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B2B Breakthrough Podcast
How Brittany Built a Successful Nail Business: Lessons from an Inclusive Beauty Brand
00:29:29
In this episode of B2B Breakthrough, host Ciara Cristo chats with Brittany Golden, Founder and CEO of IGL Nails, about her journey from side hustle to beauty industry disruptor. Brittany shares how she’s revolutionizing the press-on nail market with inclusive designs for all nail bed sizes, tackling challenges like sourcing manufacturers and scaling her brand. She also discusses empowering women through beauty, overcoming adversity, and her vision for IGL’s future. Tune in for entrepreneurial insights and inspiration!
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Transcript65 lines
- [00:02]
Brittany Golden
Now I have a legacy to build and I want my daughter to be able to have something and someone to look up to in this world to show her that, like women, we can be strong and we can be moms and wives and students and business owners all at the same time.
- [00:19]
Sierra Christo
Welcome to the B2B Breakthrough Podcast. We're here to bring you all the best knowledge, insights and strategies from e commerce experts, successful business owners, and the team@alibaba.com that you'll need to grow your business and achieve your next big breakthrough. I'm your host, Sierra Christo.
- [00:37]
Podcast Host
On today's episode of the B2B Breakthrough podcast, we're getting our glam on with Brittany golden, the fabulous founder and CEO of IGL Nails. She's shaking up the press on Nail Game with a mission to celebrate inclusivity for every nail bed size. Hailing from Long Beach, Britney didn't just.
- [00:52]
Sierra Christo
Weather the storm of the pandemic.
- [00:53]
Podcast Host
She built a thriving beauty empire out of it. We're diving into her journey from side hustle to full time entrepreneur, the growing pains of building a business, and what resources she leans on to keep IGL afloat. Brittany, I'm so excited to have you here. Thanks for joining us.
- [01:08]
Brittany Golden
I'm excited to be here. Thank you. Thanks for having me.
- [01:12]
Podcast Host
Oh, it's our pleasure. I'm so excited to talk to you about this because you found a really cool niche in the beauty industry. And before we get into all the bits and bobs about how your business works, can you ground us in what IGL Nails is and why it is such a needed product for this industry?
- [01:30]
Brittany Golden
Yes. So IGO Nails is actually a nail bed size inclusive press on nail brand. Before I get into like what that means, I started my company because of COVID and during 2020 we were all going through it and the nail shops had closed and I originally started painting press on nails because it was a form of therapy for me. My father had passed the year before and then we were shooting right into this pandemic and it was like, okay, I need something. And going to the nail shop was something that I did on a regular because I really loved the way having my nails done made me feel. So I decided that I wanted to try and replicate that experience at home, which I feel like a lot of us during 2020 were finding new passions and trying new things because all we had was time on our hands. And so I started painting custom press on nails and sharing it with my online community and people were loving them and also having same experience with wanting to feel good even if they were sitting on their couch. So I started by giving free sets to my family and friends and doing their nails. And that kind of rolled into me charging for the sets because it was taking me two to three hours to custom design one set. And when I realized that this hobby of mine could actually turn into a business, that's when I started getting more serious about, like, the R and D of what a manufactured press on nail would look like for IGL nails. And that's really the start of IGL nails in 2020. And as time has gone on and I've gotten this feedback from my customers about press on nails that are on the market that just were not fitting their nail beds or they just weren't giving them the confidence that they were really looking for. So that caused me to do a little bit more research into what it would look like to ensure that the press on nails are actually fitting a diverse size of nail beds. And I started that by saying, like, okay, is there anything on the market like that right now? Am I filling a white space here? And turns out that I was. So there were like maybe one or two companies that would have one set that was made for wide nail beds, but nobody was actually catering their messaging and their products to this audience. And so that's what I decided to do. And so over time, IGL nails became a nail bed size inclusive press on nail brand. And that means that our nails fit wide nail beds, petite nail beds, and standard nail beds.
- [04:07]
Podcast Host
I think this is something that a lot of women are familiar with in terms of what nail bed diversity means. One thing that I'm learning more about as I dig into this industry is the different length of nail beds and also the textures and curvatures. Now, how do size inclusive nails press on nails address that issue?
