We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cherish Loper a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Cherish thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later
I wish I had started my business sooner! I have always loved having my nails done in middle school and high school . There used to be a nail shop across the street from my school so sometimes right before the basketball games I would go and get a fill on my acrylic nails. I loved everything about them, the length, designs, and colors . It was a way to express myself. So when the lockdown in 2020 happened and I could no longer get my nails done I thought “it looks pretty easy, I could do this myself”. I ordered all the supplies off of Amazon and started watching YouTube videos. To say that it was way harder than it looked was an understatement. Fast forward a couple years, I was finally in college and couldn’t do nails anymore due to location. This is when the idea to sell press on nails came about and AlterEgo Nailz came to life. I wish I would’ve started sooner because I would have more knowledge on “what to do” and how a business works but I’m learning as I go.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I currently sell press on nails. They come with a prep kit and 20 nails for each set. This allows for the customer to have two of each size for their convenience instead of having to communicate back and forth about their sizes. This cuts down on a lot of time. We have a style for every all types, people who might want to keep it plain and others who like to really go all out with their nails. We hope to soon expand to selling everything nail related such as files, nail tips, acrylic etc.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
I am a YouTube fanatic! Anything I want to learn about business I will get on YouTube and listen to other successful entrepreneurs speak about how they did it. I love channels like Assets over liabilities and Troyia Monay and many others. They really go in depth on the overhead and behind the scenes of a business. This educates and inspires me to keep grinding and understanding that entrepreneurship isn’t easy but it’s worth it!
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
I’m a college student so I only work when I come home. I made sure this past summer to work all that I could, I even got two jobs to save up to buy the supplies and start my website. If you want something bad enough you will make a way.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://alteregonailz.bigcartel.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alterego_nailz/