Calling all Nail Lovers

​​Orlando is full of talented artists. Young entrepreneurs are finding new ways to provide their service to others, while juggling school and work.  

Sabine ‘Esjay’ Joseph (@esjayslayedit on Instagram) and Kayla Mecoli (@thatzhotnails on Instagram) are both 20-year-old nail techs in the Orlando area who are a great example of young entrepreneurs with a great work ethic; providing a variety of services to make their clients happy is something they strive to do. 

@esjayslayedit 

Image Courtesy: @esjayslayedit

Joseph is a nursing student who started her business when she was 18. ‘Esjayslayedit’ started as ‘Adore Esjay,’ a retail business that offered lashes, accessories, and during the pandemic, face masks. Joseph said that as her schooling ramped up her retail business became a little too much to handle as she was the one ‘wearing all the hats,’ so she turned to a hobby, doing nails. 

“It all started, basically I was getting my nails done, it was my first time in a big city, so I never really gotten my nails done by like a private nail tech before.  So, I really liked it, did my research...and now I’m a nail tech,” Joseph said. 

Image Courtesy: @esjayslayedit  

Joseph offers acrylic manicures and pedicures, maintenance services, and press-on nails. As well as her nail services, Joseph hopes to inspire others to begin their entrepreneurship journey. Her Ebook is available on her website for beginner nail techs, which goes over everything from customer service to sanitation and cleaning. 

Joseph began writing her book over the summer of 2022, Joseph said she worked on it for months. She plans to add to the book as she continues to learn new information about her craft so she can help to teach others. 

Image Courtesy: @esjayslayedit

“My background on my phone is my vision board and I look at it every day, so I never forget what my goals are and what I know that I want to do and I'm capable of doing,” Joseph said.

Joseph also has a message for any aspiring entrepreneurs: 

“Even though it's hard to juggle everything, it's also important to stay organized and stay focused... to never give up on your goals, if someone else did it before you, that means it is possible to do it, you just have to put in the work,” Joseph said. 

@thatzhotnails 

Image Courtesy: @thatzhotnail

Kayla Mecoli began the journey to start her business in 2019 when she decided to go to school to get her license. 

“So, like my mom was an artist growing up. I was just like always around it and I'm very into like beauty and you know, stuff like that. So, I always get my nails done and then when I turned 18, I was like, ‘oh shit like I could do this for other people’,” Mecoli said.

Mecoli offers a variety of hand-painted acrylic, gel-x, and hard gel manicures. Mecoli juggles two other jobs on top of her nail business, as well as being a full-time student majoring in health sciences. 

Over the summer, when all the students went home, Mecoli realized she did not have the client base to make a living off only being a nail tech and a student. As a result, she got extra jobs.

“I think in the future, I'm going to focus on just doing nails and school, and like not anything else... I’m trying to find the balance I guess is what I'm trying to say,” Mecole said.

Image Courtesy: @thatzhotnail

Mecoli’s true passion is doing extreme nail art with intricate designs and pictures. She tries to prioritize her clients who are seeking out a nail tech who offers this type of art and hopes to one day only do this type of nail art.  

With everything that is on Mecoli’s plate, her passion for her work continues to shine through-- 

“I really enjoy doing nails, like I genuinely, it makes me so happy, 'cause I love doing art, like I said, like I'm an artist and before any of this... Doing nails and being able to just like sit with someone and like chat with them and listen to music while I'm literally just painting, and shit is so cool,” Mecoli said. 

Image Courtesy: @thatzhotnail

Joseph and Mecoli are passionate entrepreneurs who are willing to put in the work to satisfy their clients. If you are in need of some hot nails to help you slay the night away, go check them out.

Strike Out 

Writer: Reanna Haase

Orlando

Reanna Haase is a content writer for Strike Magazine Orlando. She is a virgo sun with a libra moon so her social battery is always confused and you can usually find her writing or listening to music. She is a mom to a cat named after Stevie Nicks and a leopard gecko named Harry. You can reach her at reannah@knights.ucf.edu or

on Instagram: @reannahaase.