If you have an entrepreneurial MINDSET, doing business for yourself is the way to go. With the advances in technology, you have so many options available than before. For example, you CAN set up a website online, find a supplier, and START marketing with a very LITTLE investment upfront. However, you NEED an IDEA and a start-up plan to get started.

The beauty niche is VERY popular amongst women since you have a WIDE range of products to promote, for example, makeup products, hair products, skincare products, and more. Nail products are also extremely POPULAR, especially PRESS ON NAILS since many ELABORATE designs are available for women today. With that said,

How to start a press on nail business is a COMMON question asked by those who have NOT set up a business before. In this business guide, we will answer some of the MOST common questions asked by entrepreneurs looking to start a press on nail business.


In This Article

Press on Nail Business Plan
How To Choose a Business Name?
What Type of Business Should You Register?
Registering Your Business
How Much Does It Cost to Start a Press on Nail Business?
Setting Up a Website, Social Media Accounts, And Logo
How to Find Inventory to Sell Online
Marketing And Promoting Your Press on Nail Business
How to Package Press On Nails For Shipping?


Press on Nail Business Plan

The MOST important step when starting a press on nail business is to create a business plan. This process is NOT very complicated as you will outline your “game plan” for the next few weeks. The business plan will outline your research by visiting competitors and the budget you expect to invest in your business. We recommend heading to Microsoft Word and using one of their FREE business plan templates. These can be found by opening the following:

Microsoft Word, clinking on “New” and then searching “Business Plan” in the search bar.

That said, the template is very straightforward as you will fill out the “PREFILLED” sections like The Objective, The Opportunity, Execution Strategy, Marketing Strategy, Budget, and more.

The primary purpose is to jot down your ideas to keep you on track if you lose focus. We recommend providing as many details as possible on your “Press on Nail Business Plan”; however, even jotting down a few simple ideas is still a great start!


How To Choose a Business Name?

When starting a press on nail business, it is important to choose the PERFECT name because it will be your identity. So, choose one that’s relevant and easy to remember, as it will be your website URL. Here are a few tips to help you choose the RIGHT name for your business:

1) Relevancy is KEY – you want people to know EXACTLY what your business is selling by reading your name. So choose a name like pressonnail.com or nailsexpress.com, etc. These names are relevant and easy to remember.

2) If you plan to sell other beauty products than just nails like lashes, lipstick/glosses, we recommend NOT putting “nails” in your title.

3) Ensure the name is available before naming all your products and building a brand. One way to do this is by doing a quick search on a domain/hosting provider, for example, Visit Bluehost.com and then click domains on the top to start your search.

4) Keep it medium in length because the longer the name, the harder it is to remember. Also, people need to type this name in the browser window to make it easy for them to do so. For example, you WILL have an easier time typing nails4less.com than www.pressonnailforyouandyourfamily.com …right?

5) Your name will be your identity, so choose a name you are happy with and one that CAN even be used on your social media accounts like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

BONUS: Take the time a brainstorm press on nail business names before doing your search on Bluehost.com. This will help you search multiple names at once, saving you time!



What Type of Business Should You Register?

The type of business you choose to register should depend on the STATE you are registering in. Some states have higher tax brackets for corporates and give tax breaks to those registering a sole proprietorship. Not to mention, the waiting period and filing TAXs becomes a lot more complicated if you have a corporation compared to a sole proprietorship. With that said,

We recommend always starting with a sole proprietorship and later transitioning into a corporation once you grow as a business. By doing this, you CAN complete your registration in a few days and start purchasing inventory immediately. Either way, we recommend you talk to your local STATE business registration office for more information on the advantages and disadvantages of each business type.

A quick Google search will help you find your STATE business registration office. Head over to Google.com and type in the following “register a business in (your STATE).”


Registering Your Business

Once you have chosen a business name and know what type of business you want to register, head to your local (STATE) business registration office/website to complete your registration. The cost and time of completing this process will depend on the STATE you live in. With that said,

A quick Google search will help you find your STATE business registration office. Head over to Google.com and type in the following – “register a business in (your STATE).” For example, here are the search results for “register a business in Ohio.”


How Much Does It Cost to Start a Press on Nail Business?

The cost of starting a press on nail business has decreased substantially since technology has allowed us to connect with other distributors worldwide. For example, you can find a distributor in China or the USA within a few days, place an order securely, and have your items a few days later. It’s incredible…right? So, if you are wondering how much does it cost to start a press on nail business, then

Let’s look at some costs, like purchasing a domain, web hosting, inventory, etc.

Domain Name

You can register a domain name on Bluehost.com for $16.54/per year; the other option is GoDaddy.com for $15.99/per year. We recommend using both providers depending on the project you are working on. Both are excellent!

