We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Christina Alexander-Jiles. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Christina below.

Christina, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Parents can play a significant role in affecting how our lives and careers turn out – and so we think it’s important to look back and have conversations about what our parents did that affected us positive (or negatively) so that we can learn from the billions of experiences in each generation. What’s something you feel your parents did right that impacted you positively.

My Daddy is the one who definitely planted the entrepreneurial seed. He passed when I was only 9 or 10 but the impression, he left on me gave me the courage to become who and what I am today. Let me give you a little background. If my Daddy were living today, he’d be a whopping 97 years old! During his youth, in Breaux Bridge, LA, he was unable to attain an education because as a Sharecropper, work and family came first. Until this day I have no idea how he did it but with only a 2nd grade education he became North Houston’s neighborhood Vet in his adulthood. People would come from all sides of Houston to have my Daddy care for their precious pets with no formal training. He just had this thing with animals and people. He loved them and they loved him back! I remember the Saturday morning rides to the Feed Store so he could grab supplies and the excitement of a litter of puppies being born. I still remember tearing newspaper to add to the crates and bottle feeding the itty-bitty puppies. I’m so thankful I had that example. My Daddy couldn’t read or write and while some people may laugh or ridicule someone for that he was my hero because he didn’t let his circumstances hold him back.

Entrepreneurship isn’t easy but it is so satisfying. I treat my clients like family because that’s the example I was given. I am a strong believer in always delivering great customer service. Without my clients there’d be no NGC Pillows & More and I always want to show gratitude for that. Each time I create for someone it is with the hopes that it brings them joy and comfort or maybe even a chuckle if they need it. It feels good to do “feel good” work and it’s my hope and prayer that I’m making my Daddy proud.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Birthing the Idea…

In the summer of 2013, my daughters and I launched our custom pillow business. It was a great way to teach them all about entrepreneurship, customer service & using their talents & gifts to create change. Now that they are both College students I am still creating and loving every minute of it! I didn’t have any sewing skills prior to launching so I jumped on YouTube University, learned the basics and then we began. Of course, there was lots of trial and error in the beginning. Not knowing how to set your prices or even finding your audience. It became challenging but giving up was never an option. Now my young adults are both working and thriving in customer service because of where we began.

NGC Pillows & More offers pillows of course but it doesn’t stop there! We also offer apparel, kitchen decor, and custom home decor at a client’s request. Everything we create is created with the heart and soul in mind so our items are meant to motivate and encourage us all to be the very best human beings we could possibly be! This is more than just pillows, fluff and stuff; it’s a movement! Our homes should reflect who we are inside and out so that’s the goal. We’re here to help you customize your home to your liking with no exceptions. Our Gentle Reminder Collection, I must say, is my favorite. The world can get pretty chaotic as we’ve seen here lately so sometimes gentle reminders are necessary. Here is where you can purchase our apparel and/or pillows to match and keep those vibes high and the negativity at bay.

I’m most proud of never giving up. Entrepreneurship is no small feat. It takes a lot of energy, time and trial and error to have gotten this far. I’ve been fortunate enough to create for and gift Tiffany Haddish & Tabitha Brown both with custom pillows and have created for Shaunie O’Neal and her family as well. Had I given up I would have never been able to share my gift with them.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Ok, so let’s start here. I’m an Introvert who happens to be an entrepreneur. The biggest hurdle ever has been to put myself out there! I hid behind the sewing machine for years not wanting to be seen or heard because I felt that the work had the potential to speak for itself. While that did work, it only worked to a degree. Videos and reels are super important to small businesses in this day of social media, so I had to learn to get out of my own way. I had to learn to believe in me, my voice and what I had to offer. I now understand it’s a package deal and I can’t separate my craft from who I am. I’ve tried my hand at a few reels and videos and the ones that have done the best is when I am speaking and honoring my truth as an entrepreneur. It’s the weirdest thing. The one thing I was so afraid of was the exact thing I needed to build confidence in myself!

One thing about entrepreneurship is that you, at some point, will have no choice but to get out of your comfort zone if you want to reach the next level. So just in case you’re in Introvert like me and always wondered if you can be a business owner you absolutely can! Fear is your compass guiding you north, moving you closer to your truth. Do it with the fear and all! I promise you won’t regret it and will be so much stronger on the other side of it.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

At the time when I began growing my presence on social media paid advertisements were just becoming a thing. I think there was lots of trial and error as far as ads were concerned back then so I stayed away with the thought process that I’d revisit once things had been ironed out and working like a well-oiled machine. My growth began organically through word of mouth or through my sharing on social media outlets. I joined different groups on Facebook and Pinterest and starting using any and all free resources I could find at the time to market with really no budget. I’ve hosted giveaways also. Even today going the organic route works better for me. As of now NGC Pillows & More has a presence on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Alignable, and Google.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ngcpillows.storenvy.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ngcpillowsnmore/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nerdgirlchic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-rQmDO0miiqDaDPK3ZqObA