Something I’m Still Sitting With

I want to talk about something extremely vulnerable and raw. I think it is something that deserves a conversation. 

I feel guilt around profit.
Yup, I said it.

That might sound strange coming from someone who owns a brand and supplies products to nail techs every day, but it’s true. And it’s something I’ve been paying attention to more and more.

Even when things are going well. Even when the numbers make sense. Even when I know we’re offering real value. There are moments where profit feels uncomfortable.

Like I need to explain it.
Or soften it.
Or justify it somehow.

And I keep asking myself why. 

If I’m being really honest, I think part of it is this. I’m a fixer. I’m a helper. My love language is gift giving. I genuinely light up when I can solve a problem, take something off someone’s plate, or give more than what’s expected.

The money itself has never really been the point for me. It’s not my why. Of course, money would make life easier. I could hire my husband. I could bring on more help. I could create more breathing room. All of that matters.

But my real drive has always been helping people. Giving. Supporting. Showing up. 

And when that’s how you’re wired, profit can feel strange. Almost like it’s taking up space where giving should be.

I work closely with nail techs (and as a former one myself) I see this same thing play out at the table. Techs who care deeply. Who pour into their clients. Who want to do right by people. And because of that, allowing themselves to profit feels uncomfortable.

I don’t actually think most techs struggle with pricing. I think they struggle with permission.

When prices go up, it’s almost always explained away. Product costs. Inflation. Rent. Supplies. Those things are real, but they’re also easier to say than the truth.

The truth is simple; I deserve to make a living doing what I love. And so do YOU. 

That should be enough. But for a lot of us, it doesn’t feel like it is.

So, we justify. We cushion it. We make our need for sustainability easier for other people to accept. We turn it into an excuse instead of a boundary.

I see this in techs who are fully booked and still undercharging. And I see it in myself when profit shows up and instead of celebrating, I immediately start thinking about how to give it away.

That tells me this isn’t about greed. It’s about identity. About being helpers in a world that quietly teaches helpers to stay small.

I don’t have this all figured out. I’m still learning how to let giving and receiving exist at the same time. How to let profit support the mission instead of feeling like it competes with it.

I’m sharing this because awareness matters. And because healing this in ourselves changes the way we show up for others too.

So, I’ll leave this as a conversation, not a conclusion.

If you didn’t need an excuse, if helping and profiting could coexist, what would change about how you allow yourself or your business to receive?