 If it's Tuesday, it's Entrepreneurship Tuesday at Y244 Channel is where you can find us across all our social media handles at Michelle Ashira. You can find me across all my social media in this particular session. We're diving into an interview that looks at the Nail business, the Nail Palace sort of kind of business. The whole aspect of it. Instead, I am joined by Christopher and Jenga who is a nail technician at Chiba Nail Bar. Correct. Chiba Nail Bar. That's where you find Chris. Thank you very much Christopher for creating time to be with us today. Thank you so much for welcoming me. Hey Chris. Yes. So when I say my life is not perfect but nails are not perfect. Yes. Nails are not perfect. But your nails can be perfect. Yes. Life is not perfect but my nails can be perfect. Exactly. And also the guys, the gentlemen, because now the beauty industry in 21st century is quite different from way back. Now the gentlemen are into grooming much more. You know, they want their cuticles taken care of, manicure, pedicure to know. Yes. All right. So Christopher, take us to your life story to the point where you decided that, you know, I'm going to be a nail technician. This is actually what I love and this is what I'm going to do. Okay. First of all, say thank you for hosting me here. You're very much welcome. Okay. My name is Chris Jenga. I work at Chiba Nail Bar. I ran the brand called Varembona Chris. Basically, when you ask about how I started my business, how I operate my business of Varembona Chris. Yes. And the beauty perspective issue. This is the thing I've dealt with it since time, Kitambo, because I studied, I did art and all that. So I loved expressing my art even through people. And I'm kind of a guy, I'm an extrovert who loves ladies. So I was brought by two lovely sisters and my cousins out there. And I used to like them when they are beautiful and all that. And it's just in me, I just want to see a lady glamorous. Yeah. So I can see that's why what's pushed me to beauty industry, to nail industry. Because my impression first of all is not even nails first before nails. Okay. Repeat that again. Nails first before nails. Ladies, did you hear that? It is nails before nails. Okay. So how did you gain the skills? Okay. It's back 2017 where my cousin opened a beauty parlor. And I was there with her because she used to, we're good buddies with her. We used to be good buddies, we're still good buddies with her. And so she started a business because being personal, I am as in quote-in-quote, of liking my cousin and all that, I saw this an opportunity to work with ladies because ladies are in my thing as in I just love ladies and all that. I just love ladies looking out and... Looking all glamja. Yeah. Right. So for someone who's watching this conversation and they've never been to a nail parlor, what does a nail technician actually do in details? Basically, a nail technician does what I do. It's basically making you as a person, be able to step out wherever you're going. Maybe it's like you come into a studio. I want you to take care of your face beat. I want to take care of your nails. I want to take care of you. When you're going out there for the office work, I want you to be presented as in to have that confidence and I'll make sure I make your nails to a point like nobody misses out to see who Michelle is. They want to know, this is Michelle. Look at her nails. If this lady is taking care of her nails, this lady is in another class. Yeah. So it's basically taking care of your nails, taking care of your feet because of pedicure, manicure and all that. So you work without confidence. When somebody sees you, they will know you've invested in yourself. You went to a nail bar and this nail shop, they took care of you, took care of your nails, massaged you. You're feeling like the queen. Feeling the queen. Yes, feeling the queen. At the Sea of Varembola, Chris. At the Sea of Varembola, Chris. Okay, let's look at the services that you offer because I know when it comes to nails, there are different types of nails and different types of prices that comes with it. So take us through that. The different, the way you're seeing the different types of services offered in a nail bar. And first of all, we have manicure whereby you're taking care of your hand and all that from the wrist up here to the shoulder. You have the nail perspective whereby you have different people who like to do just their natural nails and the ladies who want to put on that extra image of having long nails, short nails or those carving nails, those, I don't know what it's expressed as in... Different shapes of nails, like we can have bogs or coffin looking like. Exactly. Okay, so it's different, whatever I want, what you're saying is I can get it. You can make my desire, my vision of particular art. You can make it come to life. Yes. For someone who's watching this conversation and they want to get into the same sort of kind of business, how can they gain these particular skills? First of all, when you want to do this kind of business, it must have a passion because you're treating a lady who you don't know. You will ever come back. You must have a passion. I want Michelle to look glamorous. I must be passionate making Michelle so that when I'm doing this kind of work, I want to know what does Michelle want. I must have that passion. I must have the skills. I must go and do the extra. It's not a must. It's good going to school and all those, the different nail schools and all that. But if you don't have the passion, if you don't have the skills, it's totally different. Let's look at the monetary aspect of it. How do you make your money? When it comes to your first client, how much time do you spend on this client and also different rating card for your prices for different nails at the nail bar or even different services? The different services that we offer, the different pricing we have, it