We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nicole Briggs. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nicole below.
Hi Nicole, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
My strong work ethic is the gift and the curse of being raised by boomer parents. They are the last generation eligible for a pension and a gold watch after 20 plus years with a company. And while that’s no longer a benefit with companies currently, it taught me to do my best, be open to loyalty and practice persistence and patience. Not sure who said it first but “the way you do one thing is how you do all things” whether it’s washing the dishes or creating a market share strategy presentation. The truly is no life without work so you might as well make your peace with making your bed in the morning.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I own and operate an online store with a focus on women’s apparel and lifestyle goods that are premium to luxury , with an emphasis on sustainability, local artisanal talent and BIPOC founders. What’s unique is I am part of a small community of Black women navigating through the brick walls of fashion. What’s exciting is to be a part of movements like Aurora James’ Fifteen Percent Pledge where companies dedicate 15% of their shelves to Black owned brands. I look up to disruptors like Brandice Daniel of Harlem Fashion Row who have become cultural icons in the fashion industry for speaking up about the lack of support Black designers receive. I feel compelled to participate in this movement any way I can through my site Shop Jiyu and my fashion podcast “You Have To Wear Something”. The internet democratized information and allowed creators like myself to report and critique fashion through the lens of a Black woman. I earned a journalism degree but fashion magazines proved to be unstable so a pivot was inevitable. Shop Jiyu will continue to evolve as I find more BIPOC founders, practice “slow fashion” and show tremendous consideration for the journey of garments and goods from production to availability. One unique thing we do at Shop Jiyu is Live Commerce through TalkShop Live, sort of HSN reinvented for these times. I think consumers will continue to care more about BIPOC and sustainable creators, designers and cultural advocates and my aim is to cement myself in that community for as long as possible. Follow Shop Jiyu on TalkShop Live for all live events.
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?
The three qualities that were most impactful on my journey is releasing the traditional idea of success. One, everything you do to invest in your creative process or business counts as a win. Two be adaptable as capitalism will throw a monkey wrench in every plan you make, use your creativity to pivot. Three I would say to be patient, overnight success is rare and by the time we see someone’s success they have probably invested years of hard work with minimal recognition. If you are early in your journey join a community of people doing similar things so you can learn. You will need help and there’s no better place than a community of like-minded people.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
We are living in a time of “peak influencers” and I was always told that you have to grow a community by sharing your life like a diary. Well I was always a private person who never saw the need to share my skincare routine if no one asked. But I have definitely begun to share a lot more online but only when I really love a product and want to review it. The biggest growth has been to host consistent live commerce shows through TalkShop Live and I saw tremendous cumulative growth across all social media platforms. I found a way for people to get to know me through the way that I sell and my vast knowledge of premium and luxury goods while keeping my daily life private.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://shopjiyu.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopjiyu
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shopjiyu
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolebriggs/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShopJiyu
- Other: Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shopjiyu?
Image Credits
Photo credits: Nicole Briggs Cornell Sanner Sam Miller Christiansen
