We recently connected with Nicole Spencer and have shared our conversation below.
Nicole , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s something crazy on unexpected that’s happened to you or your business
On a Purse and a Prayer
I took a shower, put something comfy on and went downstairs to my home office to start the
process of bringing one of every style handbag that had come in the most recent arrivals. To this day, I really can’t say what made me do this. After about three trips downstairs, I placed them all on the bed and sat with my legs crossed in the center of what looked like a game of duck-duck-goose, and I was “It”.
You see it occurred to me that FAITH is a currency in the universe in which we live. It just seems we have to learn to use it in exchange for the fulfillment of our dreams and aspirations.
These were a colorful bunch of ideas I decided to play with in my head and now each individual
manifestation sat around me in a circle as if waiting to be picked first. There were pink bags, black and turquoise bags, gold, brown, sky- blue, red and white bags. This was not a party for the conservative. One by one I pulled each bag out of its poly-wrap, and then its cotton slip taking a deep breath pulling in a good whiff of that “new purse smell.”
I unzipped every zipper and stuck my hand down into each and every pocket, using my sense of sight, smell and touch like I was an explorer who found land never discovered before. I finished each ceremonious unveiling by running my hands over the outside of each bag feeling every lump, bump and smooth surface of its design. As I proceeded in this ritual, I was overcome with gratitude and began to proclaim “Thank God thoughts become things. Thank God for my visions becoming reality.”
I won’t bore you with the story of what it took to get this far along my journey in the first place. I’ll just sum all the drama up by saying there were a ton of recitations of . . . mountain be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea . . . along the way. As I was having my purse party in the middle of the bed, there was an elephant in the room. I was just taking a moment out to ignore it. I had designed a travel collection specifically to interest airport concessionaires. The problem was, our start-up company didn’t have the cash flow to pay the manufacturer to make the new bags.
After carefully placing each bag back into its packaging, I went to bed that night feeling at peace. At about 4:00 in the morning, my phone buzzed with a notification. Normally this doesn’t wake me, but this time it did. I opened one eye, not bothering to grab my reading glasses. I squinted to see who the message was from, and it was an email from my sales rep at the manufacturing facility. The email read “We re-packed your bags, placing the small ones inside the larger ones, reducing your shipping costs by almost $500.”
WAIT! What do you mean you re-packed them and it reduced the shipping costs by $500? That meant the bags were already made and we hadn’t paid a dime. The manufacturer had never produced our bags without receiving payment. We could now afford the new bags! We made the payment on a Friday afternoon and had our bags by the next Tuesday. JUST IN TIME for two major trade shows to display our new travel collection.
I have been flying On a Purse and a Prayer ever since!
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 absolutely LOVE bags and art! I think the opportunity to carry art around with you daily is a privilege. I am pretty certain I got my love of nice bags from my mother. The function that bags provide should be a given, and I pride myself on focusing on practical use, the bonus is the art which is the gift that keeps on giving. I like to make bags that provide beauty and convenience for my customers.
Jomazan produces limited edition handbags imagined and designed by women creatives and custom products for those who want to make a one-of-a-kind handbag or historical keepsake. Products include handbags, luggage, wallets, backpacks, purses, laptop bags, messenger bags, totes, and crossbody bags. The company is unique in two distinct ways. One is incorporating the original art of local artists, when a customer falls in love with a particular art design, they’ve got to have it! The other notable point to make about the company is the ability to provide hands-on, personable service to our customers who want to create a unique piece, but don’t feel comfortable using sites that require some technical expertise. They can call us and get an appointment with a personal designer they can talk to, text, or email based on their preferences. This is a huge benefit to a significant portion of our customer base. Our customers are predominantly professional women and business owners who like to add a touch of eclectic flare to their wardrobe, or make bold fashion statements.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
The word “pivot” has been heavily used over the past few years because of the pandemic. My biggest pivot was my mindset as a business owner. It was a turnaround in thinking that took about three years to gain full clarity. You almost have to learn how to block out everything you ever heard about money and working hard and come to the realization that if you are in it for the money, you will meet your demise as a business sooner or later. The only way to have the stamina for the long hall is to have a driving desire that energizes you. You need to love what you do and have a reason for doing it that is well beyond serving yourself.
Let me explain. When I attended vendor shows thinking “I have to make money today”, looking back at it, I am pretty sure I was repelling people with my desperation. No matter how much I smiled or how nice my product was, I was getting the opposite of what I wanted. I learned that when you make a clear delineation between your personal business and your company, and you don’t enter any situation to “sell” something to somebody/anybody, you simply present to the world something beautiful that was birthed from your creative genius. Those seeking what you have will find you because you have created yourself and your brand as a magnet with your confidence and joy of what you do!
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
This is a great question! People don’t always like to admit that what they have learned is actually the opposite of how things actually work. Who hasn’t been told that you have to work hard to get what you want. Well, when that didn’t work for me, I was confused. I once chose a product to sell because it was hot, everyone was buying one and people seemed to be working feverishly on social media making millions selling it. So I put all of my energy and resources into it. Sometimes, you find out the real answers are right under your nose the whole time, you just shrug them off. Have you ever wondered about popular sayings? For example, “Don’t work harder, work smarter.” Maybe you have heard the scripture that says “The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong . . . but time and chance happen to them all”. Certainly you’ve heard the proverbial phrase “Patience is a virtue”. This all sounds quite cliche, but I can tell you from my experience, embracing these age-old lessons that our ancestors left behind has made a huge positive impact on my life and my business. I thought that working really hard was the key to success. This was difficult to unlearn because it’s all anyone had to say on the subject. The hare was “smart” enough to know he could beat the tortoise in a race, but he lost!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jomazan.com
- Instagram: @jo_ma_zan
- Facebook: @Jomazan
Image Credits
The Unspoken Network