Loving the Process of Entrepreneurship with Nikki Corson

Welcome to Super Entrepreneurs Podcast. Today we have with us Nikki Corson. Nikki Corson is a powerhouse CEO of Prissy Nikki, who provides luxury lashes to bring out your natural, bold, and beautiful self. Nikki is a woman's entrepreneur, VIP award winner, a certified roofing contractor in three States. Welcome Nikki. Hello. Thank you so much for having me. I'm super excited. Oh, it's my pleasure, Nikki. That's pretty cool. That's a different mix, huh? So certified roofing. I believe you were doing that probably before you started this company, I assume. Right, correct. So can you share, can you elaborate a little bit on that story? What happened? How did it happen? Yes. It's when people find out what I do and what businesses I have, they are quite contradictory. And so it always raises eyebrows. How in the world did you get into these two very different things? I would say first and foremost, I'm absolutely an entrepreneur at heart. And I currently own a couple of different businesses, but I've owned businesses pretty much my whole adult life. I think it's just in my blood and my veins. And I know that's what I meant to do for me, the way that I view business and entrepreneurship is it really just takes passion, dedication, and numbers, being good with numbers at the end of the day, successful businesses are having a great bottom line and you don't get a great bottom line by avoiding those numbers. There's a lot of numbers involved in any business, any industry, and you have to make sure that those make sense and that you're making a profit, not to simplify it too much because entrepreneurship is extremely complicated as we all know. But you just need to be good with numbers, no matter what industry you want to go into. So I will say that I never in a million years thought that I would be in the contracting space. Matter of fact, in elementary school and asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, my answer was always a princess. So that did not work out. I had to have a plan B. I did not become a princess, but I did get into real estate and property management, which I really loved, which segued into owning a property services company where I did turnkey painting and cleaning new construction homes. This was absolutely during the 2006, 2005, 2006, the boom that was going on with all the new real estate housing developments. So I got into that. Years and years later, I met someone in the contracting space through the marketing company that I was running and ended up purchasing this company and becoming a certified roofing contractor. I grew and expanded this contracting business, obtained licensing and an additional state and opened up in three new territories and have now tripled that revenue. And it took a couple of years. Didn't happen overnight, but, but that's how I ended up in the contracting space. One thing just led to another. So yeah, but it's been an amazing ride. That's awesome, Nikki. Can you share with us how you got it to where you got it in the last couple of years, for example, for the roofing company, what was that one thing? I said, Oh man, I'm going to use this for every business I do. Yeah. I think whether entrepreneurs really think about this or not, I might make you think about it now, but I think if anyone's going to truly be successful, it's going to start with being crazy enough to think that you And because it is scary, it holds a lot of people back. If you just talk to the general public, a lot of people will say that they've at least thought about owning their own business at some point in their life. And a lot of people are way too fearful to leave the comfort of their salary into the unknown. So first and foremost, you have to be crazy enough to really believe that you can do it and take that plunge into the unknown, which is really scary. So I have definitely always been that type of person. I will jump off the cliff and build my wings on the way down. I don't have to have the whole plan figured out. Imperfect action will beat non-action any day. That is first and foremost. You have to really believe in yourself and believe that you can and get super focused. Have a plan. Don't speedball or wing it the whole time. Have a plan. Plans don't always work out. You have to be willing and able to pivot when things don't go as you envision, because life normally happens that way. And so that's really the most important thing and you have to really pay attention. I think where I have personally seen a lot of entrepreneurs get hung up is that we end up being workaholics and perfectionists and we end up down in the trenches and when you're in the trenches working, you lose that vision. You lose the ability to look from a bird's eye view and see all the moving pieces because you're so in the trenches doing all the little things. Some people are scared to delegate that it won't get done as good as they would do it. Some are scared to add a salary that they're going to be responsible for. There's different reasons that people stay in the trenches, but it really stunts their growth and the ability to foresee even the latest trends that are going on in