We were lucky to catch up with Dylan Asuncion recently and have shared our conversation below.

Dylan , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Side Pressed Studios was created purely on a whim and curiosity. As someone who is a self proclaimed DIYer, I started doing my own nails 3 years ago and that’s where the journey started for me. I tell everyone who starts doing their own nails that it’s a learning curve that you have to be willing to take if you want to create something you love. It took me a year and a half for me to really start enjoying the designs I was creating on my own nails and around this time, people were starting to gain real interest in them as well. After graduating college during the spring of 2023 with sights for a career in marketing, I never thought of doing nails seriously but as I continued to work at my server job and while out in public, people would always stop to ask; “Where do you get your nails done” or “Can you do my nails for me?”. It was from this that the idea of a press on nail business began constructing in my mind. Career wise, I knew I didn’t want to commit to doing nails full time and still wanted to pursue a career in marketing so I figured I can make nail sets for friends and family on the side while I focus on my other career goals. With this idea for a side hustle in mind, “Side Pressed Studios” was created and is fueled by my love for creating beautiful nail sets and as the creative outlet I have always sought after.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Side Pressed Studios is my small business where I hand make press on nail sets individually catered to every customer. As someone who has always had an eye for all things creative and artistic, I began doing my own nails 3 years ago and since then have flourished into Side Pressed Studios which has become my own creative sanctuary. My customers always tell me that their nails are apart of their personality and I couldn’t agree more. With every nail set I make, I love helping my clients feel like their most self and enhancing their natural beauty whether it be a simple French tip or a multicolored work of art. Currently, Side Pressed Studios caters more towards custom press on nails that are created through inspiration from clients. In most cases, clients have a solid idea of how they want their set to look however, many clients allow me to create designs for them based off of inspiration they’ve gathered. Being able to bring every set to life and creating designs so personable to each client is something that I feel sets me apart from other press on nail businesses. Although press on nails are the main focus of my business, the experience from start to finish is what I feel really puts the cherry on top for my customers and is the reason they come back. As a consumer of self care services myself, I wanted to make sure that every customer felt taken care of and cared for through the personalization of their designs and overall experience with Side Pressed Studios nails. Having started doing my nails 3 years ago with no nail knowledge whatsoever, I am so proud of the business I’ve built and the skill I’ve gathered over time. My very first set of nails was a classic French tip on short nails that took me 9 hours, they lasted me 3 days before my nails popped off… flash forward to today; I’m creating sets that I thought only existed online and I couldn’t be prouder of the progress and the continuous journey. Side Pressed Studios is not only a nail business but an extension of myself and an experience I hope potential clients will enjoy and one that my current clients will keep coming back for.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Although my small community on social media, I’ve been able to build my audience based off the authenticity of my content and consistency when it has come to posting weekly. For me, it was never about gaining a mass following and becoming viral overnight. My main goal was to reach the right kind of audience and be able to serve their needs whether that be through my nail services or through education and knowledge. As a small business starting from the ground up, it was easy for me to want to conform to trending audio, transitions, and captions but this didn’t feel authentic to who I was and how I wanted my business to be seen. Because Side Pressed Studios is an extension of who I am, I decided to build my social media based of off audio that I liked, post to captions that I thought was relevant, and create content genuine to my brand. Being authentic and having the discipline to edit and post content weekly is one of the biggest pieces of advice I can give to anyone that is wanting to build their presence on social media.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Since beginning Side Pressed Studios, my friends and family have been the biggest supporters when it has come to wearing my nails and recommending anyone and everyone to my business. I never knew the true power of word of mouth marketing until starting Side Pressed Studios and for that I am forever grateful to my small village that has been with me since the beginning and to those who continue to support me along the way!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @sidepressedstudios
• Other: tiktok: @sidepressedstudios