Webhosting (For Blogging Content)

Once you have registered your domain, you need to host your website. For example, when you type in www.yourdomain.com, a website appears because it is hosted online. A domain name is Part 1, and Part 2 is purchasing a hosting plan so visitors can see your products, content, etc. You should always have a hosting plan for content purposes to provide valuable tips to your customers.

We recommend starting with a BASIC hosting plan, and we recommend two (2) options. Bluehost.com for $7.91/month and GoDaddy.com for $5.99 /month. Both, again, are excellent choices! With that said,

Both hosting providers allow you to install WordPress for FREE with the click of a single button. WordPress is your blogging platform for writing and sharing content with your customers.

Shopify Ecommerce Hosting (For Listing Products)

You can link your eCommerce store to your website by creating a simple link. Through this store, you can list, update, and sell products. Shopify provides you with an all-in-one solution starting at $29.00/month. Through Shopify, customers can browse, add products to their cart, and even checkout. You can even accept credit card and PayPal payments through Shopify seamlessly.

Inventory

We researched two inventory suppliers for you to get started quickly and with little investment. First, when you are initially getting started, you are ESSENTIALLY testing the waters, so you want to invest as little as possible. For this reason, we recommend NOT picking up a lot of inventory until you are sure you have the customer base to sell it to. With that said, searching Amazon.com and Aliexpress.com will allow you to purchase press on nail KITS for between $30.00-$100.00. This is enough inventory to upload to your store and start marketing your products. However, if you have a BIT more to invest, you CAN purchase other kits for a greater selection. With that said,

Press On Nail KITS on Amazon can be purchased for $24.99 (240 pieces). There is a whole variety, so check out their other options. We have listed some of the MOST popular below:


Press On Nail KITS on Aliexpress.com for $2.00-$10.00 (24 pieces – 100 pieces). Shipping is from China, so expect delays in getting your initial order. Next,

Etsy.com has become extremely POPULAR over the last few months and offers a great selection of inventory. We did a quick search, and you can find Press On Nail KITS for $5.00-$20.00. Check out the selection here.

You can FEATURES on finding inventory in this section: How to Find Inventory to Sell Online

Shipping Packaging

Press on Nails is a small item requiring small packaging, which can be purchased on Amazon in bulk. Here are some packaging options you have available:


Blog Content Writing

Publish helpful content on your blog to provide customers with beauty tips and more. You will slowly become an authority in your niche and attract FREE organic traffic to your website. This content CAN lead to sales and even advertising income if you plan on monetizing through Google Adsense. With that said,

Start writing content on your own to save costs associated with outsourcing. However, you can outsource your content writing through Fiverr.com, Upwork.com, and other networks if you have extra money to invest.

Marketing Costs (AdWords, Instagram)

Marketing your business through networks like AdWords and Instagram is NOT a fixed cost. So, you can invest $50.00 or $1000 per month. We recommend investing approx. $200.00 per month, which is a great range to start with. A budget of $200.00 allows you to stay competitive with your bids on Google AdWords and promote your brand on Instagram through an influencer.

TOTAL UPFRONT COST

Domain: 16.54/per year
Web Hosting: $7.91/month
eCommerce Hosting: $29.00/month
Inventory Approx: $100.00 (initial order)
Shipping Packaging: $50.00 (for bubble envelopes)
Content Writing: FREE or ($35.00 per content if outsourced)
Marketing Budget: $200.00 (per month)

TOTAL ACCUMULATED COST

$403.45 Initial Cost to Get Started!



Setting Up a Website, Social Media Accounts, and Logo

If you are wondering how do I start a press on the nail business website, you have nothing to worry about. Several resources are available online through hosting providers, YouTube, and others. Once you have purchased your domain name and hosting, head over to the tutorials your hosting provider offers to get started. Here is a list of the MOST popular ones below:

Bluehost

WordPress Walkthrough Series (1 of 10) – Overview & Installation
WordPress Walkthrough Series (3 of 10) – Creating Pages
WordPress Walkthrough Series (6 of 10) – Using Plugins

GoDaddy

How to Make a Blog on WordPress
Why Build a Website with WordPress? | The Journey
Add a Blog on Your Website to Keep Your Customers Informed

Shopify

Adding and updating products
Start getting paid on Shopify
Managing themes
Shipping and delivery

Next,

Your LOGO is ESSENTIAL to your brand!

Think about some POPULAR brands in the market today and how you recognize them just by looking at their logo. For example, Apple, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, etc. With that said,

Before you can start selling your inventory online, you have to ENSURE you have developed a logo and uploaded it onto your website. Here’s a quick TIP, a GREAT logo aims to show the KEY values of your business through a single image.  You may think designing a LOGO WILL cost a lot of money, but that is NOT the case. There are FREE services available to help you create a LOGO, for example, Canva.com, Freelogoservices.com, and Looka.com.


