Kiarah Seon, a fourth-year Commerce Co-op student from Bermuda, is using her passion for artificial nail extension design to start and run her own company, Divine Nail Care, while she’s still in school. Kiarah took advantage of the opportunity to complete an entrepreneurial work term to grow her new business venture.

Divine Nail Care (DNC) is a start-up business providing goods for nail care, nail enhancements, and nail technology. Kiarah introduced DNC’s first product, the ‘Net Nails N3 Smart Nail Chip’ or Net Nails for short, in February 2022. It is a radio inductive fingernail chip that utilizes near-field communication (NFC) to share links and files with mobile users. Simply tap your fingernail on the NFC-inducing area of the cellphone to unveil the unlimited information-sharing options.

Kiarah considers developing an infrastructure that her company can grow on, forming constructive business relationships within her industry, and making sales to be her biggest achievements during her entrepreneurial work term. “Start-ups require a great deal of consistency, patience, and self-governing. Considering this, every small milestone feels like a big accomplishment,” she says. She thoroughly enjoyed how often her daily activities would change and being in control of her own learning experience and professional development while driving her own business venture. Kiarah says entrepreneurship has taught her to adapt and follow through. “My business mentor and family were a great support in decision-making when I hit an obstacle. It is important to ask questions, not only from those you know but also from those you have ‘yet’ to know,” she says.

Since Kiarah was young, her dream has always been to be a serial entrepreneur and angel investor. She aspires to work for herself and eventually help others, specifically friends and family, in creating the life they desire most. “I feel equipped with the knowledge necessary to start taking on this lifestyle,” she says. As she began her entrepreneurial work term, she was looking forward to the unexpected. Although she created SMART goals and forecasted potential growth, she couldn’t predict how her work term would have impacted her business, which made every new day exciting and interesting. She thanks her professor and business mentor Albert James and her Career and Recruitment Specialist for helping her during the process and being ready to support her whenever she had questions.

Kiarah has some advice to share with her fellow students: “You must believe in yourself and be willing to take risks. When you’re building a company from the ground up, the top of the mountain looks a lot further away. You must be determined to persevere and understand there will be lows along with the highs. Know who you are and trust in your ability to make your vision a reality.”