By Lillie Cardenas

When Ava Carroll arrived at the University of Arkansas, she never planned to become the go-to nail technician on campus. What was initially a creative outlet and way to save some money quickly expanded into a small business that has helped her connect with other students in ways she never expected. 

Carroll, an apparel merchandising and product development major, describes how her journey began.

“My senior year of high school, I hated not having my nails done,” she said. “I would go every two weeks to get them done and spend about $80 each time.”

When she moved to Fayetteville for school, she realized how expensive it is to maintain that lifestyle and how difficult it would be to find a new salon she liked.

“So I ordered the stuff and started doing them myself,” Carroll said. “And then that’s history, I guess.”

In the beginning, it was just a personal project–something she did for herself and out of mere convenience. But during the summer before her sophomore year, Carroll started taking a few clients back home in Central Arkansas.

“It was mostly my friends at the time, and they really liked it,” she said. “I started posting [about my business] more publicly, and I found that it feels nice to make other girls feel pretty.”

When she returned to campus in the fall, Carroll decided to integrate her nail business into her college life. She started small, creating posters on Canva that showcased previous nail designs she had done in the past. 

“I posted them on Snapchat and Instagram stories,” she said. “That’s really how I got my first clients here.”

Since then, Carroll rapidly gained a significant amount of clientele. Her designs, which have a variety of styles, have made her a popular name among students looking for stylish, affordable nails with the convenience of being right on campus. 

However, running a business while in college is not entirely easy.

“At first, it felt like a hobby,” she said. “I didn’t have that many clients, so it was just something fun to do after school. But now that I have more, it’s definitely more of a challenge.”

Carroll said most days she goes straight from class to what feels like another job, which can be stressful.

“I usually have somebody right after I get out of school until late that night,” she said. “Then I still have to balance my schoolwork and everything else.”

Even though it can be hard to balance, Carroll said it’s all worth it, especially when she sees the effect her business has on her clients.

“I always get a good response,” she said. “Most girls are like ‘Wow this is so cheap,’ and I’m like ‘Yeah I get it, I’m a broke college student too.’ I just try to be as generous as I wish someone would’ve been with me.”

“Sometimes I really don’t want to do nails that day,” she said. “But I always try to lock in and do the best I can. It’s hard when your energy is low, because it takes longer and then I have less time for schoolwork. Balancing it all can be a lot.”

Carroll said doing nails has completely changed her college experience for the better, regardless of the challenges that come with it. She said that she didn’t initially have the best experience being at school.

“My freshman year was really hard,” she said. “None of my friends were up here yet, and I felt like I sucked at making friends. I didn’t really know how to talk to anyone.”

That all changed once she started her business on campus. She said she likes the social aspect of her business almost as much as the creative aspect. Meeting new students helped settle into campus life, she said.

“Now I actually get that social time to talk to people,” Carroll said. “There are even a few people where I’m like, wow, I should be friends with them outside of this.”

Carroll also believes that there is a creative side to campus that is not easy to see. She said students often have to actively seek out creative spaces and people rather than expecting them to appear.

“You just really have to look for it,” she said. “I feel like in college, everyone tries to put on that front that they’ve got it all together, you don’t always see that creative side.”

At the start of her career, her clients were mostly friends from her hometown who also attended the university. But due to her recent advertising, her current clientele is a mix of new and familiar faces.

“Now it’s mostly people who find me online,” Carroll said. “It’s been a really cool way to meet new people.”

Beyond the process of doing nails, Carroll said she has learned so much valuable information  from her experience. 

“I’ve definitely learned that being an entrepreneur or business builder is really difficult,” she said. “It’s not as easy as it looks. You think it’s going to be simple because you make your own rules, but it’s really not.”

While she is still figuring some things out regarding her business, like saying no when her schedule is too full, she said she is extremely proud of what she has built so far. 

“There have been times when I’ve said I wasn’t going to take any clients that week,” she said. “Then five girls hit me up asking for appointments, I just can’t say no.”

Even with a schedule full of long nights and jam-packed days, Carroll said doing nails helps stabilize her while in this stage of her life. Her business has given her a sense of independence and has helped her feel more at home at the University.

“It’s not easy,” she said. “But it’s really rewarding. I feel like I’ve found something that’s mine.”