How to Find Inventory to Sell Online

You DON’T have a business without an inventory, so finding products to sell at a markup is significantly IMPORTANT. We recommend you quickly search in Google to find your competitors and write down what products they are selling. It’s equally IMPORTANT to write down the price they are selling the products for so you CAN price your items. You want to purchase inventory at a price where you can profit once sold to customers. With that said,

As mentioned, if you are starting out, Amazon.com, Etsy.com, and Aliexpress.com will be the BEST places to purchase inventory with very little investment. However, in the beginning, you are trying to build your brand, so you DON’T know what items are POPULAR; so we suggest starting small, and you CAN grow your inventory as your customer base starts to grow.



Marketing And Promoting Your Press on Nail Business

Once your website and products have been uploaded on your website, it’s time to start promoting your business. First, create accounts on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. These social media networks are FREE and great for following other brands and growing your following. Once you have set up your social media accounts, post your blog content on each one. This strategy is helpful because it gives people an OPPORTUNITY to share your content so you can start to GROW/DEVELOP as a brand.

Next, let’s discuss some other marketing strategies:

Google AdWords

Bid on relevant keywords and appear on the TOP of search results. For example, the current top page bid for the following keyword, “press on nails,” in the United States, is approximately CA$2.22 per click, and for the keyword, “stick on nail polish,” it is $3.19 per click. You will appear in the SEARCH results whenever someone types those keywords in the Google search bar.

Here is an example:

 

With that said,

Once you have set up your website and are ready to start marketing, create an account on Google Adwords. Here are some tutorials to help you get started:

Get Started with Google Ads: Create a Campaign
Using Keyword Planner in AdWords
Google Ads Tutorials: How the Search ad auction works
Google Ads Tutorials: Intro to Smart Bidding

Instagram Influencers

You CAN pay an Instagram influencer to promote your store/products if you have a larger budget. For example, quickly search on Instagram to find people with an enormous following and direct message them. Ask them if they actively promote other brands on their account and how much they charge for a shout-out. For example, when we first created our constellation bracelet store, we found huge brands with thousands of followers and reached out to them. We pitched them our idea and asked them to promote our store, which they did for $500.00 (one time). The price of $500.00 does seem high, but these influencers had 100,000+ followers, and we generated some sales through their promotion. Here are two (2) great videos that explain the entire process step-by-step:

How To Launch an Influencer Marketing Campaign in 7 steps (Strategy, Outreach, and Examples)
Instagram Influencer Marketing: Your Step By Step Guide


How to Package Press On Nails For Shipping?

There are two (2) ways to ship your products to your customers -1) drop ship the products directly to your customers from your suppliers, or 2) ship the products from your location.

Let’s explore both methods!

1) If you are starting your business and don’t have your own private label (branded) products, we recommend dropshipping directly from the suppliers to your customers. The concept of dropshipping is straightforward:

The customer comes to your website and places an order. Then, you purchase the item from your supplier and ship it directly to the customer. In the dropshipping model, you DO NOT touch the product, and everything (in terms of shipping is done by the supplier). The dropshipping model works well for those press on nail business owners who:

a) Are just starting and don’t have enough capital (money) to invest upfront
b) DO NOT want to keep inventory because of storage limitations, etc
c) Want to test out different products and don’t want to invest in buying multiple products
d) Business owners lack the logistics knowledge and skills to pack/ship products.
e) Business owners who want to ship worldwide and save on shipping costs. Wholesale suppliers often ship a lot, paying low prices to ship worldwide.
f) Business owners are trying to keep costs down and DO NOT want to purchase packaging suppliers this early in their business startup.

You can easily dropship multiple products through Amazon.com, Etsy.com, and Aliexpress.com

PLEASE NOTE: Dropshipping is an effective business model for individuals just starting their business. Inventory is only purchased when a customer has placed an online order.

2) The costs will be much higher if you ship products from your warehouse. For example, you have to pay to have the products shipped to your location from the supplier and have the costs associated with shipping supplies when packing customers’ orders. Next, you have additional costs to ship the package to your customer. Even though the customer will pay the shipping cost when buying the product, it will raise the cost of the product, which may not make the purchase attractive. With that said,

You can still use this business model; however, we recommend this after establishing yourself as an authority in this market and having a unique private-label product.

Again, to keep costs down when you start your business, we recommend dropshipping your products until you have built an enormous customer base and sell your own branded products.


Final Thoughts

Starting a press on nail business can be tricky if you do not know where to start. However, once you have a business plan, you have direction and know what steps to take. First, take some time to choose a business name and register your business (both are necessary first steps), then start designing your logo and building your online store. With that said,

Starting a business provides you with an opportunity to follow your passion by doing something you love. It requires hard work but will become a seamless process with the RIGHT guidance and support. Good Luck!