Meet The Founders: W Nail Bar

Although Candier was founded in NYC, we have a strong connection to Columbus, OH. Our founder, Krysten, grew up there, and our candle factory is located right in the heart of the city. Columbus has undergone huge changes over the last decade by stepping up the variety and quality of Ohio born businesses. One of our favorite midwest success stories is W Nail Bar, an amazing sister-owned nail salon. We sat down with the co-founders to learn more about how they grew their brand into a true beauty powerhouse.

Can you start by telling us your journey as female entrepreneurs? 

We are sisters who grew up in a family-owned business so we always knew we wanted to start our own business someday. Lauren formerly worked for Lululemon and Manda spent ten years in the payment processing industry, so we each brought a different experience, knowledge, and passion to our business. 

What inspired you to open your own nail salon?

Before founding The W Nail Bar, Manda went to Cosmetology school on nights and weekends while working full-time in credit card processing. While in school, Manda saw firsthand the opportunities in the nail salon industry including the lack of cleanliness standards, employee mistreatment, gaps in customer service, and the use of toxic products. We knew that we could do things better for guests and employees, so we created our own clean, natural, fun, and customer service-based salon in 2015.

Where did the name "The W Nail Bar" come from?

The ‘W’ stands for We. We are a community working towards a safe and inclusive salon for employees and guests. 

When creating The W Nail Bar, what did you consider an absolute must?

When we founded The W we knew two things: our salon would be the cleanest around and our employees come first. We knew that if we prioritized creating a safe place for people to work and guests to relax the rest would fall into place. 

What sets The W Nail Bar apart from other salons?

The most common compliment we hear from our guests is that our salons “don’t smell like a nail salon.” That’s because we are a natural salon and do not offer acrylic services or use electric files. Acrylic products are made of toxic chemicals that are released into the air when removed with an e-file. When nail techs and guests inhale the dust, they ingest toxic chemicals that can have negative long-term health effects. 

Additionally, we use copper pedicure bowls instead of jetted tubs. Jetted tubs are very difficult to clean properly and are breeding grounds for bacteria. Dirty jets can lead to bacterial or fungal infections, athlete's foot, MRSA, and more conditions. After learning about these risks, we knew that we would never put our feet into a jetted tub again! And we wanted to make sure others didn’t either. Not only are our bowls aesthetically beautiful, but copper is also a natural antiseptic. The natural properties combined with our strict sanitation protocols create a clean and safe pedicure environment.

How does social media help grow your company?

Social media is a tool that allows us to educate consumers on the dangers that exist in the nail salon industry. We have unveiled the risks and taught followers what to look for when visiting salons for a safe experience. 

We also love the opportunity to connect with nail artists across the globe through social media! It’s been amazing to form a larger community of nail art lovers.

What is your favorite part of owning and running your nail salon?

The community! We have guests who have been coming to our salon since we first opened our doors nine years ago. We love creating these long-lasting relationships and walking through life events with them such as proms, graduations, weddings, and baby showers. 

Owning your own company takes a lot of time and can be quite demanding, how do you establish a healthy work life balance? How are you prioritizing self care?

Finding a work-life balance is still a work in progress for us! We are so passionate about our business that we feel fulfilled when working. One thing we have learned as founders is that we have to prioritize our health to show up as our best selves at work. We both make time to exercise a few times each week and focus on eating nutritious meals. 

We are also consumers of beauty, which is why we were interested in founding a beauty business in the first place. We enjoy trying new beauty services and visiting new salons or spas when traveling. 

How do you celebrate successes, big and small?

This is a tough question for us! The truth is, we don’t celebrate success as much as we should. As entrepreneurs, we tend to beat ourselves up a lot and don’t take the time to acknowledge our wins. It’s a work in progress!

How would you describe your perfect day off?

Lauren: My perfect day off would be spent outside! I love to hike with my husband, Ryan, & Goldendoodles, Finnegan and Georgie. 

Manda: I’ve been playing poker for 10+ years and try to play a round when I can. My perfect day would be at the poker table followed by a trip to Jeni’s Ice Cream with my family.

What is the best piece of advice someone has given you? Additionally, what advice would you give aspiring female entrepreneurs?

Lauren: Gosh, there’s been so much great advice over the years….but the best business advice I’ve ever been given is to trust my gut. 

Manda: I have a reactive personality, so the best advice I’ve been given is to take a beat and sit with something before reacting. It allows me to be more strategic in my decision-making.

A piece of advice that we would give aspiring female entrepreneurs is to find ways to add value before finding ways to make money. If you add value to people’s lives, the money will come. 

What women, past or present, have inspired you the most? What qualities do you admire most?

Dolly Parton! She has a servant's heart, doesn’t take herself too seriously, and embraces who she is. We love her!

What is your go-to nail service? What nail trends are you currently obsessing over?

Lauren: My go-to service is a gel manicure with luminary. Luminary is an add-on we offer and it is amazing! It’s a multi-flex hard gel that creates a more durable base for your polish, so my manicures last longer. My favorite nail trend right now is Aura nails. 

Manda: My go-to service is The Dew Effect pedicure. We make our Dew Effect scrub and lotion in-house and they make the service SO relaxing. My favorite nail trend is chrome. It looks amazing with any base color and is so fun and pretty! 

W Nail Bar has over a dozen locations in Columbus, Cleveland and Indianapolis, so if you’re in the area you should definitely check them out. You can learn more about them here.