Today we’d like to introduce you to Jocelyn Nelson.
Hi Jocelyn, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a thirty-six year old native of Alabama and I must say that …I’ve always been better as expressing myself in written word versus saying it.
In August of 2015, I launched my Women of Purpose blog because I felt led to provide an outlet to express my story and help others. I’ve always been a go-to for my friends and family to talk through their problems and seek advice and once I got back in church, I realized that there was more to it than just being a good friend and discovered it was more of a spiritual gift.
I’ve experienced a lot of challenges in life that a lot of women can relate to so I began blogging to tell my story and inspire others.
I never had entrepreneur aspirations. I’ve always loved to work but working for myself was never a thought although my mother was a business owner for a brief period of my childhood. Then one day it just came to me to start a merchandise business of all the different sayings I would say or things that people would speak over me repeatedly like “Favor Follows Me.” Those entrepreneur hopes quickly came to a halt when COVID reared its ugly head. See, I wanted to use a local, black-owned business to produce my products and some of her vendors were China based so I decided to hold off. After a few months, I decided that I couldn’t let that stop me because I had to follow the vision God gave me so I researched companies to outsource the work and my online store was birthed.
Now my store offers shirts, prayer journals, masks, water bottles, hoodies, phone cases and sweatshirts, which is far more than I originally planned on offering.
On the other side of the business, I look forward to hosting in person events again. In 2019, before the pandemic, I held two entrepreneur workshops and look to offer more like that along with ones geared towards financial literacy and women empowerment.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t been easy by any means. Running a business is hard enough under normal circumstances but STARTING one during a global pandemic is totally different obstacle.
Because I outsource my entire product production, I have no control over how long it takes to ship and my inventory levels. I’m also unable to provide the cute, branded packaging that we all love to receive.
I also started without fully researching all the best practices and understanding the basics of setting up a business legally and establishing business credit. I’m less than a year old so I’m still learning.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My 9-5 life consists of technical support work for an entity of the largest power company in the south.
Outside of that, I’m known for my love of all things faith, natural hair, music, dance & black culture.
I consider myself unique in a lot of ways. I don’t tend to think like people feel a woman should. I’m very unapologetic, loyal to a fault, and resilient. If people knew half of my biggest struggles, they’d wonder how I’m still able to smile most days.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
I absolutely love being black. It’s the best thing about me. I love everything about it: the good & the bad. There’s something so special about my people and our culture. I am developing a real love for travel, being at the beach is my true happy place and I feel most as peace when I’m laying on a beach listening to the waves crash. I also love dance, as a child, I was a ballerina, but that wasn’t enough for me so I began dancing at church on the praise team, I learned that’s how I express myself to God the best. I literally come alive.
Pricing:
- Shirts begin at $23
- Journals are $20
- Phone cases are $15
- Drawstring bags are $24
- Hoodies & sweatshirts start at $30
Contact Info:
- Email: womenofpurpose15@gmail.com
- Website: https://women-of-purpose-llc.myshopify.com/
- Instagram: www.Instagram.com/__womenofpurpose
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/journeytopurpose/
Image Credits:
Featured photo: In My Shutter Photographer (Trey Chambers) Merchandise photos: D Jerome Smedley Photography (Derek Smedley)
