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Interview with Irina Klapsha: “The main thing is to be always in motion!”

How to combine career and family?

STALEKS Journalist.
I write about the beauty industry, collect information, and share trends. I manage an interview column on the STALEKS YouTube channel.

Irina Klapsha is a certified IBD PROFESSIONAL NAIL SYSTEMS teacher, a nail technician-designer at EZFLOW NAIL SYSTEM and a judge of the international championships.

 

“Profession is my hobby”

– Irina, please tell us how you came to the profession of the nail technician. Was it your hobby?

– I have started to do a manicure 19 years ago. From the age of 18, I worked as a private entrepreneur but decided to change my profession. I have been in business for five years, and during that time, I got tired of it. I wanted peace of mind, work without fuss.

I always liked to give self-manicure and do it to other people. Therefore, I decided that I would be a nail technician. Of course, it was like a hobby, because I did not understand whether it would bring me a profit. Gradually, thanks to the support of the family, I began to go further and improve my skill.

– You had to study for a long time?

– In Odessa, I took a classic manicure course, but I understood that this was not enough for me. Then I took the nail modeling courses. It inspired me so much that I went to study in Kyiv, because in Odessa, I was already better than my manicurists, and they could no longer give me anything.

My husband let me go to Kiev, although at that time I had a small child. In Kyiv, I realized that I wanted to be not only a nail technician but also a teacher. I began to think about my training center. For six months, I studied in Kyiv and came home for the weekends to see the family.

– Tell us how your family reacted to this?

– My husband let me go to school and supported me. I am very grateful to him because of that. The main thing is to find your favorite business and have a wish to do it, and I did it. I liked this job.

“The first and only”

– You talked about the training center. Is it called “VICTORY”?

– Yes, you know, thanks to “VICTORI” I became a certified teacher. Now I am their representative, who has the right to teach in Odessa, in the only “Victory,” school and issue international certificates.

– Is this the first center in Odessa?

– In Odessa, it is the first and only. Six years ago we opened a second training center.

– First and only, what is the secret of success?

– You know, probably in the fact that I did not stop at what had been achieved, but studied everything new. I am a hardworking person because if you are lazy, you will not go far. You need to set a goal, ask yourself what you want to achieve in this life. And, of course, need the support of relatives.

The goal is needed. There is no goal – nothing to strive for. Anyone can achieve something if they want it. Lying on the couch will not achieve it.

You know, now we have one of the best centers in Odessa, and when young girls come to study with us, I always support them. It is essential not to give up, set a goal – go forward, in spite of the enemies. Of course, it happens that I make call-down when they fail, sometimes they are offended, but I explain to them that I want to help them.

“I have such speed since birth.”

–You said your husband supported you. How do you manage to keep balance both at work and at home? You leave early in the morning and return late in the evening, how do you manage your time?

– I have two children; my daughter is already an adult – she is 21 years old, and my son is 4 years old. Our children have a significant age difference, so the daughter also helped a lot. It is also essential to proper nutrition. I try to stick with it and do sports.

Sport gives a lot: endurance, discipline. Get up in the morning, whether you want to or not. I work out three times a week, and I get up at 7 am, I go to study, to work, then there are business meetings, then I need to pick up the child.

– You look very good. What is the secret of your beauty? What helps to keep yourself in good shape?

– I love to live, always in motion. I do not allow myself to relax, but I allow to rest – sleep is paramount! I wake up positively if you are not satisfied with your life, work, or appearance, you will be a sullen during the day. I have many joys in my life: a big healthy family, a favorite job.

I am previously engaged in dancing with my daughter. I even participated in contests – I won 1st place in modern dances. After the birth of my son, I realized that I was already an adult mother, left the dances, and went to the gym to do fitness. You also need to drink a lot of water and go to bed early. Since the son falls asleep at 11 pm, I also try at this time. The main is sleep, procedures, face, and body care. And of course, when you are doing well at work and in your family – you are only on the positive.

– When you come home tired, and a four-year-old son runs to hug you – are these emotions cool?

– It is an indescribable emotion. Children, in general, are always in a good mood; they are sincerely glad that mother has come. Adults can dissemble, children do not. And when a child runs towards you, shouting “Mom!” And jumps into your arms, fatigue immediately passes.

– So you have a source of inspiration – is it your children?

– I can say so

– How do you find time to be with them?

– You know, when I decided to have a second child (a lot of time passed – 17 years!), During this time I managed to turn a hobby into a business: at each training center, there is a shop in which we sell professional cosmetics. When the business became stable, we decided to have another baby. I try to find time at weekends for a family.

– You are so energetic, active. Tell me, in your career was everything fast or smooth? Do you always have this speed in life?

