HOW TO START A PRESS ON NAIL BUSINESS

Interested in how to start a press on nail business? Well, let me help a little by sharing with you what I did to start my press on nail business, Goat Nails. Since you’ll be providing a product and not a service, you don’t need to become a nail technician, to get started! Make sure you check out our DIY business templates & helpful ebooks for easy setup.

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If you’re like I was, you have sat wondering and wondering if you should go for it or not. Yes, you should! Now is the time to actually start that press-on nail business you’ve been thinking about. I tried to make this as short as I could to be a sort of quick guide to give you an idea of what’s needed to get started. Take a look at some helpful free printables here.

If you’re looking for a more in-depth breakdown of how to get started with your press on nail business, try the EBOOK here.

Check out this post on the 20 Press On Nail Supplies Every Press On Nail Artist Should Own.

This post is about how to start a press on nail business.

Start a Press On Nail Business

Business Name
Business Type
Social Media Accounts
Nail Shapes and Lengths
Essentials Needed
Nail Style
Sizing and Measuring
Pictures
Platform to Sell

Choose Your Press On Nail Business Name

To get started I first sat down to think of a name for my new press on nail business. Try to keep in mind things like what you plan to sell now and possibly later. For instance, you may not want to put nails in your title if you hope to later sell things like lashes, lip glosses, clothes, etc. so keep that in mind when choosing a name. I would choose something easy to pronounce and understand, as well as one that has some type of meaning for you. Also, make sure your name is available with the social media accounts you want.

Now, write down a few best picks and then do a state business search to make sure the name is available in your state, then a Google domain search to see if the name is available as a website. You’ll want to make sure your website name is available. You can buy your domain from places like Google Domains. Usually, the .com websites are generally 12.99/yr, but there are a select few popular names that are a bit pricey.

Business Type

Now that you have your name and it’s available in both your state and as a web address, now it’s time to start the business license application. You’ll choose whether you want a sole proprietorship or Limited Liability Company. Make sure to do your research on which is best for you and your business. You can do a Google search on this as there are many sites to choose from, but I did my application online with Incfile.com. I only paid $50, it was super easy and only took a few minutes.

Also, do your research on whatever else is needed on the legal side for your state. Try this site, they may offer some helpful information.

Now that the boring legal talk is over let’s get to the good stuff.

Social Media

I would grab an account for all social media accounts even if you don’t plan to use them. You never know where your business could lead you and will be happy you secured your name just in case.

Nail Shapes and Lengths

You will want to decide what shape and length nails you want to start out with so you can purchase them and make up your size chart. There are a ton of different shapes to choose from. I stick with the eight shown above.

Amazon will be your new best friend! LOL

I would suggest spending the money for their prime membership, so you can always get your packages within 2 days, trust me it’s so worth it! Take a look at my Amazon suggestions to see what fits your needs and budget.

To save money, I would suggest buying popular shapes and lengths first. Medium and Long Coffin are very popular so I’d definitely start with those. There will be a bit of trial and error in deciding which brand of nails you will choose. This will be dependent on your budget. When you’re just starting out I would say BTArtbox or ECbasket are decent brands you can start out with and they won’t break the bank. They’re pretty sturdy so the quality is good as well. Make sure to read the reviews, this will save you a ton of time and money!

Here are some full cover press on nails, I think are worth giving a try.

Essentials Needed

Make sure to check out the post below that includes a list I put together on some essentials every press on nail owner should have.

20 Press On Nail Supplies Every Press On Nail Owner Should Have

Nail Style

In the beginning, when deciding what type of nails to make, I would suggest sticking with what is trending. After you get a good amount of customers and get a feel for what your customers want, then, by all means, do your own thing, but to get noticed you need to be posting press on nails that the majority of nail wearers are wanting.

Pinterest and Instagram is a good place to see what’s trending.

Sizing /Measuring

Make sure to measure each press on nail shape you choose and create a sizing chart (Read this post on how to size and measure). It is very important to make sure you are providing the correct sizing for your customers, so please don’t skip this part. Sizing is literally everything with press on nails, because no matter how cute they are if the sizing is wrong, you can throw the whole business away.

Take Good Pictures

Now that you have created these bomb press on nails, you must be able to show them off with bomb pictures! In the beginning, and a lot of times now, I still use my iPhone camera since iPhones take really good pictures. However, sometimes I use my Canon MX50 but this is not a necessity in the beginning. My suggestion for taking great pictures of your press on nails is to have really good light. Whether it be a ring light or daylight. This can be done in many different ways, you just have to find what works best for you.

Platform to Sell

There are many places you can decide to sell your press on nails and there are a few things to keep in mind when setting your prices. You can start how I started with an Etsy shop. It’s one of the easiest ways to sell your press on nails. I’ll be doing a post soon, on How To Set Up An Etsy Shop For Selling Press On Nails. You can also sell your nails via social media (Facebook shop, Instagram shop) or your own website. Wix has a very easy platform to use and it’s literally drag and drop. So when you’re ready to start your own website I would suggest Wix for ease of use. Since I started blogging, though, I switched over to WordPress. Wix is a lot easier to use for a beginner but is way more expensive. WordPress may be a bit more difficult to use for a beginner but super cheap. I only pay $10/mth whereas with Wix I was paying $33/mth! So the platform you choose is definitely something to consider.
Ready to start your business? Don’t forget to check out our DIY business templates & helpful ebooks to set yourself up for success!

This post was about how to start a press on nail business.