My mom and I used to go to the nail salon together every two weeks religiously. Granted, I know this was a privilege, but there’s something about having your nails done that just makes you feel like you have it all together. Sarah Gibson Tuttle puts it simply, “I always feel better when my nails are done.”
As cheesy as it may sound, Tuttle has to be one of the most caring, hardworking and determined women I’ve spoken to, with a sense of humor to match. The New York equity sales trader turned CEO is the founder of Olive & June, a California based nail salon chain; and as of 2019, she’s launched products with the mission of democratizing the world of the manicure. Tuttle dished out a five-course meal of advice covering topics such as entrepreneurship, innovation, the power of the manicure, inspiring words for the workplace and of course—her number one piece of boy advice.
Tuttle always wanted to open a business, believing she’s an “entrepreneur at heart.” It was just a matter of “the right idea at the right time.”
How does one know when it’s time to take the leap? Tuttle recommends waiting. “Wait until you are like 150% this is what I want to do. When you have the right idea, all of the doubt will be blown out by the excitement, and the drive and the passion and the focus.”
The idea for Tuttle’s salon was simple: “I need to do the Drybar for nails.” A girl who knows what she wants, she “wasn’t going to stop until Olive and June was a thing.”
Now a full-blown nail-salon chain, Tuttle was looking to grow Olive and June even further. What she noticed when scanning the market was that the “majority of the country was not able to participate in the same way.”
For many, a manicure was not a regular, affordable option and maybe, at best, reserved for special occasions. It simply was not “sustainable for women and girls to be able to go to salons every week, every two weeks.” A perfect example was when I moved away to college and my regular manicure went out the door.
Tuttle decided her next step wouldn’t be to open a fourth nail salon (never say never) but rather makeover the at-home nail experience. “How does our team make millions of women happy every week? What does that look like? And really it’s at home.”
The home collection came with a personal requirement from Tuttle, “I’m not just going to do a well-branded Olive and June polish bottle.” Instead, she cared enough to take a year off of manicures where her goal was to discover “what was annoying about doing your nails and how to fix it.”
It’s the type of innovation that she hopes to see more of in the industry. Well-branded products are pretty but they aren’t what pushes the industry forward. Instead, Tuttle reminds us that “a good brand is built on a good product.” We need to “innovate for the next generation of beauty consumer.” This includes: “how do we deliver a cleaner product?” as well as making it accessible and pushing price transparency.
One of the things I admired most about Tuttle is she practices what she preaches. A prerequisite to working on Olive and June’s corporate team is doing your own nails. All of their polishes are 7-free (think clean beauty for nails) and priced at $8 because she knew they could. There was no reason to upcharge to $14 or $18. She pushed back the launch date to ensure the formula was worth it and it all paid off when the polish stayed on for up to 10 days and sold out twice. Tuttle challenges us to think about “how do you democratize something that you know women are loving so that every woman and man can participate?”
The best part of her job? “I love making women happy.” We often have skincare routines and hair routines but “nails are the longest lasting effect in beauty.” Skincare and makeup we re-apply every day, and hair maybe lasts 2 to 3 days but “nails can be 5, 7 plus days.” To me, that’s 7 days that you look down at your keyboard and feel good when you see beautiful nails looking back at you.
We can all make a difference, we just have to start somewhere. When I asked Tuttle for advice for the next generation, she was excited to give both boy and career advice, warning, “don’t date more than one guy in a friend group.” Instead, if you don’t know which one you like, she recommends holding off. I couldn’t help but laugh.
Career-wise, Tuttle completed four internships in college, two at magazines and two at the stock exchange. Her bottom line is “anything you’re interested in do an internship, do a one month job, do anything you can do to have exposure and see if this gets you excited.” It’s about experimenting to find “what you are uniquely talented at and what you are uniquely interested in.” That’s the intersection you’re looking for; she reminds us that to get there “no job is too small.”
At the end of the day, Olive and June “is all about making it easier for women around the country.” When Tuttle hears women say, “I just saved money, time, and I feel accomplished, I am empowered,” it’s all worth it. It’s the same feeling she got a year ago when she learned how to do liquid eyeliner, “I am a badass.” (She loves the one from Pat McGrath). That’s the power beauty holds.
Instead of waiting for our nail appointment to roll around while our nails break and polish chips, Olive and June’s kits put the control back in your hands. Today, you take back the power to do your own nails. Tomorrow, it’s the world.
Photo by Bonnie Tsang