Interview w/ Sarah Gibson Tuttle, Founder/CEO of Olive & June

Hi, Polished People! I hope you're doing well. If you're a longtime reader here on my blog, you might remember the interviews I used to do on Nail Buzz. I've always enjoyed conducting interviews and sharing them on my site; it's so inspiring to hear people's stories and share them. I haven't done any in a very long time, so I decided to start a brand new series right here on my blog.

Sunshine Sessions is my new interview series where I'll be speaking with influencers, entrepreneurs, and many other inspirational peeps. It took me quite a while to come up with a name, but I finally settled on this one. If you know me, you know how much I love sharing the good vibes, so this seemed like a very fitting name. Let me know in the comments if you have any ideas for this series!

Sarah Gibson Tuttle is the founder/CEO of Olive & June, an up-and-coming nail polish company based in California. So, today, we're going to get to know her better and hear her entrepreneur story. Let's get started...

Image: Olive & June

{Key: BOLD = interviewer, ITALIC = interviewee}

Good morning, Sarah! I'm so happy to have you here on our digital talk show. Here's a virtual armchair and a virtual mug. Let's get started with some biz questions. When did you first dream up Olive & June and what inspired it?

Before opening our first salon in Beverly Hills in 2013, I worked for ten years in finance in New York. When the warmer weather lured me out to Los Angeles, I realized it had everything I wanted except for the perfect nail salon. Seeing the opportunity to create a gorgeous space where women could expect and enjoy expert nail care on a regular basis, I opened the first Olive & June salon in Beverly Hills.

It was incredible to see the community absolutely love their Olive & June experiences which begged the question: how do we give this feeling to everyone, everywhere? The opportunity was very clear because the at-home market was essentially salon products that were being sold to the consumer. What the at-home community needed was products that were created for them, to make it so easy to get a salon-perfect manicure at home! It has been so exciting to see everyone becoming mani pros since launching our products in 2019. We want women everywhere to always be able to have a perfect mani.

So awesome and such a nice idea! What’s the story behind the name of your company?

I named Olive & June after my Great-grandmother and grandmother who have truly inspired me so much in my life. We live to honor the women in our lives each and every day and we do so through our polish names as well.

Aw, that's lovely. Do you have a favorite Olive & June polish?

I have so many favorites, I can never choose just one. Right now I'm loving "Sweet & Gracious" from our new collaboration with Nabela Noor. I have worn it a few times already and it's the perfect cool girl color of summer.

It's such a stunning orange! One of my faves for summer too. On the topic of faves, what are your favorite things about your brand?

Bringing beautiful nails to everyone, everywhere. Really making it possible for people to have salon-perfect manis at home. It's a true dream come true.

So cool. You said you worked in finance, so that was your work before the nail industry?

Before founding Olive & June I worked for ten years as an equity sales trader in New York.

Image: @gibsontuttle

Nice!What was the biggest milestone in your entrepreneurship journey?

Launching the Poppy—a patented tool that actually helps you paint your nails with your non-dominant hand. It was something I will never forget. as it's a true game-changer. The response was overwhelming.

The Poppy is so innovative, I've heard how it's helped so many women achieve gorgeous manis right at home. I'll be reviewing it soon, I can't wait! Now, let's move on to some personal questions. What’s your favorite color to wear on your nails?

Answered above: "Sweet & Gracious"

So pretty! If you had to choose an Olive & June product to be stranded on an island with, what would it be?

If I had to choose just one, it would be our Studio Box because you can truly get everything you need in one box for that perfect salon manicure at home.

Ah, good choice. The Studio Box is fantastic. What is your favorite nail art trend right now?

I love an ombre mani. For summer, it's all about a mixture of brights that don't have to be in the same tonal family. Mix and match until you find a color palette that speaks to you. The only rule is, there are no rules.

Very true! Ombres and gradients are gorgeous for summer. What is your favorite thing about being an entrepreneur?

I get to do what I love every single day.

That's the goal, so that's wonderful. Lastly, what advice would you give to someone who’s interested in starting a business like this or running their own company?

Make sure you are all in. Starting a company is all encompassing and can be very lonely as a sole founder. If you love it, you'll enjoy every moment and the hard ones will all be lessons. If you are not in love, it'll be a grind every single day.

That's great advice! Thank you for being my first Sunshine Sessions interviewee!

Image: @gibsontuttle

I'm so happy to be doing interviews again. It's really interesting to hear how someone else in the industry got started and learn about their journey. If there's anyone you'd like me to interview next, let me know in the comments. I have some very cool guests coming up, so stay tuned! I'm hoping to post a new Sunshine Session at least twice a month. Be sure you subscribe to my mailing list so you don't miss any!

Have a polished rest of your day,