Jamie Ferren Academy

09/01/2026

The best educators never stop being students. ❤️
Today I had the opportunity to spend eight hours learning from Doug Schoon at his Advanced Chemistry of Nails seminar, and days like today are exactly why continuing education will always be such an important part of Jamie Ferren Academy. If I’m going to ask another nail professional to sit at my table and trust me with their education, I believe I have a responsibility to continue investing in my own. After 19+ years in this industry, I’m still learning. Still asking questions. Still challenging what I think I know. Still digging deeper into the WHY behind the techniques and products we use every day. And today was such a cool reminder of both sides of that. I learned SO much, but there were also moments when Doug would explain something and I realized, “I know this.” As an educator, that validation felt pretty incredible. Because my goal has never been to simply teach someone how I do nails. I want my students to understand WHY. Why products behave the way they do. Why technique matters. Why proper structure matters. Why safety and sanitation matter. And why science should always matter more than something we heard somewhere along the way. The nail industry never stops evolving, and neither should we. I will always be a student first so that I can continue becoming a better educator for every nail professional who chooses to learn from me. Thank you, Cordoza Nail Supply, for bringing this education to Oregon, and thank you Doug, for sharing your incredible knowledge with our industry. Never stop learning. Never stop growing. ❤️

🖤 Jamie Ferren Academy

https://www.facebook.com/doug.schoon?mibextid=wwXIfr

08/25/2026

I HAVE A SYSTEM. And it works.

After almost 20 years behind the nail table, I don’t do things a certain way just because that’s how I was taught. I do them because I know what works.

Lifting and breakage are not normal for my clientele. I’m not crossing my fingers hoping their nails make it until their next appointment. 😂

Every set I do follows the same process.

It starts with prep. I’m not aggressively filing the natural nail. I use my e-file with very little pressure and let the file do the work. I’m removing what needs to be removed and creating a clean surface for product.

Then I tip, cut and PRE-SHAPE before I ever lay acrylic.

I have always done this. Why make my hands do a ton of extra filing at the end when I can create the shape before I even start laying product?

When I lay acrylic, I’m already building the nail I want.

I’m paying attention to my cuticle area, my sidewalls, my structure and my product placement the entire time. I’m cleaning as I go. I don’t throw a bunch of acrylic on the nail and plan on filing it into submission later. 😂

By the time I pick up my file, I should be refining what I already built. Not trying to fix it.

And the same thing happens when my client comes back for a fill.

I DO NOT just fill the grow out.

I rebalance the entire nail.

Think about it. The nail has grown for 3, 4, sometimes apparently SIX weeks 😂 which means the structure I originally built has grown forward too. The apex has moved. The stress area has changed.

Putting acrylic in the empty space at the cuticle doesn’t magically put that structure back where it belongs.

So I rebalance it.

I restore the structure, clean everything up, reshape and refine the entire nail.

Basically, my clients are getting what feels like a fresh set every time they sit in my chair.

There isn’t one magic product responsible for my retention. There isn’t one secret prep trick. And the answer definitely isn’t filing the natural nail harder.

It’s the entire process.

Prep. Product control. Structure. Refinement. Rebalancing.

Every step has a purpose and every step affects the next one.

THAT is why I teach the WHY behind nails.

Because when you actually understand why you’re doing something instead of just memorizing steps, everything starts to make sense.

The photo on this post?

SIX WEEKS of growth.
No breaks.
Zero lifting.

My system works.

And this is exactly the kind of education Jamie Ferren Academy was created for. 🖤

08/24/2026

If you’re a nail tech, you NEED to see this! 🎄😍

25 DAYS of nail goodies made specifically for professional nail techs?! Cordoza Nail Supply absolutely killed this idea. 👏🏼

Let’s help them turn the whole map RED! ❤️

08/22/2026

For years, I thought the secret to success was getting more clients. More bookings. More followers. So I said yes to everyone. The client who wanted a luxury service on a dollar-store budget. The client who complained about every nail tech she’d ever had.
The client who questioned my pricing before she even sat in my chair. I said yes because I was afraid. Afraid if I raised my prices, people would leave. Afraid if I had boundaries, my schedule would fall apart. Afraid if I said no, nobody else would come. It took me years to understand something I wish someone had taught me sooner: A full book does not automatically mean a successful business. You can be booked solid and still be underpaid. You can have a waiting list and still work with clients who drain your time, energy, and profit.
You can be busy every single day building a business you don’t actually want. Because your clientele isn’t just a list of appointments. Your clientele is part of your business model. The clients who caused me the most stress were rarely the clients creating the most profit. And the clients I genuinely looked forward to seeing? They trusted me. They respected my time.
They valued my expertise. They prebooked. They referred their friends. They supported my business.
That’s when I stopped trying to build a clientele.
I started building a community.And THAT changed everything.

