The Life of a Brand Owner - 9 years in
If you have been following my journey from the beginning, you would see quite clearly from our products alone how much the No Nasties Kids brand has changed and grown.
Some changes have happened organically and others due to a plethora of reasons such as copy cats, manufacturers going into liquidation (twice), a "manufacturer" selling MY formula's to another brand, a burnt out boss lady leading to branding that lost its way over time and international expansion happening at light speed while we hold on for dear life, learning as we go and ensuring that all of our products are compliant for each and every country we enter.
Every experience has shaped us as a brand and impacted me personally, I can hand on heart say, for the better.
In the past 6 months we have been working tirelessly to bring the No Nasties brand to new heights and I can actually see the top of the mountain now.
There is a whole new look coming, something that I myself, Stacey (my sister from another mister in NZ) and our graphic designer extraordinaire Milan from Coastal Design Studio have been working on meticulously.
We are almost 10 years old and I am still constantly learning everyday, here are a few top things I have noticed.
Here is what I have noticed...
1 - Prioritising myself directly effects my business
In the past few months I have spent just as much time walking on the beach as I have in front of my laptop. I have also been working from home a lot more, removing myself from the warehouse. I love working from home, because, I LOVE my home! It is a sanctuary, it it literally my haven on earth and I feel good there. Before prioritising myself I was exhausted and drained and now, I have the worlds best team and we are about to jump yet again! 📷 Pic of mum and I doing a cooking class at Casa Luna in Ubud, Bali (I am writing this from Bali!).
2 - Check, learn, check and learn is a MUST FOLLOW mantra
Gah, if I tallied all the money we have paid "professionals' for different tasks to only find out that it is all wrong, sub standard, missing things... Even marketing! I have realised that in small business, you have to become pretty good at almost everything, so that you know what to look for! You have to check things, learn, check again and keep learning! Almost 10 years in and I am still learning every day! At around 12 years old I was hospitalised for a few weeks with asthma, and I remember describing the feeling to my parents as though I was "walking through concrete". Every step, every breath was hard and heavy and difficult... Sometimes business can feel like that, and on the flip side, you are stronger and wiser. I feel like I have again walked through concrete.
3 - Sitting in your truth brings unshakable success
There are so many "business coaches" etc out there who talk about energy and authenticity and flow and every other buzz word... many of them haven't actually owned a successful business... Hell, I paid to be "coached" by a woman who still to this day stands on stages claiming to have owned a $10m business to find out she has never had a successful business at all. All smoke and mirrors.
By sitting in your truth, I am not talking about some fluffy buzz word, I am meaning to speak your truth even if it may cost you a huge deal (tick, done that - and it didn't!) and create from your own mind - don't copy other brands! Inspiration is one thing, copying is something entirely different. When you create from within, or pay someone who can, and do so in an original format, people notice. Take our pop-up boxes for example... I created something that I had never seen on the market as so much of our brand has been copied. I was shopping for birthday cards and saw a pop up card and thought, wow, that would look awesome on a product, how do I incorporate that? And voila, our growing pop-up series was born. Our Christmas boxes sold out within 3 weeks!
There are new things coming soon too, idea's spun from day to day tasks, reimagined into something magical for your little ones.
Sure, sitting in truth may lose you a deal, followers, a few stockists - but if they aren't aligned with you, your values and your ethics, do you want them anyway? I don't. The people we are aligned with, the stockists who have been loyal supporters of No Nasties Kids and our journey, our delivery partners, our team and our new International Distributors - this is where the sun shines for me! 🌞
Sitting in my truth, speaking it and creating from it has aligned us with Distributors, stockists, brands and customers that I couldn't have ever even dreamed of 9 years ago! For that, I am so grateful.
In all, a brand should be a reflection of you, and No Nasties Kids is certainly that. We will be launching new products and an entirely new series in the next few months as well as a whole new brand for women. Both No Nasties Kids and the new brand will be, in their own way, a direct reflection of me.
xx Nat
