One of the biggest challenges many nail professionals face is knowing what to charge. Whether you’re one year into your journey or five, your prices should evolve with your skill; and that progression is essential for building a sustainable, profitable career.
This guide breaks down our recommended pricing for three experience levels (0–1 years, 1–3 years and 3–5 years) and explains why small annual increases are the simplest way to stay confident, profitable and respected for your expertise.
Why pricing progression matters
As you move through your career, everything about your service improves:
- Your skill level
- Your product knowledge
- Your structure and safety
- Your confidence in problem-solving
- Your client experience
Because of that, your pricing should grow alongside you.
Charging the same as you did in year one undervalues the work and training you’ve invested in.
What these recommended prices include
Every pricing tier we create is built to cover the essentials of running a healthy business, including:
- Product usage & basic operating costs (Home salon or low rent)
- A fair, realistic wage
- 5.6 weeks of paid holiday each year
- A small, sustainable profit margin
These calculations are also based on running your business from home, so they’re accessible, realistic and relevant for most new techs.
0–1 Years Experience: Your Foundation Prices
This is your starting point. At this stage you’re building confidence, practising routines and learning how long each service takes you. Your prices reflect the early stage of your journey and help you cover basic costs while gaining experience.
If you want to know more about pricing with less than 1 year of experience, you can view our previous blog post here:
1–3 Years Experience: Your Growth Prices
By this point your knowledge is deeper and you’re delivering more consistent results. Your prices should increase to reflect your developing expertise, improved service quality and rising confidence.
3–5 Years Experience: Your Established Prices
Now you’re refining technique, solving issues more intuitively, and providing a truly polished, professional service. Your pricing should represent that established expertise, helping you maintain a healthy business and solid profit margin.
Why small yearly increases make the biggest difference
A lot of techs avoid raising prices until they have to. Then they’re forced into making a large jump that feels uncomfortable for both them and their clients.
Small annual increases solve this problem.
They allow your pricing to evolve naturally and match the growth of your skill, instead of staying stagnant for years and then suddenly “catching up.”
Plus, your business costs increase every year… so your pricing should too.
Your pricing should empower you, not drain you
You deserve to earn fairly, confidently and sustainably. Understanding your pricing progression is one of the most powerful steps in building a long-term career that supports your life, not just your appointments.
If you’d like us to create recommended pricing for:
- 5-10 years
- 10+ years
Just comment on our Instagram or message us your experience level.
We’re here to help you grow.
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How Your Prices Should Grow As Your Experience Grows
Are your prices keeping up with your experience?
How Your Prices Should Grow As Your Experience Grows
How Your Prices Should Grow As Your Experience Grows
|Jojo Wickens
