Still her own boss: Manicurist sticks to what she knows best, despite the pandemic

Karen Fong faced an uncertain future several years ago, when she was forced to give up her nail salon and turn home-based to have more time to care for her sick dad.

Then, the pandemic hit.

The full-time manicurist had given up her physical shop space near Joo Chiat back in 2018 so that she could have time to care for her sick dad.

“I brought the business back home, but then my dad passed on a year later and soon the Covid-19 pandemic came,” said Fong of the challenges she has faced in the past few years.

The pandemic effectively cut off her livelihood, especially with the lockdown and tightened restrictions.

Fong had to dig into her savings for her living expenses.

“Everyone in the industry was affected. Luckily I received a grant, but how long can it stretch for?” said Fong.

With a limited skill set, albeit one that she had honed for close to 20 years, her options seemed narrow.

She tried looking around for a job, but the 50-year-old felt out of her element against the competition.

“I tried going on Jobstreet, but for just a very simple job such as a receptionist, you click in and there’s like 1,000 people applying for that one job,” said Fong.

Feeling defeated, Fong realised, “I don’t have the experience, so I better stick to what I know best.”

She’s thankful that she found Urban Company, a home services platform which matches customers to “partners” that provide the required service.

These partners are individuals experienced in a given field, from beauty services to house cleaning.

“This system fits me,” said Fong, who shared that after being her own boss for more than a decade, it may be difficult for her to work for someone else.

“And people may not want to hire me because of my age,” she added.

Fong, who lives in the East, is able to decide on the number of hours that she works as well as the location of her jobs.

“Now, I can still keep a job and I'm being paid. As long as I'm hardworking, I can still earn a lot,” shared Fong, who revealed that her current income is comparable to when she had her own salon.

And her earnings include tips as well — something she never used to receive.

Compared to operating a shop, another upside to this arrangement is the flexibility of time, both for herself and her clients.

“Certain malls have strict operating hours and may not allow you to close anytime you want,” Fong added.

She describes joining Urban Company as a “win-win situation”, especially without the burden of servicing a monthly rent weighing on her shoulders.

The only investment Fong had to make was for the portable hard carrier case and other supplies which she didn’t already own.

And whatever she needs is all able to fit into the multi-tiered case which holds plenty, yet doesn’t take up much space.

Besides a foldable foot tub, other essential items include a head torch, UV lamp (for curing gel polish), and close to 100 bottles of nail lacquer, plus all the colour swatches.

Fong, who doesn’t drive, lugs the heavy carrier up and down buses and trains.

But she said that it’s less tiring than one would imagine, quipping: “You just have to be smart and use the ramps.”

What she finds more energy-sapping though, is being subject to the weather (“either you’re under the hot sun or it’s raining”) as she travels.

If the location is too ‘ulu’, then she’d have to take a cab in from somewhere nearby.

Fong works up to 13 hours a day from 9am to 10:30pm, taking on about four to five sessions a day, depending on their duration.

A mani-pedi usually takes around two hours for the full works, foot soak, scrub and massage included.

The hours are relatively long, but are still somewhat comparable to operating a shop, we’d imagine.

And because Fong gets a bonus for exceeding a certain number of bookings on the platform, she “works harder” when she’s just shy of the goal.

Another perk is that she doesn’t have to worry about advertising her services, which she would have to do if she were managing her own salon.

“It’s like I’m my own boss still, without the overheads,” said Fong.

Clients can sleep, have Zoom meetings while she works

Besides having the required expertise (Urban Company accepts only therapists with at least two years’ experience), Fong shared that having a high EQ is an essential component to the job.

“If the customer doesn’t talk then you try not to talk too much, because some of them might be there working or they just want to relax. If the customer is very chatty, then of course you chat with them,” Fong explained of the importance of reading customers’ moods.

With her cheerful personality, what Fong loves about the job is getting to meet new people every day, without being “cooped up in a shop”.

And she has worked in situations many may consider strange — such as while her clients are on a video call or even snoozing in bed.

