So, you’re wondering about the pros and cons of selling Color Street.
Chances are somebody you know has joined Color Street and started showing off the products on social media, and perhaps they’ve even hinted at how lucrative being a Color Street Stylist can be.
Whatever the reason, you’re considering signing up as a Color Street Stylist and want to know a little bit more before you make the leap.
In this post, we’ll take a look at the Color Street opportunity and dive into the pros and cons of selling Color Street.
Are you ready?
Then let’s get into it.
Pros and Cons of Selling Color Street
What is Color Street?
Color Street was founded in 2017 in New Jersey by Fa Park.
It all started back in 1988. Fa Park was taking the bus and he noticed a lady struggling to paint her nails. He thought that there must be an easier way, and so he bought some nail polish products and began experimenting with them.
Eventually, he developed a formula which meant that the top was dry but the base remained moist, meaning that it would stick to the nail – and so, the Color Street nail strip was born!
These days, Color Street has nail strips in a very wide selection of styles, and every set comes with a nail file/applicator, a nail prep pad and in-depth instructions.
The selling point of Color Street nail strips is that they’re easy to use and last for up to 2 weeks, with a set costing 13-16 USD.
Color Street is a multi-level marketing company (also known as MLM or network marketing).
Color Street Stylists earn money by selling nail strips to people in their network (and making a commission from the sale), as well as recruiting other people into the company and making commissions and bonuses from that person and the people they recruit.
For a more in-depth look into MLMs, you can read my dedicated post about MLMs here.
Pros and Cons of selling Color Street
Pros of selling Color Street
You can work from home
Many people get into network marketing because they want to work from home.
One of the major selling points of any MLM is the promise that you can ‘work from your phone’ and ‘be your own boss.’
It is indeed true that you can work from home as a Color Street Stylist (or from a coffee shop, or by the pool etc. etc.).
This can be a really attractive option for single moms looking for a flexible job, students, people who move around a lot (military spouses, for example), and anyone else who craves that WFH lifestyle.
Suited to influencers
Typically, there are two types of people who do well in network marketing – people who work in sales, and people who already have a large following on social media.
At its core, network marketing is a sales job, and your life is going to revolve around:
A) Selling nail strips
B) Selling the Color Street opportunity
If you’re somebody with a lot of sales experience, you’re naturally going to be more successful in network marketing than somebody who doesn’t have that experience.
Another thing to bear in mind is that you need to sell a LOT of nail strips and recruit a LOT of people in order to make money with Color Street, and if you have a small social circle, you’re going to run out of customers very quickly.
If you’re already an influencer with a huge following, you’re at a natural advantage because:
A) You have a much larger reach
B) Your audience already trusts you as an ‘influencer’ and is therefore primed to buy whatever you’re selling
Color Street is a young company
With any MLM company, the earlier you join, the more likely you are to make money.
Color Street was founded in 2017, meaning that it’s been around long enough to be an established brand, but is still in its infancy as a business.
If you join a company that has been around for decades, the market is already very saturated, and the entire business model is going to be working against you.
Most people don’t make money in MLMs (which we’ll get into later), but the ones that do get in at the beginning.
Repeat customers
Some MLMs sell high-ticket items that people are only likely to purchase once (or very infrequently).
For example, Primerica sells life insurance, and Nu Skin’s flagship product is an expensive skincare tool that retails for upwards of $300.
With expensive products that don’t often need to be replaced, you’re going to have to find new customers every time, whereas nail strips are something that people will come back to buy again and again, making your job easier (although naturally, cheaper products like nail strips result in much lower commissions).
Fun product
There are hundreds of Color Street designs to choose from, meaning you can switch up your look as often as you like.
There are always new designs released for Christmas, Halloween, summer etc. meaning that you can go all out when #spookyseason comes around, and you can even get university-specific designs for your friends at Louisiana State or The University of Arizona!
Let’s face it, if you’re into fashion and beauty, you’re going to love Color Street’s wide variety of nail designs.
