The Naked Truth about Starting a Skincare Business

Welcome to the Entrepreneurial Leap Podcast, where we explore the stories of business owners who took the leap to turn their passions into a successful venture. Today, we have a special guest, Nichole Lancaster, CEO, Owner of V Line Women. She is a Natural Skincare Formulator, Licensed Esthetician, and With over 20 years in the beauty industry, Nichole has a wealth of experience and expertise to share with us. From starting as a business manager for one of the largest cosmetic companies to pursuing her Medical Esthetics License and finally, starting her own plant-based intimate skincare line, V Line Women, Nichole is a true inspiration. Join us as we delve into her journey, her challenges, and her successes. So sit back, relax, and get ready to take notes, as we learn from one of the best in the beauty industry on this episode of the Entrepreneurial Leap Podcast.

For more information on the products discussed check out these links: 
https://vlinewomen.com/products/ingrown-eliminating-oil
https://vlinewomen.com/products/clean-queen-herbal-vagina-wash

Nichole Lancaster's contact information: 
V Line Women
www.vlinewomen.com
Social: @vlinewomen
E-mail: info@vlinewomen.com

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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the co-host in this podcast are solely those of the co-host and do not necessarily reflect the official position, policy, or views of Stokes Law Group or The Entrepreneurial Leap. Any content provided by our co-host is of their opinion and is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual, or anyone or anything.

Transcript

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Nichole 0:00

we believe it takes a vagina to know a vagina. And a lot of these, you know, companies in like these big box stores I feel like are like created around by men and they just don't understand, you know, I'm, I just feel like we're kind of sick of being thrown. Whatever is thrown at us. We just need something that works and is safe for us. And it's beautiful at the same time.

Shaunette 0:29

welcome to the Entrepreneurial Leap Podcast, where we explore stories of business owners who took the leap to turn their passions into successful ventures. Today we have a special guest. It's Nichole Lancaster. She is the CEO and owner of V Line Women. She's a natural skincare formulator. She's a licensed esthetician and she has over 20 years of experience in the beauty industry. Nicole has a wealth of experience and expertise to share with us. From starting a business and managing and formulating cosmetics, she will tell us her journey from start to finish. From starting as a business manager for one of the largest cosmetic company to pursuing her own aesthetics license, she finally started her own product line. Nicole is a true inspiration. Join us as we delve into her journey, her challenges and her successes. Sit back and relax and get ready to take notes as we learn from one of the best in the industry on this episode of the Entrepreneurial Leap Podcast. welcome to the Entrepreneurial Leap podcast. Nichole Lancaster, I am so happy to have you. Can you please tell the audience just a little bit about what you do? We've already introduced you, but I want them to hear it from you. So welcome. Thank you so much. Yeah. So my name's Nicole. I have been in the beauty industry for a little over 20 years. I've done everything from cosmetics to managing spas, and now I formulate, manufacture and package all of my own intimate skincare. So right now a couple of my little ventures are, I own a spa. I own some suites and I also, like I said, manufacture intimate skincare for not only consumers, but also like business to business, so professionals who wax and intimate facials and those type of services as well. Your spa. I've had the ability to visit and it is so beautiful. The aesthetics is, they're just so calming. I, probably didn't wanna leave, you know, I was there for a while. I quite enjoyed my visit. And you are on the other side of town from me. And I will go back. I need to go back and buy more products because I have been using your products and I absolutely love them. They are in my bathroom, but I do have the bag, V Line Women, and (so sweet) I cannot wait. You're muff buff. Yes. I cannot wait to, use that. I showed my sister your products and she tried to steal them. the pineapple scrub (so funny) like, this is so amazing. You can't have it. Yeah. Walk away. we almost fought over your stuff, so just know that you have people loving your product and they don't even know who you are. Well, thank you so much. It's so funny because it's been so like taboo to talk about like intimacy, skin care for, so long. One of our slogans is vaginas not a dirty word because even with like the very beginning with doing like Facebook ads or Instagram ads, I was constantly being banned for like sexual content. The last thing I'm trying to do is like sexualize our anatomy. I'm just trying to give women skincare. That's all I'm trying to do and I don't wanna have to use some like silly word to do it. Right. You don't wanna sense yourself because the vagina is a human part and you should be able to talk about our human anatomy and Right. And that's the

Nichole 4:21

anatomically correct. We're for it. You know, like Exactly. So I love that women are now talking about it and stealing each other's vagina products.

Shaunette 4:30

Absolutely. So do you have men trying to use your products?

Nichole 4:35

I do. I absolutely do. I have men who like to use it like on their beard. I've had men use it on their face yeah. On their neck. When they've had like hyperpigmentation, they have used it in their intimate areas. I just want one thing for us. Can we just be like this beautiful feminist brand where like, yes, it's for us, like sure men, you can use it, but it's for vaginas and vulvas and however you wanna use it, but just give us something.

Shaunette 5:01

Right. We do need our own products and often you will see advertisements where people will couples are stealing one another's products. But your products are so good and I can't imagine a man wanting to take because they smell so good. Yeah. And you develop them in-house. Right?

Nichole 5:21

Yes. So it kind of started when I had my daughter back in 2016. Anyone who's had a kid kind of knows that things change. Your skin changes. Sometimes you get hyperpigmentation or like dark spots. So I went online and I was trying to find vagina skincare. And there was literally nothing that didn't have a long list of ingredients that you can't pronounce. And a little, fun facts (you don't want that) right. And your vagina. Now when I say vagina, your vagina is actually like the canal. Your vaginal canal vulvas all the external parts, but we kind of just use that word vagina freely because a lot of people don't know valva/vagina. So I kind of interchange it, but Right. So that intimate area is one of the most absorbable organs of your body. So you don't necessarily wanna put all those chemicals on it cuz it could disrupt your hormones, your ovaries, your uterus. (oh, wow) So I started DIY in my kitchen. So I just started finding ingredients that I thought would be soft enough for the skin that would work for me. I started kinda DIY there and then I was working in a spa and I would hear women who specialize in waxing speaking to their clients. Now a lot of the products that were on the market aren't safe for all skin types. So the darker skin types. That's true. Different skin types. I didn't realize that. Right, right so a lot of the products were chemical. They were like chemical exfoliants. Chemical lighteners. And a lot of women of darker skin colors can either hyper pigment, which means get like darkening skin or dark spots or they can hypo so you're gonna get white spots. Okay. And that just seemed very unfair. Right. Especially because my daughter's biracial. I would never want her to walk into a spa and not have something that's inclusive to her. That is true. Why shouldn't be, right. Why shouldn't it be, you know? Right. So I'm hearing these women who can't get the same products who had this potential, Ooh, I lost the pod and I'm, seeing this. And I'm like, okay, well I'm in my kitchen creating. Why not see if they can use it as well? Right? So I started giving samples to my friends and I was like, Hey, give these to your clients. Oh, and let them try it out. Record their before and afters and see how it works for them. And women were loving it. So I eventually went to formulation school to learn how to properly formulate so I could start to use different ingredients Wow. And make the product safe, learn how to properly preserve it. So I'd have this beautiful line that was inclusive to all women. So now all women had a choice of skincare that would make beautiful changes in their skin without any of those risks.

