Chasing My Dreams

As I was preparing to attend my daughter's graduation last weekend, I was filled with so many emotions. I mean let's face it.......your child will only graduate from high school once. I was excited, elated, nervous and maybe a little sad. My daughter, along with so many other graduates was about to embark on a major journey........a journey into the unknown and that made me nervous. 

I looked at old baby pictures and reminisced about days gone by when she relied on and needed me for so much........and that made me quite reflective .....because my role for her was changing and morphing into something more mature and refined.

I challenged myself to see all of the good and wonderful things that lay ahead for my baby girl.......the fact that she has dreams and a vision for her future made me excited. She was actually looking forward to this "unknown and uncharted" territory that she was about to travel. I wanted her to live each day to the fullest.

I was elated that despite the many obstacles that lay upon her path, she consistently triumphed over those very things that were meant to hold her back. She was becoming a woman and I was proud of the adult that she had become.......she would be graduating as a member of the National Honors Society and attending college in the fall.

I thought about all of the sacrifices that I had made in order to provide my children a better life and that reflection brought about an astounding revelation......she would have to make her own journey.......a journey with sacrifices and mistakes.......a journey with crazy twists and turns, but always, hopefully leading her along the path of joy and happiness.......the path of her dreams and visions that would eventually come true. I wanted to encourage her to not just dream; but to chase her dreams down......you know, make them happen.

As I looked in the mirror, I saw the younger version of myself and I wanted to tell her so many things to do differently but instead I smiled and accepted that all of my past moments, both good and bad have prepared me for the woman that I am today. A woman who is living an amazing life and making my dreams come true. I was no longer scared or nervous for my daughter.......only excited, elated and now overjoyed at this most amazing person she has become, who will do some pretty spectacular things.

Today, as I prepared for my television debut on QVC, I couldn't help but think of my daughter.....a young lady who has inspired me in more ways than she may ever know......a woman who is already walking in her destiny, working towards her dreams. I wanted her to be proud of me knowing that today, I chased down a dream.......and tomorrow.....I'll chase down another one.

Nikki's Magic Wand is available at www.nikkismagicwand.comwww.nikkismagicwand.com, www.amazon.com, and at www.qvc.com

What QVC has taught me. . . . .so far.

I recently visited QVC to get some on air training for Nikki's Magic Wand's upcoming television debut. I was able to see firsthand what goes on behind the scenes when preparing a brand for their on camera presence. While I was there I learned some invaluable tools that will continue to help me as an entrepreneur and business owner and I wanted to share them with you.

 Here's my "Top 10 Tools Every Business Person Should Have and Use":

1.  Smile Big and Bright

2.  Dress the Part

3.  Prepare, Prepare and Prepare

4.  Have your Elevator Pitch......It Must Be Tight

5.  Don't Talk Over the Other Person

6.  Make Eye Contact

7.  Be Gracious at All Times

8.  Focus On Three Selling Points

9.  Network and Make Connections

10. Never, Ever, Ever Give Up

Smile Big and Bright: People should be able to see your excitement and enthusiasm. Show them that you're glad to be there.

Dress the Part: Wear professional yet comfortable attire. When people are meeting you for the first time or the twelfth time, make sure that your clothes represent your brand. 

Prepare, Prepare and Prepare: Being ready is an understatement. You may not get a second chance at an opportunity, so make sure you're ready to seize that moment by being prepared and ready to deliver your elevator pitch and information about your product, brand or service.

Have Your Elevator Pitch Ready: Your elevator pitch is seriously one of the single most important items to have ready at any given moment. An elevator pitch is a brief, prepared statement that defines a product, service or outlines the value of an organization or an individual in as little as 15 seconds. The length of a typical elevator ride. 

Don't Talk Over the Other Person: Being able to listen and respond is all about timing. When you're in an environment where you share the spotlight, listening to the other person and maintaining good eye contact is key to the success of your timely follow up and hopefully a good conversation.

Make Eye Contact: Having good eye contact is good because it shows the person that you're speaking with that you're engaged and committed to the conversation. 

Be Gracious at All Times: To be gracious, is to be courteous, kind and pleasant. This one act will carry you very far when networking and meeting other business professionals.

Focus on Three Selling Points: When you have three selling points it makes it easier for the consumer to identify and apply those solutions/ key points to their lives and thus turning into a sale.

Network and Make Connections: In just about every place or situation you will meet new people and new people equal new contacts and that means new connections. Always carry updated business cards and remember to smile and know your elevator pitch.

 

Never.....Ever......Ever Give Up: Regardless of where you are in your journey and the odds that you seem to face, remember to keep moving forward and never......ever.....ever give up. You may be closer to the finish line than you think.

We'll keep you posted on our official QVC air date!

Be Fearless!

A dear friend stumbled across a popular magazine's search for "real women".  They were looking for women to feature in their ageless beauty campaign. She knew that I would want....that I would need to enter my grandmother.

When I think of this lady....so many things come to mind. She's passionate, caring, resilient, smart, loving, graceful, beautiful and fearless. She is all about her family. All of the qualities that I would hope any woman would want to possess. She is not only an ageless beauty but she's timeless as well.

