How to Leave Your Day Job, Build Your Brand & Start Your Own Thing with Nicole Gibbons, Founder of Clare

In this week's episode we're re-airing one of our top episodes
with Nicole Gibbons, the founder of Clare, the only Black-owned
paint brand in the US, and is a favorite of Jessica Alba, Maria
Sharapova, and Nate Berkus to name a few. 


Before pursuing interior design, Nicole spent nearly a decade
managing PR for one of the world’s largest retail brands,
Victoria's Secret. Although she was excelling in her career,
Nicole felt uninspired and was looking for a new outlet for her
creativity. She started working on a decorating blog on the side
that ultimately gained serious traction and led her into the path
of interior design.


 


After working as a designer and establishing herself as a voice
in the industry, Nicole decided to do another career pivot and
had a yearning to build something that would be a household name.
When working with clients, she always noticed the hassle around
picking paints and saw an opportunity to disrupt the outdated
paint industry and create a direct-to-consumer business that
makes the entire process a way better experience. 


Nicole has been featured in top media outlets such as HGTV, The
Rachael Ray Show, Good Morning America, and Oprah Winfrey’s OWN.
She's also raised venture capital from the backers of Warby
Parker, Casper, Peloton, and more.


We talk to Nicole today about the power of patience when it comes
to building your business, how to think about your finance before
you take the leap, how she raised money and built a tech business
with zero connections to start, and so much more!


In this episode, we'll talk to Nicole about:


* Nicole's thoughts on confidence and the nature of risk and
reward in entrepreneurship. [3:09]


* The familial links that Nicole has to entrepreneurship and her
early corporate career. [4:30]


* Nicole's side hustle journey: pursuing passion while employed.
[6:06]


* How the blog organically evolved from a passion project into a
business. [8:12]


* Patience and consistency fueled Nicole's transition to
full-time interior design. [10:01]


* Foregoing the safety of paychecks and betting on yourself.
[13:16]


* Nicole's second pivot; executing on her research and ideas.
[20:48]


* How networking has played into Nicole's strategy throughout.
[24:45]


* Entering the world of venture capital; Nicole's philosophy
towards funding. [27:13]


* Advice for approaching investors; asking questions and due
diligence. [34:57]


* Sharing the story of your brand and creating a common thread
through everything you do. [37:31)


* Nicole's key resources: community, questions, and more. [41:29]


* Nicole's thoughts on the idea of work-life balance and
welcoming different seasons. [46:18]


* Lessons from the early days of hiring for a new company.
[49:28]


This episode is brought to you by beeya: 


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Follow Yasmin:


* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/


* Website: https://www.behindherempire.com/


Follow Nicole: 


* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolegibbonsstyle


* Clare's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clarepaint


* Clare Website: https://www.clare.com/


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