Life & Work with Clarissa Maldonado

Today we’d like to introduce you to Clarissa Maldonado.

Clarissa, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Hi, my name is Clarissa Maldonado. I’m 24 years old & from a small town called Castroville TX but moved to San Antonio a few years back. I graduated from Medina valley high school in 2016 and went to college at Northwest Vista for a little bit majoring in Criminal Justice but little did I know that really wasn’t the path that I wanted anymore! At the time I was super young and confused so I took some time off from school and was going through a lot of life problems dealing with an addict in the family and trying to raise my younger sisters but not focusing on myself so I got lost I would say. So about 2 years go by & I started my career doing nails when the pandemic just hit, very crazy of me I know! I was very unhappy working at the call center job I was at so I was trying to figure out what I wanted for my life! I was always getting my nails done but never saw myself actually doing them and I thought well if I go to school for this maybe I can become my own boss and venture off into a new fun career! I took the risk and quit my job to go to school at Milan institute for the manicurist program and I slowly realized it was so fun to do nails and I was actually pretty good at it for starting off. I slowly started taking clients trying to build my clientele but it was so hard trying to get girls to trust you when you are just a beginner! Very discouraging but I knew I had to keep pushing! I put all my time & money into doing nails by offering specials, taking nail classes from other nail techs & still going to school meanwhile I had no job so it was so scary! Little did I know a year and a half in of doing nails it was all going to pay off! I graduated with my manicurist license, steady clientele came in, & I was able to afford to open my own small suite in San Antonio. This is my full time job now and I look back at when I first started being so clueless on what I wanted for my life and it was all worth the struggle!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Oh no! most definitely was not a smooth road for me but that’s a part of the process! My life was all over the place I was trying to raise 2 little girls (my sisters) with my grandmother while trying to figure out what I was going to do with myself all while being young, honestly the most depressing year I had. Then when this new journey started with nails I had to quit my full time job if I really wanted to go to school for nails because the schedules just didn’t work out together so I was always worried about money! I struggled with getting clients because there are plenty of reasons like getting girls to trust you with their nails, girls have their specific nail tech they prefer already or they just don’t like your work because your a beginner and still have a lot to learn. I was a beginner when I started of course and I didn’t know how to do half the things that other nail techs already knew so getting the clientele I wanted was hard!

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a licensed nail technician that specializes in Manicures, Acrylics & Nail Art. I feel like I’m most known for doing nail art on nails because I’m very creative! I’m most proud of myself for not giving up when I wanted to give up more than a handful of times because this journey definitely was not easy but it paid off with all my hard work of constantly promoting myself, taking clients 24/7 when I could just to prove to them that I’m good at what I do and wouldn’t disappoint them. I was able to open my very own small suite within 1 year of doing nails like I never thought I would be able to afford that and it truly makes me feel happy! What sets me apart from others is my creativity and drive, I feel like if you give me something to start off with I’ll take it and run with it! I don’t ever give up, I’ve always started something and finished it!

I’m also 100% honest with my clients if I know I can’t do something I’ll let them know & I take my time with them. You get what you pay for and I’ll always strive to give my clients 100% of what they want!

We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
I have! Covid-19 has impacted all of us and being in the field that I am in I have to educate myself on this and take all precautions to keep me and my clients safe. From courses online to just keeping up with the daily news!

Contact Info:

• Email: Clarissamaldonado12@icloud.com
• Website: https://naildbyclarissa.as.me/
• Instagram: www.Instagram.com/naildbyclarissa
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/naildbyclarissa