When I decided to enter her in this contest, I was both excited and nervous. I mean this  is kinda like a contest......you know, where there is a "winner", to some degree. I didn't like the thought of my granny being judged......especially by people who didn't know her, people that couldn't possibly see that her outer beauty was only a mere fragment of the beauty that was on the inside. I knew that this was nothing but a smidgen of fear talking, but it had me at "hello". I quickly dismissed the fear, replaced it with "hope" and "excitement" and proceeded with the application. I think I was slightly giddy when I hit the "send" button......I had just entered granny.....no turning back now.

A couple of days later, we got a response.....granny would be going to New York. She was officially an "Ageless Beauty". We've known this all along but now the world would see this rare beauty for themselves.

I was already planning her modeling career.....I would become her manager and we'd travel the world.

Now, let's get back to reality......when I saw the article, I was beaming from ear to ear, like a proud parent. I had done something so simple that yielded such major results. I thought about how so many of us, when given the opportunity to do something that's out of our comfort zone or something that may seem unobtainable, we don't take that chance......we won't hit the "send" button. We stay paralyzed in fear.......fear of rejection or fear of failure.

But what if we were to change our mindset.....if only for a few minutes, a few hours or even for a few days.....imagine all of the possibilities.

You're never too old to start living your dream, to try something new......be adventurous.....be fearless. Start living your life like its golden!

Nikki

Ageless Beauty "Mildred Chestnut" is featured in the May 2015 edition of Essence Magazine.

It's Magic....

Hey, it's been too long since we chatted and boy do I have some stuff to share! So, the biz partner and I felt that 2014 moved at too slow a pace for our comfort level and vowed that 2015 would be different. We kicked off the year setting goals and feeling quite fired up. It's amazing when you set your mind to something, you really can make your actions follow suit.

So, one day in the Magic office, I was sitting and "thinking of a master plan" (shout out to Eric B. and Rakim!) and it occurred to me that we should finally do something we talked about doing before the Wand was even a "thing." See, we needed a boost, a change to make 2015 truly different from years passed. So, I called the biz partner and said, "It's time." "Time for what, Nikki?"she asked. "It's time to launch this lipgloss line!" Since we hadn't talked about it in awhile, she was taken aback for a moment but then, as is always the case with us, she quickly started strategizing with me and we set about making it happen. After discovering just the right make-up, labels and packaging, all that was left to do was unveil the new addition to the Nikki's Magic Wand family. Weeks before the big reveal, I started to do teaser posts to get potential consumers' interest peaked. I was SO proud of myself during this time because I have mentioned time and time again how marketing is quite foreign to me but this plan to build excitement felt instinctual and that felt good. Like I had finally become a real, live biz chick! :)

Well, as we all know, timing is everything and I just happened to be an invited guest on the Vitamin C podcast the SAME DAY that the make-up arrived on my doorstep, as well as finishing up adding the new offerings to the website. I was READY to tell the listening audience the big news. I am thrilled to share that it was well received and orders began to pour in that night.

We chose to add liquid eyeshadows to the line because you can use your Wand with them and the colors are stunning! The glosses contain the ever popular Argan oil and antioxidants too. The gloss is smooth and lush and the eye shadow lasts for 8 hours with no fading or creasing.

Here are a few comments:

"I want to let you know that the lip gloss is amazing! The color is perfect. It is smooth and moisturizing. Simply Perfect!"

"My new 'Firebrick' Luxury Lip gloss from Nikki's Magic Wand's new makeup line arrived today!!! It glides on smooth and my lips feel super soft, NOT sticky, like some other brands. The color is true to shade as shown on the website."

You know I am LOVING that they are LOVING their new gloss. It makes me extra happy because love of lipgloss is what started this entire company so to have our own makes me giddy.

Well, this has gotten long so I'll run.

As always, thanks for reading and go to www.nikkismagicwand.com to check out our new stuff!

Nikki

The Next Big Thing...

In the sage words of the ever wise Ms. Janet Jackson, many wonder, "What have you done for me lately?"

Years ago, when the whole Nikki's Magic Wand thing was just getting started, our business advisors asked, I believe before we even launched, "What do you have planned next? What will you create/release/sell after you launch Nikki's Magic Wand?" I was a bit taken aback, like, "Hold up. Let me figure out how to get this off the ground first." Well, now I know that they were right to ask. Yes, there have been some successful "one trick ponies" but it seems the real winners are the ones who are bringing more to the table.

If I'm totally honest, I didn't know that I'd have time to bring anything else to the table because really, most days I feel like I just want to put my head down ON the table, not add more stuff to it. BUT, I was missing something major in this process! The excitement attached to giving the world something they haven't had before. Now THAT will lift that head off the table QUICK and inject you with an energy that you thought was gone.

We are gearing up for the BIG REVEAL very soon. Gotta cross those t's and dot those i's but we're VERY close.

