Stephanie Picone never imagined a simple idea would change her life forever.
The 36-year-old studied journalism and spent over a decade working in television, a rewarding career that she truly adored.
But at the end of 2019, the Gold Coast local was hit with a devastating blow: she was being made redundant.
She felt lost and decided to take a job with another station but soon realised it was not for her.
“I loved the chapter of my life I spent working in television,” she told news.com.au.
“I worked with some incredible people and was lucky enough to hear some pretty amazing stories.
“I had never thought of leaving TV, but I was always inspired interviewing entrepreneurs and in the back of my mind thought, ‘if I could just think of a good idea’.
“When I was made redundant, it broke my heart. I felt lost as I’d been with the same network for most of my adult life.
“On my first day unemployed, I was lucky enough to get another job in a different newsroom.
“Initially based in the Adelaide, the network allowed me transfer home to Queensland which was amazing after more than a decade away.
“But over the next few months, I quickly realised it wasn’t the job for me.”
At the time, Queensland had just been plunged into their first lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Looking back, this situation was bittersweet for Stephanie.
While it was stressful and frightening for many reasons, one positive was that it helped spark her million dollar idea.
With non-essential businesses, such as beauty salons, shut down until further notice, Stephanie realised what bad shape her nails were in after years of getting them done by a nail technician.
After some research, she looked into the possibility of using press-on nails instead of having to visit a salon.
However, the trend had not yet taken off in Australia and Stephanie realised there was a huge gap in the market for this kind of product.
With her passion bubbling up inside her, she decided to pursue her dream full time after a “work week from hell” inspired her to quit her job.
“During lockdown, I realised how sore and weak my nails were after years of having them done in salon,” she explained.
“They were paper thin and hurt so much. I looked online for an at-home alternative.
“But I could only find SNS kits which friends had tried and ended in a messy disaster.
“A rabbit hole of research later, I realised press on nails had evolved. They weren’t fake looking anymore and seemed stronger.
“I think working in media for so long really helped me here, as you learn to spot trends early on.
“I knew they have so much potential and in the back of my mind thought ‘is this my good idea?’
“The thought stayed with me for a little while, then after a week from hell at work I decided I was just done. I’m usually so indecisive when it comes to big decisions, but this one came so easy.
“I ordered samples that night and quit my job and walked away from my TV career on Monday.”
Stephanie launched her business Instant Mani Co. in November 2020, which quickly brought in lots of sales from people eager to keep their nails looking beautiful during the pandemic.
The brand soared in popularity, and has since been picked up by makeup giant Sephora, who sell the product in their stores around Australia New Zealand, as well as online.
From her $8,000 investment, her business is now worth six figures – with Stephanie confident they will hit seven figures at some point this year.
“I had originally planned on using my redundancy payout as part of a deposit to buy my first property,” she revealed.
“But instead I put it into the business. I think some of my former colleagues thought I’d lost my mind.
“But looking back, I was incredibly lucky at how everything fell into place.
“The premium press on nails market was non-existent when I launched instant Mani Co., it makes me proud to be one of the first in Australia.
“Instant Mani Co. is currently a six figure business, but I hope to take it to seven this year.”
Stephanie says she still cannot believe how a “simple thought” completely changed her life and the trajectory of her career.
She hopes that by sharing her story, she can inspire others to go after their dreams and have the confidence to back their ideas.
The business woman also warned about the importance of never comparing yourself to others.
“There are so many elements to my new life I love. I love the product, designing new styles and all the challenges that come with running a business,” she said.
“I’m proud that something I literally thought up in my head is now on the shelf at Sephora.
“My advice for anyone starting, find something you’re passionate about and see potential with. You need to love your product above all else.
“Think about the market, is it already saturated? If it is, things become a lot harder and more expensive.
“Do as much of it yourself and cut costs where you can, you will need that money later on.
“Work hard and don’t give up. There are a lot of highlight reel videos on social media, don’t compare yourself to those businesses and get sucked in.
“Like the saying goes, it can take years of work to be an overnight success.”