The Glossy Boys Story (So Far)

Hey there, I'm Lucas – skater, creator, and entrepreneur. Two years ago, my life was all about the usual routine: school, skating, studying, and repeating. But something changed when I was 12 and decided I wanted to rock some black nail polish. Little did I know, that simple desire would set me on a journey to transform not just my nails, but an entire industry.

Picture this: there I was, eager to try something new, only to find the nail polish shopping experience uncomfortable, confusing, and anything but welcoming. And to top it off, after I'd put in the effort to paint my nails and hit the skatepark, my creation was wrecked. Frustration led to a chat with my amazing Mum, and dude, I had to make it happen.

I started by looking at who the customer truly was – me, right then. I pondered how I could make this experience better, not just for myself, but for countless others who felt the same way. Fast forward two years, and here I am – having gone viral not just once, but twice. I've spoken on the red dot at TEDx and my brainchild, Glossy Boys nail polish for lads, now boasts 16 super rad colors and an awesome community of thousands of customers I call ‘The Glossy Brigade’ cause it’s like the 80’s pioneer skate brigade ‘The Bones Brigade’ they were rebels too.

In Year 9, most of my peers are just doing their thing, but I've chosen a slightly different path. I'm not just a student; I'm a dedicated entrepreneur. My days are filled with creativity, developing new nail shades and products and engaging with our awesome and kind community. While I work on my business full-time, I still make room for online school and spend two days a week at IDEA Academy, honing my entrepreneurial skills. Every time you purchase Glossy Boys or leave a comment, I’m here to see it, and I love it, you rock.

And let's talk about you for a moment – yes, you. Because that's what it's all about. I'm here to show you how to inject some rad self-expression and turn up as your best self, my dude. 

Imagine a world where self-expression isn't limited by norms, where your style speaks louder than any words ever could. That's the world I'm inviting you to join me in creating.  You’ll find you get compliments, and people will find you just a little more interesting. 

So join me on this totally rad ride, as we paint the world in colors that refuse to conform, and let's redefine what it means to stand out – and remember, to be rad always, ✌🏼

Founder, Glossy Boys

Forward by Simon Thuijis of Deloitte:

Meet Lucas. He’s 14, and he's the proud Founder of Glossy Boys. 

Lucas is a skater, an ideas guy, and just wants everyone to feel comfortable being themselves. So when it came to nail polish, that had to include Lads (‘male-identifying people’) as he calls them, like himself.

Lucas wanted to give nail polish a go, not thinking it a big deal. Only to discover it was a Pink Battlefield! Super overwhelming for a Lad like himself. At the local pharmacy when faced with asking for help, he considered the “quick draw” as he describes it: “do I ask for help and lie? Or am I honest and say it’s for me? Quickly he decided to grab the first black bottle he saw and muddled past miles of pink shelves and headed for the counter. He looked at the label on the bottle, “What’s a base coat?” he queried to himself, thinking he had colour he could paint straight on and would look epic even after a thrashing skate. After surviving that experience he knew there had to be a better way. Like a 3-in1 "paint your colour straight on" nail polish that was easy, strong made his hands look unboring, just like he wanted.

Lucas will tell you why he chose a precision painting pen, why lad’s hands can be bigger so they needed a longer handle and that he felt everyone's comfy with a pen. And Glossy Boys is skate-proof. 'It doesn't come off easily', he'll tell you, 'I know from wearing it every day and I get to speak directly to lads like me who say the product is epic. That matters”.

He has been endorsed by Christian Hull and is mentored by Jeremy Chetty, Ben Trottier and Sam McMahon super rad smart peeps.It is so good it was featured on the  'Guardian Good Gift Guide 2022' and has been on national TV a bunch including Channel Seven Sunrise, Channel 9 News, Channel 7 News, and ABC Radio and featured ABC National 'Australian Stories'.

Lucas manages all the social media, with some of his Instagram Reels and TikTok's have reached over 194K with hundreds of likes and engagement that’s off the charts for a young brand. If you ask him he’ll tell you why: his research and thought into understanding his customers where he’ll proudly share his incredibly crafted deck that goes right into education, community, ‘customer archetypes', Google questions, Answer the Public, and what he doesn’t want Glossy Boys to be: not macho, not exclusive, not political. And what he does: welcoming, retro, fun, and accessible. Clear that it is not pretending to be anything other than what it is: self-expression for all.

You can follow Lucas and his Glossy Boys journey on Instagram (@glossy_boys) and LinkedIn where he amuses himself by being a young Founder with ideas to the shock of the grown-ups.

And Lucas would like to remind you, he's here if you need him, oh, and to be rad always,

 Simon T, Deloitte

Intro & Story by Simon Thuijs, Senior Consultant, Deloitte Australia and ally of Glossy Boys 

https://au.linkedin.com/in/simon-thuijs-730