- [04:26]
Brittany Golden
So we're actually on a constant feedback loop with our customers. And one of our most recent things that we've been getting feedback on is we need nails for longer nail beds. And so because I'm so accessible, I'm able to implement that feedback pretty quickly. So I'm actually working with my manufacturer right now to create a mold that is going to address the issue of a longer nail bed. As far as a curved nail bed, how I've decided to address that issue is offering an extra tool in the packaging. So currently our boxes include a nail file, a cuticle stick, an alcohol wipe, glue, and adhesive tabs. And adhesive tabs are great because if you have like a flat nail bed and you use the adhesive tab on your natural nail, it fills that gap that's there when you're applying a press on nail. So if your nail beds are flat, you probably realize that press ons are not laying flushed and so it's looking really fake and not natural. So we address that by adding a tool in our boxes to help with people who have flatter nail beds.
- [05:31]
Podcast Host
That's really cool. I mean, I'm literally sitting here feeling the pitting in my own nails and knowing that the traditional press on nails that you can find in pharmacies and drugstores around the US don't address all that. And the materials are pretty limited. So how have you worked with your manufacturers and your suppliers to ensure that you are addressing all of these concerns in this very niche industry and doing so sustainably for your own brand growth?
- [05:56]
Brittany Golden
I have a really good relationship with my manufacturers and so for example, I have different inventory needs based on if it's going to be for my D2C customer, direct consumer, or if it's going to be for my retail customer. And what I do is I just, I communicate with my manufacturer and I tell them like, hey, this is the type of quantity that I'm looking for with my retailers and this is the type of quantity that I'm looking for for my website. One thing that has changed with IGNS over time is we have been growing at a steady pace and obtaining new retailers. You know, as the company grows. What I've been able to do is actually communicate with my manufacturers that you know, I have new retailers coming and that I need to increase my inventory because the inventory that I have online and the inventory that I have in store or on my retailer's websites is a lot different. They have a much bigger quantity. And so I'm able to discuss that with my manufacturer and work on pricing based on MOQs, which has really helped me sustain my business because there are a lot of companies out there that are like 10,000 moq no matter what. And it's like as a small business that's really hard to maintain. And you know, you put in all your money in inventory and just hoping that you sell through it, but if you don't, you're cash poor. And so for me it's been really important to maintain a really good relationship with my manufacturers and remain transparent about what's coming up in the future because now they're like, okay, we can cut some slack on pricing because we know throughout the year of 2025 she may not do 10,000 in one order, but she's going to do 10 to 20,000 sets of nails over a period of a year, which has been really helpful with growing my company and building that trust with my manufacturers.
- [07:46]
Podcast Host
Yeah, I mean, it sounds like a really collaborative relationship that you've built with them. First of all, there are multiple suppliers that you're working with.
- [07:53]
Brittany Golden
Then it sounds like, yes, I learned my lesson. When I first did R and D, I had one manufacturer, and it was good when it started. But sometimes. And what I've realized is that, you know, sometimes people get really comfortable and they don't provide the same quality of service as they did in the beginning. And I had a really hard time with this because the quality of the nails was so good, but the service that I was receiving was so bad. And I finally said, you know what? I'm actually gonna take the same route that I did when I first started IGL nails and go on Alibaba and do some research on other manufacturers that can produce the same good quality. And so I was able to actually let that manufacturer go. And I found two others on Alibaba that I'm actually working with, and I have two. Because if for some reason something happens with one, I can't be left in the dust and not delivering to my customers because I was dependent upon one manufacturer. So, yeah, I definitely have multiple manufacturers. I would suggest that for anyone to have backups and build relationships with other manufacturers, because you never know.
- [09:07]
Podcast Host
Yeah. I mean, human error is going to be found anywhere you go, and you have to hedge your bets a little bit and find ways to diversify. Diversify your supply chain.
- [09:15]
Brittany Golden
Absolutely.