Shaunette 8:04

Wow. So how did you get into learning about formulation school? What made you, how did you find out about it? What made you sign up? What was the path in that journey that you took down that road?

Nichole 8:21

So this beauty is my industry. And I've always wanted to own my own skincare brands. I actually started back in the day in cosmetics and I worked for Estee Lauder and Estee Lauder story's very like inspirational. She actually started her own skincare line in her uncle's basement, and he was a chemist, so he would help her formulate products for skincare. So I've always kind of had that route of wanting to, and actually working for Estee Lauder, I learned a lot. You know, the business, I learned a lot about sales and you know, customer retention and all that type of thing. So I've really always wanted to own my own skincare line. When I was kind of doing it in my kitchen, I knew that this was something that I really wanted to scale and grow. And so I knew that I had to have space and I knew I had to do it properly. During covid I actually spoke to a lot of contract manufacturers, which was what a lot of skincare lines do, right? So contract manufacturing means you pay somebody else to create your products for you. And then they put your label on so you can talk to different labs and they can create different products for you. They have stock products where they can just put their label on and distribute. And I interviewed maybe 10 different labs. Okay. And they were either extremely expensive, so I had my own formulations and they wanted about 20,000 per formulation for them to recreate what I did at mass scale. Why didn't just fit like my values? I remember going into one, and this man was sitting across from me, and he's just, the way he spoke to me just felt so like, degrading and mansplaining, and I was like,

Shaunette 9:58

oh I, hate mansplaining.

Nichole 10:01

Oh, right. He was like, yeah, I mean, I basically created a scrub, like I combined these two, and I'm like, that's not formulating a scrub and you're a salesman. Like don't talk to me. So I couldn't find anyone that really fit. So I decided to create my own. So I knew that I, knew nothing about the industry. I had known nothing about, like actually creating my own products. So I registered, I found online a natural skincare formulating course, and they take you step by step on branding and opening your lab and, so I decided it's something that eventually I, from start to finish. Exactly. I love that. So eventually that's something that I really wanna scale into large scale so I can mass produce my own products. Cuz again, I haven't been able to find somebody who has the same values or uses the same products or ingredients that I want my customers have access to.

Shaunette 10:53

And it's important as a business owner to, to maintain the integrity of the product and even the integrity of the company. Because when you try to mass produce it, you have to make sure that those people's values are in alignment with yours. And as you said, if it's a misalignment, then it's not going to be a really productive relationship. So I love that you did not just settle for less because you were presented with the opportunity to mass produce your product. That is beautiful because most people will just settle for less and they'll just say, Hey, I just want to get my product out to as many people. But they don't realize that they're taking away from the integrity of the company and the product because sometimes it does get watered down. Oftentimes you'll see where you'll have small business owners that have grown and developed and they're now in stores, and then you have, we'll say, a Proctor and Gamble will buy them out. And it's a lot of fear from the consumers that the product will change. And it does because what we've grown to love about the product is taken away because they're trying to get it into more hands and you have to, as an entrepreneur, always go back to what, why you started this business. Because it's going to guide, it's gonna be that, flashlight that you need to guide you along the way. Which essentially keeps you in alignment to your goals and you'll reap a reward.

Nichole 12:40

A lot of the a lot of people who do like the cosmetic manufacturing a lot of them use inexpensive ingredients because it's a higher return on investment, right? So their margins are larger if they use lower quality for me as an esthetician. And as a professional, I want to give my clients, you know, the best ingredients that I can, the highest quality ingredients that I can. I want them to do something. So every one of my ingredients is intentional, which I formulate with intention. Even our preservative is an elderberry, preservative. Which was something that was very important to me as well. Initially, we didn't have any preservatives. Our clients didn't listen. They were going in with wet hands and you know so now we do.

Shaunette 13:25

Yeah, I understand. So, there's problem with that as well.

Nichole 13:29

Exactly. So we just wanna make sure that we're very intentional and whenever you start to mass produce and producing those aspects you start to lose, I feel like, a little bit of the efficacy. Now, not to say that mass production doesn't create results because we all use skincare that does but for me and my brands and my goal of what I'm trying to create it was just better for me to be able to have control. And as of right now, because we do manufacture by hand and small batches, obviously, like our raw materials are going to be a little bit more expensive than what it would if we mass produced or went to a contract manufacturing. But I feel like our quality is there. And as we grow, things change, you know, and as we grow it'll be different. But yeah I, like to keep the quality in there for my clients and for the professionals as well. There's nothing like a pro walking into a store and seeing the same products that you sell to your clients, you know?

Shaunette 14:23

Right. Right.

Nichole 14:24

It's a little disheartening whenever it becomes that big of a brand. (It is.) So I like to be able to create opportunities for professionals as well, to make money off of our brands and also sell directly to our consumers.

Shaunette 14:36

That is beautiful because you have the relationship with not just your consumers and your client base, right. But you are putting your product in the hands of other professionals, and they can extend that out to their own network. And I think that is probably by far the most brilliant thing that you could have ever done, because you have one a pro line, right. Where all of the con, the professionals can use it. Right. And in their actual salons and then the smaller versions of the products for consumers. I just love that. And I think exactly. So many more people need to have your products in hand. I I can't speak enough about how amazing I've been using them for this past week, and I just, I love them. I will continue to buy them. Yeah. So thank you so much for sharing these products with the world, because we do need more feminine care products. We truly do. And it is, it shouldn't be taboo to talk about. Right? And women shouldn't be ashamed to talk about self-care and hygiene. (right) Because hygiene, when you're hygienic, you can present in the world you in a better way because you're more confident (right) you smell fresh, you can fresh, and you have that confidence to step into any room and know that: Hey, I am here and I am showing up as me and I, like, right? So thank you for sharing that. Right. And everything that we create gets tested on our vaginas first. So if there's good, there's ever some sort of like issue or, you know, we have a little essential oils that this line in a different way. I mean, I create a lot of base formulations first, and then we play with our essential oils to work synergistically with it. So all of us take home products first and triumph on ourselves before they even go out to our clients. Like

Nichole 16:40

we believe it takes a vagina to know a vagina. And a lot of these, you know, companies in like these big box stores I feel like are like created around by men and they just don't understand, you know, I'm, I just feel like we're kind of sick of being thrown. Whatever is thrown at us. We just need something that works and is safe for us. And it's beautiful at the same time.