I am SO excited (and jazzed, I might add) to share our new "baby". I've been testing it and showing it off and I promise you, you're going to LOVE IT!

A few folks know my little secret so to those folks, mums the word!

Stay tuned for the fabulosity!

As always, thanks for reading!
Nikki

From Nikki to Nikki's Magic Wand....

Back to Basis for this post...

Like most, I'd started to hear about blogging a few years ago. Having always been an avid journaler, it seemed like a fit for me. More importantly, I had started to get questions about starting a business and inventing a product. I was really just learning myself but I figured it might be helpful to share real time experiences. Why should people have to make their own mistakes if I could help prevent that? So, on 10/22/2012, exactly two months before launching Nikki's Magic Wand, I wrote my first  post. It was fun and it was exhilarating. Even now, more than two years later, it's still fun, even when I have a mean case of writer's block.

The experts tell you to change it up, stop talking about yourself so much in your blog but my most "successful" post was also my most personal. So, experts, schexperts. I'm just going to be me. And being me is to do my best to be helpful, to share what I have or know.

In that vein, I want to share some things I've learned since launching the biz on 12/22/2012.

1. You'll need money and lots of it. Start saving. Income tax refund time is around the corner. Do you dream of those new boots or do you dream of building a legacy? To hell with the boots.

2. Ask for help. It's crazy how eager people are to help you, but if you don't ask, you'll never know. Now, let me clear. I'm talking about knowledge. Don't go asking for money because you're going to run folks off. Don't be THAT person.

3. You're going to make a few (hopefully not a lot)  bad choices in the business. You'll spend money on something dumb and there will be absolutely ZERO return on investment. But guess what? You HAVE to do this (on a small level). Otherwise, how will you really know what works?

4. Be legit, get a biz attorney and establish a real business, like tax id real. And don't forget to do your taxes. Orange is ok, but I have no interest in wearing it every day, all day.

5. Pay people for what they do. Stop being so damn cheap. You know you aren't any kind of webmaster, nor do you work at VistaPrint and those flimsy business cards you have been giving out prove it. If you want people to trust you and your product or service, you can't look like you are doing this out of your garage, even if you are. On this same topic, PLEASE run the spellcheck.

6. For heavens sake get a real e-mail address.

7. Get a person to bounce things off of and not your mom. She thinks everything you do is smart and cute. Find someone who will tell you the truth.

8. Shout out other businesses every chance you get. It's just the right thing to do and there's enough money out here for everyone.

9. Get a massage and eat a cupcake (or whatever is your thing). If all you do is work, you'll quickly turn into a stressed out meanie that absolutely no one wants to be around. Chill.

10. Finally (and trust me there are a million more but you might stop reading) GIVE BACK! You can certainly share some of that profit. Yes, you are in business to make money but you can't lose your soul in the process. The joy that comes from giving back makes you want to sell harder, just so there's more money for you and for them.

I'll revisit this list theme in the future but these are the main things I wanted to share.

Have a GREAT week and make some moves!

As always, thanks for reading!
Nikki

Benson and Stabler are not going to sell any Wands so I'd better get out of bed...

Have you ever found yourself in what could be called a slump? You just feel completely unmotivated and nothing is more attractive than your covers, the remote and the ever satisfying Law and Order SVU marathon. While vegetating you KNOW you should be doing something... making contacts, blogging, posting something on Twitter, but no, "Olivia" and "Elliot" are going to find out who kidnapped that girl and you have to know who did it! Oh, that's just me? Ok.

Just in case it's not just me, I have a few tips for ya that I use to drag my booty out of the bed and  downstairs into the Magic office so that I can be further along in my life and business. After all, "Stabler" and "Benson" are not going to sell any Wands for me--although that would be BEYOND awesome if they did. Yes, I'm a little obsessed with the show. Don't judge me.

Anyhoo, on to the tips.

1. Make a tried and true "to-do" list. Put some super easy stuff on there, along with the hard tasks. Crossing off the super easy stuff will make you feel like you're getting things done and it will give you a bit of a boost. Quick funny: I actually put "Consider exercising" on my to-do list. LOL!

2. Print out a calendar and enter something for every day of the month that you're going to do something for the business. And then... DO IT.

3. Get yourself an accountability partner. Each Thursday night, I chat with some biz friends over the phone for about an hour about what I've done since we last met and what I plan to do until we meet again. Boy, knowing I have to have something to report makes me hustle.

4. Sometimes we're immobile because it feels like we have too much to get done. Break it into small chunks and tackle a little at a time. You know that whole Rome wasn't built in a day, blah blah. And one of my faves from Corporate America, don't try to "boil the ocean." That one cracks me up every time.

5. Lastly and this may seem counterproductive to what I was just telling you but give yourself a break too. Don't fly so fast that you burn yourself out. Heavens knows NO ONE likes a massage and a cup of peppermint tea more than I do and I'm gonna have them but I have decided that I must first EARN them.

We ALL want to be further along than we were this time last year so we have to get up, get out and get something!  There's money to be made and dreams and goals to reach! Let's GO!

As always, thanks for reading!
Nikki