- [09:16]
Podcast Host
So what was that process like for you in identifying the suppliers in the first place? What were some things that you looked for to make sure that you were headed down the right path?
- [09:25]
Brittany Golden
So because of the experience that I had with my first manufacturer, the very first thing that I was looking for was good customer service. I needed to know, because I'm in Los Angeles by way of Long beach, and my manufacturers are in China. That is where the nail manufacturers reside.
- [09:43]
Podcast Host
Like, all of them.
- [09:44]
Brittany Golden
So it was important for me to make sure that the customer service was on point. And that was starting with just the chat, like, just chatting. The companies doing a search for press on nail companies, making sure that they had the proper certificates, which Alibaba provides, which is so great. Making sure that their response time was fast, because Alibaba shows that as well. Like how fast someone responds, which for me is important, because if they're in the office at nine that's about four o'clock, five o'clock my time. I have a little one, so I'm in bed by like 8:30, 9:00. I need to make sure that if I'm communicating with them that they reply at least within a few hours and not 12 hours because then that means that deliveries and any questions I have is going to take a whole day just to get responses. And that just is not sustainable for me. So customer service was the first thing I looked for. And then like I said, making sure that these factories were legitimate, that they had all of the certifications needed, that they had good workforce practices, all of those things were really important to me. And then making sure that they had the machinery needed to produce the types of nails that I wanted for my company because all press on nails are not created equal. And so I wanted to make sure that the manufacturers that I worked with could produce the great quality and that they could send me samples so that I could test.
- [11:02]
Podcast Host
One of the things that you talked about just a minute ago was how having these multiple suppliers that you vetted through all of these channels is helping you supply several different avenues for retail. Now you've got your D2C practice, you've got, you know, some retail opportunities with other big box stores. Tell me a little bit about that strategy and how you've identified these opportunities to meet your audience where they are.
- [11:27]
Brittany Golden
As I've been growing my company, I've been learning a lot and I've been learning by doing accelerator programs. So I've done the Goldman Sachs Black in Business accelerator, I've done Target accelerator and I've just recently graduated from a 10 week program to grow my business with USC. And each program has taught me something different about my business. Goldman Sachs was finance, Target was retail, USC was more foundational, working in the city, getting government contracts and things like that. And so I always try to do continue learning based on whatever my strategy is for the following year. And so last year when I did Target Accelerator, my main goal was to get into some retail stores, some big box retail. I'd already secured a few indie retailers in my first year of like when I manufactured and incorporated my business, I just went and pitched them and I was graciously given an opportunity to sell in store and it went really well. And so I was like, okay, I've got something here. What can I do to be in big box? And so after I finished the Target Accelerator program, I was really set up with the tools for success. And this year I said, okay, I Know what I need to do to get into retail, but how do I build these relationships? Because if no one has told you already, your net worth is your net worth. And there was no other year that I learned that more than this year. So I said I was going to invest in attending conventions. So CosmoProf, the licensing expo, Essence Fest, these are all places that my customers are at or buyers are at. And also meeting more manufacturers and meeting corporate companies that may want to work with small business. So that's really how I started to gain the access to some of these retailers. This fall, we launched in Hot Topic, and I'm, like, super excited about that. We launched in Hot Topic, but I built that relationship by meeting one of the buyers at Licensing Expo. And so I just think it's really important to find the conventions, the trade shows, and put yourself out there. Go by yourself if you have to. Honestly feel like sometimes going by yourself is better because you're forced to talk. You can't rely on someone else.
- [13:43]
Podcast Host
Yeah. As an introvert, that's a hot tip.
- [13:46]
Brittany Golden
It's hard, okay? It's really hard because you're putting yourself out there and you're consistently pitching your business, and you got to know how to pitch it in, like, 10 to 15 seconds. Because sometimes people are just walking by and you can catch the name on their tag and you're like, wait a minute, that's Walmart. So you have to be ready. But I absolutely would tell people to try and hit these conventions and trade shows because that's where the buyers are. And then also, you don't know where the buyer is at the convention. Right. Because they're not always walking around. You just know that they're a buyer. Sometimes they're at the bar. Actually, a lot of them are going to the bar after the convention. So I would even say, like, try and go to some of the restaurants and the bars afterward and just grab a bite, grab a drink, and keep your ear to the floor so that you can maybe hear something. So I would suggest that. And then reaching out to your network of business owners, they may know people that are in the industry where they can maybe bring you along to one of the industry parties so that you can be introduced to buyers and things like that. So that would be my suggestion.
