Agricultural economics junior Camila Torres wears a mask to keep the filing dust out of her lungs, but her voice comes through clear enough. As she runs an electric file over her client’s nails — prepping him for the three-hour manicure to come — she details the last year and a half as a student and owner of her nail business, Sweet Epiphany Nails. Torres traveled from Puerto Rico with a professional license and a workaholic mindset. In two short years, she’s transformed her hobby into a fully booked, student-focused business at Texas A&M. 

“I did it just for fun, because it was a time that contact dermatitis became a big topic,” Torres said. “And so I wanted to do it safely for myself, my mom and my friends because I’ve always liked doing nails.”

As a 16-year-old high school student with a part-time job, Torres enrolled herself in an influencer-run institute to become a certified nail technician. There, she was taught how to deliver clean, healthy manicures and run a successful business, she said. All the while, her part-time job funded her start-up costs.

“I was a tutor for little kids, and I was working at least 25 hours a week,” Torres said. “So with every paycheck that I received, I would just buy my [equipment] slowly.”

After her graduation, her parents told Torres that they wanted her to go to college in America, so she enrolled at A&M, set to start in Fall 2024. Not long into her first semester, Torres said she took a job on campus to fund her hobby and life in Texas. 

“And they were offering like $8 or $9 an hour, and I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s not gonna cut it,’” Torres said. “So I just started doing [nails].”

Looking to get her first clients, Torres posted photos of her nail art on the “Class of 2027” Snapchat story. Within two weeks, her schedule was fully booked. 

The first paid client she took was a Delta Zeta member, which Torres said worked out really well for her budding business. Sharing her nail art with the sorority meant that her growing list of clients was all referrals from friends. 

“It really is a word-of-mouth business — word-of-hand, actually,” Torres said. “I don’t really promote myself anymore.”

Torres posts photos of her art on the Sweet Epiphany Nails Instagram page to show off her skills and inspire her clients before their appointments, which are booked through the page. Her favorite appointments, she said, are the ones where clients come in with a vague idea and let her flex her creative muscles while she works. That’s one reason she always welcomes journalism sophomore Stone Chapman back into the chair.

“Every single time that Stone comes here, I’m just ready to do a work of art that I’m ready to show everyone,” Torres said.

Chapman met Torres through a mutual friend and has trusted her with providing his unique nail looks for more than a year, saying that her friendly nature and adaptability keep him coming back. 

“My favorite part is that she is so talkative,” Chapman said. “She makes two hours feel like 15 minutes.” 

Now a year and a half into her business, Torres said she prides herself on having a signature style that speaks for itself. She said it’s exciting to know that people walking around campus recognize her work: colorful, precise, three-dimensional and featuring a unique design on each nail.

“I’m not just a generic [artist] like everyone else,” Torres said. “And I also like that people feel comfortable showing me whatever and trusting that I can do it.”

On the business side, Torres said she has a sole proprietorship, which is the most common business structure owned by a single individual. Torres chose to pursue a sole proprietorship to have full control over her business and keep taxes lower, which in turn allows her to keep her prices fair for college students.

“I want this to be more accessible for college students, so I try to keep my costs low, even though I do have top-tier product,” Torres said. “And after college, I plan to make it an LLC [Limited Liability Company].”

After college, Torres said she wants to pursue a corporate career while building Sweet Epiphany Nails as a passion project. Once the business is further established under an LLC, Torres looks to move herself and Sweet Epiphany Nails abroad, specifically to Spain or Italy. 

“My entire life, people have told me that I’m more mature for my age,” Torres said. “ … It does give you a sense of responsibility because I’m completely responsible for all this. I also feel responsible for my client’s health and safety, so it definitely makes you more aware of things as a regular college student.”

Hoping to use her degree to keep her options open, Torres said every aspect of creating her business as a student has been worth the effort if it means she gains autonomy in her career choices moving forward. She encourages any student still struggling with a campus job to think outside the box on how to make extra money.

“You have 24 hours in a day, and if you want to do something, it should happen,” Torres said. “I just made it happen.”