Meet Wendy Williamson

We recently connected with Wendy Williamson and have shared our conversation below.

Wendy, so great to have you with us today. There are so many topics we want to ask you about, but perhaps the one we can start with is burnout. How have you overcome or avoided burnout?
Self-employment and managing a home-based business are not for the faint-of-heart. The idea of working for yourself, not having anyone to report to, and having the freedom to create your own schedule is easy to romanticize, but in reality can be a real challenge. It takes a strong work ethic and plenty of self-motivation, organization and accountability to be successful. When you do what you love, your potential to succeed can be practically limitless. The more you work and hustle, the more successful you are and the more money you can make. But entrepreneurship can be lonely. You carry a heavy burden of responsibility and there’s no one looking out for you, except you. That’s why entrepreneurs are at a higher risk of burnout and stress-related illness.

I’m at my best when I integrate my work and personal life. This may be contrary to some recommendations to have set work hours and set time-off. But that model just doesn’t work for me. I feel more productive when I alternate blocks of work with personal activities throughout the day. This way, I don’t fret about lingering, important tasks and can end each day knowing I haven’t neglected myself, my family, or my work.

I make sure to incorporate healthy habits into each day, such as stopping for 15 minutes every now and then to exercise or take a brain break. It sounds crazy, but I make sure to remind myself to eat. If you’re like me, you can get so entrenched in your work that you forget to stop for lunch. When you finally realize how hungry you are, you make unhealthy food choices. Simple solutions like setting a timer are the difference between eating a candy bar and bag of chips vs. preparing a healthy plate. Sometimes, just walking outside into the sunshine or fresh air is a game changer.

If I feel burnout coming on, I reduce my hours and focus only on the essentials. When I’m tired, frustrated, or just not feeling like myself, I know I’m not producing my best work. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned in my life is to give myself grace. I often have to remind myself that no one expects me to be perfect. It’s okay to take a time out to reset, gain perspective, or just be. Then it’s back to work with a smile!

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Like many e-commerce resellers, the Nina’s Jewels journey began when I started selling things around the house – using eBay and other e-commerce apps as online garage sales. Over time, I discovered the money-making potential reselling and began seeking out items to sell at places like garage sales and estate sales. In 2017, I got married and my husband told me he wanted to sell his extremely large and very valuable vintage toy and trading card collection. We decided to list and sell the collection (for the most part), one toy and one card at a time. Adding these items has grown our store immensely and we saw the true potential of reselling online. We continued seeking out valuable items at garage and estate sales, expanding out to include thrift stores and flea markets. Despite my husband working full-time and me owning another business, we decided to put as much time and effort into reselling as we could muster, working on it sometimes up to 4 hours a day, 7 days a week. In 2021, we restructured our business to an LLC and received a FEIN, officially making our “side hustle” a real business. We have grown our eBay store to over 4,300 listings with almost $60,000 in sales in 2022. Our reselling income is now a significant part of our income and something we rely on. When my husband lost his job during the pandemic, we were able to immediately pivot, focusing more heavily on reselling and replaced his lost income with income from our own entrepreneurial activities. Reselling gave us peace of mind and financial freedom during uncertain and challenging times.

In 2021, we expanded our business to include making YouTube content marketed to the reselling community. Our channel has grown to almost 4,000 subscribers and continues to gain new followers everyday. We have also begun to build a following on Instagram and Facebook. These efforts not only help us stay educated about the industry, but also drives traffic to our online stores and builds awareness of our brand. Our long-term goal for the company is for it to become our primary source of income.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
While there are many qualities and skills that contribute to my success as a reseller and YouTuber, three key aspects stand out as particularly crucial. 1. Resilience and adaptability. This work is filled with ups and downs. It is important for me to maintain a positive mindset, learn from failures, and be adaptable to an ever-changing market . I also try to maintain a growth mindset and be open to new ideas and perspectives. Responding to challenges and proactively seeking opportunities allows me to pivot when necessary and stay ahead of the curve.
2. Communication and networking. Effective communication is key to building relationships, attracting customers/subscribers, and maintaining my support network. I stay involved in the reselling/YouTuber community by attending industry events and connecting with like-minded individuals. By building strong relationships and leveraging my network, I’m able to navigate challenges, seize opportunities, and create a resilient and thriving business.
3. Financial literacy and business acumen. Understanding financial principles and having a solid grasp of my business’s financial health is critical. These skills enable me to make informed decisions, manage my resources effectively, and navigate the complex financial landscape of running a business. They not only contribute to the short-term success of my business, but also play a key role in building a sustainable business over the long term.

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
When I began reselling, I had a lot of questions. I turned to YouTube for the answers. It has been the most important resource for knowledge and information through my journey. I learned best practices on how to set up and structure my business and gained free tools that we have implemented in our operations. YouTube continues to help me learn what to source and where to source it and provides valuable insight on pricing strategies, inventory management and how to create effective listings. I’ve also met many friends and colleagues through the platform. Despite competition that exists, the reselling community is so supportive and friendly and has broadened my network immensely.

As we grew and became more successful, we wanted to share our reselling journey on YouTube. Doing this has not only helped up create another income stream, but also keeps us accountable and allows us to reflect on our business in a way that wasn’t possible before.

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