“Customers can be in conference calls while I’m doing their nails or in a Zoom meeting,” said Fong nonchalantly, stating that they’d just inform Fong to continue working while making sure that she remains off-camera.

She has even worked her magic with a client fast asleep on the bed, who would wake up pleased as punch to be able to “have a nap and wake up with perfect nails”.

As expected, busy mums and working women form a bulk of her clientele.

“Especially for a new mother, she’d never think that she can have a chance for ‘me time’ and in the comfort of her own home,” said Fong.

“She knows the baby is safe and at the same time, she can pamper herself.”

In the end, it is obvious that a set of beautiful nails is just the icing on the cake.

What Fong gives her clients essentially, is time.

“They love that they can save time and also do several things at the same time,” said Fong, who has been a partner of Urban Company since February 2021.

Having a sense of satisfaction

Then there are the heartwarming interactions as well, including one client who insisted that Fong take time out to eat after finding out she hadn’t had her lunch.

“She got her maid to buy me a packet of rice and insisted that I finish it before I start.”

Conversely however, being subjected to clients’ moods may mean that they sometimes unintentionally lash out at her.

“But they always apologise afterwards,” said Fong.

Although she has only been offering her services on the platform since the start of the year, Fong has already amassed a steady stream of customers, many of whom are repeated clients — a testament to her skills.

“If you're genuine with the client they can feel it, but if you just rush through the job, then [they can feel it as well]."

But the biggest perk of the job must be the sense of satisfaction that Fong feels for a job well done.

“It's not just the customer’s satisfaction but it is also your own satisfaction at the end of the day, like when the client gives a good review or she’s so happy with her nails.”

And being in an industry where experience trumps age, Fong hopes to continue doing this for as long as she can, “it’s what I do best”.

No mess no fuss, and at a reasonable price point

My colleague and I tried out Urban Company’s bundle package which consists of a Classic Gel Manicure and Classic Pedicure at S$79 (S$74 for members).

Right off the bat, we were surprised by the competitive pricing that had no extra charges included.

And right on cue at the stipulated timing, Fong appeared at the door.

We learnt that due to the pandemic, Urban Company has implemented daily temperature-taking for all their therapists, as well mandatory Antigen Rapid Tests (ART) every two weeks.

This definitely gave us some peace of mind as we sat back to enjoy the session.

Fong’s actions were swift and within five minutes, a section of the living room was transformed into a makeshift salon.

According to Urban Company, a space of about 1.5m by 1.5m is all that’s needed.

We were told that we didn’t need to prepare anything except to have a ready power supply and running water for the foot bath.

Although considered a delivery service of sorts, there wasn’t a sense of being rushed and all the steps were adhered to.

Just as when you go for a pedicure at a regular salon, a foot scrub and massage are also included in the package.

Fong’s experience showed in how she was gentle yet professional, especially in the trimming of cuticles without causing any discomfort.

Best of all, there’s no worry that therapists will try to up-sell other treatments or products, which is what happens (much to my annoyance) at most other salons.

When you book the appointment on the app, you’d currently be asked to indicate your preferred nail colours.

However, Fong always makes sure to bring her entire stash of polishes with her, so clients are covered even if they have a last minute change of mind.

Despite taking some time to choose the colours, Fong was patient, and one is even allowed to choose multiple colours for each hand (or foot).

At the end of the two hours where we felt relatively unrestricted (it was in a home environment, after all), we were happy with the full set of beautiful nails.

Not only that, but we also got to keep a set of single-use disposable tools (nail files, toe separators) from the session.

It’s something that customers do not expect, but they’re often pleasantly surprised that their purchase includes a “free gift”, Urban Company tells us.

Most comforting of all is the fact that there’s no worry about any mess made (there was none) or cleanup required.

When I tried to dispose of a small bag of rubbish after our session, Fong politely told me with a smile that she would take care of it herself.

Now, that’s service.

From Oct. 6 to 10, first-time users of Urban Company will get to enjoy 20 per cent off all services (except regular home cleaning, deep cleaning, laundry and personal training services). There’ll also be additional deals on the app from 10am to 10pm daily during the period. Download the app here.

This article is sponsored by Urban Company.