- [14:46]
Sierra Christo
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- [15:49]
Podcast Host
You've been in business for about five, is that right?
- [15:52]
Brittany Golden
It'll be five in March. Wow.
- [15:54]
Podcast Host
Congratulations. You've made it over that first five year hump. That's amazing.
- [15:58]
Brittany Golden
Thank you. I can't believe it.
- [16:00]
Podcast Host
What have you learned about yourself and or your business in that time? Is there anything that you've taken away to just kind of reflect on and to adapt as you move forward?
- [16:09]
Brittany Golden
It's actually funny that you say that because it's the end of the year and around this time I try to reflect on my accomplishments throughout the year and this year I've decided to send out an email to like stakeholders or people who have helped me throughout the year to just give them progress update. Like you didn't just help me and I didn't do anything with it, you helped me and I actually was able to move my business forward. But this is like the only time that I actually sit in my accomplishments. I have a really hard time with sitting in an accomplishment the moment it happens because I'm constantly thinking about what's next. But I can tell you what I've learned for myself is that I'm really resilient and I'm a go getter and nobody's hustle can match mine.
- [16:50]
Podcast Host
Love that.
- [16:51]
Brittany Golden
That's what I'm learning because I'm a solo mompreneur. Okay. So like yes, I am capable of hiring a few contractors here and there to help me with different things, which is so necessary to grow a business. And so that's really something that I want to do in the future is bring some team members on. But until I can maintain a steady revenue to where I can afford that and keep it, I've just been doing it by myself and I didn't want not having employees yet to keep me from being successful. So I've just been like leaning on my village here and building the business kind of by myself. So in doing that I've learned that like, wow, like I'm really resilient. I've got to hustle like nobody's business and I'm a go getter and I love that about myself. So that's definitely something I've learned and that I like to learn, like continuously learning about new things. As far as growing my business. I do it every year and I actually love it. So yeah, those are some of the things that I've learned.
- [17:52]
Podcast Host
Good for you. Now you mentioned resilience a lot. What were those biggest challenges for you in this process that you had to overcome?
- [18:01]
Brittany Golden
So I would say there's been two biggest challenges. The first one is just funding as a black owned business, as a woman owned business. Maintaining funding is really hard. And I am just, I'm learning the more and more I go, these companies that are just like these billion dollar companies, they have funding like nobody's business. Like they have someone backing them that's either an investor or they're getting loans. And unfortunately I'm not given the same opportunities as them. Which is why it's so important that these companies continue their DEI efforts because it really is harder for us just to get our foot in the door. So that's definitely been one of my challenges, just trying to find funding. And so I do that by applying to grants and pitch competitions. The accelerators offer some money, not all of them, but some of them. So that's how I've been maintaining and then just taking all the money I earned in my business and putting it right back into the business. So it's caused me to have a slower growth but steady. So that's been one thing. The second thing, which was I feel like my biggest thing was last year in 2023, my revenue decreased by 113%. So I was not doing well. And that's because I was pregnant. I had a high risk pregnancy and I didn't know how much the hormonal changes in being pregnant and having a baby would affect my drive Again. I just said, I'm a go getter. I lost all of that last year. I wasn't even sure I wanted to keep igl nails and I couldn't explain why, which then sent me through a whole mental spiral because I was like, why? I don't understand. Like, I thought I loved my business and I just don't have the strength to pack orders Post about it, you know, do pop ups. I couldn't do pop ups anymore and I was doing like two a week at one point. All of that went out the door. And that was really, really hard for me. But I over time found this drive slowly coming back. And as my daughter got out of the newborn stage. Cause that's where I was really struggling. As we got out of the newborn stage, the drive started coming back and I started feeling like, okay, this is actually a different kind of drive that I have here. Like, it's not that I'm just trying to build my business because I want to provide something to women and make them feel confident and I'm feeling a white space and I've got a great idea. It's more so now that like now I have a legacy to build and I want something and I want my daughter to be able to have something and someone to look up to in this world to show her that like women, we can be strong and we can be moms and wives and students and business owners all at the same time. And not that it's going to be easy, but it definitely makes life worth living. And so the drive behind my wanting ignls to be success is totally different. And I think that it just pushes me even more so now I'm doing pitch competitions and applying for grants and pitching to retailers. They probably can tell in how I'm talking that this is. It's almost like life or death. Like I either gotta make it or there is no work.
