We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nina Chau a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Nina thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

Success comes in various forms. I believe what takes one to be successful is knowing what you’re good at and repeat that step to the world. When I was younger, I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to be or to do. I went through numerous amounts of trial and error to know that I wanted to be a marketer. I thought I wanted to be a nurse, and that didn’t stick, then architectural design, afterwards interior design and still came to a blank. What am I good at? I have asked myself over and over. Finally, it was simple. I knew I was good at selling from prior jobs and also, I was strong with communicating. Now, I sell my services in order to help businesses with their success and growth, I am also a co-founder of First. Candle Collection, selling luxury vegan-soy scented candles and am in the process of expanding at a store near you.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

How I started my business came with strength to take risks and motivation. My personality entails as a multi-tasker and persistent with my tasks, so working a 9-5 job position was not for me. I had turned down a corporate position to be able to step out of my comfort zone and create Precious Gems Marketing, where we provide a wide range of services, such as website and logo design, SEO management and keyword optimization, event promotions and marketing. If someone were to ask my younger self where I would be today, I wouldn’t think I’ve gone this far. I had left home and was homeless for a period of time, walking and taking the bus to work at Bill Miller’s BBQ, never walked the stage because I had to work, but still earned my diploma. Growing up, I was raised with a traditional and cultural family who wanted more for me, because we didn’t have much and as the first-generation immigrant, I had to make changes to grow and better myself. At age 27, my mom was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, cholangiocarcinoma. We were looking at Stage 3 bile duct liver cancer. While my mom was diagnosed, I had started Precious Gems Marketing and tend to my mother’s needs. I lost and gained clients along the way because of the balance between business and personal. I lost my mom two years after, there were a lot of obstacles along the way, and I also thought that maybe I should just start over or that this wasn’t my time. Fast forward to today, I am more motivated than ever. I chose to keep pushing, re-introduce myself and have gained more clients since then. What sets me aside from my competitors is that I am a constant learner, I choose to not be in the dark and am always aware of market trends, I use that to my advantage, all the while sharing the extent of my creativity to my clients. If my clients don’t agree with our current plan, there will be Plan B, Plan C, Plan D, etc. That’s where my persistency comes in and serves a positive purpose for my clients. What I am most proud of are my connections and network of great individuals around me that I have gained on this journey, but it does not stop here, there will be plenty to come.
For my prospective clients, followers on social media, etc., I look forward to helping your business grow, increase your brand awareness and increase your ROI, for my current clients, I am so grateful that they trust me to help their business, my efforts show in every case study I create.
My second job is selling our line of luxury candles, First. Candle Collection, one-of-a-kind scents that will soon be expanded at a location near you. Not only is it luxurious, but it will give you a nostalgic scent. Currently, it is sold at Snatch Beauty Bar.

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

When I first started, I was too impatient to wait around and increase traffic through website, blogging, social media, etc., I had just built my website, logo, I had a structured outline and goals that I wanted to pursue. So, I decided to do cold calling, for a month or so, I was heading into every new business I saw and walked in to introduce myself and what services I offered, I even had a billboard out in Georgetown, TX to raise my brand awareness. Business cards hadn’t come in yet, brochures and portfolios were empty, but I had to start somewhere I thought to myself. So many people I came across would either say they had to think about it, or some just were not interested. Could you blame them? I had nothing to show, I just wanted that one opportunity given to me. Until my first client, came to me to help them with monetizing and increasing traffic with their blogging website. I will never forget how ecstatic I was to get recognition due to my billboard and persistency. You’d be surprised at how many doors would open for you if you tried a little harder.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

A time I had to pivot between business and personal was juggling, while not coming to terms with my emotions that I was slowly losing my mother to cancer. It was a series of emotions, from being excited to start my business during Covid, to hearing the devastating news that my mom was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma cancer. Some days were harder than others, some days I wanted to give up and felt that starting a business during that time was not as conventional as I had hoped. And some days I wanted to keep pushing through for my loved ones, to constantly look at what’s ahead of me and to control things I am able to control. That was a hard time for me, but it has built strength in me and my business.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.preciousgemsmarketingagency.com | www.thefirstcandlecollection.com
• Instagram: preciousgems_marketing | first.candle_collection
• Linkedin: precious-gems-marketing

Image Credits
Credits to: The Connect Network TV on CW of Austin, Mindful Business Women, Create & Cultivate Event, Williamson County Children’s Advocacy Center, Snatch Beauty Bar, Queen of the World Pageant