Today we’d like to introduce you to Ninoshka Wilson.
Hi Ninoshka, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
When you are young, adults tend to always ask, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” I would immediately respond back with, “I want to help people, I want to change people’s lives!” The only way I believed I could at the time, was to become a doctor. However, towards the end of this story, you will see that I took a different path. Ever since I was a young girl, I fell in love with creativity, beauty, and style. My love for the industry started by watching other people bring their visions to life. I would watch the girls in Chorus class braid each other’s hair in the 6th grade. I would even watch my mom do her own hair, makeup, and nails. Everything that I saw people do I would immediately duplicate it. I began to practice on my friends, braiding their hair, doing their sew-ins and painting their nails. Later, I decided to actually make money off of it. I began to charge my friends for my services. Then in 2012, I started my very first company that went by the name of “Nino’s Bow’s” where I created hair bows and bow ties from old jeans, scraps, latex, and other materials that I would find. The business was booming in high school, and I was truly grateful for my success in it, but I eventually grew out of it.
After a while, I stopped selling bows and decided to return back to hair, makeup, and nails for the majority of high school. I continued to perfect my craft by steadily working on myself. Once I got to college, I started to do individual lash extensions. I would buy the individual lashes from the beauty supply store then charge about 50 bucks per client for their extensions. This was how we did lash extensions before lash extensions existed in today’s day and age. After taking so many clients on campus, I really fell in love with lashes and the science behind them. I became obsessed with getting the best lashes and makeup to the point where people would ask me where I get my lashes from. That is when a light bulb went off in my head! I got the bright idea to learn how to start a lash brand. Instead of directing them to a beauty supply store to purchase their cosmetics needs, I wanted to direct them to a website, my website. I began to research how to start a lash business, how to get the supply, and how to attract customers. From here, I gave birth to “NovaCane Cosmetics” in the year 2019. It originally started as a lash company selling only 25mm dramatic lashes, and those sold out on campus. After my sellout, I knew I needed to go bigger and better. I decided to take a break in between 2019-2021 to rebrand, revamp, and restart my business. When everything was finally finished, I wanted the whole world to see.
On March 5th, 2022 I hosted my very own pop-up shop. It was intended to give me the opportunity to launch my revamped business, and also create a pathway for other entrepreneurs around the city of Atlanta to sell their products and grab the attention of the city. NovaCane Cosmetics is a faith-based brand in which we sell lashes, eyebrow pomade, eyebrow pencils, lip scrubs, lip gloss, and mascara. Specializing in lash extensions and hair braiding as well. I did not end up saving lives in a life or death matter, but I ended up still changing lives. Beauty can be a tool used in many situations, as therapy when you are feeling down, as an escape when you want to be different, and as love exchanged from one to another. To see the smile on my client’s and customers’ faces after the work is done is the biggest payment I could ever receive. My name is Ninoshka Wilson. I am a Hispanic Black African America entrepreneur, and we do change and impact lives.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Being an entrepreneur consists of many trials and tribulations. This is the space where you can discover your biggest fears and your biggest accomplishments. You are either going to face your fears, and let them bring you down, or you are going to face them and prosper. I had many fears when first starting my business such as: the fear of failure, the fear that no one would purchase my products, the fear that I would not have the funds to keep my business afloat, that no one would support me, and people will think that I am harassing them for asking to purchase my products. All of these fears came true, I faced every single one of them. One by One. Throughout the process, I wanted to give up a few times. The fear of failure is real, but failure is not actually a real thing. Life is made to build you through tests and lessons. Failures are lessons, and through every lesson, I learned that I had to persevere. If I gave up, that meant that I was giving up on myself and my family. How could I truly live with letting myself down? I had to hold onto something that would push me and anchor me. I chose God as my anchor. The only person who could truly hold me accountable. Who could lead me in the right direction even when I felt like I was going in the wrong one. Faith is what I clung to, and that faith in my business and in myself had to be worth way more than my fear of failure. Entrepreneurship is not always smooth sailing. You have your up and down seasons, your storms, and crashes. However, there is a season for everything, and there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about NovaCane Cosmetics LLC?
NovaCane Cosmetics is a faith-based brand that was created to inspire others to embrace their inner queen. Our message is to motivate women to love who they are naturally, and know that beauty products are just an addition to the beauty that already comes from within. We specialize in vegan products that are also both cruelty and paraben-free cosmetic products that are designed to provide the glamorous, voluptuous, and fabulous looks fit for every person on this planet. We sell eyelashes ranging from 15mm-25mm, waterproof eyebrow pomade, waterproof supernova mascara, eyebrow pencils, lip scrubs, and herbal lip glosses all made from the heart. Within every lash box, you will see a bible verse placed at the top to encourage you to never give up along your journey in a world full of darkness. Not only do we have bible verses on our lash boxes, but we have them on a few other products as well. Words are powerful; they can truly tell a story if you let them. Words are hope, and sometimes hope and faith is all we have to lean on. Our vision for NovaCane Cosmetics is to show everyone that with faith in God anything is possible. Without me having my faith in God this brand would not exist today. You can truly create the world you chose to live in. We also specialize in other beauty services such as lash extensions and hair braiding for both men and women. In the future, we plan to be a global company spreading faith, love, and hope to all nations. This is NovaCane Cosmetics.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
If you are just starting a business, and you are confused about how to start or where to begin. Here’s a tip, just start! There will never be a right time or a wrong time to start your business. The more time that goes by for you to contemplate starting your own business, the more time the enemy has to convince you that you are not equipped enough, that you are not strong enough, or that you do not have the knowledge nor the resources. Those are lies! Start Now. If someone would have told me that to I begin with would probably be rich by now! Never take “NO” for an answer and never think that because someone rejected you, your career is over. Always remember that certain doors close for a reason whether it is to push you to a better opportunity or protect you from a bad one. There will always be another way. Stay patient, your time will come, and in the meantime prepare yourself until the time does come. Have faith that your business will succeed and speak positivity over it every day. Pray about it every day. Continue to educate yourself about your field because it is the basic fundamental that holds a business together. You are not alone in this industry. It is a strength to be able to ask others for help along the way, not a weakness. You can do this, whoever said you could not? Don’t cry for what you lose, if you don’t fight for what you want.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://novacanecosmetics.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/novacanecosmetics/?next=%2F
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083043437164
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/novacanecos
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgzNJNhQL4s-svP0bnsHNCQ
- Other: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=19483190&fbclid=IwAR1lwQIio7IUTlZmLmMM-ba6THbvNty3lSSiAPR5rjoHS-lCPFlGdyyqBfY
Image Credits
Ninoshka Wilson @cameramandj
