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Every week, the NYU Entrepreneurial Institute elects a Startup of the Week. We invite the founders of these startups to share a blog post with our community. These posts can be inspirational, educational, or entertaining. Founders can share founding stories, resources, lessons, or any other topic of their choice.
This blog post was written by Nikki Powers (Stern '21), Founder of Nourish & Refine, which provides a bespoke line of organic, all-natural luxury skincare and candles.
My name is Nikki Powers, I am an MBA candidate at NYU Stern and the Founder of Nourish & Refine. Over the years, I have created a bespoke line of organic, all-natural luxury skincare and candles. My once small vision has grown into a nationally recognized brand that continues to gain exposure throughout Europe.
I am currently in the final months of my MBA and am proud of the progress I have made with my venture. Over the last year and a half, I have taken advantage of the NYU Startup Accelerator Series, including participating in a Startup Bootcamp and more. While taking part in the different programs, I have leveraged the coaching and resources provided by the NYU Entrepreneurial Institute to continue to scale my business. I have spent time exploring all aspects of my business and learned new and innovative ways they could be improved.
As a solo founder, my entrepreneurship journey has not been easy. One of the main reasons I chose to pursue business school was the opportunity to learn the necessary skills to truly scale my business to new heights. I selected NYU specifically for their incredible Entrepreneurial Institute and the wide reach of their alumni network. As I made my way through the Startup Accelerator Series, I realized my venture was pretty far along. This afforded me the opportunity to seek out additional coaching and mentorship, in order to tackle the right challenges and constraints for my business.
I found the Ignite Fellowship to be a place where I could be in community with other likeminded business owners. (*Note from the editor: the Ignite Fellowship, an invitation-only, cohort-based program is currently paused due to Covid-19 constraints. More information will be available when the program resumes.) Throughout the semester, we shared our objectives and goals, while celebrating each other’s small and large successes. One of the difficult parts of being a solo founder is working on your venture alone, and sometimes feeling very isolated in the process. A lesson I have recently learned has been to take part in fellowships and female founder groups to help lift me up. Life as an entrepreneur definitely has its high high’s and low low’s. That is why it is crucial to find your tribe, and find them early on, so you have support along the way.
Another beneficial resource that has contributed to my business’ success has been taking advantage of the coaching provided by the Entrepreneurial Institute and the Berkley Center for Entrepreneurship. Coaching has been a memorable part of my journey and has provided me with clarity and direction, but most importantly, a much wider perspective of my business and the way forward.
Every day presents its own challenges. Still, I am incredibly proud of Nourish & Refine. Our mission is to help you discover the power of self-care through all-natural and conscious wellness products. Our luxurious line of skincare and candles offer you the freedom to take a moment for yourself each and every day. Now, more than ever, we need to remember to practice taking the very best care of ourselves and those we hold dear. Throughout the pandemic, our customers have sent care packages to friends, family, and coworkers. We have always offered complimentary gift wrapping and personalized notes, but now we have included a free deluxe sample with every order. I hope you explore our shop and find something that will support your own self-care. Wishing you hope as we emerge out of this pandemic stronger and more united.
