How To Have a Fresh Start in Your Business with Vivian J of Notiq

There's so much inside of you. It's time for you to go live out your potential and not be afraid.

Welcome to another episode of the See Life Different podcast. The See Life Different podcast is hosted by me, Zaakirah, and we interview other women creatives who are sharing stories of resilience, and they all have one thing in common: The need to create, and the need to serve. The mission of this show is to provide episodes that will inspire, empower, and educate you. Today's guest on the See Life Different podcast, we have Vivian. She is the founder and CEO of Nerdic, an impact-focused global lifestyle brand that celebrates and empowers the world's most ambitious women with its exclusive fashion-forward and vegan line of personal planners, organizers, organizers, and leather-free— uh, sorry, animal-free leather goods designed to help women stand out, overcome the overwhelm, and succeed in a super busy world. So today we're going to talk about 5 essential principles you need to get back and stay on track in '22 and beyond. Welcome, Vivian.

Thank you for having me. I'm so delighted to be here, and hello everyone. Thank you, thank you, thank you for being here today.

Yes, and I'm so excited to have you here. I first found out about you because I was an attendee of the 2021 Impact Weekend, and in there, uh, they actually gifted us with affirmation cards and notebook— little notebook/planners, and I've used the heck out of that. And so I was like, you know, how can, um, uh, you know, other ambitious women like myself just really, you know, utilize it? And so then we had a brief conversation, and in that conversation I learned more about you know, just how close you are with the African diaspora. And I'm like, you have got to come on my podcast. So here we are. Now tell us more about the little Vivian. How did— you know, where did Vivian grow up and what was life like growing up?

Okay, so little Vivian was born in Lagos, Nigeria. And if you have a Nigerian friend, by now Lagos is the most populous city, if, if I dare say, maybe the most populous city in West Africa. And That's where I was born. I was— my parents are now retired medical professionals. My father, of blessed memory, was a surgeon, a medical surgeon, and then my mother is now a retired nurse. And so as a little girl, I was blessed with the opportunity to travel. My parents were traveling medical professionals, so we got a chance to move around quite a bit. And so even though I was born in Lagos, I had the opportunity to see a little bit of life as a little girl. And I was also blessed with the opportunity to attend private school in Nigeria. Okay, in Nigeria. And I can't tell you the contrast, I think, from what private school is like in Nigeria versus what it's like in the Western culture. But regardless, it still gave me an opportunity to see life, to meet others, to learn, to grow, and to be exposed to what life is like beyond my immediate measures. So yeah.

That's it. Now, I'm glad you mentioned that because I had a— I have a friend from Togo and she came to the U.S. to start, um, college. And so she said— this is her perspective, you tell me what yours is, if it's similar or different— but she said her perspective is that school in the Western world is easier than the West African culture. What do you think?

I think that she's likely right, and it's easier in the sense that there are systems in place. There are more advanced systems of education in place, and it's ahead of what it's like back home. Now, that's not to say that we don't have advanced school systems. We do. But advanced school systems are not easily available to every single person, right? So the public school system back home for me is so different from the public school system here. It's really different. So I think that's what she's trying to address. Some people— it almost feels like layers and levels. Some people have access to a higher degree of systems of education than the average, you know, minimum earning, wage earning family. Does that make sense?

You know? Absolutely. Yeah, yeah. And, um, I, I see that especially because I went to my first ever African country was Ghana, West Africa. And I was there volunteering, slash photographing, slash, you know, being a primary education teacher. And that was my frustration. It was like, where's the organization? Yes, yes, yes, yes.

I, I—

that's definitely a pain. Africa has come a long way, and several, several countries have come a long way, and there are— there, there's the seed there. There's a lot of— there's a lot of systems in now compared to when I grew up, but we still have a little, a little ways to go. Just a little ways.

Yes, I love it. Okay, now, um, I feel like I almost want to go in chronological order. Then what happened once you came to Houston? Then how was that experience for you?