- [21:11]
Podcast Host
Yeah, absolutely. I wanna thank you for sharing that because it's a topic that we touch on lightly in different parts of life in society, but as a solopreneur, especially when you have no one to spread the burden to and you're literally building a person, you're creating a human in your body and that it's just so wild to me. I. I've never done it, but I have friends, I have family who obviously who have been through this and to support them through it. And it does just take so much energy, so much emotional capacity. And it's hard to also balance your business on top of it, which is also your baby in another sense. And so I just, I have a lot of admiration for the way that you've reallocated that energy and found ways to balance the two responsibilities and find that new sense of drive it takes on a whole other form. It sounds like it does.
- [22:09]
Brittany Golden
And thank you very much, I appreciate that. And I realized that like, you know, that's probably very common amongst people, especially women. Who are growing a business. Like, you know, what if there's a death in the family? Like, what if you get hurt? Sometimes things will knock you down and you gotta stay down. I mean, yes, you want to get back up, but sometimes you need to stay down and take care of yourself so that when you are ready to get back up, you don't get knocked down so quick again. So like for me, if I had not taken that time to take care of myself while I was pregnant and when I had my baby, if I tried to come back too soon, I may not have been ready and IGL Nails may not have had the growth that it had this year. So I definitely think that it's a part of my journey and a part of who I am and a part of the story that I'm able to tell as far as how IGL Nails became a billion dollar company. It's not yet, but one day we'll get there. Yeah.
- [23:03]
Podcast Host
So that was my next question. So you mentioned that you had this big dip last year and, and you've come out, you've. You're on the other side of it now. So what does that regrowth look like? How have you gotten back into fighting shape, so to speak?
- [23:15]
Brittany Golden
So last year I did Target Accelerator and that was teaching me retail. So last year I was pregnant. The only thing I did was Target Accelerator. I said if I didn't do anything, I was just going to at least try to do some learning. Right. And in doing that this year, I've been able to put myself out there a lot more and pitch my business. So I've been able to pick my business back up by actually getting retail accounts. And I was like, wow, I can't believe I did this. Like, this is fantastic. I love retail. It's hard, but I actually really, really like it. So this year I launched in tj, Maxx and Marshalls in the spring.
- [23:50]
Podcast Host
Congratulations.
- [23:52]
Brittany Golden
Thank you. I launched a hot topic this fall. I am in the process of my first licensing deal. Oh. I got into the licensing accelerator this year so I could learn more about what that process is. And I'm back to doing a couple of pop ups and festival season and D2C. And I won a pitch competition in November which has given me some money and allowed me to actually invest in doing some ads and some marketing for Ignells. And that's what I'm actually in the process of doing right now and launching my first influencer collaboration. So those are all of the things that I've been doing this year. To pick IGL nails back up. Wow.
- [24:35]
Podcast Host
So you're a little busy. You got some stuff on your plate. Like you said, you're a fighter. You definitely have come back stronger than ever. It sounds like, to find these other avenues because that retail sales channel is complicated, and you found the right resources to get there.
- [24:50]
Brittany Golden
Yeah, it's extremely complicated.
- [24:52]
Podcast Host
So let's talk about moving forward. You've hit all of these milestones. You found the right partners to get your product into the right hands, onto the right hands. So pardon the pun.
- [25:03]
Brittany Golden
That was a good one.
- [25:04]
Podcast Host
Thank you. So let's do some manifesting. What does 2025 look like for IGL?
