostigbare en pragtige naels aan die mense van Stellenbosch te gee, en dit alles terwyl hulle hul eie veeleisende grade studeer – dit is iets om op trots te wees en waarna elkeen kan strewe.
Nailed it: Independent nail bars bring colour to Stellenbosch
BY STELLA JOUBERT
Many people love to have a fresh set of nails done. It makes them feel put together and chic. Luckily for the students of Stellenbosch, there are multiple independent nail bars that have established themselves precisely to satisfy this need. Telvina Samuels of Gosh Nails, Mia Stols of Groovy Nails by Mia and Jacki Rossouw of Get Nailing are three such women.
Running a business is one ordeal; however, all three women also study whilst running their businesses. After having already completed a BSc (Molecular Biology and Biotechnology), Samuels embarked on her second degree in 2020 and is now a third-year BAcc student. She has been running her business ever since her second year of university.
She says, “Every day and every year is a new learning curve on how to balance [my studies and business]; however, over the years it has gotten better as, especially this year, I have leant to incorporate a bit more ‘me time’ into my week.”
Stols is in her third-year of doing a BA (Visual Arts) degree, which no doubt helps in this creative job but which is also very time consuming. In order to make enough time for her degree, Stols explains that she has created a timetable according to the one she uses for classes. “I normally do nails in the morning because when I get back from class I am very drained,” she explained.
Stols’s timetable can be found on her Instagram story every day. She says, ”I try not to overbook or overwork myself because it will lead to me not paying as much attention to my studies.”
Some may have the question: why nails as a business? Roussow, a master’s student in agricultural economics, explains, “I was in Isa Ladies Residence, so I was surrounded by Somatology students. [Nails were] a small part of what they did, so I decided to pursue my small business!”
Stols entered the market because, as many Stellenbosch students can probably relate to, she could not afford to go to any mainstream nail bars on her student budget. “I always loved these bright colours with loads of detail and art, but couldn’t afford it . . . and when my roommate bought me a little gel machine for my 20th birthday and all the basic equipment, I started doing her nails and my nails, and as trends went on I thought ‘I should really pursue this’ and that was that!”
However, with starting a business comes marketing and getting one’s name into the Stellenbosch beauty and nail community, which can often be intimidating. Stols says, “When I started out it was obviously scary because you are seeing a lot more people who you don’t know . . . I needed to face my fears and see three or four people a day and provide a service [that] they were paying for because obviously you want to do your best and have your customer leave happy.”
Rossouw echoes Stol’s feelings when she explains that “it was a bit daunting at first. . . [but] I am a firm believer in ‘the more you have to do the more you get done’. My drive to make a success of every aspect of my life is what motivates me!”
All three nail artists chose to use Instagram to promote their businesses with catchy, recognisable handles such as @goshnailsstellies, @groovynails.bymia and @getnailing.
Because Stellenbosch is predominantly a student town, the nail bars all cater for the student budget. Stols’ business offers a “half-set” manicure consisting of “a base coat, some nail art and a top coat so that there is no solid colour underneath, which is only R70! And it looks so groovy!” Stols explains.
Similarly, Rossouw advises that customers get a gel manicure, saying, “I always feel that my life is super put together and that I can conquer anything once my nails are done!”
When seeing what the women of Gosh Nails, Groovy Nails by Mia and Get Nailing have to say, one realises how much passion, drive and love they each have for their business. Samuels says, “Someone asked me the other day, ‘Why don’t you just stop Gosh Nails and focus on your studies full time?’ and I thought to myself ‘I don’t know my life without Gosh Nails; it is my life and who I am.’”
Rossouw’s passion lies in bringing confidence to the people of Stellenbosch. “I love meeting new people and brightening up their days in the smallest way . . . and giving them a boost,” Rossouw mentions.
Stols enjoys running her business because of all it has taught her in the way of earning and saving money as well as interacting with people. She says, “Getting all of these compliments from amazing girls saying that the nails I do are so lovely, and walking past someone and them asking if I did my own nails . . . it really gives me a kick in my step!”
These businesses are examples of why one should support a small business. Countless hours of work and dedication are poured into making the customer’s experience a good one. Stols says, “I am a firm believer in testing out something before I try it [on a client] . . . I try designs on my and my roommate’s nails to see if I can do them.”
Samuels shows how independent businesses are not to be overlooked or belittled when she says, “I have run my business for four years and it has taken me hours, months and money to get to the place where I am at the moment. And my motto is, ‘I will never allow you to walk out of the salon with a nail set I wouldn’t wear myself’.”
All three businesses show the value in believing in oneself, one’s skills and one’s experience. Samuels, Stols and Rossouw work hard to bring affordable and exquisite nails to the people of Stellenbosch, all whilst studying their own demanding degrees—something to be proud of and to aspire towards.
First image: Jacki Rossouw. image from source
Second image: Mia Stols’ favourite manicure to date. image from source
Third image: Rossouw’s classic gel manicure.
