After several years working as a nail technician for two other nail salons, owner Alex Dinh and his wife Emily Embree decided to take their services to a higher level. Wanting to offer unparalleled services, professionalism, and attention to their customers, the husband and wife duo decided to start their own business. Royal Nails has officially been open since June 22, 2015, and some of Alex’s old customers have already started coming to the new shop.

Alex and Emily are first-time business owners, and the sole employees of Royals Nails, with Alex working full-time and providing the services, while Emily focuses on the paperwork, business relations and administrative responsibilities. Emily is also an ESL Teacher at Divine Word College.

After a friend suggested looking online for a resource to help open their business, Emily found out about the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Northeast Iowa. From there, they met with Jay Wickham, who was extremely easy to work with.

“Jay was so helpful, especially when it came to writing a business plan and negotiating our three-year lease with the landlord,” says Emily.

As a result of their assistance from the SBDC, they have already seen their business pick up every day and so far, have received nothing but positive reviews online.

They are working on becoming well-known in the community and online, and their marketing efforts have proven successful. Recently, Royal Nails joined the local Chamber of Commerce and have begun establishing business relationships. Despite a slow start, mainly due to a delay in the delivery of some equipment, the Royal Nails owners are finding many opportunities to establish their business.

In the future, Alex and Emily hope to partner with other businesses in the community that offer complementary services, such as tanning salons and hair stylists. Another goal is to hire more staff as their business continues to grow.

Royal Nails will have their official grand opening on August 4 with the Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce.

For more information on Royal Nails’ excellent services, check out their Facebook page: Royal Nails Dubuque.