The Nail Bar

Brief Introduction?

My name is Ameera Abraham, I am the CEO/ Spa Director of The Nail Bar Ltd and founder of Amali Cosmetics. I also serve as the Executive Chair (Nigeria) for the Spa & Wellness Association of Africa. I have a BA in Politics and International Relations, a CIDESCO Diploma in Spa Management and I’m also a qualified beauty therapist.

Tell us about your brand?

The Nail Bar (TNB) is an upscale destination that delivers unrivalled luxury nail treatments that go beyond the standard manicure and pedicure. Our mission is to successfully provide a high-end nail, hand and foot care, therapeutic massage, hair care and aesthetician services in a caring, upscale, professional environment. We tailor to clients experience based on initial interview information and feedback during treatments to ensure utmost comfort and satisfaction.

What is beauty to you?

Beauty is personal, it is what makes you feel your most confident, most attractive and most at peace with yourself at all times.

I personally feel beautiful when I know I am walking in my God given purpose, I have my monthly spa treatments which consist of a facial, manicure, pedicure,  body scrub, deep conditioning hair treatments and full body massage…it doesn’t take too much really lol!.

How do you define success?

Success is setting goals for yourself and achieving or even surpassing those goals. It should never be about what the next person is doing or the expectations of others.

What ignited the spark to start “The Nail Bar” as a business?

At the time I moved back to abuja I already had my beauty qualification, as you know in beauty school, you learn everything. I knew I wanted to open a spa but I also wanted to stand out in the industry. I had a casual conversation with my cousins and we realised there was no nail spa in abuja at the time. I chose to enter the market through nail care and later evolve my services. Barely 6 months after that conversation I wrote my business plan, incorporated my business, rented a space and set out to buy all I needed to kick off.

Tell us is owning a beauty spa as a profitable as it seems?

Like every capital intensive business it is profitable in the long run. It is after all a recession proof industry because grooming is just as important to us as eating food. Incredible passion, industry knowledge and determination are essential for success.

What are your greatest strengths?

I would say my intense passion, resilience, discipline and obedience to God’s direction. I take anything I do very seriously and as a result my business character is very stern. The best way to have a successful working life is to know your boundaries and make it very clear to whoever you find yourself working with. Being in Nigeria I have found that the professional relationship line is almost always crossed and it tends to lead to unnecessary conflicts.

In addition to this I have a master plan, I am constantly writing down my ideas and goals. All my business decisions centre around this master plan and I find its a great way to stay on track. The fact that I have a timeline also lets me know when to work in full throttle mode, when to work at a comfortable pace and when to relax and take some time off.

What has been your greatest achievement till date?

Surprisingly, it’s not the awards I’ve received or the press recognition or curated influential lists I’ve appeared on, but being able to remain relevant and maintain my standards over the years. It’s easy to give up with all the challenges one faces as a Nigerian entrepreneur on a daily basis.

What makes The Nail Bar different?

Every treatment we offer is based on promoting the wellness of the individual. Our therapists are highly trained to understand this and also educate the client on the benefits of each treatment offered.

We do not compromise on the quality of our products and pay attention to detail. We recently converted to organic products as a commitment to promote a “cleaner” lifestyle for our clients.

Do you adopt the latest nail trends or you keep it simple and classy?

We have built a reputation as a timeless brand over the years. Our best sellers remain our classic treatments, however we do have a good mix of tasteful trends that we offer for a limited time.

Tell us about your cosmetics brand Amali?

Amali <Brilliance> is a cutting edge and innovative nail care brand carefully researched and designed to deliver healthy and beautiful nails,hands and feet. Our product ranges from our revolutionary one step gel polish to vegan nail lacquers.

As the first professional Nigerian gel polish and lacquer brand that focuses on the health of the natural nail, our lacquers are 7 free meaning they are free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Formaldehyde resin, Camphor, Xylene, Dibultyphthalate (DBP) and Tryphenyl (TPHP). These are all harmful & toxic ingredients.

What are the top three skills to be a successful entrepreneur?

Personally I would say Industry Knowledge – education is key, Determination & Persistence.

How do you ensure to give your customers a unique experience they’ll want to repeat?

I started off telling my customers or shaping what they want – as there was no nail spa in abuja at the time I launched – now for an even more unrivalled experience I listen to what my customers want and ensure to deliver exactly that but beyond their expectations.

How important has good employees been to your success?

It’s definitely Important to have good staff but it is more Important to personally have the skills and qualifications. My staff didn’t start off as “good” despite the many years of experience some of them possessed. I did not rely on that, I personally trained them because they had years of experience doing things unprofessionally.

What advice would you give to upcoming entrepreneurs?

Be yourself and stay true to your vision, nobody can do you like you can. If you’re starting young as I did, you will get a lot of opinions and advice along the way, take those that are valid to you so you don’t get lost along the way.

If you had a chance to start all over again, what would you do differently?

I would definitely be less emotional in my business decisions. I would make sure to hire the “right fit” for my brand at all times to avoid negative Impacts on the business overtime and most importantly I would study the local trends and market behaviours in more depth because I started off with a very western mentality/approach.

What has been some of your challenges in creating your brands?

I’m naturally very creative and because my passion drives all of my business ventures and Ideas, I always have a clear vision and goal for my businesses. The challenge in the last few years has been finding the balance between the exchange rate and our treatment prices. While I strive to find local produce, there are still a few products that we need to Import in order to maintain the superior quality we are known for.

Whats your typical day like? How many hours do you work?

I’ve been working mainly from home in the last 18 months and as such I don’t really have a set number of hours. However I ensure I am physically at the Spa for at least 4 hours a day during the week and from 12-6 on Saturdays.

I made the decision to be a full time mum as my business has now been running for over 8 years and is on auto pilot. Despite being a full time mum and having a business on auto pilot, my presence is still very much required and I cannot let my eyes of the ball at any time. I spend my mornings verifying appointments and handling any client needs – mainly over the phone, emails, etc – before getting my daughter ready.

We typically get to work before noon and while she naps I handle the daily affairs of the spa, set the targets for the day with my staff and sort out products and treatments.

We get home before 6pm and once she’s in bed I get to go over daily sales reports, client feedback and any other matters arising.

How do you socialise in your free time?

I’m a bit of an introvert so I particularly enjoy my own company, I try to squeeze in reading, yoga, travelling and baking but most of all I enjoy bonding with my 13 month old daughter, she’s an absolute delight!.

Where can we find you online?

Our websites are www.thenailbarng.com, www.amalicosmetics.com, and for personalised industry information my personal website is www.ameeree.com. We are also on Instagram @thenailbarng and @amalicosmetics.