It was in the midst of COVID-19 last year when former after school program leader, Karina Mercado, bought a starter nail kit and unleashed a talent she would have never imagined.

Karina Mercado, Owner of NailedbyK.M

After her school in Chino, CA, furloughed its employees last spring, Mercado was unsure what direction to take while quarantining at home. What started off as a hobby and side job would soon evolve into a flourishing nail career. A year later, her business @nailedbyk.m on Instagram continues to grow in popularity. Once she began mastering her technique, she transitioned from an after school leader to her own leader and never looked back.

Mercado is one of many young women who have begun beauty side jobs that have grown into successful full-time businesses amid the pandemic. The practice of women starting a side job has become a growing trend within social media and is commonly referred to as a “side hustle,” by millennials and Generation Zers.

Side hustles are a service or business that provides extra income while maintaining or pursuing a primary career. Women, in particular, are among the most successful players of this trend, using their social media to promote their work and grow their clientele.

According to an article by Nerd Wallet, some of the most popular business ideas that are trending on social media include beauty services that specialize in applying eyelash extensions, creating acrylic nails, laminating and microblading eyebrows, hair styling, etc. These young women typically work from the comfort of their home, creating or building their own personal studios, and earn high wages for the service they provide; at times, earning more than their main form of income.

With such high demand for these beauty services, the beauty side hustle is only set to continue dominating social media. Yet, long before social media existed, many women were already building the foundation of side hustling for the generations to come.

The beauty side hustle, while reemerging in today’s society, is far from a new phenomenon. The original side hustles can be traced back to the 1950s, when full-time moms picked up their own sales careers through companies such as Mary Kay Cosmetics, Avon, Tupperware and many more.

Mary Kay Cosmetics and Avon, though commonly known in today’s standards as controversial multi-level marketing companies, represented a lot more than cosmetic lines to many saleswomen. According to an article by Beth Kreydatus, Mary Kay pushed a message of “sisterhood” and female empowerment in which women could pick up this side job and run their “own business.” Forget about men being in charge, women were the bosses with Mary Kay. And with promises like “you can have it all” it is no surprise that its founder, Mary Kate Ash, resonated with countless mothers nationwide.

In The Dream Podcast, host Jane Marie discusses the historical correlation between multi-level marketing beauty companies and the role of women’s work in society. During the peak of WWII female patriotism took over the nation, prompting millions of married women to join the workforce while their husbands fought in the war. When the war came to an end and the men eventually returned home, the need for female labor drastically dropped, leaving many housewives with the longing to continue work and earn a stable income.

Amongst the disparity of jobs, direct-sales companies like Avon swept these housewives off their feet in what appeared to be the holy grail of jobs. Not only was it a form of employment that they could qualify for (as societal standards dictated a woman’s place to be in the home) but it provided them with the flexibility to balance a job, childcare, and housework. It offered them the opportunity to be “more than a wife and a mother,” an opportunity that at the time, was not commonly available.

Though a 2011 FTC study, reveals that approximately 99% of multi-level marketing distributors lose more money than the profits they make, Marie argues that overriding appeal of companies like Avon and Mary Kay was the emotional resources that they presented. Many women felt special and appreciated within the sense of community that falls under these cosmetic companies. Where traditional workplaces lacked in maintaining social relationships, these companies made up for in social gatherings and rewards.

Fast forward to today, with the mega-tool that is social media, women can now enjoy the best of both worlds. In addition to becoming their own CEO, they can now market their business, create their own schedules, engage in communities of similar businesses, and make direct profits without the need of a middleman. It is through these tools that Mercado gained the confidence to leave her previous job and make nail art her full-time career.

Part of the inspiration for beginning her nail business came from Mercado’s passion for wearing acrylic nails herself. Mercado was a regular attendee of nail salons, up until they shut down in the spring of 2020. As an entertaining way to pass the time while she followed the stay-at-home mandate, she figured it would be a useful skill to learn to do them on her own hands.

“It kept me busy and it kept me intrigued with myself,” Mercado said. “It was a whole new learning process and I think it was even good for my mental state, to not feel so complacent.”

Mercado is a self-taught nail artist and aspiring towards earning her cosmetology license to service more clients and expand her business. She began learning how to apply acrylic nails by practicing on her sister and cousins.

Her teacher? The social media platform Tik Tok. Mercado recalls studying Tik Tok tutorials to guide her through the nail application. Through enough trial and error, she eventually found her groove and caught on to the step-by-step process.

