Toenails. Crunchy, dirty, overgrown toenails.
No one would voluntarily make a meaningful career out of them, right?
![The Toenail People's Melissa Harrison left her career in the oil and gas industry.](/web/20170107013332im_/http://www.canberratimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/k/a/g/q/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gsa5di.png/1478580322048.jpg)
Meet Melissa Harrison, the owner of a mobile toenail cutting franchise, whose business is booming.
"I never thought I'd say I love toenails but I do," the 46-year-old Maroubra resident said. "At first, I thought oh my god that's disgusting, but my view has completely changed now. The strangest little ideas can be the best ones."
![Melissa Harrison's toenail cutting service fits between glamorous salon pedicures and a visit to the podiatrist.](/web/20170107013332im_/http://www.canberratimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/k/a/i/t/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gsa5di.png/1478580322048.jpg)
Harrison's love of this unlikely industry is a new one, but she has quickly embraced it.
"I was working in the corporate world, in the oil and gas industry for over a decade and I came down with glandular fever. I wanted to do something for myself, something entrepreneurial."
How it happened
Harrison came across a company that was offering a Sydney franchise of a toenail cutting business called The Toenail People, servicing older people and people with disabilities.
She went from being a toenail cutter herself to owning the entire business.
"The company had existed for 15 years but it was quite run down when I got it, the previous owners had lost their passion. I've come in with a fresh approach, to make toenail cutting sexy."
After paying $40,000 for her initial franchise, Harrison used her experience in the corporate world to fix the business from the ground up.
"I implemented new systems, made sure we had a proper uniform, made sure everyone is properly trained and created a customer centric business. In July this year, I bought the business out and we're expanding. I operate in Sydney but I'm currently trying to find new people."
Harrison also undertook nationally accredited training to become a nail technician (just like the ones who do manicures at salons).
"The most challenging thing is keeping up with the demand," she told Fairfax Media.
"We've got a franchise in the Sunshine Coast and another one in Brisbane, but we get calls from Perth, Darwin, Central Coast, and all over New South Wales and Victoria"
At her feet
Harrison admits it is a niche business, sitting somewhere between a health service like podiatry and a salon manicure pedicure.
"It's not a glamorous pedicure, it's the other side of the nail industry, it's for people who need their toenails cut."
Charges vary based on local economic climates but in Sydney, Harrison charges $45 a visit for a cut, file and massage.
Harrison works from 8am to 8pm and can work up to six days a week, visiting clients at their homes across Sydney.
"The demand has always been there, since the first day I put the advertisement in the paper. We get some older customers from newspapers but our baby boomer customers are coming to us more and more from social media, so we need to be across both."
While she currently services all of Sydney, Harrison plans to divide the city into 22 areas and have a franchisee in each one.
"There really is a need for this as many of our clients couldn't walk to a local nail salon, even if they felt comfortable in one. They would need to call a cab, which is an extra expense, or pay for a full blown podiatry appointment."
Human touch
Harrison said she has certainly taken a pay cut to run The Toenail People, but as the franchise grows she hopes to earn more in fees.
Another big divided, Harrison says, is the satisfaction of connecting with isolated people.
"Over time they reveal themselves to you. Some people you could see them regularly for six months, and they will only reveal which war they fought in but others tell you everything.
"They've got it scheduled in their diary, they'll be calling you if you're a minute late. You become a regular fixture in their lives, like a nurse or a home carer."