Shaunette 17:02

Yes. And we need to be the pioneers of our own industries, right? Right. How can we have men speaking on behalf of our vaginas? I can't. That doesn't even make sense. You don't even, know, what it feels like to have one, sir. Right. You can even name the parts. Right. Exactly. So, right, right. I, just don't understand, but I, just love that you are breaking barriers in your industry. Yeah. Thank you. You're bringing other professionals along the way, and I, just respect you so much. I have a thank you. A few more questions for you. Sure. What has been the biggest challenge in running your skincare line?

Nichole 17:50

So, I feel like as a small business owner who is creating a skincare line from scratch everything's kind of a challenge, right? Right. So I went into this. I didn't know how to source products. I didn't know how to source raw material, like everything you don't think of, right? Like you buy a jar, but now you have to buy a liner and now you have to buy a lid that fits it. Like all these little things you don't think about is definitely a challenge. I remember. We had this initial packaging that I had bought off at Amazon. I mean, oh, our labels were like return labels, like I googled FDA, what had to be on a cosmetic label. And they were like address labels, like just something to get them out there initially. To sell and then kind of tweak on our way. So last year we decided to go ahead and do like our complete rebranding cuz we wanted it just to be a little bit more beautiful. You know, we had some challenges again with the packaging and it was really hard for me to find packaging. So I just started like deep diving into Google and I found a packaging show. I was in New York, so I just flew to New York for a few days and I was side by side with like Proctor and Gamble, L'Oreal, like all the big million dollar companies in this show. And I'm like, well, I'm gonna buy a ticket. It doesn't say, like these people can go and these people can. Nicole Lancaster of V Line Women small business is gonna go and I'm gonna show up and I'm gonna get information where I need to and make connections where I need to. And it ended up being really great for us. We ended up being able to find people to source our, packaging. I was able to find people who can do our labels now I create the labels and they print the labels. So everything along the way I feel like is actually a challenge because it's all brand new to me. Right. I don't have a background in manufacturing and formulating. But we figure it out as we go. And that's what I like to tell other entrepreneurs is that like, you don't stop. Like yes. Sometimes it feels super hard. Right? I, remember a couple months ago I like sat in the receptionary and just cried. At this point, I can't even tell you why I cried, It was probably something was really hard and overwhelming. And then I got up and I looked around and I looked in this beautiful space that I had created and I was like, you're a bad bitch. Like, wipe your teeth away, grab food. Figure this out. Right? You like, you've got this. And again, like I can remember why I was crying then. Yeah. But I was crying, you know, so. Right. I just like to remind people like, don't stop. And that's where I feel like I've seen people fail and like their own businesses is you just keep going. Even if it's like little by little, even if you have 50 bucks to invest back into yourself, even if you feel like you have no money, you're stuck financially. Like just keep going. Find a way. Because there always is a way, and that's kind of like our mantra. Is that we always find a way and the money's always there because yes, somehow it just always ends up working out Again, everything feels challenging, but somehow we just figured out we, Google, right? We've, built our own websites, we've created our own labels, and we've just googled how to do it. It might take us time, it might be slower than others, but we just figured out as we go.

Shaunette 20:56

You know I've been, I have this saying, and I've been telling myself this, if you sit in the problem long enough, you will find a solution. And there'll be times where you are sitting in the problem crying. You don't know why you cried. It probably could have been you were late for something, but it triggered another thought that you had that just took you down right. This trail, right and right as you're sitting in your thoughts and not focusing on it as a problem, but actually knowing that the problem exists. and staying present, right and, finding a solution, not being a victim to that problem, right? But finding a solution. You are probably by far the most creative when you're unblocked, and you have to stabilize yourself at times. And I have found myself crying for no reason as well because this entrepreneurial journey is not for the faint of heart. And it will be times where you want to give up. I have wanted to wake up so many times over the years, and I, just know that my I'm, smaller than my mission, right? There is a bigger goal I am to help many people in this world, and many entrepreneurs are entrepreneurs for that same reason. We're here to impact other people. It's, this is not for the service of us we're serving for (right) others. And we have to remember that, you know, we can't give up on others and we surely can't give up on ourselves. And we have to always remember that,

Nichole 22:46

you know, so love that. What I think too, what I think to like, what else would I do? Right. When it gets really hard, I'm like, what else would I do? And it comes back to absolutely nothing. Yeah. It comes back to there's nothing that you would enjoy. I can't work for someone, especially now after working for myself.

Shaunette 23:06

After working for yourself, I couldn't, no one can tell you what to do. You're not delegating anything to me. I'm, no,

Nichole 23:13

listen, they had a hard time at first, and now that I'm working for myself, absolutely not. Right? No. So it always comes back to V Line, like you can do V Line. So you're like, okay, well, we figure it out. Little by little we figure it out. Sometimes it's harder than others, but it, always finds a way, it always figures itself out and we just become a little more successful each time.

Shaunette 23:36

Yes. And you know, I love your mindset and your confidence. The fact that you went into, or you went to a conference that you knew were meant for larger brands and you said, I'm gonna be in that room, and who's going to stop you from going? And it only takes just that one thought, the confidence to know that I deserve to be in that room just as those other people do. And you stayed in that room and stayed the course and found a product packaging for your business cuz you didn't let fear paralyze you. Right. You know, there's a lot of people that, no, I can't tell you, paralyze them.

Nichole 24:20

I have not always been that brave. Right. And I have realized, I mean, when I was little, I used to be so scared to ask her something and I try to tell my daughter this, like, you have to ask, I'd be terrified. Cause I didn't wanna hear the word no. And again, for me, no. Isn't final No. For a lot is final No, for me is not. I'm like, okay, you'll change your mind. Like when I took a personality quiz, I was of persuasion. I'm like, I'm gonna get something else, or I'm gonna get it from somewhere else. You know? Like, no, it's not final for me. No. So yeah, even like with that show, I wasn't always that brave. And sometimes it would've created a lot of social anxiety, just even showing that like, oh my god, you know, like that imposter syndrome. Like, yep, they're gonna know business, they're gonna know I'm not big. And I was like, screw that. It said for everyone, right? They were giving up passes for everyone. I registered my assistant at the time, like we're showing up, like they're not going to kick us out. There's nothing they can do. We'll be there rubbing shoulders and it's gonna work. Yeah. And if the million dollar companies are there, then I wanna be there too, because clearly they're doing something right. You know?