your industry. Staying up with the latest technology. All of these things that you have to incorporate if your business is going to continue to last into the future. So have a plan, delegate as soon as you can, get help. You're not, we like to think that we can do everything by ourselves and we just can't, if we're really going to scale and grow, you have to have people on your team to help you and you have to stay in that position of vision so that you can continuously push your company forward and be able to pivot. And I've myself have ended up in the trenches and I'm like, Oh my goodness. I've got to hire someone to delegate this to you because I'm never going to move forward. I'm just going to stay where I'm at. You don't grow that way. Yeah. So Nikki, that sounds the big component of your success is mindset. Mindset is everything. And I would say, that is something personally I have invested in. Really my whole life, but very seriously for the last five, six years, I've hired a numerous amount of mentors and your mindset is everything, but everything you do to not just your business, your personal life, relationships you have. And I like to say, sometimes I get my head stuck up my butt and I just really need someone that's more advanced in that area than me, that's been through it before, maybe even more successful to help me navigate those areas in my life, business, relationships, et cetera, that I just don't know how to do. You can do what I call pay the dumb tax and kind of just make several mistakes and work through it. But one way or the other, you're going to pay. And if you go the dumb tax way, as I like to call it, you know, it's going to cost you time that you're never going to get back and you're going to make a lot more mistakes, probably cost you more money than hiring that mentor in the first place that can help you navigate through whatever it is that you need to work through. Yeah. I'm heavy into that. Yeah. I love that the dumb tax, pretty cool. I call, I've heard this, another one that people say sometimes is the failure is success tax. That's another one. And you made some really solid points is when we have fear or doubt and worry, and as an entrepreneur, it gets really hectic and it gets really frustrating and confusing because we get in our own way and it just, even if we do the dumb tax way, it's not just the fact that we're dumb taxing it, right? Like we're just going and seeing what we can do, pushing, forcing, but it's not just the fact that we lose time, which is the most precious commodity. We're all actually affecting our health. We're affecting the relationships around us. I remember I spent my life in entrepreneurship. My family relationships were nowhere close to what they are now. And they were actually difficult because it was this argument here and there. And it was just edgy. I would bring it home. I'll bring that tension, that stress home. And I think entrepreneurship, they fix their interior, inner world. The journey becomes so much more fun. And I just think it should be a baseline for every entrepreneur. Absolutely. There was a time. Oh, sorry. Go ahead. Tell me about this. The lashes is apparently like they're handmade, right? And they're coming from not, they're coming from quality sourcing, the actual raw material. Can you talk about that a little bit? Absolutely. So I have added the beauty industry to my line of passion. I have been wearing lashes for about 15 years now. And this, so this is way before it was a trend. I just had, I'm blonde and I have very thin hair. That's blonde. So my eyebrows, my eyelashes, they, I just don't have a lot or, and a little I have doesn't show up because I started wearing eyelashes more than a decade ago. I've tried all different types. Even the glues that you use, wear them with them and become an expert just through my own personal use. And as they have trended and are now this big trend in the beauty world. I thought, Hey, after I've tried and used so many and I really know what works and what accentuates the eye and gets that sexy look, I'm going to, I'm going to join this world because I know a lot about it and I would like to see an improvement to, to what I like and what I would like to be able to purchase. I worked with some manufacturers and I've come up with my own glue formula that only has two ingredients and I have 10 different styles of lashes. I have five vegan options that are plant fiber based and five faux mink because I'm absolutely not going to carry real mink lashes. So they're faux mink synthetic lashes. 