We recently connected with Nilufer Saltuk and have shared our conversation below.

Nilufer, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

> My parents are incredible and I’m truly fortunate. In fact, friends tell me how they want to spend more time with them or want to be like them. They have a kind, gentle, and powerful way about them. And… they’re “them”, not one or the other, but both. They have taught me so much – and much of it they may not even have meant to. From strength in the face of adversity or uncertainty to the sheer power of hospitality and consideration. They are great role models for any person.
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> Here are some stories that illustrate their strengths as a couple.
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> We moved from Istanbul, Turkey when I was almost four and my sisters (twins) were newborns. With 20 suitcases, one set of grandparents and an uncle to help, we arrived in Rhode Island. All the adults spoke near-perfect English, and some were fluent in French as well; communication wasn’t a barrier. Regardless, getting settled in a new place, in a new home that only my father and uncle had seen was likely very stressful for my Mom. Despite that, I remember my parents guiding us to put one foot in front of the other – learning English (Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood was the best teacher) and making friends (who thought we were “weird” for eating strange food). We grew up in a small Rhode Island town, one of the only non-American, bilingual families and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
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> Many years later, after college, I had an opportunity to move to Colorado with my boyfriend. Despite not being truly happy, I packed everything up and moved, telling my parents I’d be back in a year. Six months later, he proposed, and we were engaged. Wedding planning was slow going. I dragged my feet, wouldn’t make decisions, and generally didn’t enjoy it. Eventually, dates were booked and contracts were signed. One day, I was watching a touching moment in Sleepless in Seattle with tears in my eyes and my fiancé walked in. “Why are you crying??” he asked, annoyed. “Because… <<sigh>> this is what I want.” I pointed at the TV. He snapped, “Well, that doesn’t exist.” That was the moment I knew I was out. Done.
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> Just six weeks before the wedding, I called my parents to tell them I was cancelling. They were at home, each on a cordless phone on the same line. I knew they were hesitant about my impending nuptials. They didn’t come out and say anything to me, but a daughter can tell. Anyway, in the moment that I thought they’d be relieved or cheering or helping me plan the retraction announcements, they were quietly supporting the potential marriage. Statements like, “Don’t worry. Let’s just postpone and you can take a little time.” and “There’s no rush. No need to cancel either.” These are the moments where I later learned that they were looking at each other for strength in supporting me – despite their true feelings about the situation. They held their gaze as a way of saying to each other, “Just keep supporting her decision whatever it is.” I’d never felt more heard, supported, or confident in a decision (especially such a significant one) in my life to that point. It’s truly a gift they gave me… to know that I made that decision of my free will, without anyone’s sway. To support someone in such an unconditional way is the truest form of love.
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> As retail entrepreneurs, my parents also taught me the value of hospitality and service. They built the kind of store where they remembered your name as well as your, family members’ names. My parents taught me that you take care of others as much as possible and through that, you build a community.
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> I am so grateful.

Nilufer, 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?

As a former wedding planner, I knew that weather could really impact events. From that experience, I was inspired to start Weather or Not to help people celebrate comfortably because … Mother Nature can be a big, cranky party crasher.

In my homeland of Turkey, hospitality is a deep part of the culture. As such, people offer shawls and fleece blankets at social events and restaurants. I brought this idea to the U.S. and expanded the idea to rent out all weather accessories, including umbrellas, a variety of other blankets, and items for purchase. Weather or Not has events covered rain, shine, or snow.

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

As one of my first decisions with Weather or Not, I joined the International Live Events Association (ILEA) Denver chapter. A friend was on the Board of Directors and highly encouraged me to participate – and quickly to take a Board position.

During my tenure on the Board, I traveled to leadership conferences and met a variety of members from around the world. The great part about ILEA is the depth of connection with the individuals. It’s not about your company, but more about you as a person. In fact, our name tags didn’t even say our company names., I was me, “Nil, Denver chapter.”

After attending my first conference, I decided to sponsor the next one. I signed up to provide whatever they needed from our inventory and waited for a reply. One day, the phone rang and a kind, energetic voice emerged. “Hello! This is Lenny Talarico from <<muffled>>. I’m calling from ILEA as I’m designing one of the events for the conference. I was hoping to speak about your sponsorship and figure out how we can work together.”

“Oh! Great. My name is Nil, with the Denver chapter. It’s nice to meet you! I’m sorry, but the phone cut out when you mentioned where you were calling from.”

“Sorry about that. I’m with ILEA Las Vegas and I work with MGM Resorts Events.”

I thought to myself, “What?? I heard MGM, right?” I took a breath and said, “Oh that’s great! How can I help with the event?”

We worked together to design some fun things at that conference. At the event, I found him and cheerfully introduced myself in person. What a great person I’d met!

During one of the sessions, I was sitting near him when he introduced me to the leader of his team at MGM Resorts Events… King Dahl. I was surrounded by incredible talent. The events these people designed were off-the-charts. It was really inspiring.

A couple of years later, we (the ILEA Denver Board), invited King to speak to our chapter about inspiration and design. That afternoon, I invited him to lunch.

We had a really great time. I learned all about his children and heard some great stories about his experience in events. We laughed a ton and I was so happy we had one-on-one time. I told him I appreciated his tenure in business and asked if I could get his opinion on something. “Absolutely!” he said, smiling.

“Do you think I should start warehousing my own inventory?”

He sat for a moment and said, “Is there something with the way you’re doing things now?”

Ha! I had never thought about it that way. I was assuming that to be successful, I’d have to do everything within the business. That outsourcing was the wrong path. But King explained his thinking after I said, “No. Not at all, actually.”

“Why would you mess with something that’s working? Do you pay a lot for the fulfillment? Do they make costly errors?”

“Not at all. They’re superbly focused on quality. They set a higher standard than I do. They’re extremely attentive. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

He explained that I should focus my energy elsewhere. Outsourcing my warehousing and fulfillment seemed to be working. He went on to say that I should assess the business’ true pain points and find areas of improvement.

At the end of the conversation, he looked at me and said, “I should get you in front of our sales team!” I couldn’t believe the opportunity.

A few weeks later, our Director of Sales, Lori, and I flew out to Vegas. We had a blast getting to know the team and sharing about Weather or Not. Just as we were wrapping up, we pulled our suitcases over. “You probably think we brought these because we’re heading straight to the airport, but… nope!” We quickly unzipped the bags and pulling items out, started shouting their names. “Jeremy! You get a blanket!” handing them each a gift. “Natalie, you get a shawl!” We treated them Oprah-style with personalized gifts, embroidered with their initials.

Wide-eyed and laughing, they started showing each other their gifts. It was the best way to share our products with them. Plus, it was fun!

The next time I spoke with the MGM crew, they placed an order for personalized MGM shawls to offer the guests at the baccarat tables. What a great way to kick off the account!

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Our resourcefulness and focus on service. We love helping people find what they’re looking for – even if it’s not a product that is in our usual line. If we can’t provide it, we’ll do our absolute best to find it and connect them with a company who can help.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://weatherornotaccessories.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weatherornotaccessories/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WeatherOrNotAccessories
• Youtube: http://youtube.com/c/WeatherorNotAccessories
• Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/wonaccessories/

Image Credits
Nicole Nichols Photography Ali Brennan Photography Julie Kemerling Nilufer Saltuk Nilufer Saltuk Nicole Nichols Photography