Shaunette 25:25

Yes, absolutely. Let's talk about imposter syndrome, because that is a part of a challenge in business. We often become, you know, that book The Mountain is You, we really get in our own way and we, have to often remind ourselves of who we are. So how, yeah. How do you deal with imposter syndrome?

Nichole 25:50

You know, I think because I am so busy all the time, right? Like I'm a single mom. I own a couple businesses, sometimes I actually forget. To stop and look around. Right. And just be grateful and be like, yeah. Oh my God, you created this. So when I got pregnant with my daughter in 2016, I actually quit a job where I was managing as spa to open my own business. And I made $15,000 that year, like one five, like, that's poverty. I was almost making six figures at like, you know, my mid twenties. Right. And we went down to like nothing. Right. I was living with my mom, which was a blessing. Living with your mom with a baby is amazing cause they take care of your baby But, so here I am, like the single mom starting my business and to be there to like where I am now, like sometimes I just forget to like take a moment and be like, wow. Like you've, this is what you've created. You know? Cuz sometimes your struggles are what you focus on, which is a bad thing to do because then that's what grows. Cuz that's where your energy and attention is at. But sometimes just to take a moment and I just like stand still in my spaces or in my lab and I just breathe and I like look at my products and I'm like, Damn girl. Like, yeah, you've done this and you've hired people to help you do this, and you've like, set these wheels in motion to create what you wanna create for like, not only you, but your, friends, other women, other professionals. And sometimes, you know, I'll be in a room with other estheticians and they'll ask me questions about like, oh, your success and like, as an imposter syndrome, sometimes you don't feel successful. And I'm like, yes, that is so true. I'm successful. You know, or like we just did our first professional show after Covid and I educated and I was educating on Vagacials, which are vagina facials, which women get, if they have ingrown hairs, dark spots. Okay. So I was educating and I had a room for 45 people and I was like, you know what? I'm the only one in this space. I'm educating. If people show up, they show up. If not, it's gonna be me in my room for 45 minutes, right? So I'm sitting there waiting for people to come and you know, the room gets kind of full and it's time for to start. I'm like, okay, let's close the doors. we ended up having to open the doors. We ended up being standing room only men and women. There had to be at least a hundred in this 45 seat room. Were on the sides in the back. People had like their head poking like through the doors. My mom was poking her head in the back to see me and at that moment I was just like, wow, you know, like this is a brand I created. This is my little product from my little kitchen that I created and here's a hundred plus professionals wanting to learn about my brand and my product and wanting to hear what I have to say and people coming up and like thanking me for my presentation. I had a OB-GYN come up them thank me for like using the correct terminology. She was like, I was expecting to get up and be horrified and walk outta your room because you were gonna tell women to like put something out their vaginas. She was like, so the fact that I stayed, she's like, I was so impressed. But like moments like that kind of bring me back to like, wow. Like what I'm creating is amazing and important and there's a need for it, and women are appreciating having it. And those moments like that kind of light me up and remind me like, you're not an imposter. And when I have those moments, like I said, I kind of just push through it. I'm like, well, shit, if you are an imposter, I'm gonna make you do this anyways. You know, you show up at shows anyways. (Make push past through it) She's gonna show anyways. Yeah. Yes. I'm like, come on girl, we've got this. We're, gonna pretend you're not impostor for today, you know.

Shaunette 29:22

You know what's so funny? Because you're like, come on girl, you got this. You often have to talk to yourself like that. You have to say, girl, do you know who you are? Do you know what you have accomplished? And Right. I love that you sat in gratitude, right. And said, you know what? Look at everything around me. I created this had it not been for the idea that I had and the seeds that I sewed. None of this would've been here and without you, the visionary, then none of it would exist. Right, right. And even in the, setting with the conference, I love that sometimes we have, we're always on go, right? And we're in work mode to us speaking, us talking about things that we love. That's work, that's normal for us, but it's not normal for other people. And we have to remember, hey, this is someone's watching us and someone's at phase one in their journey and they're seeing you at maybe phase 10 because you, in your head, you're at phase 10, but you're still thinking you're at phase one, right? Right. Because you wanna be at phase 50. And we, don't take, we take, I guess, advantage of the journey and the growth that we have had in this time, and we kinda play ourselves. We diminish our efforts in a way because it's normal for us. It is just our normal way of being and it's not a normal way of being for many people. And we have to sometimes remind ourselves, girl, do you know who you are? Do you know what you have created? We can do it. (and what you're capable of). Yes. Right. I love that. (and it's so necessary) and everybody's capable of it. Like all or nothing. Right. Right.

Nichole 31:28

I lived in Land O'Lakes in my, when I, until like third or fourth grade in a trailer on a dirt road. Like I remember growing up poor, like I came. From nothing. And I have just over the years, scrounged and found a way to make whatever I want to happen I, you know, have had people tell me, you should just close your business. It wasn't making a ton of money, like in the very beginning, or how are you gonna afford this space? And I'm like, I'm gonna figure it out. Like it's, happening and I'm gonna figure it out. And that's kind of been my thing. Like, I make it happen and I'm like, okay no, I gotta figure it out. You know, just, you gotta just keep pushing yourself because everyone's worthy and capable of it. just have to realize that for yourself and keep pushing for it.

Shaunette 32:12

And even in those moments where you feel like you can't figure it out, often times you have to sit just a little bit longer to know I've figured it out before I can do it again. What's stopping me from figuring out now? Right. You, just have to remember the journey. It is a journey because some days you will be in your lobby crying. It's no one's business while we're crying. Right. But..

Nichole 32:38

I'm like the God set a camera in here.

Shaunette 32:42

You just have to release sometimes. Cause we do carry a lot of weight on our bags and i enjoy these conversations with other entrepreneurs because I know that I'm not on an island alone. The feelings and the thought that I have are, you share them as well, and that's what makes us human. And people often put entrepreneurs on these pedestals because what, they see is a success. but they don't see the mindset shifts that we have to have the constant check-ins. Right. That we have to give ourselves, to keep on pushing ourselves to the next phase because it will break you if you let it, but (right) you have to plow through and a lot of people don't have that fortitude and you need it in entrepreneurship, so. Right, right. I just love these conversations because it just speaks to my heart, cuz I know I'm not alone. Right. I'm not going crazy.

Nichole 33:49

I'm on that island like two, 200 feet away from you. We wave of each other from our island. And I'll call my baby. We're surviving girl. That's all we need to do is survive.