3D and mink lashes. Never heard of that. Faux mink. Yes. Real mink lashes were a thing. Not so much anymore in the United States, but there are manufacturers that do carry them. So we want to be animal friendly and friendly to ourselves and the environment. I was super excited to be able to add the vegan plant fiber line. They're amazing. You would never know that the quality is amazing. Mine are very strong. They look real and are feminine. I have 10 different styles, like I said. So I have everything from ones that are a little more elaborate that look amazing. If you are going to be on video or on stage. I have ones that are a little less over the top that are great for everyday wear in the office. And so it's been very fun. I'm very passionate about it. Women love to wear them. And even people that don't wear them every day, they're super fun to wear on date night or a night out. So yeah, I started that over a year ago and I've learned a lot about the retail space that was new for me. And it's been super fun. I've met so many incredible women through doing this and been able to help women that have always been curious about wearing them, but never have. And I'm really looking forward to this year as I add additional products and just helping more women feel amazing in their own skin. No, good for you. That's excellent. Where is it manufactured? Is it manufactured local or? Unfortunately not. I did look into that and I don't think it will be a surprise that manufacturing overseas was incredibly more affordable. And really the end line is having a quality product that people can afford. It does. And I hope one day that I can bring that here to the United States, but there's not availability for manufacturers doing that in the United States, first and foremost, if I'm going to pioneer the way it's going to cost an incredible amount of money, I'm sure people don't want to pay for it. If you believe you can, you will. That's right. Always looking. That's a new goal. Yeah, absolutely. Tables, but yeah, I am manufacturing overseas and importing those, but very much a part of the design process for all of the lashes and the glue that I have. Making sure that the ingredients are high quality and as organic or vegan as possible. And that's something that I want to be able to provide at an affordable rate for people. Very good. And where do you see this going in the next five years? What is the plan? So adding additional products to the Prissy Nikki brand is the focus and growing that into an international company right now, I'm just national. I'm not shipping internationally. I do plan on adding hair extensions this year, which will be huge. So the hair will also be natural and yes, the highest quality. It's taken a lot longer than I initially had planned, but I'm being so meticulous and so picky about who I partner with and where the hair is sourced. It absolutely has to be the best. If I'm not wanting to wear it, then I'm not going to sell it. Very good, Nikki. I like the honor behind it. That's great. And the ethics. What do you, can you share actually what your number one strategy is for that you use to grow the other business and this one? Is there something specific that you use? So I think with any industry, any business that you're in, it's not ever necessarily going to be, if you build it, they will come. There's so many companies fighting for attention no matter what industry you're in, and we are in the age of internet, fast information. We are so overstimulated as a whole and everybody's fighting for those few seconds of attention. Online marketing is first and foremost, but I will say that I have two completely different strategies with Prissy, Nikki and RoofCrafters because the clientele is not the same. The target market is not the same. And so there are two different strategies really honing in and knowing your target market very well and how they want to buy. Not just knowing who they are, but how do they want to buy? And so I'm heavy social media for the beauty brand. I'm heavy SEO for RoofCrafters. Social media, we have a presence, but it's not the main focus. That's not how people don't scroll on Facebook if they are going to purchase a $20,000 roof. That's just not the route we take. High intent, right? Yes. And that business is a high Yes. Beauty products tend to be an impulse buy. Sometimes it's very intentional. Sometimes you just see an ad. I'm guilty. Even though I know completely how it works, I still impulse buy on social media. Eyelashes is something very much that someone might impulse buy if they see an ad or just a post or something like that, that they really resonate with. And so I'm going to try this. And maybe they woke up that morning and that morning and had zero intention of buying lashes, but that does not happen with a roof. No one says, Oh my God, I just clicked and purchased a 15K roof without even researching it. But beauty products, women do. Yeah. Men don't pay attention to that. No need to wash the bank account. Okay. We know what we're doing. Yeah. So just getting in front of as many people, no matter what industry you're in is obviously going to be the goal. If people don't know who you are or you exist, then you're not going to have sales. You have to build your strategy around that and how your client is going to buy and then go that route all in. Yeah, no, it makes sense. Nikki, can you share what your innermost superpower is that got you to this point in life? Wow. My stubbornness, extremely stubborn. And there's a lot of things. It's not just one thing, but I've failed a lot. And I think any entrepreneur when they get, if you're just starting out, maybe you were not going to say that, but anybody that's been in the game for many years will say I've failed a lot and I'm a professional failure. I love it. I know. I love