jade + jasper As one of the first businesses in the budding new The Lights development in West Fargo, Jade + Jasper offers women a retail-therapy escape.
The Coronavirus pandemic has hit small businesses especially hard. It has taken a great deal of mental fortitude to continue to operate small businesses across the country. Even riskier is opening a small business during these pandemic times. Jade + Jasper owner Ashley Nowacki took those risks and was able to make them pay off. Nowacki did not attend school for business nor did she attend university for any sort fo retail or merchandising training. In fact, she went to school for communications and remained in that field for a number of years. Yet, Nowacki was unfulfilled in her creative life. That is what led her down the road of business ownership. The result is Jade + Jasper, which specializes in women's clothing and providing retail therapy inside the new The Lights district in West Fargo. Perhaps more importantly, Nowacki has become a role model to her daughter Jade (for whom the store is named) throughout this process. Nowacki gave birth to her second child while preparing Jade + Jasper for its grand opening. Her success as a business owner has trickled down to her life as a mom. With her budding business, she is teaching her kids that anything is possible.
You said you originally went to school for communications. How do you end up starting your own small business from that? It's a long story. I feel like I have that right brain and left brain balance and I'm only happy if both of those are being satisfied. I was in the event world for a while right out of college and I did some media buying too. For a long time, the event world kind of lit my soul on fire. It satisfied both. Then I fell into media buying and it was definitely catered more to that left brain. I still felt that need to do something creative though. So I actually started with a multilevel marketing company just to get that creative fire going on the side. I just fell in love with meeting with women and helping them find things that made them feel good about themselves and I wanted to take it to that next level. Now, my creativity doesn't have any bounds anymore. I get to do what I want and just let my creativity run wild. That is what kind of led me here, but it took a while to get there.
What were some of the biggest hurdles in starting Jade + Jasper? I think learning to trust my gut and knowing that things will work out. That is kind of the biggest thing that I'm always working through. I was really taking a leap when I did this. It took me a while to basically build up those wings and go because there is really no one here teaching me how to do this stuff. It's trying to push a business and make it bigger and better every day. In that respect, I am learning as I go in many respects.
On the opposite side of that, what have been the biggest rewards? This experience has been very rewarding. They always say 'once you work for yourself, you'll never want to go back'. I have been thinking 'why didn't I do this sooner?'
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