WOMEN IN BUSINESS: Home salon a win for nana

With three adult children, Brigitte Redman thought her days of raising kids were behind her.
So when her grandson, Laytin, came into her care 18 months ago she had to adjust her life to take on the role of nana.
Her job at the time involved lots of travel, which was not suited to looking after a baby. But Brigitte had the perfect solution.
As a nail technician with 25 years' experience, she decided to open a nail salon out of her Monmouth St home.
"I had to change my lifestyle so I could care for him. Being right in the CBD and with this background, I thought this was a really great opportunity," she said.
"Bringing my business to my home, it was designed around Laytin. There's a lot of other people doing that - grandparents who are changing their careers to work around [caring for children].
"The children come first. If you can work around the children, it's perfect."
A year and a half later, Get Nailed by Brigitte is thriving.
She does acrylic nails as well as manicures and pedicures.
It is a career she has loved for most of her life.
Her experience includes a qualification as an international educator in acrylic nails. She has started training schools around New Zealand and helped develop the current NZQA qualification in the industry.
She is passionate about the industry and is considering opening a private training school to operate alongside her business.
"Because I've had so much fun for 25 years, I want to pass that on to other young girls coming out of school. I've always been able to fall back on it.
"I've trained everyone from [age] 16 to 60. I want other people to have the experience I've had."
Brigitte's enjoyment of the job shines through when she talks. The bright and bubbly nail technician said she considered most of her clients to be friends, and personality was an important part of the job.
"You might not be the best technician in the world but if you have a good personality and connect with clients, you are going to keep the clients if you do a good job.
"We are kind of like counsellors. They tell me all the goss and they want to know all my goss. They tell you stuff, and two weeks later it's like, 'What's happening now?'
"Usually the music's on and we are laughing. I love that side of it.
"You become very good friends with your clients."
It's not surprising that Brigitte acts as a counsellor to her customers - she once studied towards a diploma in counselling and worked at a school to implement a programme for at-risk youth.
She has about 30 regular clients as well as one-off customers who come in before school balls or weddings.
Summer is the busiest time of year when she finds herself fully booked. She is now looking for another technician to help share the workload.
And Brigitte is loving the work-life balance of running a business from home and looking after Laytin, now aged 2.
Being a nana is a wonderful experience, she says.
"You know what to do better because you have been there, done that.
"It is tiring because you are older but children bring you so much pleasure and joy. You do things like go to the park again and be a kid.
"My grandson is such a good boy, he's just a joy."
FIVE THINGS ABOUT BRIGITTE
* She has written a series of children's books, which she hopes will be published.
* The best holiday she ever had was a relaxing break in Fiji.
* She loves all sorts of music and plays the clarinet and guitar. She is also a singer.
* Her "can't miss" TV show is Glee.
* She loves Angel Cards and often deals them for her clients if they're interested.