Today we’d like to introduce you to Staleks Company. Them and their team share their story with us below:
STALEKS is the largest company in Ukraine producing stainless steel beauty tools for professionals and self-care. The brand was established in 1996 by two friends who opened a small private sharpening studio in Kharkiv. At that time, there was no strong manufacturer of professional tools neither in Europe nor in Ukraine, so they saw the chance to become one.
For these 25 years, the company grew up from 2 to 1700 employees and a full-cycle facility with modern equipment. If in 1996 the assortment included only one model of scissors, nippers, pusher and twizzers, then today, Staleks makes 700 types of products — nail & cuticle scissors and nippers, files, bits, pedicure tools including famous pododisc, brow & lash tweezers, tools for cosmetology that are sharpened and polished manually. We proud to hold a dozen of patents including those for the hooked-tip scissors and PapMam nail files. In total, Staleks produces over 11 million tools annually and sold them in over 90 countries around the world.
Since 2016, we started exporting to the United States. In Los Angeles, Staleks is presented by Staleks-California.com with a local store in Glendale. The partner participates in major nail events and exhibitions on the West Coast and collaborates with the leading artists such Katerina Abourched (@mokanailclub on Instagram) and Yiemy Gomez (@footopiacare). The tools are loved by celebrity manicurists not only from the United States but all over the world.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The biggest challenge for us is the huge number of myths and gossips around advanced manicure techniques in the US. In Ukraine, changes in the beauty industry had been happening faster than in America. The service that is now called “e-file manicure” in the US and unique on the market, is a standard in Ukraine for 20 years.
Until now, it is considered normal not to use sterilization and store the implements in a container after cleaning, not in a disposable pouch that is opened in front of the client. Technicians still disinfect files instead of using an individual one for each client (meanwhile, our disposable PapMam case files have been on the market for two years already!). It is still believed that cutting the cuticle is dangerous, although it is dangerous to do it with the wrong technique and non-sterile instrument. It’s still considered normal to buy cheap scissors at Walmart for $10 instead of a professional tool for $20.
Our goal was and still remains to incorporate the culture of high-quality beauty service into the industry. We notice how more and more artists begin changing their techniques, prefer more expensive materials in terms of quality. They write us how they use only our tools and can’t imagine work without Staleks. It means that we are on the right path.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We at Staleks dedicate ourselves to the product quality. Our production cycle includes input and output quality control. Quality of incoming raw materials is checked at the certified labs, where specialists tests physical and chemical aspects of steel. Stainless medical grade steel for our tools is imported from Spain. It is exceptionally resistant to corrosion and has unmatched hardness, ensuring long-lasting sharpness. We use such steel for production of both professional and home use tools.
Output quality assurance is performed by our QC department. QC specialists check all products for compliance with regulations and standards. The QC department workers attend workshops and seminars by prominent beauty professionals to learn about peculiarities of using the various instruments. All that increases thoroughness of all tests and checks. If defects are found, the instrument is returned for rework. This meticulous approach guarantees that our clients will get only high-quality products meeting all the standards.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
You should know your potential clients and competitors, as well as the value of your product.
Our tools are more expensive than the average price on the market because they are made from quality materials according to the International standards and latest developments of a group of engineers and designers of our company. We create tools that are unique for the global beauty industry that cannot cost $5 for nail nippers, and we bravely say about that.
Therefore, we had to find out what tools our customers use, why they choose them and how to draw their attention to our brand. We began telling about our company and its story, showing what results customers would get from working with Staleks, supported our content with rave reviews from clients who had already tried our product. We had to prove that they can switch to our tools and get the same or even better results that now.
When people see someone already tried something and was satisfied with the use, of course, they are more willing to buy. Thus, you create a chain of loyal customers thrilling about your product or service. The first reviews are the most important, they spur you on moving forward.
Pricing:
- Cuticle nippers -$21 – $65
- Cuticle scissors – $18.5 – $45
- PapMam disposable nail file – $11 – $17
- Eyebrow / Lash tweezers – $11 – $22
- Pododiscs – $11 – $19
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: staleks-california.com – our partner in California
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/staleks_official_usa
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/STALEKS
- Other: staleks.com
Image Credits
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQ6_bpXjZfM&t=2s
