Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Niki Cordell, co-founder of RingHero, located in Chicago, IL, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
My two business partners and I are from different work backgrounds that share the love of being active. We met 12 years ago through our husbands while they attended business school. We'd often brainstorm business ideas over red wine and realized we each encountered the same problem of protecting our rings when working out or playing sports with no real solution. If this were a problem for us, it had to be a problem for others, right? After a survey sent out to our network proved it was, we knew we had to create a solution. Created in 2016, RingHero is the original wristband that keeps your rings safe. Our average customers are newly engaged or married women and men who enjoy hustling hard and want to show off their bling. The patent-pending wristband can be worn at the gym, or nail salon, while traveling, and medical professionals and athletes love us! The second facet of our business is our wholesale relationships with jewelry stores nationwide - who often gift with purchase, leading to more referrals on high-value items!
Tell us about yourself
I grew up with two self-employed parents, so entrepreneurship runs in my blood. Working with my two best friends has taught me a lot - about communication, compromise, having crucial conversations, and learning more about myself as a co-founder and business owner. The struggles of making bad decisions and how we recover. Besides teaching my three kids about having a strong work ethic, what motivates me is a passion for learning, implementing plans, gathering data, and making pivots.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
There is a common theme in the accomplishments, as I cannot list just one! We are such a small company that these might seem small to others, but for us, they were really exciting moments! Nearly all of our marketing has been organic, word of mouth (paired with the grind that goes along with that). Being featured in TheSkimm's first-ever pop-up in New York and commerce site getting a big PO with Core Power Yoga 2 years after our launch partnering with Fabletics on a drop for their VIP members - all happened because powerful people at those brands discovered RingHero and wanted to work with us. We are so humbled and excited for more big things ahead!
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
If I'm being honest, it's trying to grow a side hustle business while working full time and raising littles. You take this risk to start something, see it start to take off, learn, pivot, make decisions along the way, have fun, shed some tears (hello supply chain woes!), and just hope you are doing the right things, trying to find enough hours in the day to get it all done. Deciding to stop dipping your toes in the big pond and just take that leap of faith and go for it.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Oh, this is a fun one! One. Talk to as many entrepreneurs as possible - ones that are in a similar category and ones that aren't. Have a similar list of questions for each one so you can aggregate the answers to help form your next move. Two. Like Cody Rigsby says, "you do, you boo." You can get so caught up in everything you need to take a break and do something for yourself every single day. Get out of the tunnel vision, and perhaps answers might come to you. Mine might be a small addiction to Peloton! Three. Trust your gut. When a random company reaches out to you saying they can 10x your ROAS, tread lightly.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.yourringhero.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YourRingHero
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourringhero/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikicordell/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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