Today we’d like to introduce you to Nichole Sando.
Hi Nichole, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Hello, my name is Nichole Sando, and I am the Founder & CEO of Namaste Naturally. My mission is to educate others on the best ingredients to use on their skin while promoting a positive self-care routine. The products you use on your skin can significantly affect how you feel and how your body functions overall. Hence, why we must educate ourselves and make informed decisions about the products we use daily.
Fourteen years ago, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, which led me to change my lifestyle entirely many years later. After struggling with Crohn’s Disease for many years, I changed my diet, life activities, and the products I used on my skin. As a result, I had to take a deep look at the products in my home and make conscious decisions to educate myself on better product options. This diagnosis greatly affected how I lived my life. In 2018, I was finally in remission and had the time to switch my focus from healthier eating habits to healthier product choices. Unfortunately, many businesses say one thing about a product on the front label and show a different product when you go through the ingredient label and research each ingredient found on the back label.
My health journey and the fact that I didn’t feel that society spoke enough about removing toxins from your home or the importance of reading the ingredient label is why I created my business. During the summer of 2020, I wanted a business I could fully call my own and started investing in myself to start my business. I started looking for a business course and buying helpful books to create a business plan. However, I knew I needed more, so I took a leap of faith and invested in a business course with Empowered Confidence. Namaste Naturally was later created in September 2020, during the height of the pandemic, after completing my business course. My business mentor opened my eyes to so many resources, and investing in a business course was the best move I could have ever made.
There was a lot of uncertainty during the pandemic, and my business helped bring certainty back into my life for my son and me. My 9 to 5 had cut my wages, I was indoors with extra time, and I needed something to help keep my mind at ease. There was so much worry in the world, and my business helped to calm my mind during all the chaos. Namaste Naturally started as a passion project and then turned into something more when I realized how much I could help others. I was already creating non-toxic self-care products for my son and I and wanted to help others make the same positive change.
As a single mother, student, employee, business owner, and everyday life doer, I significantly understand the importance of honoring my body and practicing positive self-care during the pandemic. Positive self-care is more than just taking the time to pour back into yourself; it’s also about selecting the best products that help you feel good about yourself, selecting the best activities to feed your mind, body, and soul, and finding the proper resources to practice self-care. In addition, you must take time out of your busy schedule to slow down and love on yourself to wholeheartedly serve and help others. My passion is creating non-toxic products, educating others, and promoting positive self-care. My life experiences have taught me the importance of balancing hard work with relaxing downtime, and I wanted my business to support those passions.
Being a business owner has taught me the importance of fulfilling your purpose and helping others along the way. It is touching to connect with individuals I do not know through Instagram, meet and network with like-minded individuals, and hear feedback about my products. These experiences help me grow as a business owner and as a person overall. I am eager to keep learning with online herbalist courses through Herbal Academy and see where the next chapter of my entrepreneur journey takes me.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Starting a business is never a smooth road. First, you must determine what you are passionate about and build on that. Second, you must invest in the proper resources and not be fearful about some things just not working out. Third, you must be resilient and consistent. Along my business journey, some of the struggles I faced were balancing my life responsibilities while building a business, finding the funds to grow my business, and continuing my business journey even though I didn’t have support from my family and friends.
One thing my business mentor taught me was to listen to my body and notice when my energy was high. During that high energy time, I would create. I kept a notebook or my phone close to take notes about business ideas or a caption I thought about for future content. Tapping into my creativity was sporadic for me, and learning to slow down and write down my ideas helped me find the balance I needed to grow my business. You will not be motivated every day, and that is the perfect time to rest, so your body can be motivated and energized the next day. I know we live in a fast-paced culture, and everyone feels like everything needs to be done and grown instantly, but that is an unrealistic approach to life. Slow, steady, and consistent will always thrive in the end. Balance takes time, and you must learn to give your body what it needs to tap into that creative energy within. Keep your space inspiring, your conversations motivating, and give yourself grace as you learn something new.
When it came to finding the funds for my business, I saved from my 9 to 5 earnings and shopped whenever a sale occurred. Whether it was a lightning deal on Amazon or using a coupon at the hobby store to add that extra touch to a customer’s order, I always took the time to shop around and find the best deal for my business budget. A business budget is critical, as you do not want to overspend and not make a profit each month. In addition, I invested in opportunities my brand would thrive from and networked with others to learn about low-cost or free vendor events. People will always be your best resource. Whether it’s word of mouth for opportunities or learning from their own experiences, it’s best to have like-minded individuals around you to learn from.
Support is such a significant factor in everyone’s life, so what do you do when you don’t have it? Keep pushing. You will attract the people required to help you succeed if you stay consistent with your vision and don’t give up. Other than my father and my sister, no one else in my family showed up for me, and I am going to be honest, that made me feel sad. However, I thrived off all the support I received from my business mentor, strangers online, and a handful of friends and kept going with the support I did have. I knew the fire within me was brighter and bigger than giving up. I didn’t come this far just to quit.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Currently, I am focused on growing my business overall, and I am primarily focused on growing locally. Overall, I am working on creating and testing new self-care products to add to the website. Locally, I want to attend local vendor events, and network with local small businesses. I want to keep growing as a small business and meeting the needs of my customers. I also want to focus on collaborating with other small businesses to support each other’s growth.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
What I like best about the city is its diversity and continuous growth. I have lived in the city my whole life, and I have watched the city grow into something more positive over time. Is the city perfect? No. But perfect isn’t the goal; growth and progress are. I will always be proud of growing up and living in the city. My roots have highly contributed to where I am today. My grandparents lived in the city, my parents live in the city, and my son is being raised in the city.
What I like least about the city is the chaos that can occur from time to time. But, again, nothing is perfect, and chaos is a part of growth. However, the city has built me to be tough and to keep going no matter what.
Contact Info:
- Email: namastenaturally@outlook.com
- Website: www.namastenaturally.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/namastenaturally/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/namastenaturally
Image Credits
Maria Herrera Brit Perkins
