• A young mother's pain in clipping her newborn's nails gave way to an idea for a successful small business.
• After launching a Kickstarter campaign, Julia Christie created a safer baby nail clipper, which won a Good Design award in 2018.
• The accidental entrepreneur has sold over 15,000 of them with more interest from overseas.

‘Necessity is the mother of invention’ goes the saying, and little did Julia Christie know that when she accidentally cut her first-born’s finger while trimming his nails, it would lead to her designing the Nail Snail and ultimately, to transforming her life.

Where there's a will there's a way

Wanting to find a solution to her problem, determined mother Julia, searched high and low for safe baby nail clippers that would eliminate the risk of further harming her little one. Discouraged and devastated by the quality and design of existing products on the market, she thought there had to be a better and safer nail care tool.

“Most available products on the market were focussed on cutting and clipping. When it comes to tiny fingernails and toenails, it makes sense to trim and file rather than cut and clip” said Julia Christie.

She then took it upon herself to create a tool that would do just that. After conceptualising the prototype and launching a successful Kickstarter Campaign back in February 2017, she came up with the winning design - the Nail Snail.

Two more babies later, the business-minded mother has sold over 15,000 Nail Snails, placing the safer baby nail tool into countless homes across Australia and internationally.  

The Nail Snails product is regularly sold out whenever she attends baby-related expos, confirming that there are many parents out there facing similar baby nail care troubles. Her Nail Snail has been featured in numerous publications, gained thousands of social media followers and has earned award-winning success. Christie says she is especially grateful to the mums’ community who has raved about the Nail Snail on social media.

“Mums love the Nail Snail because it is a product they can relate to. Just like me, these mums are thrilled to have found a solution for safe baby nail care” said Julia.

“It has been an amazing journey so far. And, I never actually intended to start a business, I was literally just looking to solve the nail trimming problem for my family,” Julia shares.

Moving forward...

Barely two years since its launch, and after winning the prestigious Australian Good Design & the Big Innovation Award in May 2018,  Julia’s Nail Snail has recently won the national AusMumpreneur Product Innovation Award. Christie’s ongoing journey of discovery and problem-solving ability has seen her come out on top over a field of 100 other nominees.  

With the Nail Snail having already found its way into most leading pharmacies, chemists and baby stores around Australia, interest from retailers in Europe, Asia and the US are also coming in.

Julia Christie’s Nail Snail journey proves just how a mother’s intuition can create a ripple effect and lead to entrepreneurial success. She now shares her story and business insights with other mums and budding entrepreneurs. She is also writing a children's book and loves being able to operate her business around the demands and joys of motherhood.