All right, so I never like to sound so like, oh, you know, everything just kind of worked out. No. So even though I went to private school in Lagos, Nigeria, at that time, you know, my daddy was doing great. But as the financial system started to crumble in Nigeria, a lot of people started owing my father a lot of money. And so that all of those nice first-class flights to go to Paris, All of those things ended. And my father that had so much money, disposable income, ended up not having that kind of disposable income. By the time I was older and it was time for me to go to college, all of that money was gone. You know, he just didn't have access. So many people owed him money. And so we found— my family, we found ourselves in a really diehard financial situation. And so my mother won the visa lottery. God bless the United States of America for running that program. Program at that time. So she won the lottery and we were able to move to the United States as immigrants. And we, we literally had to start all over again. We had to start from scratch. And that meant me getting a job as a hair braider. My very first job here in the United States was hair braiding. So I had to braid hair. I was like a shopkeeper. My aunt owned a beauty salon. And so I was the, you know, I was the runaround girl. I was the housekeeper. I was the shopkeeper. I was the checker. I was the cleaner. And also I did that for a little while before gaining residency to attend college. And I, as I worked in college, I eventually ended up getting an internship in my final year. I have a business degree with them. I did a major in computer information systems, a minor in communications and marketing. At the end of my internship, when I was supposed to be offered the full-time position, I got laid off. All right, I got laid off, and I never made it into corporate America officially. And that began my trickle, trickle-up effect of finding my way in the business space. Now, for as a child, I'd always been very entrepreneurial from the age of 6, helping my mom with her business. And then when I moved here, I would see— I'm telling you, I would run to Chinatown, buy accessories, and take it colleges to sell. Okay, so I had all these little pockets of small trading that I was doing, but then after this layoff, I had to figure out what— I was asking myself, what more can I do? And I know that there are people listening to us who may have faced layoffs, who they, they got to work and they said no more work, who are home and their dreams— they're thinking, oh, their dreams are all shattered. Well, I want to encourage you first that you're not alone. I went through that. It— that moment became a defining moment, and I had to— I had answer the question, what do I have and what can I do with what I have? So during that time, I had a car, okay? I had a choncho little car and I had time. And so I began this business, this business that I can graciously call now concierge business. It sounds luxurious, but the truth is I was just a mobile help for people who could afford to pay me by the hour to run around for them. Think Uber. Think— you see what I mean? Like, think all of these new tech companies that we're enjoying now. But I would run around, do groceries. In that moment, Z, that's what I knew to do, and I did it. And so I did that for a while, and then I noticed a lot of event companies would call me. They needed additional hands for their events. And so since I was already the go-to girl for my girlfriends— oh, I'm getting married— I'll run around for them, plan the wedding. It was easy for me to kind of transition into the wedding and event industry. And then again, that question of what do I have now, what can I do next, what do I have now, what can I do next, that kind of helped me with my transition. So I saw this opportunity to be this wedding and event producer. It didn't start out that way, but I was running around before I became a producer, then I became a designer, and then as I was doing that, customers would ask me hey, we're having frustrations, we're facing frustrations with printers and designers. And I would just say, you know what, I'm just going to sit down and figure it out. And I would sit down and figure out the design, and the customers would be like, so why were we looking for somebody? You can do this. And do you know, Z, that's how my wedding and event business turned into a full-blown wedding and event design business. All right. And I started print designing invitations, printing— I mean, really gorgeous, elaborate celebrity style. And I did I was blessed to do a lot of celebrity weddings, and so I became this ultra luxe, one of the top 3 luxe invitation design producers and designers in my market. And after doing that for several years, I started to see the change in the market. And that's another tip too for somebody else, as particularly I imagine that you have a lot of women who listen. You want to pay attention to what's going on. Like, you don't, you don't want to say, well, this is what I've known to do and I'm just going to hold on to it. You can hold on to it and say, hey, you know what's What's next? What am I seeing? And be honest about it. And so I started to see that things were changing. This was— I'm not kidding— this was way before— this was about 2008, 2009, 2010.

The recession then.

