Maintaining the manicure: turning a backyard shed into a growing nail business

On a hot July afternoon last summer, 15-year old Liliana Mazariegos-Carias sat on her bedroom floor, carefully placing rhinestones onto her nails. She had no training, only a small nail kit she bought online and a curiosity to see if she could do better than the salon set she just bought.

This curiosity turned into something bigger. Today, Mazariegos-Carias runs her own nail business out of a backyard studio built by her dad, balancing school, sports and a part-time job at the Classic Center while growing a loyal group of clients and sharing her designs on Instagram.

For her quinceañera, Mazariegos-Carias got her first set of salon nails, however the offering price was startling. She began thinking about how she could save money by doing her own nails. She began with simple poly gel, then moved to acrylics after accidentally ordering professional products and taught herself step by step. 

“I started off with poly gel and that’s what I started doing my nails with. It was just like a simple pink or purple base. And then I put a little rhinestone or two, but it made me feel cute. It made me feel like I just added something more to me. After that, I got into acrylic. I ordered their acrylic by accident, but I made it work. That’s when I started getting more supplies and noticed how I actually really enjoyed it,” Mazariegos-Carias said.

The ability to curate the nails to her style gave Mazariegos-Carias a new sense of confidence where she could share her talents. “What influenced me was just the art behind it,” Mazariegos-Carias said. “It’s more of how you feel after having your nails done, how it adds that whole period at the end.”

Over time, she began to realize nails weren’t just about appearance; they were a way to express herself. 

“I love a colorful set. I love anything colorful, bright or maybe a lot of designs going on. Like, I will say that’s my way of expressing myself, especially with my brand ambassadors. Since I am able to do whatever steps I want on them,” Mazariegos-Carias said.

In the beginning, Mazariegos-Carias held nail appointments in her room, but the strong chemical smell coming from the monomer bothered her family, so her father, Milton Mazariegos, built her a small shed in the backyard. 

The relocation into the shed took roughly three weeks, and with Mazariegos-Carias’ excitement of the growth of her business, the redecorating of her new space had much promise. 

“Since the day that I actually moved myself into the nail room, I had like 100,000 visions for it,” Mazariegos-Carias said. “I was very excited and blessed to have that opportunity, especially at my age.” 

She began by decorating the studio with LED lights and a TV, constructing a calm and welcoming space for clients to feel comfortable.

“I want more of a mellow setting. I have my LED lights, but I still have my TV. So if it’s somebody energetic we can watch TV. If it’s somebody who’s wanting more of a quiet appointment, it’s very relaxing. I’ve had a couple clients who are saying how they could literally fall asleep on my chairs,” Mazariegos-Carias said.

Her parents encouraged her to try. They never pressured her to succeed or told her she couldn’t do it, which has given her the space to learn with the possibility of failure.

“They never really told me no when I brought up the idea of even starting to do nails. They encouraged it,” Mazariegos-Carias said.

Her family’s support and actions to help expand Mazariegos-Carias business fueled her passion. She could now provide clients with a space curated for them.

This freedom gave her confidence to keep building up her business. Every polish, brush and decoration in her studio was purchased with the money she has earned from her clients, teaching her the importance of managing her earnings. 

“Everything that I have now is because I worked for (it). The same money that I’ve made as income, I invested in myself and my business,” Mazariegos-Carias said. 

Between her nail appointments, high school classes, color guard, Friday football games and a part-time job at the Classic Center, she plans strategically throughout the week. Before her business, she would go with the flow, but she is grateful for the structure it runs her business provides, even if it gets hectic at times. 

“Last year, when I started school, I did color guard, so I had a much more tight schedule. I had practice, Tuesday, Thursday and games on Fridays. But on those days that I didn’t have practice, I posted my availability (on Instagram). I definitely had to manage my time with that and see what days and hours I could (be available). When I got another job at the Classic Center, the amount of time I had to do nails became even more limited,” Mazariegos-Carias said. 

Sometimes her activities overlap. For example, many of Mazariegos-Caria’s color guard teammates come to her for nails, which has turned her business into a way to connect with friends.

“It’s like a bonding experience,” Mazariegos-Carias said. “They’ll send their nails in the group chat, like, ‘Guess who got their nails done by Lily?’” 

Senior color guard member Kyla Strong has gotten her nails done by Mazariegos-Carias five times and has witnessed her business grow from when she still had her salon in her room.

“I love her as a person. She’s a sweetheart, and I wish nothing but the best for her as she continues to grow and blossom with this nail business,” Strong said.

Instagram has been a main factor in the growth of her business. Mazariegos-Carias uses the platform to organize availability and appointments. Over recent months she has been utilizing reels to capture long work days and processes. She rotates through posting appointment times, shares time-lapse videos, and highlights her best designs. 

“I’m very happy that people see the good in my work and that they are supporting me throughout it, even though it has only been a year. I still obviously have ways to come, but it’s an honor to be viewed as a good role model when it comes to my nail business,” Mazariegos-Carias said. 

Climbing over the past year, her Instagram account reached 1,000 followers on Oct. 30. One thing Mazariegos-Carias enjoys about her account is that other nail techs online follow her work, comment on her posts and share her progress. 

“We’re mutuals, except we don’t know anything about each other. We are nail techs supporting each other because we can and because we’re in the same field. It wouldn’t hurt anybody to show somebody’s progress and work,” Mazariegos-Carias said. 

She thinks of every client differently because they will each request different conditions. Some want to talk through the whole appointment, while others just want peace and quiet. She has learned to adjust her energy to fit the person sitting across from her.

“​​I’m a very energetic person, especially when I’m in my chair. I have a lot of clients who prefer a quiet appointment. I can tell right off the bat when they walk in if they’re a little off or a little quiet then I won’t push it out of them. Then I have clients who, right off the bat, we just click and we’re just talking or listening to music the entire appointment. You have to read every client and everybody’s different,” Mazariegos-Carias said. “I think (it’s about) giving them a space to be themselves authentically, where they don’t have to push themselves to be something for you.”

Mazariegos-Carias’ appointments can last hours and to ensure the contentment of clients over the long sessions, she tries to set the mood with music, lights, and a relaxed atmosphere. 

“Her attitude is just so amazing. She’s someone you can be very comfortable around. So having to sit there for an hour and a half and trust her to do your nails, it’s best to have an environment like that,” Strong said.

Before finding her love for designing nails, Mazariegos-Carias thought she wanted to be a nurse with her main goal to help people and make them happy. Now working on nails, she is still able to continue this mindset by embodying her clients’ styles in their nails. 

“I feel like it was very eye opening how quickly your opinion can change. For me, it’s just the idea of being a nail tech clicked more than being a nurse. Everybody can be a nurse, but as a nail tech you have to have actual talent. You have to have the patience for it as well, because if you don’t have patience you’re going to go nowhere, especially in the nail business industry. So when I had that spark with doing nails, I continued to follow that,” Mazariegos-Carias said. 

Changing her sights, Mazariegos-Carias now dreams of cosmetology school after graduation, building on the skills she began to develop over the past year. 

For now, her small backyard shed is both her workplace and her sanctuary, serving as a reminder that with hard work and support, even big dreams can start in a small room.