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

NHO , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

NHO Campaign; NHO meaning “Nothing Happens Overnight” has been my long stated mantra that’s always kept me going since I began my journey as an artist. I had created a number of names and tried to start my brand up plenty of times, which amounted to small successes and a learning experience overall. I was hanging out with my big brother J Lee one day and we were discussing our life goals and our journey. Things like how far we came and feeling proud of that, but knowing we still have a ways to go and room to grow. Then I told him, “Nothing Happens Overnight” and he said “you’re a genius, that’s it”. I rolled with it ever since then. Plus, I look up to my big brothers so I respect their opinion and advice greatly.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I love being a rapper, but I know I love philanthropy just as much and that’s my biggest reason for what I do. I want to make people feel good through my music, but I also want to sew into lives with my organization “NHO Campaign”. I want to open studios for underserved communities and buy back properties to turn them into safe havens. I also love supporting education. Book clubs, donating school supplies, and supporting teachers are a few things we use a percentage of our clothing brand’s income for. So when you support our brand by buying clothing, stickers, and hats; just know you’re supporting the education of our youth and the strengthening of community. “Each one teach one” is another one of our brand’s mantras and we strive to show it through actions daily.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

It takes money to make money. We all know that phrase. I was very hesitant to take out loans. I’ve never liked to owe anyone or ask for help. Which can be a gift and a curse, but for me it’s been a gift. I worked hard and invested anytime I could. I was never ashamed about having a job, multiple jobs, side hustles, and so on. I didn’t mind taking risks either so I invested in stocks and crypto anytime I had a little money to spare. I knew that if I wanted to fund my creativity and passion then I would need to get active. I would use any free time outside of work to hit the studio, work on designs, and attend events. I threw my own events as well and those were funded by “NHO Campaign” essentially. Studio time and music videos come directly out of my pocket. Money I make from owning my music goes back into more music, but bigger and better each time. Same for the brand. I’ve only used the money made from the business to reinvest into our mission and build capital. I put money made from my 9-5 into my art and my business. Though it meant missing out at times, I’d do it all over again. Like I said, it takes money to make money.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

It’s a daily effort trying to grow presence, but with the access we have to technology now it’s much easier than before. Being consistent in real life and on social media are both huge. I believe that it’s easy to get caught up into the social media experience and neglect the real world in a sense, so staying active and networking in real life gives you a curve these days. As a music artist and business owner, I try to attend and be apart of multiple live events monthly. Even showing face and being in the mix is beneficial. Don’t forget to socialize when the situation calls for it. I am quite reserved, but I recognized long ago that if I don’t put myself and my brand out there then it’ll be like a secret amongst friends and no one will know about it.

Contact Info:

• Website: nhocamp.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/nhonelly?igshid=MjkzY2Y1YTY=
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamnhonelly?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@nhonelly2907

Image Credits
Chill Darryl Productions DrvpeJay WilliamX