When Julia Christie accidentally cut her first-born’s finger while trimming his nails, she did not know it would lead to her designing the Nail Snail. Wanting to find a solution to her problem – inadvertent injury to her child – Julia, searched for safe baby nail clippers that would eliminate the risk of further harm. Discouraged 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 focused 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. That is when Julia 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 design, the Nail Snail.
Two more babies later, the business-minded mother has sold more than 15,000 Nail Snails. Julia says she is especially grateful to the mums’ community in New South Wales and Queensland who has raved about the Nail Snail on social media. Barely two years since its launch, and after winning the prestigious Australian Good Design & the Big Innovation Award in May this year, Julia’s Nail Snail has recently won the national AusMumpreneur Product Innovation Award. Just recently, she was featured on Channel 10’s Australia By Design: Innovation, a series dedicated to showcasing Australian-made products and their designers. It wasn’t until she viewed the episode with friends and family that, Julia, completely unaware but overjoyed discovered that she had just been announced top 10 finalist for best product innovation of the year across Australia.
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.
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