Yes, the recession that, you know, every recession brought about its own change. And I started to see that things are going to change for this market. And so I started praying. I started asking the Lord, you know, Lord, what's next for me? What's next for me? What's next for me? And that helped me to start looking, to start researching, and to start paying attention. If there is an entrepreneur listening, one of the best tools that you can, or principles that you can hold onto is the principle of listening. There are so many of us that are eager to get our ideas out there rather than listening. So I started listening, started paying attention, and then I ran into the challenge. I finally bought my dream, my dream bag, my dream. Oh my gosh, you know that bag that every, you know, some people have just, I just want to own one of these in my life. So I finally bought my Chanel bag that I've always wanted. Okay, always wanted. And I said, if that's the only bag I ever buy that is my dream bag, I'll be fine with it. But do you know, I wanted to put a notebook on the inside and I couldn't find an elegant organizer that would match the caliber of my bag. And I said to myself, why does it have to be this hard? I eventually found one or two, but they didn't have inventory. So I said, you know what, I'm just going to solve this problem. I'm like, what if I just made mine?

Okay.

And so I started doing some research and I was so inspired and I felt, hey, I have the gift of organization. And then not only that, see, I had observed in my entrepreneurial journey that people miss out on success not because they're not gifted, but because they struggle with personal organization. And I noticed that I was always this go-to person for personal organization, always so well put together, right? I won 3 scholarships— okay, I won 1 scholarship 3 times in college, not because I had a 4.0 GPA, but they told me— the feedback that I received was, you presented yourself so well Your application was so organized. I had learned that, you know, what if there are so many people out there that are missing out on opportunities in life, not because they didn't have the gift or the talent, but because they didn't know how to put themselves together? They didn't know how to organize themselves personally. And so there came— in that moment was born this idea of using my gift and my talent to help others present themselves in a better way, in a more thoughtful way, in a more valuable way, right? And just helping people grow in the area of personal organization. And so I will never forget, I was sitting in my office and I just was having a quiet time with the Lord and just saying, Lord, you know, I've suffered some major losses in my life. I've done so much. I am the more than one talent woman. I'm telling you, you know, I know you're like me. We have so many gifts. We're trying to figure out which one to use. And I said, Lord, This time around, I really want to know how to harness all of my gifts and work with it. So I received this idea of NewTique. It was very daunting, but I started where I was. I started with just 2— I think one. I started with one pink agenda, researched how I could find a factory to help me produce it, put my design together, did all of my branding work, brought all my many talents to life. I brought everything in. to the concept of this, conception of this brand. And I prayed, and here we are today. Here we are today.

Like, here we are today. Look at this. It's like, as soon as you open the box— well, here's my favorite part about it. You, you not only are you organized, but you are empathetic, right? Not many people take the time to handwrite notes anymore. So as soon as we get a gift, They handwrite you a note. They— she writes your name, she calls you by your name, and, and, you know, gives you great tips on, I hope you enjoy this for planning your finances, your future. We hope you become successful. And then you open it, you open it. First of all, it's like amazing to look at, and then you never want to put it down. That's how amazing this planner is. That's why I'm like, you are— you, you just like you said, you've gone through the trial and errors, you've paid attention to the data. But you've listened and you've combined all of your organizational skills and made a masterpiece.

