Every business has a beginning. This is the story of how 
“Living life is fun and we’ve just begun
To get our share of the world’s delights
High hopes we have for the future
And our goal’s in sight.”~ From “We are Family” by Sister Sledge
“My sister and me and how nails came to be”
I believe it was in the early 1980’s when acrylic nails became popular in Salt Lake City. My older sister Monica loved having her nails done and decided she wanted to learn how. Phyllis, the lady that did her nails, agreed to teach her. Well . . . if you can call it teaching! One evening, Monica and I met at Phyllis’ salon just before closing. It was clear that I was there as the guinea pig and Phyllis was going to demonstrate on me while coaching Monica along. Back then, you didn’t need any type of license or training to teach this skill; if you were willing to learn and found someone to teach you, it was possible to watch and learn. Phyllis applied the first five nails. Then she stood up, handed Monica a key to her salon and said, “Please lock up when you’re done.”
Four miserable hours later, I had long, thick, horrible nails. Imagine how terrible my hands looked! As we were locking up, I accidentally bumped into the door and started to cry. Monica thought I was crying because I hurt myself, but it was because I was so upset about how my nails looked, and I had no idea how I was going to get them off!
Monica “self-mastered” the art of applying nails by practicing on family members and friends until she perfected her talent. Pretty soon she had a full clientele and decided it was time to open a salon of her own. Wanting talented nail technicians to work in her new salon, Monica approached me, promising to teach me so I could work at her salon. At first I was hesitant . . . memories of ugly nails and endless hours sitting in that chair in front of Monica streamed into my head. What if I didn’t have the determination to learn how? What if I wasn’t good enough or fast enough? All those self-doubting concerns flooded into my head.
I actually liked my job at the time and wasn’t really certain I was ready to become my own boss. Needless to say, I learned how to do nails, became pretty successful at it, and was one of the first nail technicians to work at my sister’s salon, Color My Nails, in Midvale, Utah.
For more than 20 years I worked full time at the salon alongside many nail techs that would come and sadly, for various reasons, go on to other adventures. It felt like getting together with friends every day. Meeting new people, talking, laughing and listening to their stories, sharing our opinions on news events and life experiences–it felt like getting paid to be around my friends. Who wouldn’t absolutely love a job like that? I worked full time while my husband and I raised our children. To this very day, I couldn’t be more grateful to my sister for introducing me to such a fun career!
In 2002, Monica opened Color My Nails School of Nail Technology. At the time, Utah required 300 hours of training. Lucky for me, I was grandfathered in and didn’t have to pass the state-mandated curriculum. Monica spent endless hours establishing a training schedule, hiring instructors and expanding marketing. As if that wasn’t enough, she also taught day and evening nail classes. Monica encouraged me to become an instructor in addition to my job at the salon, but I wasn’t certain I wanted to work the long hours she did; we were different that way. In 2005, she persuaded me to work at the school to help her with the National Accrediting Commission of Cosmetology Arts and Science (“NACCAS”), the agency that accredits cosmetology schools. I had always liked office work, and it was interesting learning another aspect of the business. As the months went by, I learned how to wear many different hats.
Monica was a breast cancer survivor. She had previously beaten it into remission twice. She embraced her life, loved working endless hours and was never only half-invested with a commitment or project . . . she was all in! Her cancer had returned for a third time. I spent many hours with her during chemotherapy appointments, blood transfusions and doctors appointments. We talked a lot, reflected about the past and speculated about the future. Monica had always wanted a family member to take over her businesses when she died, but I really wasn’t interested. The idea of continuing on in her footsteps seemed impossible to me. She had already learned the hard business lessons and innately knew how to work around and overcome obstacles that arose. Could I ever live up to her incredible work ethic?
As Monica’s health continued to decline, the more involved I became at the school. Challenges were everywhere, and I was actually handling them, learning new things every day and having a blast! A few months before Monica died, she asked me to buy the school. My husband and I discussed it and decided to take the leap. I was beginning to understand why Monica spent so much time at the nail school. She said to me once that she would rather die in her office chair then at home in her bed. I get that now.
When I lost my sister, it was the saddest time in my life. However, every day since June 28, 2010, she has been with me. Many, many times I’ll be going about my day, struggling with a decision or considering a new business opportunity, and I stop and smile to myself as I think, “If Monica were here, she would be doing exactly what I’m doing right now!”
There are so many things that Monica used to do in her daily operations of the school that I never really understood. Now it’s clear to me how interconnected all her decisions were. There’s a reason behind the structure and the rules and the way things are organized. Now I know why she was successful–she was an incredible business woman who loved the cosmetology world.
I feel so lucky and grateful to be one of those people that love their job. It’s hard to call it work – or a job. I never dread going to work. In fact, sometimes when I wake up early, instead of hanging around my house, I just drive right to the school. It feels like my second home. I love all the girls that work for me and adore the students. It’s a fun environment, enjoyable and exciting!
I finally took the exam to receive my instructor license. Driving away from the testing sight I cried, thinking Monica would be so proud of me. Every month as I present orientation to my new students, I am so blown away that it is actually me conducting it.
Recently, I was elected to be on the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing and the Barber, Cometologist/Barber, Esthetician, Electrologist and Nail Technician Licensing Board. This is something that my sister was involved in for many years; I also thought she was crazy then. It is also something I never imagined I would be involved in. I went to my first meeting and went in with the feeling, “what am I doing here?” But after the meeting ended I thought that this was going to be ok and that I would learn so much from this. I am so grateful for the opportunities that I have been given. I say many times to myself, “Thank you Monica.”
I am ever so grateful to my sister and my hero, Monica Bruin! She would always sing, “We are family, I got all my sisters with me!!” I can still hear her now!
~ Jamie Comstock, Owner of Color My Nails School of Nail Technology, Midvale, Utah