OWNER: BETTY LAZARIDIS

BUSINESS: NAIL EXPRESSION

CATEGORY: BEAUTY

LOCATION: YARRAVILLE, MELBOURNE

BACKGROUND
After qualifying as a nail technician and beautician, Betty Lazaridis built up her clientele working after hours outside her day job. “I thought it was a hobby first, but I was approached by girlfriends who owned KOH haircutters, and they asked if wanted to open up my business at their salon: the rest is history. I opened the business in 1999 and it’s still going strong.”

CHALLENGES
“Finding different products and trying to keep prices as low as possible. Due to the large number of nail salons you have to be competitive with your prices. Most nail salons tend to use cheaper products where I use top of the range products, but still maintain affordable prices.”

WHY BEAUTY ?
“I was always interested in beauty but was never involved in it, if anything when I was young I thought I’d become a hairdresser: I loved styling hair but never knew at that age that apprenticeships were available. Unfortunately, when I realized, it was a little too late, so the best way to start was to go into nails and waxing.
WHAT WE DO
“We offer waxing, nail and pedicures, tanning, eye-lash and eyebrow tinting and psychology sessions – that’s an extra.”

WHAT MAKES YOUR CUSTOMERS COME BACK ?
“My honesty and the fact that I’m not just there to make money. I treat my customers as my friends and if any emergencies arise such as a broken nail, I’ll be there to fix it without charging them and even give them the polish for touch-ups, just in case. It’s a way for them to get what they need from me and even if I have to stay back hours that I normally wouldn’t I do.”

FUTURE PLANS
“I’m happy with the business as it is. My relationship with clients is tight- knit. They don’t go to Nail Expression to get a service, they go to Betty. In the past I’ve tried to bring others into the business to make a larger profit and maybe expand, but it hasn’t worked- the clients experience hasn’t been the same. My clients prefer Betty!”

CONTACT:
Betty Lazaridis 0409 587 490