failing. And just being stubborn and just the unwillingness to give up has really got me where I am, because if I would have just said, oh, I can't do this. Isn't for me. The first time that I fell on my face, then I absolutely wouldn't be here, but I am just relentless that I will not be beaten if I just, if you want me to stay down, you're going to have to kill me. That's just the way I love it. That was great. Nikki and it's failure is we're basically because of our environment is negative, right? So negative everybody, it depends on how you program, right? Either you get help or you're just naturally programmed a certain way. You either look for the good in things or you look for the bad in things, right? So if you're programmed to look for good in things and you see a failure happen, there's so much gold in there and that failure that when you really understand, because it just feels like everything that happens, it just, I believe it happens for a reason. And then when that failure happens, there's another stepping stone and everything that I noticed in the past, I feel it took me a leap ahead. So I really appreciate failures and successes, right? So it's really important to be okay with failure. Yes. I think if an entrepreneur is going to be successful, learning to love the process is something that I was told. Very journey mindset. Yeah. It took me a long time to really fully understand that. Well, when mentors would say that to me, I'm like, Oh, whatever. I don't love the process, get to the win already. But when you do learn to love the journey and the process, it is life changing. And I had, I used to get so incredibly upset when things weren't going right. And it caused me so much unnecessary stress and killed my joy. And creativity relationships, it kills your creativity. You just can't, you can't do anything positive in that mindset. So I really have learned, although no one looks forward to a bad time or some failure, we don't. But as you mature and you start to understand how this all really works, you know, that when you're facing a challenge, even though it might feel a little bit stressful, you know, that there is something that you're going to learn out of that journey and that it's going to make you better. And when you know that, like it's going to work out, it's everything that's supposed to happen is going to happen. And then it's going to be even better. You're going to be more knowledgeable. It really helps you just to even relax and say, okay, I'm ready for this, this lesson or whatever it is that I'm supposed to see that I wasn't seeing before. I'm ready for it. I'm willing to, to change pivot, whatever it is that I need to do. So that I can continue to move forward. I'm here for it. And it does work out. If you think about it, you have made it through a hundred percent of any challenge that you've ever faced up to this day, and it's going to continue to happen that way. You're going to make it through every challenge. Just open your eyes, learn the lesson and incorporate it and move forward. And I know that I'm incredibly stubborn sometimes, and that has worked for me, but sometimes it works against me as well, because I'll just be so gung ho that I'm going to do something a certain way that sometimes life really does need to just do something dramatic to really get my attention. So I know that too. So when I'm facing a challenge, I'm like, okay, where have I been stubborn to not really look at the signs that are being presented to me? And where do I need to maybe make some changes? It does open my eyes now. Yeah, Nikki, that was a great share. Thank you so much. I appreciate you. And I appreciate the fact that you came on our show, shared what you shared. You, you seem honest and open about everything that you were, you have went through in the past. You shared details that actually may help other people out there that are listening. So I'm grateful that you actually opened up and shared, and I appreciate your time. Audience, thank you so much. Once again, you heard Nikki. You got to make a strong inner person. You got to make that strong inner person. When you make that strong inner person, the outside cannot control you anymore because you are neutral. When you're neutral means that you're okay with either good or bad. You just gratefully say, oh, wow. I'm alive to experience this. That is power. That is strength for a human being to have. And especially entrepreneurship. If you're not strong within, it is a very bumpy, difficult and hard. I've been through it my whole life. It was very different. Definitely. Definitely watch this episode again. If you like check out Nikki Shonos. We'll have all the information below. Check out her lashes because she created this out of passion. She's there to help people feel better, look better and roofing. If anybody needs roofing, there's another option as well. You can work with Nikki and in touch with her. And I appreciate you appreciate all of you guys in the audience. Thank you for helping us grow. And thank you, Nikki. Thank you so much for having me. It was my honor and pleasure. And yes, I hope we helped at least one person today. If we did, then we did our job. We did.