Tips 'N Toes Nail Salon - news - Philippine Daily Inquirer

IT'S A BASIC PRINCIPLE IN business: before you invest, your time, effort and hard-earned cash in any business, make sure that it's something you love and know inside and out.

So when her favorite nail salon, Tips 'N Toes, was on the verge of folding up in 1999, what better way for certified nail care addict Jenny Tipton-Angeles to break into the business world than by buying out the old owner and run¬ning the show herself?

"I used to be a regular client of the old Tips 'N Toes. There was a previous owner. At that time, they offered hand and feet, services only. When we took over in 1999, we gave the salon a total image change," she relates.

Together with sister Margaret Tipton, who is in charge of the creative and training aspects of the business, Jenny set out to reinvent a concept that has been in the market for years.

Hip, young and cool

The image change involved broadening the nail salon's target market, Jenny says, from the previous "more mature" clientele to younger and hipper customers who want more than just the basic manicure and pedicure.

Starting 1999, Tips 'N Toes added new services-moving beyond just the hands and the feet to include hair removal, massage and, most recently, eyelash extensions.

New nail products and technologies were also brought in from abroad, enhancing its already long list of specialized services.

The overall look of the salons and attendants were also changed to suit the taste of the younger crowd with the outlets sporting bolder colors. The atmosphere is also more laid back.

“Tips ‘N Toes as literally reborn in 1999. We rehearsed, refurbished and systematized everything,” jenny says.

Sharing the love

Being a regular of the old Tips 'N Toes has given Jenny the chance to bond, with others like her who enjoy a regular dose of pampering ones that she now calls partners in her business.

When the nail salon opened itself to franchisees around six years ago, she relates that fellow nail care aficionados Kristine Casido and Dina Tobojka were the first to open their own Tips 'N Toes salons.

Apart from the SM Megamall and Greenbelt 1 branches that Jenny owns, Tips 'N Toes now has three more branches: one at Timog, which Kristine runs, and two at Alabang West Gate and SM Bicutan, which belong to Dina.

"The business is something I know. I don't want to go into something that I know nothing about. And nail care is definitely something that I know and love," Dina relates.

Jenny says it is important for franchisees to know what they're getting into, not only for the sake of the franchisees themselves but also for the sake of the good name that Tips 'N Toes wants to maintain.

"We don't just get anyone franchise. They have to be like us fans and regulars," she says.

From luxury to necessity

Unlike days of yore when going to a nail salon was seen as a luxury, Kristine says this has now turned into a necessity for many.

"Nail care is very basic, really. It's not a luxury at all," she says.

According to Jenny, many working moms go to the nail salon not just to have their nails fixed, but also to pamper themselves and bond with their daughters.

Tips 'N Toes has also become a popular venue for bridal showers, birthday parties and bonding among girl-friends, she says.

"We have a very varied clientele. We get office people, we get teenagers, and we also get celebrities," Dina relates, counting Lea Salonga, Pops Fernandez, Charlene Gonzalez and Tweetie de Leon among them.

Kristine says her Timog branch attracts a lot of celebrity clients as well, due to its proximity to the studios of warring networks ABS-CBN and GMA Network. TV personalities Ruffa Gutierrez and Mariel Rodriguez, both ABS-CBN talents, for example, are sponsored by the nail salon.

But Tips 'N Toes doesn't bank on celebrity endorsements to get new customers and retain old ones. The secret of the nail salon's continuing success is the quality of the products and services that it provides.

"We offer quality service and use all imported, environment-friendly products. All our staff members are also experts in their own fields, so customers are sure to get the best ser¬vice possible," Jenny explains. "Before we hire anyone, they already have to be expert manicurists. Then we train them to be nail technicians."

Tips 'N Toes' specialty-sculptured nails-requires a lot of skill, she says. Additional training is also essential.

The nail salon's eyelash extension service, which it has been offering for a year now; also requires patience and an sample amount of dexterity.

Constant reinvention

"The eyelash extension service takes around two hours to complete, although we've heard that others can do it in just an hour. Here at Tips 'N Toes, we don't sacrifice quality for speed. We follow the 1:1 ratio-one false eyelash for one natural hair-and that takes time to com¬plete," Dina explains.

Although already enjoying much success, she says Tips 'N Toes will continue to improve its service and ensure that it offers its customers nothing but the best and the latest products and services in the market.

"We always have to stay up to date because many other nail salons are sprouting all over the place," she says. "We always share ideas with each other, bringing technology from abroad ahead of everyone else. That's our edge over competitors."

She says Tips'N Toes promises to stay fresh, updating itself with the latest trends in nail care and constantly rein¬venting itself to stay ahead of its game.

"We're very hands-on, all of us.
Since what we're providing is a service, it's important to really be there and run your business yourself. And that personal touch allows us to take care of our customers better," Dina says.

Philippine Daily Inquirer - September 9, 2007