Secure The Nails is founded by two girls navigating through their adult corporate lives in their twenties. Clicked on a Bumble BFF date, we shared our mutual passion on press on nails and the prospect of running an e-commerce business together. It has been an exciting journey filled with countless learning opportunities, each contributing to our growth and understanding of what it takes to thrive in this competitive market. We would like to share with you some invaluable lessons from we’ve experienced along the way.
1. Register A Company and Just Go for It
In our second meeting, we saw great qualities in each other and decided to go for it because we can never be 100% certain and ready for something that’s yet to happen in the future. With two or more business partners, it is a wise decision to register a company. It provides trust, transparency, cohesion, and it makes sense from a business perfective – reimbursable business expenses, appropriate tax relief schemes and generally great segregation between personal bank accounts and your business account. Registering the company really propelled us to quickly move to the next step – build the business.
2. Know Your Niche Inside Out
Just like other beauty products, the press-on nails market is very competitive. Understanding our niche has been crucial. To capture our prospective customers’ preferences, we researched our target audience extensively to understand the current pain points, and what makes us stand out. At Secure The Nails, we noticed that there are not enough press-on designs for girls working a corporate job. Most styles online are very extravagant and inappropriate for office if your work requires you to present a professional image. This knowledge laid the foundation of our branding and guided our product development and marketing strategies, ensuring that every vision we have aligns with the needs of target audience.
3. Build a Strong Online Presence
In today's digital age composed of mobile phones and laptops, a robust online presence is non-negotiable. To showcase your products effectively, it is important to create a visually appealing and user-friendly website that fits your brand image. We recommend using Shopify as it has lots of theme templates and built-in functions that integrates seamlessly with your business operation. Utilizing social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok has allowed us to engage directly with our audience, showcase user-generated content, and build a community around our brand. You can follow us on Tiktok and Instagram.
4. Customer Feedback is Gold
Wondering what your customers like about your products and what aspects you can improve on? Listening to our customers has been instrumental in refining our products and services. We take a proactive approach to seeking feedback through reviews and social media interactions (such as creating a poll or vote on Instagram). This feedback loop has helped us improve product designs, packaging, shipping processes, and customer service, ultimately enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty. Tell them, We Care!
5. Quality and Consistency Matter
From day one, Secure The Nails is committed to delivering salon-quality press-on nails that exceed customer expectations. Consistency in product quality, timely shipping, and customer support builds trust and credibility. We learned that maintaining these standards is pivotal for long-term success and positive word-of-mouth. Revaluation along the way is also necessary to maintain the brand reputation.
6. Adaptability is Key
It is said by Charles Darwin that “It is not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change.” You don’t need to have a business degree to understand that the flexibility is essential for the constantly evolving business landscape. We have had to adapt our strategies quickly to the changes in supply chain, the seasonal market trends, and customer feedback. When you face the unforeseeable challenges, just remember that it cannot always be a smooth sailing journey, embracing the weather change and being willing to pivot allow you to stay relevant and competitive in this sea of e-commerce businesses.
7. Effective Marketing Strategies Drive Growth
Marketing is the lifeline of any business. If you have a wonderful product but it cannot reach to customers, then it simply won’t sell. We've experimented with various marketing channels, including micro-influencer collaborations, email subscription campaigns, and paid advertising. Fortunately, in this world of big data, most of the platforms have analytics providing metrics and insights, such as Instagram Insights, Tiktok Studio, and Shopify Analytics. Taking advantage of the data and identifying what works best for your brand will guide you to allocate resources effectively.
8. Stay Passionate and Persistent
Building a business from the ground up requires passion, perseverance, and a willingness to learn from setbacks. Celebrate every milestone, no matter how small, and stay motivated during challenging times. At Secure The Nails, we would review and reflect the events that happened in the week for continuous improvement. Our genuine passion for press-on nails and dedication to our vision have fuelled our progress and kept us focused on expanding the brand.
9. Learn from Every Experience
Have you ever heard of such a saying “Life is a game. You beat up more monsters and you level up faster.” We are grateful for every obstacle, mistake, or triumph as we know deep down it is an opportunity to learn and grow. Whether it's learning from a failed marketing campaign or celebrating a sold-out product launch, we continually analyse our experiences and adjust our strategies accordingly.
Looking Ahead
As Secure The Nails continues to expand, we remain committed to these principles. Our journey as a small start-up has been filled with invaluable lessons that have shaped our identity and positioned us for future growth.
In conclusion, starting a business is challenging yet incredibly rewarding! We're excited about what lies ahead and grateful for the opportunity to share our passion with the world. We look forward to continuing this journey and sharing more insights with you as our business evolves.
Thank you for joining us on our entrepreneurial adventure!