Color Street Foundation
The Color Street Foundation supports many different causes including suicide prevention awareness, child abuse awareness, and autoimmune disease awareness.
Not only do they regularly donate money to various charities and causes, but they also fund scholarships (they awarded four graphic design scholarships to Jackson State University for Black History Month), and make efforts to raise awareness of the causes they support.
They even release frequent limited edition nail strips in support of certain causes (such as breast cancer awareness) to get those meaningful conversations started.
Cons of selling Color Street
Products are cheaper elsewhere
One of the major problems with selling Color Street is that Color Street nail strips are expensive, making them difficult to sell.
Sure, $14 for DIY nail strips is cheaper than going to a salon, but you’re comparing apples to oranges here – when you compare Color Street nail strips to actual similar products, you find that Color Street is around DOUBLE the price.
Dashing Diva nail strips are pretty much identical to Color Street, and prices start at just $6. Not only that, but you can pick them up at Walmart or Ulta Beauty and not have to wait for them to be delivered.
The reason that Color Street nail strips cost more is not because they are better. It’s because the money that Color Street Stylists make comes from the PRODUCT rather than trickling down from the top levels of the business.
Essentially, the customer is paying the Stylist’s wage.
Ask yourself this – if you had the choice between paying $6 for some nail strips or paying $15 for the same nail strips, which would you choose?
Not many people make money
In my investigation of Color Street, I discovered that the majority of Color Street Stylists do not make enough money to replace a full time job.
In fact, 49% of them made just $67 in an entire year (not including the money they spent on Color Street products themselves), and a further 37% made $1,933 in a year, or $161 per month.
It’s important to know these numbers if you’re looking for an easy side hustle, because chances are, you won’t be making a significant income with Color Street (and may even end up losing money due to all the costs incurred).
You must exploit the people under you
Imagine you’re one of the 49% of Color Street Stylists who earned $67 in 12 months.
Part of your job is to recruit others into the business, by telling them what a great money-making opportunity it is.
By the nature of network marketing, a majority of people that you try to recruit will be your close friends and family members.
If you stand a chance of recruiting anyone, you can’t be open about the fact that you’re working for hours every week and only making $67 a year – you have to sell a dream to them, and that’s when issues of morality start to crop up.
Profit margins are low
Earlier in the article, I mentioned how low-ticket items are an easier sell than high-ticket items.
Color Street nails are around $14, meaning you stand a better chance of getting someone to purchase a pack of them, than, say, a $500 item.
However.
You only earn a 25% commission on retail sales with Color Street, meaning that for every $14 pack of nail strips you sell, you’ll only make $3.50.
If you want to pay your bills with Color Street, you’ll have to sell a LOT of nail strips.
Doesn’t look good on your résumé
Due to their incredibly low success rate and bad reputation, MLMs are not seen as desirable on your résumé.
While you might have been told by your upline that you’re a ‘business owner’ and ‘entrepreneur,’ your future employer won’t see it this way.
At best, they’ll see you as an unsuccessful former sales rep, and at worst, they’ll see you as somebody who got sucked into a pyramid scheme.
May alienate you from family and friends
Nobody wants their sister/mum/friend to be harassing them into buying nail strips every month, or worse, join their ‘tribe.’
People may take pity on you in the beginning and buy a couple of packs from you, but pestering your friends isn’t a sustainable way to run a business, and in the long run, you may become alienated from the people you love the most.
It’s actually quite common in MLMs for the people in your team to tell you to cut contact with people who don’t ‘support’ you, which is cult-like behaviour that you should steer well clear of.
Can damage your nails
If the fact that 2000 people type ‘Color Street ruined my nails!‘ into Google every month (source: Keysearch) isn’t enough to make you think twice, perhaps some of the horror stories on Reddit might.
Although most of the articles online will blame people for using acetone nail polish remover, and say that it’s impossible for Color Street to damage your nails, scores of people on Reddit disagree, and I’m going to believe the anecdotal evidence on this one.