all depends again, as I said earlier, it all depends on the services you've done. If you're doing tips, we charge them separately from the normal gel because if it is tips and gel, you'll price this particular amount of money, let's say 1500 if it is a clear X, it's 2500 if it's gum gel, 3K and all that. It all depends on your budget and the kind of service you want. And how do you make sure that you guys stand out in the market space, considering that it is an industry that has been actually quite very crowded in the market, so how do you guys stand out? What is so different about Warenbonakris? What is different about Warenbonakris is not only about making money as we're talking about money. Yes, money is good, all businesses must make money. But at the end of the time, what makes me stand out is when Michelle comes in, she's not just coming for nails, she's coming there to relax, she's coming there to have her own time. It's between me and there as in us too, you see. So that's what makes me stand out. Doing my work to perfection, because I'm a perfectionist, I love, when you're out there, you're able to do your nails like, yeah, these nails are different because the services I offer, I just make, I twist something. Because everybody can apply gel. Anybody can apply gel. If you go that extra mile, maybe decoration and all that, yeah. And speaking about decoration, how do you keep up with the new trends when it comes to art? Because when you head onto Instagram, as you can see, we have just seen from your Instagram page Warenbonakris, there's so many different art out there. You just come into Facebook, social media, different nails and just different art. How do you keep up with the trends? Keeping up with the trends and all gear or step whereby I'm up to date with even the celebrities, what our celebrity is doing. I'll check people like Nicki Minaj, Cardi B and all that. What is their trend? Because I will not stay like, those ladies of Kitamwa, Kinamerika, you know what they used to do. They used to do nails just, plain nail, but at this time, Kinakadibi are here. Oh yeah. I must make sure. Nails are all expression, expressing who you are, sort of kind of thing. Okay. So we are going through some of your work that is running on our screen. That is Warenbonakris on Instagram, right? Yeah. Okay. Another question that most people ask, especially your parents, when it comes to the long nails, because when you see Cardi B, when she's all on the music videos, with the long nails and everything, do you play a role when it comes to explaining to your client the type of, the length of the nails they should have or is it a personal decision? And what's your take on, you know, ladies who go for the long nails and they're different workspace. Yeah. Just take us through that. That's a tough one. But what I would say is, when a lady comes and say, I want particular nails, maybe they soak at the beach below and all those big, big names and they're saying like, I want nails like that. So first of all, I say, okay, I am able to do that. I will do that because you're paying me. But I'll try to figure out, like I have some Nazis. I have some people who are in the food industry and all that. You know, I will not put long nails for them because I know they will struggle. Like doctors, I can't put long nails because of the gloves and all that. Because professionally, you're not supposed to have all those long nails and all that. Yeah. I don't believe it to be comfortable. It will not be comfortable. So it goes back to what you do. What you do. And then I will tell you, if it's an event, of course I will go out with you as in the full string and put long nails on. Because you know, there you're having your clutch and all that. You're holding your clutch and the nails. Maybe even here, you're talking to us. You're expressing yourself. Yeah. So the nails must be long so that somebody say, hey, I went to a certain wedding and the nails, did you see the nails, you know, to make you stand out in an event? Yeah. And maybe office because others just, you're typing on your laptop, on your computer and all that. The nails they're typing and somebody passes by, then they make your environment different. Okay. Yeah. And what is your strategy when it comes to maintaining your clientele? My strategy first of all is listening to the client. If you come, you tell me you want tips. What kind of tips do you want? What kind of shape do you want? I will advise you as in you tell me I want those long nails, ballerina, I want those long nails, stiletto and all that. I will listen to you. I'll look at your hands and all that and say this shape and your nails, they are not matching. So I will advise you because when I advise you, then when you go out there, you'll come to appreciate and say, wow, Chris, advise me on ABCD so I can trust Chris next time. Yeah. All right. There's a whole strategy around the type of, the shape of nails you want and your hand, how it looks like and there's a whole aspect on that. Yeah. Also, Kala, because you'll come and say, I saw Michelle with red and for me, I know your skin tone. As much as you want red, it will not blend with your skin tone. So all that advice you say, yes, you want red, we have all those colors because we have like hundred colors because it's a different priority. And I'll tell you for this red, it will not match with your hand and all that. So can we adjust? Maybe I'll push you the red one, but I'll twist something on it. Okay. Let's look at the tools of production. Tools of work. I was about to say tools of production. No problem. Let's look at tools of work that you guys have and is it quite expensive if someone has to get into this business and how do they get them if they even take us through what we have on the set. Okay. About pricing and all that, it all depends again on your budget starting the business because you have this big, big palace