Yes. And Z, can I just add that oftentimes, particularly as women, particularly because we tend to struggle in this area where we're seeking for people to acknowledge us or to acknowledge our gift. Because I had learned that I was a very gifted child, gifted in the sense that I'm gifted with the— I have the gift of hands. I have the gift of voice. I'm able to do so many things with my hands. And I'm also able to do so many things with my voice, right? When I noticed that, I noticed that I was different, OK? And that's not to say you're better than anybody. No. But I noticed that you're different. And I think the person listening to me now needs to recognize that, look, you are different. You are your own person, all right? And what works for you is not going to work for everybody else. And please don't wait for anyone to acknowledge you before you become the— you rise up into the fullness of all that you've been created to be. And so that could also mean you walking alone. I had to learn to walk alone. I had to learn to praise myself or push myself or encourage myself when I didn't gain that from anybody else. When I started Notiq, I kept saying to myself, I kept saying, God, I don't know what I'm doing. Please help me. God, I don't know what I'm doing. And I didn't have anybody to go ask, hey, this is what I'm trying to do, because I had not seen my concept or my unique approach being done by somebody else. And so I want to encourage the person listening, it's okay to be different. Choose to be different. Rise up and be you. Bring your unique spin into the market. So for me, as a woman of faith, as someone who believes in God through the Lord Jesus, I am so inspired by the Lord Jesus's approach to people. He cared so much about people. And so I would study scriptures to see how Jesus would, would let people feel. Jesus would be in a crowd and he would acknowledge someone and he would look at them and he would give them attention. And so I wanted to bring those values into my brand because people need to know that, that they are seen. All right. So for you, it may not be that your product may be this, oh my gosh, the, you know, the next best thing, but you can bring that personal touch and it's lacking in the market today, right? People don't apply personal touches anymore. Find a way to bring the personal touch. Be okay with your first 10 customers. Love on them. Make them feel seen. Make them feel heard. And watch and see. As I was doing that, people were telling me, oh, writing notes, that's not scalable. That's not scalable. But guess what? The very thing that isn't scalable is what helped me scale. Because customers said to me, the fact that you stopped what you were doing to write me a note, and we know you're busy, that I'm going to— I'm a fan for life. All right? All right? And so you can't buy that, right? You can't buy loyalty.

You can't.

You can buy it temporarily, but you can't buy genuine loyalty. And so that is what I would leave. Choose to be different. So I've chosen to be different in everything, to touch people, to make them feel seen, as I'm doing now. I'm using my voice. I'm using my experiences to touch the person listening to you, to help you know you're not alone and you can do this.

Yes, yes. So with that being said, we're going to take a brief commercial break. This episode is sponsored by Notiq. It is a lifestyle brand for ambitious and luxurious women like you. You get the option of getting 30 pocket-sized cards and/or a 34 or 22-ounce water bottle. Each of the cards come with 4 to 8 affirmations that serve as milestones, an elegant reminder to keep your dreams at the forefront. Visit notiq.com and use code Legacy to get $5 off the pink or white 34-ounce or 22-ounce BPA-safe affirmation tracking water bottle and card combination. Visit notiq.com and use code Legacy at checkout to get $5 off the pink or white 34 or 22-ounce BPA-safe affirmation tracking water bottle and card combination. All right, so welcome back, and now I feel like it's a great way to ask what made you decide to write your book.

I, you know, so many people don't know that I'm an author. I, hmm, first I, I realized that I had the gift of writing and the gift of words. And I wanted to be a faithful steward of that gift. And I've learned that, hey, if you do not tell your story, nobody else will tell it, or nobody else can tell it the way you would tell it. And so I just was going through a time where I was thinking about life and thinking about how else I could add value to the lives of people. And so I just ran. I just— and again, the dream of being an author, hey, right? I wanted to live out that dream. So I decided to just share using my story and the story of some people that I've come to know to inspire people to make a fresh start. Many of us have suffered so much. I shared with you the story of my family making a fresh start, moving to the United States, starting all over again. I've had to make a fresh start in my career. I've had to make a fresh start when I suffered a miscarriage. I've had to make a fresh start when I felt like giving up and, you know, just wondering what is the point of all these gifts anyway if it's not going to rise up into something or be— make, you know, if I'm not going to make something out of it. So I wanted to share from the place of my struggles and how— what impacted my journey and how I've been able to overcome that. And that's how I wrote the book Fresh Start. And I hope it has helped so many people. all over the world, and I know that it will continue to help so many people all over the world. So yes, that's, that's it. That's the inspiration.

Yes. So for those of you who are interested in the book, we'll put it in the show notes. Uh, we'll also put it in the comments if you're watching the video version. So it's called Fresh Start: A Step-by-Step Journey to Rebuild and Renew Your Life— 5 Essential Principles to Get Back on Track and Move Forward. So that title is in itself, and it's timely. This episode is being recorded at the start of the year.