Shaunette 33:58

Right. I'm like, this has been a week. Okay. I just wanna sit on my couch and sleep. But no, we have things to do. (which is self-care) It really is. You have to also classify what self-care looks like to you, right? Because if sitting on the couch is what you like to do, sit on the couch because that is yours.

Nichole 34:21

There are days where I don't wanna be touched or talked to. (same) you know, as an esthetician, it's like overload sometimes, right? Yeah. And then I have a six year old who's like a baby manatee. She has like a rolls on top of me. So some days those moments of just like nothing and stillness and quiet, I'm like, this is amazing. And sometimes as people were like, oh, it's lazy. I had to like untrain my brain to think that I don't have to be like manic and doing something 24 7. I'm like, full calm. Like, you can clean that in a moment. You can do that work tomorrow. Like take care of yourself. And sometimes I think, especially in our society, I think we always just go. Sometimes we forget that moment of take care of yourself, however that looks for you.

Shaunette 35:06

That's true. And you know, another thing that I think that we as entrepreneur now, in our era, I'll say this, our parents come from a different era. They come from that era where it's always on go working (right) clock in, come home, cook food, rear the children. There's not this, you know, freedom of time that they've ever experienced. And I know that (right) in my experience, my parents think that because I'm an entrepreneur, that I'll have this free time, and if I'm sitting on the couch, they think that I have free time for them. I don't have free time for them. I have free time for me. This is my self-care (right) time and (right) when you said lazy, I kind of got triggered because, you know our, parents mine will say, you're so lazy, you should sit on the couch. Yeah. I've been working, my mind has been on go for 24 hours in this day if I wanna sit on my couch.

Nichole 36:08

You just added 20 minutes

Shaunette 36:11

Right. So we have to also remember that you can't let your family or anyone in your circle (right) make you feel guilty for resting. Cuz you don't have to always be on go 24 7 because that's not how you create, it's, it will lock you and make you sick too. Right. Mentally and physically. So. Right. Let's talk about scaling V Line. How are you intending to scale your product line? What are your goals on that? So last year we launched, I think it was four new products. Oh. Two, I actually had, I did have contract manufactured the wash and we have a vagina mask. Because those were just something that was a lot easier for somebody else to have done for me. So those I did have done, but then we also launched a balm and an ingrown oil, which are our new like MVPs. Those products are amazing. And I think to go ahead and scale, I think that, Eventually I wanna do some sort of like CBD lines to help with like PMS or periods take away pain relief. I do wanna do like a refreshing spray. I wanna be able to have a few more products added to it. But I think that I've really got this amazing team. I I've shifted, I've reorganized my businesses, so one of the people who is the manager for my spa is now managing some of the V line stuff. Oh, good. And we are all like, on the same page as far as like our vision, our look, our branding. And I think that's really important. I think that people get scared sometimes to hire because payrolls our biggest expense, you know? And Yeah. And sometimes it is, sometimes it's, challenging and you're like, oh, you know, I got a lot of people to pay now. But yeah, the better person you, hire, you know, if you hire like an A player, they're not gonna cost you money because they're bringing people in. Right. So now I have people working on like my professional side and my consumer side. And they're really helping to grow and be consistent with marketing and reaching out to clients and branding that it really has increased our sales and helped us. So I think as far as scaling that way, I've really, I'm proud of our team and I'm proud that, like I have women who believe in my brand so wholeheartedly to help me scale in those aspects. And then scaling for V Line eventually, we just wanna have our own big manufacturing facility here in Tampa. I'm a Tampa girl, born and raised, so I would love to like, have my own spot. Oh yeah. There's Tampa native.

Nichole 38:56

Yes. Born and raised. Yeah. I'd love to have my own facility. Yeah.

Shaunette 38:59

Yeah. My heart does it, it belongs in Tampa. You know, I, right. I moved away from Tampa for 10 years and I had people, when I was in North Carolina for law school, I had people trying to talk me out of coming home. I'm like, no. this is my. (it is green all year round) Yes. Right. Exactly. I was born and raised here. I not come back. I wasn't supposed to go for too long. I knew where my home was and it is Tampa. Right. So, absolutely right. And I love that you are making sure that you give back and stay very active within your community. And that is so necessary because there are Tampa natives that often don't do that. They forget about the heart of the city. Right. And yeah, the city is all about community at the end of the day and Right. You feed into that. You are all about community and I love that. I really do. So how do you stay ahead of trends in the beauty industry?

Nichole 40:06

So I feel like V Line is kind of a niche, which it is. Intimate skincare is one of the fastest growing segments of skincare in the beauty industry. With that being said, it's still kind of like the wild West. So we have a lot of our pros that are doing intimate skincare services, but they're using skincare for the face on the vulva, on the vagina, which is totally different skin, right? It's thinner, it's more reactive, it has more blood vessels, so there really isn't a set protocol for them. In order to perform these services. A lot of pros obviously are very educated, very smart. They know their clients, they know what they can and cannot do and they trust their intuition and it works out great. Some whose skillset is not quite at that level. It doesn't work out as great as it does. Right. So we just like to be able to have the opportunity for our professionals, for our clients. I don't believe there's any other brand on the market that actually formulates for vaginas/vulvas kind of more of like, well, this is for the pubic area, but you can use it all over. It's for men, it's for women. When I formulate, I, I research ingredients that are good for us, right? So, like our Ingrid Oil has a hoba, which is a cleaning oil. A lot of other brands use just a little bit lower quality of an oil. I also like to use Primroses, which helps to regulate your hormones, helps with menstrual cramping. I use rose hip, which is a natural retinol, so it helps to stimulate collagen. It helps to lighten pigments. I like to use tea tree you know, to help kill bacteria and grown hairs. Everything is very intentional and for, yeah, formulated for your vagina. Again, you can use it anywhere, but I think with our brand, the way that we're kind of leading the trend is it's specifically formulated for your vagina. And then just play with it from there. But we're just very intentional when it comes to our ingredients. Even our wash, it's a shea butter wash. It, promotes a healthy pH, there's no fragrance in it. It's just rose oil. So all of our products are fragrance free except for one scrub, and that's because it's a rinse off scrub. All of our products that stay on your body are manufacturing packaged in class. So you're not having to worry about your product being in plastic and the heat and then getting put onto your skin, absorbed into your body. So everything, just, like I said, it's very intentional for your vagina, your reproductive organs, your vulva and for your intimate services for your clients as well. We just wanna be able to create, you know, safe, healthy products. And I think that's kind of how we're staying in the forefront of this niche of intimate skincare.

