She's nailed it! Fashion intern and mother-of-three who quit her job to set up Nails Inc at 23 reveals she now sells one polish a minute and turns over £20MILLION 

  • Thea Green, 40, who lives in London, set up Nails Inc in 1999
  • Launched it alongside her job as a fashion editor at Tatler
  • Her product sales have reached 5.4 million units per year
  • The brand turns over over £20m and she is launching two new categories 

A woman who saw a gap in the market for a trendier take on nail varnish took a gamble by leaving her glossy fashion career behind to follow her business dreams - and her risky move certainly paid off.

Thea Green, 40, who lives in London, had worked her way up from an intern to fashion editor of Tatler by the age of 23 but that was just the beginning of a very successful career.

After travelling to the US with work, Thea spotted a gap in the UK market for professional high quality manicures and a more on-trend range of products for women with little time. 

Thea Green, 40, from London, quit her glossy job as a fashion editor at society bible Tatler to set up her own nail varnish brand. Nails Inc has now become one of the most successful beauty brands, selling one polish a minute and turning over £20 million 

Thea Green, 40, from London, quit her glossy job as a fashion editor at society bible Tatler to set up her own nail varnish brand. Nails Inc has now become one of the most successful beauty brands, selling one polish a minute and turning over £20 million 

She used her free time to research her business plan and when she felt she had garnered enough knowledge, she left her full-time job to launch Nails Inc. 

She admits that she had no idea how to do a profit and loss statement nor make nail varnish but researched so thoroughly that she managed to make her dream a reality.  

She raised £250,000 from private investors to open her first-ever store and with nail bars all over the UK, her brand is now the UK’s number one nail bar chain.

Her team of technicians regularly work with A-list celebrities and fashion designers, including Victoria Beckham and Alexa Chung. 

The mother-of-three, pictured on the school run wearing one of her new sheet masks from Face inc - her company's latest offering - says her golden advice for juggling motherhood with business is asking your kids what is important to them in terms of mummy time, what they want from you, rather than what you think is important

The mother-of-three, pictured on the school run wearing one of her new sheet masks from Face inc - her company's latest offering - says her golden advice for juggling motherhood with business is asking your kids what is important to them in terms of mummy time, what they want from you, rather than what you think is important

Her product sales have reached 5.4 million units per year through sales and she enlisted Alexa Chung as the face of her brand 

Her product sales have reached 5.4 million units per year through sales and she enlisted Alexa Chung as the face of her brand 

Thea, who is a mother-of-three and an MBE, pushed the boundaries when she unveiled the first-ever nail polish in a spray can, as well as kale and coconut oil infused ranges this year.

Her product sales have reached 5.4 million units per year through sales directly from Nails inc (nail bars and online) and through third party retailers such as Sephora, Selfridges, QVC and Boots. In fact, she sells at least one polish every minute of the day.

Despite now turning over more than £20 million, Thea is not one to rest on her laurels and has branched out to launch two new categories, Face inc and Lips inc.

Thea, who is a mother-of-three and an MBE, pushed the boundaries when she unveiled the first-ever nail polish in a spray can

Thea, who is a mother-of-three and an MBE, pushed the boundaries when she unveiled the first-ever nail polish in a spray can

Thea, pictured with the team and Alexa Chung, admits she didn't know much about business or polish formulations when she started her brand but has since grown it into a global company with new launches constantly 

Thea, pictured with the team and Alexa Chung, admits she didn't know much about business or polish formulations when she started her brand but has since grown it into a global company with new launches constantly 

Thea said: 'After 15 years of bringing trend and ingredient innovation to the nail market, Nails inc is thrilled to announce the launch of its two sister brands. We will be serving our customers with exactly what they demand; not just in nails, but face and lips too. 

'Both brands share all the DNA of our mother brand Nails inc. - incredible high quality formulations with exciting ingredient stories combined with our much loved fashion edge.' 

Sharing her top tips for working mothers who want to set up their own business, Thea shares some very candid advice. 'Expect a long day, try to separate work from home - even if you work from home later when the kids in bed - get organised and write lots of lists.

'Ask your kids what is important to them in terms of mummy time, what they want from you, rather than what you think is important.'

Despite the long days and hectic schedule, Thea believes women can 'definitely' have it all. 'Working mums have to relax about the volume of things have to do, it is okay to drop the odd ball along the way.' 

Her team of technicians regularly work with A-list celebrities and fashion designers, including Victoria Beckham and Alexa Chung, and Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid are seen wearing her polish at fashion week

Her team of technicians regularly work with A-list celebrities and fashion designers, including Victoria Beckham and Alexa Chung, and Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid are seen wearing her polish at fashion week

 

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