and you know, the kind of the tools they use, they're not the kind like to be found everywhere. So but what I would say, you want to invest in this, make sure you go, you don't go ah pie. I'm not saying you don't go there, but again, have the tools that will make your clients comfortable. They'll look like you have invested like for us and I'm not marketing blue sky and all that. Our shop, Shiva Nail Bar, we normally like prioritize on blue sky because we know blue sky will never disappoint us. You know, when a client hears that you're doing blue sky and the charges that you're doing, they are comfortable. When it comes to buffer, what buffer are you using? Because it will determine if you're buffing the nails, the client nails and all that is happening. The client will feel, this thing is so rough, this thing is too, as it's breaking and all that, it's not standard and all that. So it all depends on that. And again, you go to the right companies that they offer because you can do all that research. It is there on the internet. Okay. Yeah. So just good quality, make sure that you retain your client at the end of the day. Yeah. So take us through what we have on set now. What is the this particular white object and what does it do? This particular white object is called UV. Thank you. It's for drying gel. Yes. And basically, because gel is not like normal polish or cutex as we used to know it in back in the days. When you've been applied gel, gel needs to to manicure as in and all that. So it needs to be connected to the power source and all that. There is one that we used to do, like Kausha, the gel polish. Oh, wow. And then we have the buffer. The buffer is basically to buff your nails after we're filing and all that to make them, to make the gel, to make gel able to have a good base for it to come and sit on it so that the gel does not look rough on you. The nails look polished and all that. And then we have the gel itself and the other tools that are not here. But we have the gel that it's there. That's a color that you have. And we're saying, like in Chiva Daleback, we're Rembuna Chris, we have like a hundred colors so you're spoilt for choice. Okay. So these are just the basic required tools that one needs when it comes to this sort of business. They are files, they are nail cutters and all that. Okay. So what are a couple of challenges that you're facing? Challenges, basically, as in, I don't know what you mean by challenges. As in in the market personally. Okay. In the business that it is. Yeah. Challenges we're facing is like, a lot of, there's a lot of imitation of things. And that's what I'm saying. When you're going for these tools and all that, make sure you've done your due research. You know this, this, if it is gel, if I apply this gel, what are people saying about it? Because the challenges that are there, there's a lot of imitation in the market. But you need to step up as a business owner, as a nail, a nail, nail, a nail by owner. Yeah. So the challenges that are there. And again, but from you, as in ladies, not you, but not all other ladies, like you, you've invested in so much. And the price that you put, somebody thinks like, no, this is too much. They compare you to the other places that they were. Yeah. But if you go back and do their research from other places, you'll come to realize is that the other place, they are so cheap and all that, and it's good to be cheap and all that, but at what expense? Do I want to use good stuff to you, or do I just want to rush in the shop and buy something that two weeks you'll say, oh Chris, you messed my nails up. Okay. So. Those are the kind of challenges. Okay. You put your clients interest at heart. Yeah. Not just business as usual. Yeah. Okay, when what is the best feeling ever after you've like, you know, you've worked on a client and what's the best response that you've ever gotten from a client? The best response is like compliments. You feel somebody is tagging you on Instagram, Facebook and all that, and they say, these are my nails, nails done by, even they'd say, visit my, my nail plug and all that. So it's a compliment. Somebody was satisfied and that's what pushes me. So client satisfaction. Yeah, client satisfaction. All right. So that's it. Warren Bonacris. Yeah, Warren Bonacris. All right. So what are your immediate handles if they want to reach out to you, get their nails done, pedicure, manicure, facial all that. On Instagram at Warren Bonacris, underscore n- underscore criss, that is Warren Bonacris, but if you will forget those underscores, if you just type hashtag Warren Bonacris, everything will come there. Everything pops up. Yeah. All right. Thank you very much. Santisana. Well, Christopher Njenga, for creating time to be there, taking us through what's nail palette looks like in terms of different art that you have also got to see from your social media handles at Santisana. Okay, thank you very much. That is Varembona Kris, yeah? Varembona Kris with Christopher Jenga. So make sure you catch up with him across all social media handles. That is Varembona Kris and you can reach out to him and he'll he got you. He's your plug when he comes to the nails. That is pedicure, manicure, facial, anything, everything when he comes to be glammed up as a lady head on to Varembona Kris. So our time frame, it's finally our time from at 10. So this is the end of the show. So make sure you create time next Tuesday, same time from 7 till 10 a.m. at Y254Channel is where you can find us across all our social media handles at Michelle Ashiro is where you can find me across all my social. So make sure you create time, yeah? Create time next Tuesday, same time frame. Alright, so have a, enjoy the rest of your day. Keep it right here on Y254 channel, the number one youth station. So make sure you stick around because there's so much more when it comes to programs right here. Have a nice day. Take care.