Shaunette 42:53

I love that because you said it's with intention, right? So each ingredient, you had an intention aligned to it. Right? Most often people will say, I just like shea butter because it makes your skin feel soft, not because it's, you know you've done the extra step in terms of research and how other than the effect on the skin, how it can benefit the vagina. Right. And I just love (right) that you're very intentional about making sure that the products and the ingredients in the products are actually working with one another and working with a purpose, right? And not just to make your skin feel good. Because you said the hoba oil is the cleansing one. So I'm also feeling cleansed and moisturized at the same time. That's very nuanced and not many people sit and focus on those small elements of a business. And you did that. That's beautiful.

Nichole 43:59

Yeah. When I first started formulating, I found OB GYN on Facebook, and it was really this man who delivered me, he was an OBGYN for like 50 years. And so I sent him a message and I was like, Hey, can I have 10 minutes of your time? I wanna start this brand. I wanna start this product. So we were going back and forth on what you should use. What shouldn't you use? I'm like, look, I'm even like, some of our products have coconut oil, but it's raw, virgin cold pressed coconut oil, so there's no heat introduced into that product. So it keeps all the good stuff. It's not fractionated. It's not bleached, you know, it's not taken away. But then all of our products absorb into the skin like a dry oil, so you're not greasy. And you really don't understand what you're missing until you use it. You know, you don't think about your clothes rubbing on your skin. (right) You don't think cotton dehydrating your skin causing (right) more dark skin, more hyperpigmentation, irritation. You don't think about any of that. So, yeah, we just, we take a lot of pride in the research that we've done. Even with the oil, I ordered a ton of small mini oils raw material, and I printed off information sheets for each of them and everyone I tested on my skin, I smelt it. I saw the absorption rates, I looked at the benefits of using it, you know, on your vulva. And, you know, a lot of 'em didn't pass. And we ended up with jojoba, which was the best one. And then just the blends of the other oils. We even have star root oil in there, which has a lot of antioxidants and it's light and it feels good. And it smells good. So we definitely take our time when it comes to creating our products and seeing which one we like the best and which ones we think our clients will like the best as well. But we're very proud, especially with that new ingrown oil. We're very proud of that product.

Shaunette 45:40

And I have that oil I have been using it me even probably every day at this point.

Nichole 45:45

So we have clients who use it like after, cause you have a little bit on your hands, right? So you can spot treatment. That one, if you have ingrown hairs, if you have hyperpigmentation, you can use it all over, if you have any type of pubic hair to help to soften hair, skin. Okay. You can even use it on your cuticles. Like, whenever I have some left I use it on my cuticles. And I even use it grease shower. So I'll put a little on like my underarms. Cause I feel like it helps my deodorant stay a little better. So pre-show, I'll put a little under my underarms, I hop in the shower, I shower and then I come out and put my deodorant on. But yeah, there's lots of fun use. We've had menus out on their beards. But that's, definitely one of our, newer products that we're very proud of.

Shaunette 46:22

I really do enjoy that product. I think that I I wonder if it's because you have the heart. It's the heart in how you're producing this, that it just flows into the quality of the product. You can tell. Thank you. You, really can tell that you put your all into this product, and I just, I love that you have gone through the formulation and tested every oil and weeded out the products that just won't work for you and any other skin type. And it shows that you've taken the time and the care to produce this product. It's not sloppy. It's done in a very intentional way, and I respect that and I love that. I love your story and how you produce your, I'm just, I'm in awe, (so sweet) of how (I'm in awe of you) no, your journey is amazing. Let's get back to, how long have you had your product line in production? It's not been that long (so) right. About five years, right?

Nichole 47:36

So, so we 2019. Okay. I'm like, what year is it? Yeah. We've missed a couple of years. We did meet in 2019, right. I just forget. Right. Exactly. So 2019, we registered the business in like July. Right. And that's after like months of like having products, you know, forming my house, whatever. We decided like six weeks before professional show, I'm like, let's do this pro show and just see how it goes. Again, all these professionals are here. All these big million dollar skincare companies. I'm like, (I do recall) let me pay.

Shaunette 48:10

did you tell me about this on our consultation? Yes, I believe yes. Yes, I do remember this now, yes. Okay. I'm so sorry for interrupting. So it's okay. Same thing though. I'm like, listen, if they let me pay two grand and they gimme a 10 by 10 spot, I'm going Right. They can't tell me no. I know I'm not a million dollar big name. I'm a teeny, tiny name, but I'm going. Right. Oh yeah. So we did that within for six weeks. Exactly. And in that time, I think I'd taken one of your webinars through the Women's Business Center on trademark. And I was like, so my name is V Line, which is Vagina Line, which is very easy. And I was going to the show and my fear was that if I went to the show and these large companies saw our name, They have the capital, they have the lawyers, they have everyone who could easily trademark it. Right? Or easily take it or easily take our idea. Maybe they haven't thought of this before. Maybe it's something that'll spark something in them. You know, I just didn't know. So I think you, I reached out to you and I think you, you filed my mark in September, which protected us for October. So we've been in business Yeah. Since like 2019. Yeah. Now we just finally got our mark. I'm probably the longest client you've ever had to fight for. (no) Really? No, The USPTO was like,

Nichole 49:31

it took us three years.

Shaunette 49:34

I've had longer. It's the USPTO has been very delayed in processing these trademarks. Yeah. But there are other, you know, circumstances that will delay the mark. And you've experienced that. You know, that, you know, there are elements that are out of all of our control. And I do remember, yeah, our initial consultation because I remember the fear that you, shared with me because you, said, I'm going here with all of these big names and I do not want to expose my brand (right) to any of them because you are right. They do have a lot more resources than you at that time. Right, right. But what I loved about your mindset was you were very proactive. There's a lot of people that will protect their trademark when they know that someone else has a name or when someone has taken their name, they're trying to now fight it. I call it the Jealous Boyfriend syndrome. They get jealous when someone's taken their name, when they should have just trademarked it at the very beginning of the process, and you did it right at the very beginning when you had your name in your mind and you've developed, you know, started developing these products. You called first. First. No, you didn't call me first. You educated yourself. Let's start there. You educated yourself. You did the webinars, you learned the need to have a trademark. You learned the difference between a trademark and a copyright, and you came to the consultation. I remember this. I know exactly where I was sitting. I know who was on the phone. I remember I did not have to explain much about Trademark Law to you because you had the understanding. You were just saying, okay, what's the price? Let's get to it, right? Because I already know that I need a trademark. I want a trademark. Just tell me what's our next step. Let's get to how to get this process started. and I just, I love having clients like you because you, come in and you, know what you want and you're firm. Yeah. And you are firm in knowing what you want. And you don't give up. I admire you the faith that you have in your brand. Yeah. You are the reason why you have your trademark, by the way. Your faith is the reason why. Well, yes. We wanted to give up a few times. (and also advice, also your advice) right. Why we wanted to give up. Right. You wanted to say, you know what Shaunette do you, should we just step away from the process? Because like you said, it was three. and every time we had the conversation, I much like a doctor, you give the pros and the cons of a situation and you make an informed decision. And every time you chose the right decision, you chose to stay steadfast in the journey. Even if there are hiccups along the way and you never gave up. I admire that.

