How the owner of ACRYLIQUE launched press on nail business while working full-time

An investment banker who has launched a highly successful press-on nail brand while working full-time and studying at university has revealed her advice for anyone looking to start their own business. 

Louisa Lin, 24, always had an entrepreneurial spirit and in high school bought and sold a range of items from China, marking up the price by 2,000 per cent to resell on marketplaces such as Carousell and in Facebook groups. 

The Melbourne woman made a profit of $10,000 at the time. 

She knew it was possible to make money in an e-commerce space and wasn’t afraid to hustle for her next pay check – so she found a gap in the ‘fake’ nail market and spearheaded her business ideas towards it.

‘My best friend Anna is a midwife and nurse and she has always loved doing her nails, but soon realised she was unable to when starting her job last year,’ Ms Lin told FEMAIL.

‘As press-on nails can be applied for temporary wear, I felt that it was a solution to a very common problem.’  

Louisa Lin (pictured), 24, has always had an entrepreneurial spirit and in high school bought and sold a range of small items from China, marking up the price by 2000 per cent to resell on marketplaces like Carousell and in Facebook groups

ACRYLIQUE was born during the Covid lockdowns of 2021 – for which Melbourne suffered the most of any Australian city – when Ms Lin saw nail technicians forced to close their brick-and-mortar store and pivot to an online solution. 

‘I noticed that a lot of nail technicians were unable to take on clients during the long Covid lockdowns, and so they started hand-making custom press on nails to continue servicing their clients by mailing it to them,’ she said.

‘I didn’t personally believe handmade products were scalable, so I decided to start sourcing high quality manufacturers who could make press on nails that actually look salon done, and design a press on nail brand myself.’

Ms Lin invested $25,000 into her brand initially and became a one man band, designing her own logo and branding on Adobe Illustrator. 

At the same time she was doing an internship at a Swiss investment bank over the summer of 2021 during a time where she would usually have a break from her commerce and law degree.

Ms Lin invested $25,000 into her brand initially and became a one man band, designing her own logo and branding on Adobe Illustrator

The press on nails are $34.95 for a set

Ms Lin invested $25,000 into her brand initially and became a one man band, designing her own logo and branding on Adobe Illustrator

She managed to juggle both her press on nail brand with university by cramming 10 weeks worth of lectures into the week before her exams

She managed to juggle both her press on nail brand with university by cramming 10 weeks worth of lectures into the week before her exams

‘It was a difficult time in my life as I was usually in the office working from 9am until 12am during my internship. As a solo founder without staff, it was often difficult to reply to customers promptly and fulfil orders on time,’ she said of the early days.

‘During my time at university I had come close to dropping out of law school countless times but I am very glad that I persevered because it has taught me a lot of important skills that have been super helpful for my business. For example, I filed my own trademark for ACRYLIQUE which helped me save over $1,000 in legal fees.’

She managed to juggle both her press on nail brand with university by cramming 10 weeks worth of lectures into the week before her exams.

On top of her already busy schedule Ms Link also worked part-time at Hey Bud Skincare over the past year, using the opportunity to be mentored by the ‘three extremely talented co-founders’.

‘I would not have been able to manage this hectic schedule if it weren’t for my mother. My mother now heads up order fulfillment and inventory management for ACRYLIQUE, and I have recently taught my dad how to print shipping labels, so we have a full assembly line going on at home now,’ she said.

On top of her already busy schedule Ms Link also worked part-time at Hey Bud Skincare over the past year, using the opportunity to be mentored by the 'three extremely talented co-founders'

On top of her already busy schedule Ms Link also worked part-time at Hey Bud Skincare over the past year, using the opportunity to be mentored by the ‘three extremely talented co-founders’

ACRYLIQUE - which sells one pack of its press on nails for $34.95 - stands out from other brands because of its salon quality nature, and assurance that they won't look 'fake' on your hand

Her brand is currently turning over five-figures of monthly revenue - a feat given Ms Lin only just celebrated their one year anniversary - with plans for rapid growth in the new year

ACRYLIQUE – which sells one pack of its press on nails for $34.95 – stands out from other brands because of its salon quality nature, and assurance that they won’t look ‘fake’ on your hand

Her brand is currently turning over five-figures of monthly revenue – a feat given Ms Lin only just celebrated their one year anniversary – with plans for rapid growth in the new year.

ACRYLIQUE – which sells one pack of its press on nails for $34.95 – stands out from other brands because of its salon quality nature, and assurance that they won’t look ‘fake’ on your hand.

‘We ensure that the nails are not flimsy, and can withstand long-term wear,’ she said. 

Ms Lin plans on working as a full-time investment banker in 2023 and building a team to manage ACRYLIQUE in the meantime.

‘I am hoping to invest my full six-figure salary into my business to hire staff next year, and continue scaling the business as I step back from it to focus on my career in investment banking,’ she said.

Ms Lin plans on working as a full-time investment banker in 2023 and building a team to manage ACRYLIQUE in the meantime

Ms Lin plans on working as a full-time investment banker in 2023 and building a team to manage ACRYLIQUE in the meantime

‘I hope to have a full team by next year and to continue seeking out new collaborations and partnerships with other brands that align with ACRYLIQUE.’

While she’s averaging just three to five hours of sleep a night at present Ms Lin hopes that pivoting her focus and outsourcing her side hustle will help her have more time off next year.

‘My biggest lesson I’ve learnt in business so far… spend more time working on the business, not in the business. Outsource, outsource, outsource,’ she said.

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