- [25:13]
Brittany Golden
Okay, so I actually already have planned my next collection coming out. It's our gel X collection, which is a new material press on nail. It's an acrylic and soft blend nail. And so it's really, really durable. And so my target market there is going to be athletes and people who are really heavy on their hands and people who are in the gym. I'm really excited about that. And so I've actually started planning, like, the marketing on that. My big, big manifestation goal with this collection is to really get to the 2028 Olympics. They're going to be out here in Los Angeles, so it's like, I better be there. Like, it just would make no sense for me to not be involved. And it's in my city. But I'm building this collection in hopes that I will be able to target the athletes, maybe even do some sponsorship on the Olympic side. I actually want to launch my first licensing deal. A big, big goal of mine is to get, like, the NFL, the wnba, some of the soccer teams, like their low bells on nails. And I just feel like it's really a great idea because you can put the nails on, go to the game, go home, and take them off and get back to your daily life. It just makes sense to me. If we're wearing on our hats, why are you not wearing them on our nails?
- [26:28]
Podcast Host
Totally. I love that.
- [26:30]
Brittany Golden
Like, imagine all of the nail fees. Like, could you imagine?
- [26:33]
Podcast Host
Oh, my God, the content would be incredible.
- [26:37]
Brittany Golden
Right? So I'm trying to work that angle, and then my first artists collab. And one of the other big things that's important to me is to work with emerging artists, because I want to be able to not only just license their designs for my nails, but give them a different platform and something new to put into their portfolio. So hopefully I can launch my first artist collab next year. And I would love to get at Least one more big box retailer.
- [27:08]
Podcast Host
All right, so just a couple of things.
- [27:10]
Brittany Golden
Just a couple.
- [27:11]
Podcast Host
That's incredible. Well, I am also manifesting this for you. We're all putting our good energy into the universe because it sounds like you are on the up and up, and there's no stopping you from here.
- [27:23]
Brittany Golden
Thank you. I appreciate it.
- [27:25]
Podcast Host
Yeah, of course. This has been a really incredible conversation. I'm always happy to chat with you. You've got such infectious joy around your brand, and I think it's got such a bright future. This is going to be awesome.
- [27:37]
Brittany Golden
Thank you. And I appreciate you guys for, like, interviewing me and just giving me a platform to help other entrepreneurs, because it's not just about me and my business. Like, I really want other people to succeed, too. So if there's any way that I can help in that space, like, I'm always here. And again, like I said, My DMs are always open. Like, feel free to ask me almost any question.
- [28:00]
Podcast Host
You're a real one. Listen, I know it's a cliche, but rising tides raise all ships. And so the fact that you're out here willing to talk about your strategies and motivate other people to get through tough parts of their processes, you're just awesome. Thank you for that.
- [28:15]
Brittany Golden
Thank you.
- [28:16]
Podcast Host
Now, one last thing before we sign off here. Where can folks find you?
- [28:21]
Brittany Golden
So you can find me@iglnels.com you can also find me on all social media platforms. So TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Threads, Facebook, it's all GL nails. And you can also sign up for my newsletter. I drop some fun stuff in there, too.
- [28:37]
Podcast Host
I believe it. You got that energy that says, even an email from IG Nails is a good time. I'm here for it. That's awesome. Well, thank you so much, Brittany, and enjoy the holiday season with your family.
- [28:48]
Brittany Golden
Thank you. You too. Happy holidays.
- [28:50]
Podcast Host
Happy holidays. B2B breakthrough is going to take a little bit of a break. You enjoy your holidays, we'll enjoy ours. And we'll see each other again on January 7th with a new episode with another small business owner. Happy New Year.
- [29:03]
Sierra Christo
B2B Breakthrough is produced by Alibaba.com to find out how Alibaba.com is empowering its customers with the tools, services, and resources they need to grow their business. Visit alibaba. Com and then make sure to search for B2B breakthrough on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you find your podcast. Make sure to follow us so you don't miss future episodes. On behalf of the team here at Alibaba. Com. Thanks for listening.