We had the good fortune of connecting with Gianna Gutierrez and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Gianna, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The most important factor behind the success of my nail business simply consists of passion. Having my passion for nails and customer service pushed me to still give 100% even in the toughest situations. Passion gave me the ability to fully enjoy what I do as well, making my career feel like fun rather than just work! It has fueled me since the beginning to consistently give my clients an experience to nail artistry like never before.
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a Nail Artist located in Greenville, South Carolina with almost four years of professional experience. I specialize in acrylic nail extensions and trending nail art. My independency as a Nail Technician differs me from an average nail salon. My goal is to turn previous unpleasant experiences from other salons, to a better and comfortable one. My passion fuels the creativity and precision behind my work, allowing me to create an almost perfect replica of any nail inspiration my clients bring. I make it a mission to create my nail suite as a safe space that accommodates everyone. My private one-on-one experience is a place my clients can choose to relax or have a therapeutic session while bringing their nail dreams to life!
My journey started at 16 years old as I was first introduced to nail salons. I quickly fell in love and decided that was a career path I wanted to take. When I graduated cosmetology school in early 2021, I started working on gaining clientele immediately, while investing into my business from a different income at the same time. I was proudly able to maintain a great number of clientele to sign my first Salon Suite in early 2022. It was difficult in the starting years since I was working seven days a week and taking the risk of starting my own nail business. I pushed to earn my business license, salon license, and LLC all to my name at the age of 22. Over this journey, I recognized I will always have something new to learn everyday no matter how many years of experience I have. I also learned how to properly manage a business and what priorities to focus on to make it successful. I take pride in showing what great customer care is like as well as maintaining excellent service quality.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There are many great places to eat or do an activity in Greenville, SC. But, to start off at my favorite spots to eat for brunch would be at Broken Egg Cafe on Woodruff Road. They have the best mimosas and a great menu that’s hard to choose just one item.
In the afternoon, the Swamp Rabbit trail is a perfect activity to walk off lunch or ride a city bike and catch the beautiful nature side of Downtown Greenville.
Downtown is the go-to for great Dinner spots. Soby’s restaurant has a great southern comfort meets fine dining experience that always is exceptional! Jianna’s Italian restaurant across the Reedy River is perfect authentic Italian food to have in the evening. The balcony seating allows you to enjoy the great weather in the warmer seasons while overlooking a beautiful view of downtown.
For the weekend, Group therapy that’s located in the beautiful and modern Camperdown, is an adult playground with mini golf, axe throwing, digital darts, Karaoke, food, and drinks. Every golf hole has an iconic movie theme that makes it picture worthy! Top Golf and Main Event on Pelham Road holds more fun activities to play a variety of arcade games and laser tag or have a competition on who can swing a golf ball the farthest.
To finish the night on any day of the week or weekend, dessert is necessary in Greenville. Crazy Mason is a milkshake bar that serves over-the-top milkshakes with crazy toppings like a cheesecake slice or a donut. Carmella’s Cafe & Dessert Bar is a great place if you want a late night treat and drink while taking Instagram-worthy photos of the inside.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I had an abundance of support from family and friends that encouraged me from the beginning of starting my nail business. The recognition truly goes to my parents, Joe and Danielle, and my sister, Jaden Gutierrez as being a huge part of my love and support system.
My mother has always recognized my talents growing up, gifting me presents of anything nail related every Birthday and Christmas. She would take weekly trips with me to the store just to buy me the newest nail polish. My mom has always encouraged me to never give up and constantly recommends my business to every person she meets. She has always showed her love and compassion for how far I have succeeded in my career, which will never go unnoticed.
My dad helped me build my business with me in ways that I couldn’t. When I was fresh out of cosmetology school, he built my own personal at-home nail studio as a small start up. He’s given me the best mentorship since he is an entrepreneur himself. My dad was there to witness me sign my first Salon Suite, obtain my first business license and the first person to be there if I needed any assistance with handy work. He has constantly reassured me the whole journey about how proud he is of my work, which fueled my confidence.
My sister, Jaden was the biggest supporter since the beginning. She was the very first person I started doing nails on. Jaden has sat for hours on end to let me practice acrylic nails on her for years. She’s shown me nothing but love and encouragement throughout my journey, never getting impatient no matter how long it took me to finish. Jaden and I have our history of long motivational talks about both of our businesses and I couldn’t be more grateful to have such a huge support system!
Website: https://www.nailsbygigillc.com
Instagram: nailsbygigii_
Image Credits
Jaden Gutierrez