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Today, I sat down with Richelle Belarmino, the CEO of Fairy Press Ons!
Richelle Belarmino, a Filipina Canadian, is a full-time student and CEO of the press-on-nails brand Fairy Press Ons! I’ve admired her business from afar (and even purchased a few sets for myself!), so I was so excited when I had the opportunity to ask her a few questions about what it’s like to own a small business!
What Inspired You to Create Fairy Press Ons?
“I used to go to my best friend’s mom’s nail salon and just get free acrylic sets done when I needed them! But I always wanted longer nails and specific shapes, and it wasn’t really possible to get them done from the salon. I stumbled upon press on nails on Depop and thought they were so cool because I could reuse them & take them off! With acrylics, I’d have to book time off work – enough time for me to wear them and also take them off. Again, I wasn’t happy with the shape/design too much and thought “maybe I can do this myself one day!
This was just a silly little thought in my head until the pandemic happened. I mean, I was probably going to start researching the business after exams were done anyways, but the pandemic gave me even more of an opportunity to study, purchase supplies, and test it out! It actually started with me wanting to make sets for myself. I actually decided against making nails for people because it’d be so much more trouble trying to get people’s sizes and create a whole business. But there were so many excess supplies I thought, ‘well maybe I can sell a few sets to my friends.’ So I ended up wanting to make custom sets for people and myself, and I thought establishing my own brand would be pretty fun!”
What’s Your Favourite Part of Running Fairy Press Ons?
“Of course, working on the nails themselves actually gives me so much joy! However, I think my favourite part is when people receive their packages and tell me how much they love them! I love when customers message me pictures of their nails on social media or tell me about all the compliments they got because of them! It makes my heart so happy hearing how happy they are, or if it helped them out for an event or something! The convenience of press ons is amazing, so I love hearing how it helps different people. For example, people take off their press ons to pray, or maybe they have to go back to work, or maybe they have to type up an essay after a night out! Whatever it is, it brings me so much joy seeing how much my customers love their sets!”
Do You Have Any Favourite Designs and/or Customs Purchases By Clients?
“I love customers who are willing to experiment! I had this one customer order four freestyles! She wanted me to have fun with it, and basically try out things that I’ve been wanting to! I had so much fun because a lot of people don’t really know what to ask for. There are so many designs out there to experiment with. I’ve been trying to practice airbrushing for my future reopening and this set was so much fun to do! It was so delicate and intricate to create. Here are two customs that I have done!”
How Have You Found Navigating the Challenges of Running a Small Business?
“One step at a time really! Research can help, but nothing can really prepare you for all the different challenges you run into. I try to be open and communicate with my customers if issues arise, like things being out of stock, or if I get busy and can’t complete their order in time. It consumes a lot of your time too. You have to really be passionate to stay up late painting these nails! But I think my enjoyment of this helps me get through all the challenges honestly! I’m always looking to learn more, whether it’s website issues, designs, techniques, etc. I think it’s good to invest in improving your work so you can work past those challenges!”
What Advice Would You Give to People Looking to Start a Small Business?
“Oh, definitely do not undervalue your work! Your time is money, let alone your effort that goes into the product. I don’t even think I was paying myself a minimum wage. and don’t give out your product for free if you can help it. A lot of people will be in your DMs looking for free products in exchange for “exposure”. What an outright scam in my opinion! The exposure doesn’t pay the bills. No matter how many followers they have, maybe their followers aren’t active. Most likely you won’t get a sale from the person asking, even though I thought I would. Just focus on your passion, and DEFINITELY be passionate about what you create! That’ll attract the right people, the customers who value your time and effort.”
Check out Richelle’s business on Instagram and show your support! Though her business is temporarily closed to focus on her final year of University, be sure to be on the lookout on her social media to snag a set once she reopens on her website!