From working on her own nails as a hobby to doing nearly eight sets for other people a month, sophomore Jazleen Ortega created a business off of doing the nails of peers. Utilizing seasons and school events, friends of Ortega wait impatiently for the day they get their nails done by her small business known to others as “Nails By Jazzy.”
In 2023, when Jazleen saw people on TikTok posting about doing their own nails, she felt inspired. She began doing her own nails, simply as a hobby. Her designs got more creative and her skills improved, this caught the attention of friends and family.
“My cousins decided to start having me do their nails,” Jazleen said. “Then, Sage [Reyes] asked me to do her nails too, and after Sage I just started doing other people’s [nails].”
Starting a business is very challenging in general, it takes time. In this case, a set of nails takes about two hours to complete. Finding time and motivation to do that much work is difficult, especially when it’s the beginning, and having no idea what the outcome will be.
“At the beginning, I was like ‘Oh, I’m so tired. Do I even wanna do this?’” Ortega said. “Then after, I’m like ‘Wait, I’m so happy I did those nails. They were so cute and so fun to do. [It’s most rewarding] when I’m seeing them happy with the nail set they have.”
There was a fear of how her family would react, because their support was vital for her to feel motivated to continue. But, she received encouragement from her friends and family, which pushed her to keep at it.
“My family, I don’t wanna say they were surprised, because I’m a very hands-on crafty person,” Ortega said. “They were definitely happy I could make it into something.”
A business can’t improve without customers, luckily, Ortega had an increasing number of those. The support of her friends and their willingness to help was crucial for where her business is today. By receiving compliments on her Instagram account, and a steady stream of people requesting new designs, the business continues to thrive.
“I didn’t think it would go this good,” Ortega said. “I make a lot of money from it. I just expected it to be something like three people do, and now I have a lot of people.”
Even though the workload continues to increase, Ortega manages to improve her skill and enjoy her work. She hasn’t lost her passion for the new and exciting designs, and the unconditional support from peers. She shared that the shock of how many people wanted her to do their nails was both scary and inspirational. Though the business is thriving now, it is important to remember the beginning, how a business starts.
“Just keep going, don’t stop,” Ortega said. “It’s very challenging, but you’ll get there at some point.”
For more visuals, visit her instagram @nailz_by.jazzy24 where direct messages are open to book appointments.
