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

Nicole, appreciate you joining us today. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later

I do with I had started sooner, but I’m not sure I would have stuck with the process. I have been thinking about blogging since 2011. I just didn’t know where and how to start. I had just discovered Pinterest and loved it! I feel in love with the creativity of the platform and realized these ideas ideas and pictures were linked to blogs. I was in the thick of parenting and was completely overwhelmed so I decided to be a passenger and not a creator. It wasn’t until Instagram took off that my interest really piqued. But again, I wasn’t the type to have a perfectly curated life photographed. I’m enjoying the authenticity and creativity Instagram is now as a marketing tool. As my blog grows, so will my Pinterest audience. But for now, I am going to focus on one platform and slowly build the other as I learn. This is the perfect season for my business. My mindset is different and my focus has shifted. My family needs are different and my time can be focused on my passion.

Nicole, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

When I was 19, I started freelancing for Bobbi brown cosmetics, I worked freelance for about three months before I Left Bobbi Brown and worked for M.A.C Cosmetics. I was with M.A.C Cosmetics for several years, then decided to go back to Bobbi Brown. During that time, I Also worked in a salon as a make-up artist for bridal parties. I continued working in cosmetics throughout my undergraduate and graduate studies.

My first job was in advertising as a Print buyer, but I felt completely unfulfilled and went back to school to get a post-bachelor degree in Speech-Language Pathology; continuing to get my Master’s. Once I finished graduate school, I worked in hospitals and rehab centers specializing in neurological rehab, mainly for Traumatic brain injuries and stroke patients. I loved my work, however, my husband and I decided to put the needs of our growing family first. My husband, Jerry, is a surgeon and when we first married he was graduating from residency in Detroit (home). I had a lot of time to put my focus on my new career path. Just two short years later, I was pregnant with our first (of three boys) and we were headed to Chicago for his fellowship. I didn’t have an Illinois license and was too nervous to leave our first. Plus, we were only planning on being in Chicago for a year or so. Upon completion of his fellowship, we decided to move back to Michigan. I quickly became pregnant with our second and our firstborn was just turning one. I decided to go back to work PRN when my youngest of two. I continued working through my third pregnancy on and off. Fast forward five years, we decided to move to Colorado in August of 2019. I decided to hold off on working to get our boys settled into a new routine and finish with major house renovations. I decided to start the process of getting a CO license and then, boom, Covid hit. Like the entire world, kids were home from school and we didn’t know much about the virus. We decided it was best that I not return to work at that time. We felt we didn’t need to have both of us putting ourselves at risk in a hospital setting; possibly bringing the virus home. Additionally, kids were having to be homeschooled. During those few months, I started cooking a lot more, as we all did. I am very passionate about cooking, wellness, and entertaining along with a passion for make-up and fashion.
With my interests and love for teaching, I decided to start a life and style blog in August of 2020. I began researching and writing and have fallen in love with the process and connections I’ve made since. I feel this gives me creative outlet I crave and in the process build a community of like minded individuals, while helping inspire others.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Olive Grove has significantly impacted my mindset and growth as an entrepreneur. The first step I took in learning, growing and investing in myself was by joining a monthly membership with OLIVE GROVE. Co-founders Olivia Miller and Alexa Donner created this membership to help female business owners understand and utilize email marketing. What I discovered was so much more! This community of female entrepreneurs brought so much value and helped build my confidence. I have learned so much about business and myself and would recommend this membership to any female looking to scale her business, especially email marketing.

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

I started building my audience by niching my marketing strategies. Finding the social platform where my audience is helped too. Showing up and being present in Instagram stories so my audience can get to know, like, and trust me while branding myself was key to my growth. Also, Instagram Reels helped me grow. It has been a slow process, but worth the connections and community I’m building. My advice for an individual just starting out is to just show up. Don’t let perfection stop you, just start. Short form video is going to be your best tool for growth.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.touchofstass.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/touch_of_stass/

Image Credits
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