Nichole 52:56

So I've seen a lot of things happen. Right. And I used to be, like I said, I haven't always been so brave and so firm, and I used to be like, sweep it under the rug. Like, oh, it may or may not happen. If it happens, it happen, you know? Like scared. Like it's almost like That's fear. Fear, yes. That I wouldn't actually be proactive. So I've seen a lot of things happen. I've also gone through custody with my kids, so I learned how to be on the offense instead of the defense. Yes. Like one step ahead, because if not, then you're thrown off, then you're scrambling, then you're scared, they don't know what to do, and then a lot of times it doesn't work out. So I've just learned to be one step ahead for my own peace and to just kind of, you know, No. Okay, well this is being taken care of. So I know with the journey, so we filed in October. Somebody had already had that trademark. My V line organics. And then somebody had filed for that trademark a month before. Yep. So you would never think this many women would be using V line for intimate skincare. I mean, I thought it was unique, but here we are. Right, right. And I remember there was communication at one point, cause it was a gynecologist who is selling intimate skincare to her clients. And I remember there was conversation at one point about coexisting and I always go with my gut and I told you I don't take no very well. So I was like, you know, that just doesn't feel right. If we try to coexist and I try to pay this woman, like if this woman who filed a month before me gets this trademark and I pay her who's to say down the line, she doesn't try to fight it. Who's to say? You know, you can't, and besides I don't want it. I don't want two V Lines, you know? Right. I'm just very persistent in that way. And at that point, our time had already been, you know, we were knee deep in time. Yeah. Knee deep in money. And I was like, no, at this point we're not gonna walk away. It's just gonna be a standoff. Right. We're just gonna see whoever lasts longer. It was, and we did, I guess the business ended up closing down her business. Yeah. And then at that point, her lawyer was taking forever to get back with you. And I was like, I just want this mark. Like, it was like a year, I think it was, it's been a year since, her business had trade had closed. And you initially like had contacted him about canceling his application. Like it was a long time. And I remember I didn't understand a lot. Right. So I'm like, what does that mean, Shaunette? Like, should we walk away? What does that mean? And I do, I remember you giving me options and I was like, well, no, at this point, screw it. We're already in it. Right. Like, let's just see who can stand the longest, you know? And it worked out for us and just how we were persistent. You know, again you can't tell me no. So I'm gonna keep going until one of us is exhausted and gives up.

Shaunette 55:34

Yes. And I'll tell you this, the moment I got the email that it says USPTO registered V Line Women. I said, oh my God I stopped everything and called you, you were in with a client. So funny, but I was so excited for you. I said, we did it. We got your trademark. And I made sure I, and I'm, I do apologize. I'm gonna go on air and say, I am so sorry that I could not meet you the week prior to deliver your trademark certificate because I wanted I mail it to meet you. I'm like, no, I don't wanna mail it. I wanna meet her because I don't often get to meet my clients because it's trademarks. So a lot of my clients are over in a different state or a different city. So I love that you're a Tampa native and I could just drive down the street and deliver your box to you and actually meet you in person because we've been on this journey together and it, yeah. What, it's because of your faith that we've got this far because you said no, we're gonna keep pushing and as your attorney, I am going to do what you need me to do to keep pushing and get the trademark. And we did it. We successfully got your Mark registered and I am so happy for you.

Nichole 57:01

I'm a hard sell, right? I can be a little hard at times and hard to work with at times. Because if I don't trust you, and again, I always go with my gut and if what you're telling me sounds like you're running around in circles. Or if you can't just make sense for me, like just break it down real dumb for me so I can understand the basics of how it's going to go and the consequences. You know, so obviously lawyers have to go through a lot of education, but I've, worked with a few lawyers and I don't always think that they're smart. I don't always think there are. They're not. I'll tell you that. I mean, it's like they became lawyers, but they don't like then understand the laws or they don't, you know, use the laws or memorize the law. Like they don't really, they're not really smart, right? I mean, we even saw that with the other lawyer in his filing. You were like, he must be new where you are a very smart woman. So every question I asked you weren't like, I'm not sure, let me get back to you. You were like, well, no. So the U S P T O does this, and it could go this way. And I say, okay, well what if we do it the other way? Okay, well if we do it this, you know, like you were very, you're a very smart woman. Thank you. And you, know, your specialty. So anytime I had a question or concern, you were able to articulate your answer and articulate how it could go and in different ways, which made me very comfortable. And I was like, okay, this woman is obviously very smart. She knows her niche, she knows her law, you know, she's chosen to do trademark in business and she knows it. And it, really earned my trust because like I said, a lot of times, you know, thank you. Your lawyers take forever to get back to you. And then you ask questions and they're like, oh, I don't know. We'll get back to you in a week. And you're like, oh, it's like running around in circles. But you were just a very smart woman. Every time I needed to call you, you called me. And I just appreciate, like you taking me through this. It was, even though it took three years it was very seamless and easy. It felt.

Shaunette 58:52

And I have a heart for entrepreneurs and I just wanna see everyone succeed and to see, you know, start this journey from an idea and to grow into what you've developed. And for me to see it firsthand, I just, yeah, I just wanna tell every, which is why I'm like, I gotta get you on podcast. Tell everyone how you've just grown in such a short time. and you've built a brand that is now going to be a household name. We're claiming that because it will be in store, we're claiming in it. Yes, it's gonna be in stores and you're going to be that woman that the leader in your industry. right. Your journey in entrepreneurship is so inspiring to me. I want other people to hear it and learn that it takes baby steps. and sewing seeds to develop what you've built. And it, this is just the, yeah. The tipping point. This is just beginning, you have a longer journey to, to experience because you're going to expand. I see it. And you have the protection and no longer the fear behind that. Now you can step into rooms, much like the trade show that you were going to at the beginning of your journey and know that you have exclusive use to your brand name. Yeah. And if anyone dares to take it.

Nichole 1:00:32

I can't wait. I can't wait.

Shaunette 1:00:34

I can't wait. Just try it. Try me. Try me.

Nichole 1:00:36

I can't wait. Try me. Hey Shaunette. You're gonna see a calendar pop up. Yeah. Right? Yeah. Calendar popup Friday at two. Right.

