Today we’d like to introduce you to Misty Grant. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Nailed It® DIY Studio’s original concept began with a phone call from a church in 2014. The pastor was interested in providing a fun, creative experience for a women’s group and he reached out to Shannon Evans for help. As she worked through the logistics of teaching a DIY experience, she instinctively knew that this concept was well worth the experiment. She joined forces with Misty Grant and began a small, appointment-only DIY space in the storage room of a local retailer. As demand grew, they gradually took over more of the store’s space, with regularly sold-out group project sessions. The winter of 2016 brought plans for a dedicated studio in downtown Rock Hill, South Carolina. With this new space came plans for an innovative DIY experience that includes walk-in style open studio hours, appointment-driven individual DIY reservations, and easily planned and executed private parties for adults and children. During this growth period, the Fort Mill store also expanded to full operation as well.
Within the first year with two full-time stores, revenue more than doubled and Nailed It® DIY Studio was able to reach more than 2,000 customers. Beyond that, dynamic social media implementation reaches tens of thousands of followers daily. Dedication to providing affordable projects and the option for each customer to customize their experience through a broad range of wood size and configuration options allow for customer retention and return.
Wishing to expand this success beyond the local market, Nailed It® chose franchising as the next step. Through rigorous adherence to the founding principles, practices, and procedures as implemented by our Franchisees, Nailed It® is dedicated to spreading empowerment and creativity across our demographic.
Nailed It® is committed to providing a creative DIY experience for all skill levels in a fun and approachable workshop – building confidence and pride in the finished project while guiding guests through our proprietary techniques using environmentally friendly materials.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Struggles running and growing a small business can pile up fast. From finding the right dedicated employees, having time to wear and learn all the hats, funds, competition popping up, and others taking your ideas as their own. There are always a challenge or obstacle that can knock you down we believe in how we handle it determines who we are as a brand and how we want to be looked at.
Finding a way to turn negatives into positives is some of our greatest strengths as a team.
As you know, we’re big fans of Nailed It DIY Studios. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
The DIY segment is growing by leaps and bounds, popularized by television shows, networks dedicated to DIY and home improvement as well as DIY home and garden blogs and social media outlets. The Nailed It® concept seeks to eliminate barriers to entry in this market niche. Our customers feel called to create, and Nailed It® DIY Studios answers that call with easy, creative projects tailored to all skill levels and implemented by the customer with timely tutelage by our engaging Art-Tenders. While our customers do leave with a quality, on-trend home decor item, the experience is what they remember most. Nailed It®’s target market is females ages 25-55 and children ages 6-13. This is just the target market, though. Our workshops are often enjoyed by both males and females ranging from 3 to 93.
The franchise model itself. It’s niche within the entertainment market focuses on the do-it-yourself/entertainment segment of the industry. Nailed It’s unique strategy allows for affordable customization and walk-in hours allow for connections with those who don’t wish to book online for a specific project but felt crafty and spontaneous in the moment.
Basically, we are like a “Build a Bear Workshop” a concept that Misty Grant brought to the table in the beginning of growing the business from a table in the back of a boutique to a franchisee company. We wanted guests to be able to walk into a studio pick affordable projects by picking a size and a design on the spot and have our well-trained “Art-Tenders” guide them in the experience to create a project that would fit their home perfectly. Our goal is to empower the guest to feel like they can do this and they can take what they learned and do more either with us or on their own.
Our Mission Statement: Nailed It is committed to providing a creative DIY experience for all skill levels in a fun and approachable workshop – building confidence and pride in the finished project while guiding guests through our proprietary techniques using environmentally friendly materials.
Nailed It® DIY Studios precedes other competitors in our concepts. Before expanding as a national franchise, Nailed It® owners Shannon Evans and Misty Grant took the time to perfect the process, constantly evolving to meet changing needs and wants of their customer base.
What they found is that DIY-ers didn’t want to sign up for specific classes, and they didn’t want to all complete the same project at the same time. In order to build a base of return customers, Nailed It® moved away from the class-based project calendar. Nailed It® DIY Studios now offer private adult parties and children’s parties and camps, and are also for open studio hours. Open studio hours are described as opportunities for single and small group appointments as well as walk in times. Our Art-Tenders work from behind the DIY bar and guide customers through the experience using our proprietary techniques. The ease with which our Art-Tenders are able to help many customers at one time, all handling different sizes and designs is what sets Nailed It® apart from the competitors.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
Growing up with my grandfather “pawpaw” he took me to Home Depot every weekend so we could work on projects at the house, either building playsets, walkways, doghouses. It didn’t matter my age my grandfather always encouraged me to learn how to have ideas and dreams, and then put the work in and build it. We used to have a Flea Market across the street from his house and people would make things to sell there he would always encourage me to create a business and make my own money. I bought sweatshirts and pants at wholesale then would use puffy paint to add designs on them. I made order forms and sketched out people’s ideas. I made a lot of money that summer. And there were a lot of puffy-painted sweatshirts walking around my school.
Pricing:
- We have Take and Make Projects to take home ranging from $10 – $30
- Experience Projects start at $32 and with over 20 sizes to choice from.
- Each studio also carries a variety of retail options items from $5-100 average
- We offer custom designing for a min. fee.
- All Private Parties, Teambuilding, Events have a small fee for reservations (different in some studios). There is so much we have to offer from Camps, Kids Build It’s, Specialty Projects Nights, Festivals, Offsites, Event Fundraisers
Contact Info:
- Email: rockhillstudio@naileditdiy.com ( each studio has their own email) or Corporate@naileditdiy.com
- Website: www.Naileditdiy.com is the site to find a location near you. Rockhill.naileditdiy.com, Fortmill.naileditdiy.com, are the ones closest to us.
- Instagram: instagram.com/naileditdiy
- Facebook: facebook.com/naileditdiystudio
Image Credits
Duke&Co Media
Mary Ickert Photography
