A chat with "The Nail Tycoon" – Dr. Leena S

Dr. Leena sheds light on her belief that well-groomed women aim to strive for the best in everything.

Dr. Leena Shekar looks back at her initial stages of establishing her salon’s brand and other details that propelled her inspiring journey.

From growing up in Dubai to studying dentistry and also modelling to now being the successful entrepreneur of a nationally recognized salon chain, you’ve come a long way. Share your journey with us.

I was born and raised in Dubai, where I grew up with three siblings. I studied in Dubai right up to class 12. Later, I came to Bangalore to do my Bachelor in Dentist surgery (BDS) from Oxford Dentist College. I was interested in classical dance and performing arts since early days. My early influences were Bollywood and Malayalam cinema. Even though I completed my BDS degree, I never worked as a dentist. Since then movie ads and cinema sparked my interest, it paved way for me to enter the film industry. Thus, after all that I am finally here doing what I am passionate about-“The Nail Artistry”.

How did the ‘The Nail Artistry’ start?

“I deeply thank my husband Shekar who showed immense confidence in me and gave me the courage to pursue my dream. He was the one who coaxed me to do this project. Without his help and support this venture wouldn’t have been possible.”

What are the array of services that ‘The Nail Artistry’ offers its customers in the grooming space?

In Kochi, we offer predominantly luxurious Nail services, beauty care services like eyelash extension and also micro blading that are quite popular. In Chennai, apart from nail specific services, we offer all kinds of hair related services using the best products in the world, like Balmain and Nashi Argan. In fact, our USP is our autoclave missions that include sterilization procedure used in dental clinics and hospitals to ensure best hospital hygiene levels.

All salons have their own unique ways of pampering their customers. What does the Nail Artistry offer its customers to make them feel special?

We always try to give our clients a luxe experience and believe in treating them with royalty. To us, it is important that every customer feels like a king or queen when they are at The Nail Artistry. Our clients are offered iPads and head phones at each pedicure pod, also with a wide range of Netflix and Amazon movies to watch and keep them entertained while they get pampered. That’s not all. We also offer them a variety of mocktails and munchies.

Your brand is well established in Kochi and Chennai. Where are you planning to expand to next?

Since our salons are performing successfully, we plan on extending our reach with four new salons, one each in Hyderabad, Bangalore, Goa and Dubai.

As a woman entrepreneur, you must have faced numerous challenges and made mistakes along the way, too. How did you overcome the challenges and what helped you stay motivated?

I am a Taurean, and so I’ve got a very strong heart. It’s necessary for one to always stay positive, let go of negativity and look forward for the best to come- and I live by this rule! Also, I firmly believe that past mistakes are always the best lessons for a better future.

Finally, what advice would you give budding entrepreneurs looking to make it big in the grooming space?

To all the girls and women out there, I say dream big and your dreams will come true for sure someday! Stay focused on what you want, give your 100 per cent to everything you do and the rest will follow.

The Nail Artistry’s Parade of Awards

Thanks to its top-notch services and super luxe customer experience model. The Nail Artistry has bagged a number of prestigious awards. Here are just a few.

• Fashion Award, Kochi 2019. Best Nail Salon in South India.
• Millennium Brilliance Award, Thailand 2019: Most Luxurious Nail & Hair Salon in Asia.
• International Quality Awards, March 2019.
• Asia’s Beauty and Wellness Awards 2019, India’s Super Luxury & Most Creative Nail Art Salon of the Year.
• The Business Awards, Chennai 2019: Most Luxurious Nail and Hair Salon.

Disclaimer: The views, suggestions and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Forbes India journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.