Our First Niche Nail Network 2026 as a Brand (Storytime)
Right. Grab a brew. This one's a long one. 😄
First, a bit of backstory
Last year I went to Niche Nail Network as a customer. TCC wasn't even a thought in my head at that point. I just went because I absolutely love it. I went mad at Manicure Roulette (still using those, by the way), fell completely in love with The Nail Story Co and her planners, and got to try brands I'd never even heard of while chatting to the actual owners. That's the magic of Niche. So as soon as TCC launched, I knew, I had to be there as a brand!
I applied not long after launching. And got rejected. Not because they didn't want me, because they were just completely full. Gutted doesn't cover it. I shelved the idea and tried to move on.
Then on the 13th January...
An Instagram message. They'd emailed me. A space had come up. I literally snapped it up before I'd even finished reading the message. The money I'd put aside for it? Already spent (because I'd given up on the idea). So yes, into the savings again I went. The savings that were supposed to be for a holiday. Sorry, holiday. 😅
I messaged the BAs straight away. They were already going as customers and were just as excited as me. Paid immediately. Got the brand pack. Started sorting everything. Discount codes were set up by the end of the week.
The gift bags (and the scratch cards)
Niche offered the chance to be in every single gift bag for all ticket holders. 500 bags. Zero budget left. But I really felt like I needed to be in them, so in came SR Creative Studios. A few years ago I'd made scratch cards for my nail clients as Christmas gifts, so I knew exactly where to go. Were 500 scratch cards in budget? Absolutely not. Did I do it anyway? Obviously. Dipped into the savings again. 😅
She sent them directly to the Niche address, and even posted two to me as keepsakes, because I'd never actually physically have one of my own. Brilliant service. 🖤
I also added a past box to Niche's big giveaway for one lucky ticket holder. (I still wonder who won that.)
The logistics (aka: the chaos begins)
Niche is a 2 hour drive. My husband came with me, his support throughout all of this has been incredible, genuinely! You set up the day before and come back Sunday morning, which in theory is a great idea. But that's 8+ hours of travelling across two days. My youngest was able to stay at his nana's Saturday night, so we booked a hotel. The alternative was a 4am alarm. I don't do 4am unless there's a plane and somewhere warm involved. Hotel it was.
We got there Saturday to set up. No table. 😭
I had read that brand pack so many times. So! Many! Times! And somehow completely skipped the bit about tables. My eyes saw "do you need any chairs?" and apparently that was enough for my brain. Quick dash to Argos. Luckily they had one. Crisis (mostly) averted.
We set up, said hello to Botella who was right next to us (love her), and headed off to find the hotel. Solihull was absolutely rammed. We found it, checked in, planned to swim and eat in the restaurant. Instead: room service, a Tesco delivery of snacks, The Simpsons, and asleep by 9pm. The BAs and the nail community were all out for dinner and drinks. We were horizontal. No regrets. 😂
Sunday morning: the nerves hit
I felt sick. Proper, can't-speak, mind-gone-blank nervous. I'd never stood in a room full of nail techs and pitched TCC before. I had a video call with the BAs and I was completely mute. They talk enough for everyone anyway, bless them. 😄
Getting ready didn't help. We couldn't find a Costa (the sat nav took us down a random street, no Costa in sight), and I'd glued my eyes together with eyelash glue because apparently I'm not great at that either. Standard.
But then, just before opening, I went outside for some fresh air. And right at the very front of the queue was all the BAs and some of our little TikTok community of techs, taking a massive group selfie. I just popped my head in. And when they noticed me, they erupted. They don't know this (they will now 👀), but that moment gave me every bit of confidence I needed for the day. Thank you, girls. Genuinely. 🖤
A little something for our subscribers 🖤
One thing I was really excited about was being able to do something special for our subscribers who were coming along. I'd put together some little goody bags for them - a small way of saying thank you for being part of TCC and for supporting us from the beginning. Getting to actually meet them in person, hand them something, and have a proper chat? That was one of my favourite parts of the whole day, genuinely.
It's one thing building a community online. It's another thing entirely to look someone in the eye and realise they actually care about what you're building. That meant everything. 🖤
Do I have photos of these lovely moments? Of course I don't. Because I am, as established, absolutely terrible at remembering to take photos. My 2025 camera roll had about 20 pictures in it. I am a lost cause. Next time I'm hiring a photographer. Or at the very least, I'm making someone stand next to me with their phone out at all times. That's a promise. 📸😂
The day itself
I talked for six hours straight. Got dragged to the photo booth multiple times by techs and BAs alike. My husband was trying his absolute best too. I stood and decided to hand out flyers, but if someone didn't make direct eye contact with me, I bottled it and didn't give them one. I was kicking myself every single time. Classic!
Questions came in. Some orders too. Some new followers. Honestly? It went well, not as well as I'd hoped, but better than I expected, and I learned so much. The best advice came from Hannah (someone I'd followed on TikTok for ages) and from a random lady who asked me every question I should have been answering in my pitch without even realising it.
The big takeaway: I'm not a natural seller. I'm used to selling my skills, my nail work, my booking link, my photos. This was completely different. A different product, a different customer, a different kind of pitch. It scared me. But I got through it, and I know exactly what to work on for next time.
I didn't get to shop or mingle with other brands (gutted 😭), but a few brilliant people made sure they came to find me. Nail Jam came over, she's so lovely, and who knows, maybe you'll be seeing more of her soon. 👀 And Jena were absolutely incredible. I must remember to WhatsApp them back. EL Nail Systems even got her friend, a drag queen, down our end of the hall. The energy was everything. 🙌
Also, the golden ticket from our last box. If you were at Niche and spotted one on display at our stand... yes, that caused quite the stir. That's a whole other story. 😄
The drive home
We packed up, headed home, and absolutely treated ourselves to a McDonald's. Obviously! Got back to an empty, quiet house and that was that.
I'm not a big photo taker. My entire 2025 camera roll was about 20 pictures. So I don't have many from the day. Next time, I'm taking more. That's a promise to myself!
All in all?
Chaotic. Nerve-wracking. Expensive. And completely worth it. We'll be back. 🖤
If you were at Niche and you stopped by our stand, thank you. And if you didn't make it this year, make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss what's coming next. 👇