Dasha Mikhaseva on forming a client base in a new city

Daria Mikhaseva , founder of her own manicure studio and an online course about visuals and packaging of an Instagram account, as well as a member of the jury of our online competition Pro Beauty Battle: Nails . The fifth round has just recently started, so don’t waste time and join the competition to test your creativity and level of professionalism, as well as win cool prizes!

During a live broadcast on the Pro Nails page, Dasha and I talked about a topic that is relevant for many nail artists: “How to form a client base in a new city.” Dasha shared her own secrets and life hacks, which we will tell you about.

How to take the risk of opening your own studio?

When I opened my studio, I tried to immediately stop thoughts like “what will happen if it doesn’t work out”, “what if I invest and then go broke.” It is important to listen to yourself and decide exactly whether you want this? Do you want to become independent and independent? Invest in your business?

If you really want this, you should not be afraid, but go and take risks, because until you try, you won’t know. I am a supporter of the fact that those who do not take risks do not drink champagne.

How to form a client base in a new city?

One option is to attract clients through groups where they are looking for their craftsmen. For small towns this method may still work. But for large cities this is definitely not an option, because such communities in large cities mainly consist of clients who are not willing to pay. And even if they come to you, most often they never return.

In 2017, when I opened my first studio in Tomsk, we were one of the first to introduce loyalty cards, and all this together contributed to the growth of our client base. We, one might say, encouraged clients to talk about our studio: we gave them certificates worth 100-200 rubles, which their friends could use. This method still works great, the main thing is to decide on an amount that will attract your potential clients and that will correspond to your price list.

Another “trick” of ours was “coffee to go”. After completing the manicure, we gave clients coffee to take home in a beautiful cup with our signature sticker. The girls were very pleased, they took pictures of these cups and, of course, tagged us in stories. This method not only built the loyalty of our customers, but also worked as word of mouth.

Why did you delve deeper into visual design on Instagram over time?

Since I opened my second studio in St. Petersburg several years after the first, the approach had to be changed. I started taking courses on developing an Instagram account, since now it is through Instagram that it is most convenient to build a client base.

I collected information on visual design for quite a long time, tried different templates and types of processing, because I wanted to create a picture on my page so that a person would come and be “stuck” on it. That's why I started taking visual courses for bloggers, not just manicurists. And in the end I managed to come to what I have now.

The main thing is a harmonious combination of colors. It is through combinations of shades that you can come up with a beautiful wrapper, a single wrapper for your business.

To find out more, watch the full joint live broadcast between Pro Nails and Dasha Mikhaseva.