Some of the responses to a Reddit post on the topic included:
‘I always have had super healthy, long nails. I put color street on, removed them a week later the right way (soaked them off with the clips and used the mineral nail polish remover.) A couple nails were looking a little dried out, so put on a new set, removed them a week later the same way. Now I have 4 nails that are peeling apart. I have never had anything do this to my nails before.‘
‘I’ve never had problems with my nails and I used Color Street once and let the color wear off by itself instead of removing it, and now it’s all gone and my nails are splitting in layers and breaking, and I have no deficiencies and take collagen daily. I’ll never use the trash again.‘
‘A friend of mine just recently tried some and it actually made her nails start to lift and she said it was very painful. I told her to take them off right away. This does not happen to her with regular liquid nail polish, so it was very strange.‘
‘Yup, my natural nails will peel. I’ve started to use a nail treatment (karma nails) under Color Street. I also take a few weeks between sets and use the treatment during those weeks.‘
‘This is an issue I have had, my mother, sister in law and coworker. I have so many sets left but I only put one on every month or two. Before application I put on OPI nail envy. Not sure it helps though. I unfortunately will not be purchasing anymore.‘
‘I’ve noticed that they dry out my nails and I get so many chips. I love them but I haven’t been able to use them in weeks.‘
‘I have been using Color Street about a year and realize it is what is causing my nails to peel and break. I always had healthier nails before. […] I love the convenience and look of Color Street but am going to use it much less frequently and may try putting it on top of false nails instead of my own. Need to get my nails healthy first.‘
‘Color street destroyed my natural nails. I also have never had an issue with regular polish or remover and had healthy nails. I have used acetone many times before ever trying color street so I know it wasn’t nail polish remover. My nails ended up really thin and started curling up. They tore so easily I wore gloves for a while.‘
The thread goes on and on, with 37 commenters all expressing a similar sentiment about Color Street ruining their nails.
Color Street functions like a pyramid scheme
In my article titled ‘Is Color Street a Pyramid Scheme, Scam, or Legit Business Opportunity?‘ I found many parallels between the Color Street business model and that of an pyramid scheme.
The main reasons that I consider Color Street to be operating as a pyramid scheme in disguise are that the majority of people are unable to profit, you have to ‘pay to play,’ and there is an aggressive focus on constantly recruiting people into the business.
Color Street may not have been legally found to be a pyramid scheme as of yet, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exploit people in the same way, and it also doesn’t mean that it’s a good business opportunity.
How to quit Color Street
If you’ve already signed up as a Color Street Stylist and have been having regrets, you might be wondering how to quit Color Street.
To quit Color Street, you will have to submit a request to customer support to deactivate your account.
To do this, go to support.colorstreet.com, click ‘Submit a Request,’ and then fill out the form.
You will have to be pushy and insist on resigning, otherwise you could be waiting a long time for their response (and being charged the website fee for months).
Pros and Cons of Selling Color Street | Final Thoughts
Here at Not Your Boss Babe, we don’t believe that joining an MLM is ever a good idea, and Color Street is no different.
While the nail strips might be cute, and the possibility to work from home is tempting, the cons just don’t outweigh the pros with this one.
With low profit margins, a high probability that you’re never going to make any money, and the potential alienation of those closest to you, selling Color Street is just not worth it.
You’d be much better off starting a dropshipping business or selling on Poshmark or Etsy.
Alternatives to selling Color Street
If you’re looking for a side hustle or a work from home job, you may find these articles helpful:
Advantages and Disadvantages of Blogging
Easy Freelance Jobs for Beginners
Best Side Hustles for Single Moms
How to Sell Feet Pics Online
Secrets to Selling on Poshmark
Profitable Digital Products to Sell on Etsy
How to Become a Micro Influencer
That’s about it for today, but as always, if you have any questions then don’t hesitate to leave them in the comments section below and I will get back to you!
Until next time,
XOXO
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