Yeah.

And it's so often that after 90 days we forget, like, how do we even, you know, get back to what we know our purpose is, what we know we are good at doing? And I also agree. I think that's also why I became an author too. You know, my story is unique in the sense of, you know, just surviving cancer. So survive cancer, not letting that stop me from traveling to 4 African countries. So that's so super important to also tell your story, and I think that's something that you've also mastered, um, when it comes to just personal branding. So between, uh, starting off with, uh, wedding planning and designing and organization, and then utilizing the proceeds, uh, for your products to go to various projects in developing countries and empowering the livelihood of overlooked individuals? What made you really decide to focus on doing that also in your business? Because not many people, you know, would do that. They do it, you know, once a year for, you know, to write it off for taxes, but you kind of do it all year long, every single day. What made you decide to really do that?

Yes, you know, I— that's— it's from the principle of never forget where you're from. Never forget where you're from. I When I lived in Nigeria, I saw the struggles, and I still do. Many people just don't have opportunity, or they don't have the resources. They have opportunity, but not the resources to maximize the opportunities. And I want to say that just having the heart of the Lord Jesus in my heart is what propels me. For me, I see myself as a woman of faith. Who cannot be ignorant or who cannot be, let's say, just blind to the pains and the cares of others. And so I just said to myself— and you know what's funny? A lot of these projects that we do as a brand, we don't get tax write-off on it because when I send money home to Nigeria, there are so many situations that I am unable to go through charity organizations. I have to send money home to Nigeria to help specific I don't get a tax write-off for that, right? So I think at the end of the day, it's just determining who do you want to be? And I've chosen to be a person of compassion, a person of empathy, a person that sees the pains of others and chooses to do something about it. And why not using my work? Why not using my work so that I will always be reminded of why I work? When I get up in the morning, I remember there are people I have to take care of. There are people I have to help. have to help pay for their homes. There are people I have to help support their education. There'll be, you know, that, that keeps me going. That keeps me— that definitely keeps me going every day.

Now let me ask you, are you the oldest, in the middle, or the youngest?

I want you to guess.

You guess.

Oh goodness, it sounds like you're the oldest though. Yes, yes, I am the oldest.

You definitely guessed right. I am the oldest.

Yeah, I figured that because it's like being the oldest— I'm the youngest though, but I get it. Uh, it's being the oldest, you kind of naturally have that let me look out for those who come after me mentality. So yeah, I love that.

That is very caring, and that's the way, that's the way we are raised, you know, like always think about your younger siblings, always think about your younger siblings. Yeah.

Yeah, I love that. Now let's talk about mental health. Mental health and wellness go hand in hand when it comes to entrepreneurship. So what are Some of your tips as far as how women especially can just kind of maintain their mental health, especially during these times?

For me, the number one tip any day, anytime, anywhere is practicing quiet. Practicing quiet. I practice quiet time, okay? And I'm going to share some practical things that I do. For instance, in the mornings when I'm going to work— okay, let me start from when I I wake up. When I wake up in the morning, I take a few minutes to pause, say hello to the Lord, all right, and just spend that few minutes before I bring my foot down, all right. And then the other thing too is I try my best to meditate on scriptures. So I meditate on scripture, read scripture, use scriptures to pray over my life, and then I get down and then I do mommy duties and I do all of that. But then once the children are in school, I try to turn off the radio in the mornings and just have thought or think time. And that's the time where I'm able to connect myself with my inner being. By that I mean, by that I mean the things that I believe that God has deposited on my inside. You know, I process my thoughts. I think about how did I do yesterday? How am I doing now? How can I do tomorrow? I think about my dreams. I think about my aspirations. And I find that when I observe that quiet, those quiet moments, I come out of my car together. I'm not flustered. I'm not all over the place. And then the other thing too is quiet times help me remember who I truly am so that when I step out into a noisy world, I'm not overwhelmed by the opinions of others, the thoughts of others, the ambitions of others. I am who I am. I am who God has created me to be, and I want to go out there and live it. So quiet time is definitely very key for me. In fact, for me, that is it. That is absolutely it. Getting away— the other thing too is just part of my quiet time is getting away, not always being on social media. All right, not always being on social media, because once you're overwhelmed with others, then, you know, just your mental health just starts to break down. So yeah, quietness for me is definitely One big tip, and then the second would just be simplicity. I keep things simple. All right, I always find simpler ways to do the same thing that everybody else is doing. And I guess the last would be authenticity. I stay true to who I am. This is me. This is why I am. This is what works for me, and I'm sticking to it.