Today, I rarely have openings for new clients. When I do, I’m selective about who I bring into my chair.
Because the client isn’t the only person deciding whether you’re a good fit. You get to decide too.
I pay attention to how they communicate. How they speak about their previous nail tech. Whether they respect my pricing and policies. Whether they’re looking for a professional they can trust, or another professional they can negotiate with. That isn’t arrogance. That’s business. Every client you accept teaches people how your business operates. Every discount teaches something. Every boundary you allow someone to cross teaches something. And every red flag you ignore because you need the appointment will eventually cost you somewhere else. Sometimes the most profitable appointment is the one you don’t take. Sometimes saying no protects the space that eventually gets filled by someone who respects what you’ve built. The more intentional I became about my clientele, the better my clientele became. Better clients brought better referrals. Better referrals brought more of the people I actually wanted in my chair. Eventually, I stopped chasing clients altogether.

So if you’re a beauty professional desperately trying to fill your books, stop asking: “How do I get more clients?” And start asking: “What kind of clientele am I actually building?” Because those are two VERY different questions. You do not need everyone to choose you. You need the right people to choose you.
And you need to be willing to choose them, too.
Your chair was never supposed to be for everyone.
And that’s exactly what makes it valuable. 🖤

08/21/2026

Pretty nails are great… but can we talk about STRUCTURE?! 👏

I will forever say it: your nails should look just as good from the SIDE as they do from the top.

Clean structure. Proper apex placement. Balanced from cuticle to tip. 🤌

This is the stuff I obsess over with my students because pretty nail art means nothing if the foundation underneath it isn’t right.

Learn the structure FIRST. Then make them pretty. 🖤

08/16/2026

THIS is why structure matters. 👏🏼

She came to me with nails that were completely unbalanced and lacking the structure needed to support their length.

How this poor girl made it to me without breaking one, I genuinely do not know. 😳

So we fixed them.

We rebuilt the structure, corrected the apex, refined the shape and completely rebalanced the nails, without making them thick or bulky.m

08/13/2026

🚨 OREGON NAIL TECHS — PLEASE READ THIS. 🚨

I need my nail community to help me get the word out because I genuinely don’t think enough nail techs realize what is happening right here in Oregon.

Doug Schoon is coming to ALBANY, OREGON for a 2-DAY seminar August 31st & September 1st. 🤯

If you know, YOU KNOW.

Doug is quite literally one of the biggest names in our industry when it comes to nail science, product chemistry, allergies, safety and understanding the WHY behind what we do every single day.

He lives in the UK. He does not just pop into Oregon every year to teach a class. 😂 This is a REALLY rare opportunity to learn from someone who has spent decades researching, educating and helping shape the professional nail industry.

And yes… I’ll be there. 🙋🏻‍♀️

I’ve been doing nails for 19 years and educating other nail professionals, and I STILL believe there is always more to learn. I am genuinely excited to sit in that room and soak up everything I can.

My friend has worked incredibly hard to bring this opportunity here, and I would LOVE to see Oregon’s nail community show up for it. 🖤

If you’re interested in attending, have questions about tickets, or cost is the thing holding you back, please reach out to Tiffani directly. She can give you all the information and talk with you privately.

And PLEASE tag your nail tech friends or share this with them. Even if you can’t go, you might put it in front of someone who has no idea this is happening.

This is one of those opportunities you don’t want to hear about AFTER it happened. 🔥

See you in Albany! 🖤💅🏼


https://www.cordozanailsupply.com

08/10/2026

Structure matters. ✨
Strength doesn’t have to mean thick.
A properly structured enhancement should be balanced, refined and beautiful from every angle, even underneath.

This is the part of nail work you might not notice… but I obsess over. 🤌🏼

Created using only the best Cordoza Nail Supply
Crystal Clear Acrylic 🤍

08/07/2026

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I’m incredibly picky about what I use on my clients.

The HEMA-Free Glass Top Coat from is, without a doubt, the shiniest top coat I’ve ever used.

My clients wear their nails for 3–4 weeks, and when they come back, they’re still just as shiny as the day they left my chair. It also repels color! My hairstylists love it! And now…she released it in a 250 mL (8.824 oz) refill bottle! 🙌🏼

Not only is it incredibly convenient, but buying the refill significantly lowers the cost of each bottle if you use it regularly. If you’re a busy nail tech, it’s a no-brainer.

If you haven’t tried it yet, go grab a bottle (or the refill 😉). You can thank me later!

Don’t forget to use my code JFERREN for 10% off your order! 🖤


Cordoza Nail Supply
Tiffani Cordoza

05/05/2026

I almost walked away from this industry after what happened with a student.

And it had nothing to do with nails.

It was the kind of situation no one prepares you for…
and it changed how I run my business forever.

I wrote the full story, uncut, no sugarcoating, on my Substack.

Not the version I can post here. The real one.

If you’re in this industry…you already know why this matters.

Subscribe here 👇

I’ve always believed education is power.