– You know, I have such speed since birth. When I was engaged in business, I always had everything in motion: regular meetings, purchases. When I became a nail technician, I wondered for a long time whether I would sit at work. It turned out to be a very active job: every hour a new client! I have clients who have been visiting me for 18 years. I have everything calculated, I know how long it takes to get to the parking, how long it takes to get home. I’m always in a hurry somewhere, so I get home late.

“Quality work – a pledge of professionalism”

– What qualities should a professional have?

– First of all, you must love your work. When you get pleasure from work, you give it 100% of yourself. It is necessary to understand that the client has holidays, but the nail technician does not have – you must always do your job qualitatively.

– Tell us about the case of life, when you thought only about the client?

–I started my favorite business in 2000, of course, at first there were very few clients. I had to build a base. I have never in my practice did not refuse a client.

I had a case when a client called on May 1 at 11 pm and asked if I could accept her for a manicure now. Up to two in the morning, we did the procedure with her.

At one time I had a stable schedule from 7 am to 12 pm, I did not have weekends and holidays. Only in the case of full commitment to the cause you can be a cool nail technician and at the same time earn huge money.

The main thing is that the nail technician did not have a goal to earn. It is essential to carry out the procedure qualitatively and correctly, and then the client will return to you. When you do it just for the sake of earning money – you skive, you want to let them go quickly, you hate them, or you wait because you need money. I believe that such work does not bring pleasure and tranquility, and you will not last long: you will fall through, and everything will begin to depress. It has no sense.

– The next question is about modern technology. How do they influence the creative process?

– You know, regard to equipment, the technology has gone ahead. We do not have time to buy everything, but some things should be required for the nail technician: lamps and a professional tool for a manicure. For example, STALEKS has an exclusive line that made from flawless metal; we use only such a tool. It lies comfortably in hand, does not lose sharpness. It turns out that the demanded nail technician even saves on such a tool because sharpening now costs money.

– That is, it is more important to buy professional instruments than to run every time to sharpening studio?

– Yes, because we save time and money. Plus it takes less time for the procedure itself. Much depends on the tool.

Many new ones listen and buy the necessary equipment immediately. I was not told such nuances, but at one time I bought a lamp for $ 100, I used it a month and threw it out. After that, I bought a $ 500 lamp because I understood the “pluses” that it would give me.

– Tell us about your acquaintance with STALEKS.

–Our training center is 19 years old, and STALEKS has been on the market for more than 20. I remember once managers called and asked if I wanted to cooperate with STALEKS, but I refused them. They have an excellent tool, but it is more suitable for home use. But a few years ago a rebranding took place in the company – two brands appeared, STALEKS and STALEKS PRO (the last one is an extremely professional tool for nail technicians!).

Somehow it happened that we met again. Then my husband helped me: he is an expert in sharpening, and one day he saw good models of tools from STALEKS PRO. We began to cooperate. I can say that nowadays it is the best and high-quality range.

I choose the Exclusive series of tools. I advise to manicurists (both beginners and experienced) only such products.


“The main secret of success”

– There are graduates who have obeyed all the advice and succeeded?

– Yes, I have a lot of such nail technicians who opened and salons, and centers, and schools. Some say: “Thank you for everything!” Because we teach not only manicure but also psychology how to communicate with clients. Many come to us to study from abroad. In December, we had ten female students from Israel. There were also girls from Italy, Turkey, Germany. Some, on the contrary, go abroad to work.

– Tell me, is there a men in your line of business?

– For 14 years of my teaching experience, 2 guys were taught by me. One was very stylish and young, led by the head of the salon, where only the guys worked. There was a lot of people who liked a manicure done by him because he is very sensitive to clients. The second one was the adult man; his wife brought him. For 14 years, this, of course, is not enough, but now the guys call us and are interested.

– You are also a judge of the championships, could you tell us more about it?

– Yes, I still manage to find time for business trips, because almost every month we travel all over Ukraine. Competitions are held in the framework of the exhibition, where the championships. I take part and prepare the other nail technicians. It gives the development and speed to the manicurist, and it is a pleasant experience. It helps to overcome fear. After the contest, the nail technician has more clients, and this is a great advertisement.

– What else would you advise novice manicurists to direct their energy in the right direction?

– If we are talking about a nail technician who has already found himself, who has come to the nail industry and is doing a chic manicure, then he/she should remain in this area: not learning to paint eyebrows or sugaring, but invest in the manicure business. It is worth studying in this direction. Also, do not forget to take refresher courses. Technology does not stand still; what we did 10 years ago is now being done differently.

Also, the nail technician must possess different techniques, be able to apply varnish and extension the nails. Because clients will not go to different technicians, the client will choose a multidisciplinary technician: pedicure, manicure, nail extension. You need to follow the fashion and be able to do any nail art: draw, make an ombre, gradient. Never stop and constantly learn – the main secret of success!

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