See a Need, Fill a Need
Q&A With Newly Minted Entrepreneur: Cori Cowan

Fed up with poor quality and downright dangerous service at local nail salons, Cori Cowan started up her own. Cussin’s Nails, located in Scotia, NY, is a premium nail salon specializing in natural nail preservation and unique nail enhancements. Inside of Pin-Up Jordan’s Mermaid Lounge, Cori provides clients with the service she had once desired. Cori saw a need for better nail care in salons and is filling that need with professional (albeit foul-mouthed) service.
How did you get started doing nails?
I had a nightmare experience when I had acrylic nails done in Troy here a couple years ago. At a salon I won’t name at the moment, the nail tech over-filed my natural nails and she used illegal product. Two days after I had my nails done, they broke and it took my natural nails off with it. I went about six months of growing out my natural nails. I started doing my own nails at home because I couldn’t trust anybody. I went to a bunch of different places. They all use the same technique, rush through the process, fail to disinfect, and use illegal products. In the process of me doing my own nails at home, I got better and better and better at it. My roommate at the time was leaving for a festival and she wanted her nails done for the weekend. So, I did them. She gave me forty-dollars and I was like wow, I could do this for a living. I enrolled in school not long after that and got my licenses.
What products are other salons using that is illegal?
Acrylic nail enhancements are made by mixing two products together. There is the acrylic polymer, which is powder, and the acrylic monomer which is a liquid. Some salons buy the dental acrylic, which is about one-tenth of the price. It has been banned by the FDA for use on nails because there have been sensitivities to it.
It is pretty easy to identify because the odor is very strong. It is common is places like shopping malls and especially nail salons inside of Walmart.

What techniques do other salons use that can cause damage to natural nails?
Over-filing the natural nail plate is a huge reason why people have acrylic nightmare stories. Most damage is done by either improper prep or improper removal. Instead of soaking off acrylic when they go to do removal they will just pry them off with a nail pick or even a bus pass. I have seen some crazy stuff out there. I shave the product and then wrap it in tin foil and soak it that way. Some salons just poor acetone in a bowl and have the client sit there with fumes in their face for an hour and a half.
The name of your business, is it like Cousins or like you are Cussing?
It’s Cussin’s because I swear a lot. By providing that name for myself it gives women the comfort to come in and be themselves.
Sometimes they come in straight from work and they are all wound-up tight and stiff. The minute they sit down in my chair, they know they are able to let their hair down and be comfortable. They do not have to watch their mouths because their kids are around or they are at work. If things upset them they can get in my chair and just be like, ‘You know what? Fuck this bullshit, blah-lah-lah-lah-lah,’ and I am like, ‘I feel you girl, fuck that shit’. They are always so happy to be here, and I like that I am able to provide them with an environment where they can just be themselves.

What did you do for a living before you stated Cussin’s Nails?
I was in the food service industry. I was a server, short order cook, and prep cook. I did that for about a decade. I tried to get into some clerical work just because I needed health insurance. I tried working at the cable company doing sales, just a regular desk job. I got health insurance and regular hours, but it still wasn’t enough money. I ended up waiting tables at night and on the weekends, just so I could live comfortably. For the past five years, I have been looking to discover what my passion could be, so I could try and master it, perfect it, and maybe in some way incorporate that into a way to maintain a lifestyle.
Who is your role model as a business owner?
There is a woman in this area, her name is Pin-Up Jordan. She is very well known in Upstate New York for doing what is call Mermaid Hair. It’s like the crazy colors, the ombre, and color correction. She had been doing my hair for quite a few years now. I remember the first time I went to see her; she told me about how she had been attending law school. Through self-discovery, she realized she wasn’t happy, and she wasn’t doing what she wanted to do. Even after spending a ton of money on law school, she just said, ‘fuck it,’ and went to school to do hair.
I have always kind of looked at her like, even if you start out one way it’s never too late to do something different.
I always thought it was too late for me just because I wasn’t eight-teen anymore, I am not even twenty-five anymore.

What nail fashion trends are you excited about?
Right now, chrome powder is very in. It is expensive to buy, but it looks really nice and clients love it. It’s not something that is common in nail salons. Swarovski crystals, a lot of other salons use plastic gems you can buy at Michaels or Jo-Anns, and they just don’t look nice. People are always willing to pay extra for something that looks nice instead of paying less money for something that just looks okay. Also, right now, geode nails and marble nails are in.
Why do you feel the launch of your business has been successful?
A lot of the time when women go to get their nails done and they try to have a conversation with the nail tech about a design or shape they like; there is this communication barrier. Instead of trying to take the time to understand what the client is asking for, they just do what they want and rush, rush, rush. Then, the client has to pretend to like their nails and they go home and refile them themselves. It is a nightmare experience all-around. If there is a technician in this area that doesn’t do things that way, they are not vocal and I can’t find them. I have clients that travel forty-five minutes to see me.
Really, what it boils down to is the quality of my work and willingness to listen.
My clients are also walking advertisements. Everywhere they go people ask them, “Where did you get those done? Those are amazing!”
What advice would you give someone else who is looking to start a similar business?
You want to make sure you stand out from everybody. That is why Pin-Up Jordan’s salon has been very successful. It’s not your typical hair salon where everyone is dressed in black, there is chic music playing, and the walls are covered in mirrors. It is not that place. Each stylist is very different from each other, and they all have rainbow hair. We all dress how we want and listen to our own music. The clients like it because it feels genuine.
That is my best advice, be genuine, don’t try to fit into some cookie cutter mold just because that is what everybody in your industry is like.
Don’t be afraid to be different because standing out can really get you far. People do not notice what blends in and is the same.