Shaunette 1:00:45

And you know (cease and desist) I am with it. I am down for. I am with it. Okay. I'm all about protecting my clients assets. Okay. So we don't play about my clients over here. So one last thing. How do you feel that trademark registration? I said it, you know, it gives you the (yeah) confidence, right? To go into rooms. Yeah. But other than that confidence, what else has having this trademark registration done for you

Nichole 1:01:22

when you left the spa I actually went home and got like a bottle of champagne and brought it back. And I told one of my girls, I was like, Hey, meet me at the spa. We got champagne. And one of my clients came in and I was like, do you want your lashes or do you want champagne? And she's like, champagne. I'm like, all right, we'll do your, we'll do your lashes next week, right? we'll see you next week. It's surreal, right? So I have amazing parents, like unconditional love. Yeah. But when I was growing up, it wasn't like education wasn't really pushed. Like my dad had to drop outta school at 15 cuz he was the oldest son to provide for his family. My dad is an amazing successful man now, but when he was young, he was the man in the house because his dad had tuberculosis and was in the hospital for two years. So he had to provide for his family the way he knew. My mom went to like a career school and she does billing and stuff. And now again, now they're very successful now, but growing up they were not. And they didn't push the education route, which I feel like when we were younger, that was like the only way you were told that you could make money. When I was young, I always knew I wanted to be a makeup artist or I always knew I wanted to do something in beauty and I never really was like, I'm going to college. Like that wasn't my thing. Yeah. I was like, no, I'm gonna do makeup. Like that was makeup so I've always like kinda lived like. Right. I'm like, I'm gonna live my purpose. Right. I spent a year in aesthetic school, which is not a year anymore. But to be 36 and to come from that background, right. To come from not having a degree to come from just working my ass off, to come from essentially growing from nothing and to be 36 and hold a trademark, it's just astounding. Like, it's just, it's mind blowing that I have it, like I have something in my hands and it is protection for my brand. Something that I work tirelessly day night, day out. Like sometimes again, I have to remind myself like, take a break, you know, my poor daughter's. Like, mommy, you work so much. I'm like, I know baby. You know, and I have to like get better at like making that like the balance. Right, right. But sometimes I'm like, it just has to get done. But to now know that's. protected in all these years, all that hard work Right. Is now protected and someone can't take that away from me. Yes. You know, it's surreal

Shaunette 1:03:51

And it's just the level of security that I don't know if you can get from anywhere else. Just knowing that literally no one can take your brand from you, and now you no can exclusively profit financially from it and license it to other people when necessary and still have that autonomy over how it's going to appear in the world. It's you can't pay money for that filling, you know, because no one can literally take it away from you. It's beautiful. Yeah. Yeah. I have a trademark coming and it's I feel it. It's coming. The security, you know.

Nichole 1:04:41

I have. Yeah. I've been online and I've seen like similar, like at one point we had bath bombs and somebody had sent me a bath bomb. They're like, look, it says V Bomb. And it was like similar looking to ours. And I was like, now nobody can do that. That, you know what I mean now? People can't create confusion. Yeah. In my industry. And now, like, just having that, I mean, I just feel like top dog. I'm like, yes. Don't try me.

Shaunette 1:05:11

So you're looking like, okay, so let me make sure that this V doesn't encroach on my brand because I will send cease and desist. Right.

Nichole 1:05:22

Absolutely. And get your letterhead ready. yes. I love it. the protection, the confidence of it all. I just love it. Okay. So I will, let's wrap this up. What is one sure thing that you would like to share with the audience about your journey in entrepreneurship? I would say the biggest thing that I take away from entrepreneurship ship is mindset. Again it's, challenging like a lot of different roads. It's challenging. Yeah. I have created a business that's now over six figures, and from 15,000, you know, from poverty, I've created something really beautiful and it's, it was just the persistence. It was learning as I went. I mean, I can build websites, I can make them SEO you know, maximized, I can blog. Like I can do all these things now because I invested time into myself and learning how to do it. So I would say it's just mindset. Whenever something feels hard or undoable, just remember to sit in that moment, like you said, and switch that mindset to, I can do it. How, let me write down the steps, or let me write down my goals and then let me figure out how I'm going to achieve those goals. So I just take away every day I'm working my mindset. Every day I'm listening to a mindset podcast, you know, reading mindset books like every day. It's something about mindset because your brain is something you really have to get control of and train your thoughts so you don't just letting them wander off into something, you know, every day I'm working on it. So that's really one of my big, I would say takeaways. and suggestions to anyone interested in becoming entrepreneurs is that it has to be the mindset of I can do this cuz so many times you hear, I can't do this because I can't do this because Yeah. Like we all have those friends that you like try to give that advice. Like, well what if you did it this way? And they're like, no. You're like, well why are you asking me, you know, if everything's unknown and dead end, why are we talking like, let's talk about something else. You know? Right. So I think just keep that mindset of I can't do it to how can I do it and let me figure it out, let me find the steps. Really kind of just creates that successful entrepreneurship and just keeps you going and 30 minutes a day on your business and it, your side hustle, turn it into your main hustle 30 minutes a day. It's just, it keeps you going.

Shaunette 1:07:51

That is so true. And often, you know, many people say you need to stay physically fit. We go to the gym a lot. Right. We try to maintain our bodies and hear what I've heard you say Everything. Who we, well me. Girl, it's been a journey.

Nichole 1:08:06

Like babe, do you have a mouse in your pocket? Who's we? We, I just told you. I enjoy sitting alone, being not talked to at a glass.

Shaunette 1:08:25

Well, we try to work on our physical health, but most often we neglect our mental health. And I love that you, right, on a daily basis, you train your brain to rethink. Yes. In the most positive way. And it is very necessary to have that mindset to of success, essentially. Yes. Solution based and success, knowing that you can do it. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you Nicole Lancaster for joining me. Thank you. I will have you on again, this will be an ongoing thing, so, please tell them how can they reach you because they need to know who you are.

Nichole 1:09:11

So our website is vlinewomen.com. All of our social handles are at V Line Women. So you can follow us on TikTok, you can follow us on Instagram Facebook. And then we do have a separate section for our pros. So any pros interested you can go to our website, click on professionals, and all of our pro information is there. But those are the best ways to get ahold of us. Our emails info@vlinewomen.com. But yeah, we're definitely all over the internet. Plenty of ways to get ahold of us. Awesome. And I will put that in the show notes so that they can just easily click on it and have access to all of your products. Thank you again for joining me on today's episode of the Entrepreneurial Leap podcast. That is it. Thank you for now guys. Have a good one.