Te’Kia Young shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Te’Kia, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What do you think is misunderstood about your business?
I’m going to speak on misunderstandings of the nail industry as a whole because it trickles down to individual businesses. Major misunderstandings right now really stem around pricing. Like most things, thanks to supply and demand, pricing has increased significantly. Also, you can’t leave talent out of this conversation. When it comes to nails you hear a lot of people reminiscing about the days that nails only cost $25. Those days are gone. If we’re being honest $25 full sets looked horrible. They worked for that time period but the skill level then was nothing compared to what it is now. There are some talented nail artists who can put anything you want on your nails. You can’t ask for super detailed and time consuming nail art on all ten fingers and expect to only pay an extra $5 dollars more for it all. There are parts of me that fully understand. I too miss when everything was cheaper and easier to attain. Unfortunately those are just not the times we live in anymore. It’s an ongoing debate that is tired and it really implies that nail techs don’t deserve to make a living.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a licensed nail technician who operates a private appointment only suite in Durham, North Carolina. My love for nails extends all the way back to a two year old Te’Kia getting a hold of her grandmothers nail polish and nearly perfectly painting her nails all by herself. Snobish Beauty was born as a result of a desperate need for a career change and the pandemic put the icing on the cake that set everything into motion. Here we are all about fun and expressive nails full of nail art and bright colors. We are a gel only salon and our number one service is Gel-X. We take pride in being able to provide our clients with a private and fume free location where their service is not rushed and they are able to leave with the nails that they want.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
My father was murdered before my first birthday. I remember being preschool age when my mom explained to me that my dad was deceased and what had happened to him. I don’t really recall all of what was said but I understood very clearly what was being communicated to me. Even as a child I knew then that life was unfair and that none of this was meant to last forever. He was 25 years young when he passed away. For years I was afraid that I wouldn’t make it past 25 all because he didn’t. As I grew a little older I realized I wanted to make my time here fun regardless of the cards I had been dealt and what the future held. I do my best to fill my life with experiences. Life is too short to be unhappy especially since we don’t know when our time will come. My goal is to live not just exist.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Although suffering is never ideal, I think it makes you appreciate the reward when you come out on top even more. Suffering requires you to sit in it. You become familiar with it and have to decide how you’re going to fight your way out of it. It requires creativity and can be full of trial and error. You take care of things a little different when you’ve been there since the beginning and had to work for it. You get to experience all of the transformation turn into something you can really be proud of. Many don’t take care of things that are just handed to them. Usually they’re working to make someone else’s dreams come true therefore they don’t appreciate it. Suffering teaches you how to stay motivated, how to fight, and the importance of never giving up on yourself.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
The public version of me is not the real me. I have many years of old school customer service training that has trickled into my personal life. I believe in first impressions and being pleasant to people. Although not too far off from how I present the real me is reserved for people who really know me. I can seem like an introvert in the beginning but become fully extroverted when I’m comfortable and feel safe. I’m loud, I curse, and I can find the humor in anything. There’s always a song and dance in my heart which often results in random outbursts. None of which is typically viewed as normal behavior in public. Until I can get back to the real me I just smile and make sure I look approachable while in public. You never know who you may run into.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: When do you feel most at peace?
I love to vacation! Nothing puts me more at peace than the sun, water, and a swimsuit while in another country. It immediately resets me. I often enjoy saying I don’t want to have to think. I get full freedom from thinking at all inclusive resorts. It feels good to have no itinerary but a plethora of options at my convenience. One thing for certain is that I’m hitting the pool daily for every single hour that it’s open. It’s also mandatory that I hit the beach the day before check out. I do think it’s important to go off of the resort and interact with the locals and immerse yourself in their culture. I throughly enjoy it every time that I do. But, In order for my peace to be at its highest, poolside or beach side service me, Please!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://snobishbeauty.as.me/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/snobishbeauty?igsh=MTA4Nm1iZHpkbHRoOQ==