Yes, this is my story, and I'm sticking to it. Now I want to try to show off some of the planners that are behind you. There we go. Okay, so what we got going on— that's a whole little setup thing, and I love the color. I see the Chanel story. So tell us what's behind you.

So this— I'm in my office, and rather than do photos in the background like many people do, I decided to put my products on the wall to always remind me to never stop creating. Never stop. I walk into my office and I see— and I see these on the wall and I say, This is what happens when you never stop using your gift, when you never stop creating. So these are, these are several of my, of my products here in different colors and in different sizes. This is not all of it, but there's more.

Yeah, right, because it's not this one either.

Exactly. I have that one in the corner. I have it in the corner.

Yeah, but this one, I'll say for those, if you're watching the video version, it's like a black, uh, leather Uh, style planner, and it has like gold rings. And then there's also— this is like a, you know, literally put it in your pocketbook size, but there's also the full-size planner that most planner addicts love to get. So it comes in all kinds of sizes that could fit in your book, in your desk, wherever you want to put it. So I love that.

Yes.

Okay, so we're coming to the end of the conversation, and so I have, um, 2 fun conversations— well, interesting. I have 2 questions for you that I love to ask every guest.

Are you ready?

Yes, I'm ready. Okay, so when this is all over, let's say, you know, we're in this different phase of the pandemic, but some people are traveling, some people are not. But when this is all over, where do you want to travel to?

Oh, I would love to go to Israel.

Really?

Yes, I've never been, never been. I, I feel like that would just— it would just be a great experience to go see to go see where, where my Lord walked on and where he was, where he spent a good time of his life. I think that would just be really great. Yeah, so I would love to see where Jesus walked and where he was. Yeah, to inspire, to keep inspiring my faith, I guess.

Okay, and I love that. And so my second question is, you kind of touched on it, but kind of maybe reiterate it for those who it probably went right over their heads. But what do you want your legacy to be?

So let me say, from my childhood, I dreamt of being an elegant, influential woman. All right, that's, that's been my dream. I can articulate it, right? And I want to say that I would love my legacy to be that Vijay was an elegant, influential lady who was full of love. Well, you know, was full of the love of God and shared the love of God through her work and through everything that she did, you know. So I think, I think that's it— love for God, love for people, love for God, love people. And yeah, very nice.

I love it. All right, now if no one else got anything else from this conversation, what is one takeaway that you want to share with the There's so much inside of you.

It's time for you to go live out your potential and not be afraid.

I love that. All right, now where can people find you on social media and where can people buy these luxurious planners?

So first I want to say just thank you to everyone who has listened today. Even if you don't buy anything from me, I am grateful that you even gave me audience. Right? But should you want to look me up and learn more about me, the work that I do, and how my gift touches lives all over the world, you may find me at Notique Brand, at Notique Brand on any social media handle, and at notique.com. That is N-O-T-I-Q dot com. And then all of my social media handles are at Notique Brand, at Notique Brand.

I love it. Well, thank you, BJ, for being a guest on the See Life Different podcast.

Thank you so much for having me.

Thank you for listening to the podcast. Be sure to subscribe, follow, and download so you don't miss the next episode. If you want to learn more, you can visit zaakirahnayyar.com. That's Z-A-A-K-I-R-A-H-N-A-Y-Y-A-R.com. Do you have any suggestions on a topic you want to be talked about? Send me an email or leave them in a review. If you love this episode, be sure to share it with your friends.