Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Paulina with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
Joe, my husband and business partner has though me so many things on how to run a business properly.
One thing he has though me is to work smarter and not harder. Always trying to figure out new and better ways to help our clients, as well as our employees.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I moved to New York from Tijuana, Mexico in 2013 to earn my Bachelor’s Degree in Fashion Merchandising at LIM College.
After graduating I was able to land the “dreamed” job at Macy’s on Herald Square as the Office Merchandise Assistant, but I just couldn’t find the love or passion in what I was doing.
One day I thought, “what if someone could come to the office and do my nails?” And that was it, after some serious thought I decided to quit to start MANIORPEDI.
And now what? How am I going to start this “mobile nail salon” with zero experience? There’s where Joe (my husband) and my parents appeared to basically save me. They gave me all the encouragement and positive energy I needed to embark this crazy ride of building a company from nothing.
In 2016 MANIORPEDI was born – a mobile nail salon serving offices and events in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. We’ve had the opportunity to offer our services at companies such as Tory Burch, Adidas, Bloomingdales, and hundreds of others in different fields.
In 2020 we had to pause MANIORPEDI due to the pandemic. It was very though, but we were able to overcome all obstacles.
In September 2021 we decided to open our first brick-and-mortar in Tijuana, México. The first luxury nail salon in Tijuana. We focus on one-time use products, as well as high-end polishes like Chanel, Gucci, Dior, amongst others.
We are the only nail salon in Tijuana offering one-time use products and high-end polishes.
Currently I’m managing both “locations”, the NYC mobile nail salon as well as the physical location in Tijuana.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1. You will fail, and that’s okay
I can’t even tell you how many times I thought I had it right (website, logo, towels, manicure kits, you name it!) and so many times it wasn’t. If you really believe in your product or service, keep trying until you get it right. Nothing will happen overnight. You must work really hard to get your name out there, and to make people love your brand. I’ve been in business in NYC for almost 7 years now, and in Tijuana for almost 2, and I’m still learning from mistakes.
Surround yourself with positive people that will help you grow. People who will give you advice or encouraging words.
4. Treat employees with respect
Our employees are treated as family, plain and simple. If your employees are happy with what they do, you will have continuous success. Word of mouth is everything in every business, and we constantly have companies calling us back because of the amazing service they received from our nail techs in NYC.
In Tijuana we have so many clients that have been with us since we opened because they enjoy the atmosphere, the service provided by our nail techs and because they see how important keeping everything clean is.
When employees are happy, they feel invested in the company.
3. Work as a team
I’ve had to jump-in a couple of times during certain events in NYC, and there’s nothing wrong with that. If I have a nail tech running late, I can prep the first client by either removing the existing nail polish or helping her pick a color (this usually takes longer than expected!). I’ve had nail techs do double the work because someone was sick and had to go home. We all care about each other and are willing to help in order to get the job done, and of course make the client happy.
Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.
– Albert Schweitzer
All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
In NYC our biggest challenge is that a lot of people are still working remotely. We’ve been seen managers trying to incentivize employees to return to the office by offering manicures. It’s slowly going back to what it use to be, but unfortunately not at the speed we would like.
In Tijuana, Mexico our biggest challenge is keeping up with demand (the complete opposite as in NYC). We we would love to franchise it, we could definitely see it in many states in Mexico as well as the USA.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.maniorpedi.com.mx
- Instagram: @maniorpedi.mx
- Facebook: maniorpedi.tj
- Other: New York City www.maniorpedi.com IG @maniorpedi.nyc
