Started Business Hitting $1.5M: Never Have I Ever, Shark Tank
Key Takeaways
- Chen, a Parsons School of Design graduate, set out to create ‘wearable art that really shows who you are.’
- Wu’s background in brand marketing helped the co-founders build efficient systems and scale.
- Now, with $1.5 million revenue and a ‘Shark Tank’ deal secured, the business continues to expand.
Susana Chen and Jess Wu’s New York-based beauty startup Never Have I Ever began with a simple question: What if art could be living on unexpected canvases — not just on printed T-shirts or hats?
Chen had some experience with the latter, growing up in New York City’s Chinatown, where she helped sell “I Love New York” tees and other customized items at her mother’s souvenir shop.
As an adult, Chen graduated from Parsons School of Design, worked at several creative agencies, founded the non-profit Asian Creative Foundation and attended craft fairs, where she purchased artist-made goods and spotted a gap in the market when it came to a certain slice of self-expression.
Chen saw the potential to start a business selling press-on nails, temporary tattoos and tooth gems — “wearable art that really shows who you are,” she says.
Chen brought the idea to her former colleague Wu, whose corporate background in brand marketing came in handy. Wu has helped cross-cultural brands, from consumer goods to tech companies, go global. She knew how to build efficient systems.
The duo officially launched Never Have I Ever in November 2023. Chen says the brand name has “multiple meanings to empower people in their individuality” — encompassing her and Wu starting a business for the first time, artists experimenting with new mediums and customers trying new looks.
Image Credit: Never Have I Ever. Jess Wu, left, and Susana Chen, right.
Shifting consumer behavior and a significant pain point
It was a well-timed rollout, coinciding with a shift in consumer behavior around non-essential beauty services. Last year, salon owners and other beauty professionals across the U.S. reported decreased business amid an economic downturn and extensive tariffs, per NBC News.
Never Have I Ever’s press-on nails, which retail from about $18 to $45, not only offer consumers a more affordable option to do their nails, but also address another, sometimes overlooked pain point.
“I go to the nail salon,” Chen explains. “I want an artist’s work on my nails. But the artists don’t get credit for the nail drawing, and the nail tech cannot draw exactly what I want. So the customer isn’t happy. We just solved that whole issue.”
Image Credit: Never Have I Ever
Never Have I Ever pulled in $3,000 to $5,000 per weekend
In the early days, Chen and Wu brought Never Have I Ever’s artist-designed products to craft fairs to see if it would stick. It did, with the customized nails “easily bringing in $3,000 to $5,000 per weekend,” Chen says. That’s when it made sense to attend trade shows and capture the attention of larger retailers.
Nowadays, Never Have I Ever’s products are available at Urban Outfitters, Revolve, Anthropologie, PacSun, Zumiez and Nordstrom. What’s more, in keeping with its artistic roots, the brand is carried at cultural institutions including the Met Museum, MoMA and Denver Art Museum.
“ When we had this idea of working with artists, I knew I wanted to sell to MoMA,” Chen says. “I wanted to sell to Metropolitan. Because I don’t want to go just to see art — I want to bring home souvenirs of the art, but not to put it on my fridge or table. I want to wear them.”
A business model allowing artists to monetize their work
From the outset, Chen and Wu centered creatives in their approach. Never Have I Ever works with more than 100 artists, who are typically paid 5% in royalties for their licensed artwork.
The majority of Never Have I Ever’s supply chain is based in China, but the production process is always a collaborative one, the co-founders say. Once an artist submits their artwork, Never Have I Ever works closely with them to ensure the final product remains true to their vision.
“We built an internal system and template to bridge artists’ creative process and manufacturing realities so that we can minimize the gap between art and production,” Wu says. “So it’s generally quite smooth.”
Image Credit: Never Have I Ever
Highlighting a community of artists on social media
Additionally, Never Have I Ever showcases its artist community on its social media platforms. The business’s social media strategy isn’t just focused on getting consumers to purchase the press-on nails; it makes a point to highlight the individual artists behind the designs, Chen notes.
Never Have I Ever boasts collaborations with artists including Lorien Stern, Tay Beepboop, Jade Roland, Lily Hoang-Zhu (liliuhms), August Wren, Mercedes Bazan, Omotola, Zoe Wodarz, Hey Su Lee, Alice Lee and Priyanka, among many others.
Hitting $1.5 million in revenue and 120,000 units