After about three months of practice, word of mouth spread and she began servicing more family members, friends, and friends of friends. Over time, her Instagram following grew from the hundreds, to now over one thousand. Her Tik Tok audience is even larger, amassing about 15,000 followers for her nail art compilations.

Mercado’s social media engagement has been a significant factor in paving the way for her busy schedule and profitable income. Aside from utilizing Instagram for her bookings, she takes advantage of the site’s promotion tools to share her work to larger audiences. Most importantly, her social media sites serve as her portfolio where she can display her best work and capture the attention of potential clients. Some of her most requested designs follow popular trends such as crocodile print, 3D flowers, and abstract art.

Reality soon hit however, as the world began to reopen and many returned to their temporarily suspended occupations. When Mercado’s former job reopened, she attempted to balance both, taking nail clients during her days off or during the afternoons. She would soon learn that it was too difficult of a task to manage and would have to make a decision: resuming her after-school position or dedicating herself full time to her nail art.

Following her heart, Mercado chose her artistic passion and is much better off financially than she could have ever imagined.

“It wasn’t a smart move for me to do both. I make way more with nails than what I was making with the city [of Chino],” says Mercado.

On average, Mercado takes about 15 clients a week and typically earns $80 to $100 per nail set, in addition to tips. With the flexibility of making her own schedule, she can earn even more depending on how many clients she can fit in. In total, the amount she makes as a business owner exceedingly surpasses the salary she earned when she had fixed hours at the afterschool program.

While Mercado now has an established following and is consistently booked for appointments, her skill set did not grow overnight. The nail artist recalls struggling with learning to paint designs and getting her name out there in the early days of her Instagram account.

Aside from earning her cosmetology license, Mercado has visions to take her business to the next level. Mercado has interests in branching out onto other esthetician services such as skincare or brow waxing. In the long run, however, she strives towards creating her own “beauty lounge” that will offer a variety of beauty services from hair, to makeup, to nails and much more.

Yet, in spite of her personal growth, she credits her family as being her biggest support system throughout her entire career journey. Mercado works from her in-home studio that her step-father built for her. Whenever she needed extra hands to practice on, her sister and cousins never failed to volunteer. Not to mention, they participated in the frequent shout out on social media to spread the word about her work. It was through this physical and emotional support that Mercado believes is the reason why she was able to elevate her business to where it is today.

Finding Success in the Side Hustle World

Veronica Bahn, The Side Hustle Expert

Beginning a side hustle can be challenging when first starting off. For some, the challenge may be trying to decide what interest to pursue, while for others, it can be how to properly invest in their newfound business.

Veronica Bahn, also known as the Side Hustle Expert, has dedicated her time to helping women discover their passions, develop their goals, and grow as entrepreneurs. To Bahn, a side hustle holds more meaning and significance than just a simple way to earn extra income.

“My definition of a side hustle is different than most, because mine is that you have this passion. Getting out of your head and getting into your heart space... Knowing what it is you want to do, knowing you have a creative ability and you’re just trusting all the messages that are coming your way."

While Bahn acknowledges that side hustles may take the form of numerous ventures, she is clear to make the distinction between side gigs, such as picking up a babysitting job or driving for UberEats, compared to undertaking a hustle.

“Those are great businesses for that side income, but a side hustle that can turn into a full time income. That's the language I'm talking about. That's where the power is because you get to be the CEO of your own company.”

Through her site, Bahn offers a variety of resources and mentorship opportunities to assist women when starting their business. From learning how to effectively market themselves to managing how much to invest into their side hustle, Bahn strives to be an advocate for anybody who is yearning to become their own business owner.

Sammy Solorzano on her journey to success

Sammy Solorzano is yet another young entrepreneur, who began her business, Luxury Beauty Lair, last year in the middle of the pandemic. Solorzano became certified in applying eyelash extensions during an unforunate time, when the pandemic was at its peak and businesses nationwide were not operating. She describes her road to success as being a gratifying, yet challenging experience, overcoming obstacles such as time management and client scarcity.

Nonetheless, she remained her own biggest cheerleader. With enough time, Solorzano brought in a steady flow of loyal clients that kept her booked and busy.

Now, Solorzano is widely known in her hometown of Menifee, CA for her lash work and occasionally gets recognized in public. Despite the difficulties she faced at the beginning of her career, Solorzano strongly believes in the beauty business industry and empowers others to take the leap of faith in starting as well.