Voyage LA Interview
MARCH 11, 2020
Meet Nova Scott of BCNovaMarie in Inland Empire
Today we’d like to introduce you to Nova Scott.
Nova, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
A little over five years ago, I was a stay at home mom. All 3 of my children were under the age of five at the time. I had a six month old, a two year old and a four year old. I remember being home and feeling blessed to be a mom of three. Feeling happy to be able to raise and teach my children but at the same time feeling like I should be doing more. That I should be doing more in society and that I should be answering my long time passion of helping women.
Something started brewing and bubbling on the inside of me that I could not shake. Right after my birthday in January of 2015, I found myself waking up three nights in a row around 3 a.m. My initial response to the sudden waking up at that time of morning was the thought that my six month old was crying and needed to be nursed or needed a diaper change. But as I would sit up in my bed, I would keep waking up to a quiet and completely silent house. It was in that time that I realized that I was waking up because God was trying to download into me a vision that would shake the world around me and help women of all walks of life.
It was in this time that my vision was birthed. The vision of Restoring Dignity To Women Through Clothing. This vision would go beyond just fashion and clothing and would be used as a tool to restore, uplift, encourage, educate, and clothe women from all walks of life. This means that we would use our profits from sales, to provide free clothing and educational tools for women who have been rescued from sex trafficking, abuse, and other life difficulties. These would not be your regular donated used clothing but brand new, well sewn, classic, and chic work pieces. The type of pieces that we all dream to be draped in as we step out and show up in the world. Also we would create red carpet, first class events/ experiences for these women. These days would be power packed days filled with makeovers (Hair, clothing, etc..). education, inspiration, empowerment and encouragement through motivational speeches and testimonies from other women who had overcome life’s most hardest circumstances and are now dominating in different fields and markets in society.
I could not shake it. In fact the vision became louder as the week went on and a passion started rising up out of me for others in need that I could not ignore. So a few days later, the idea came to start making custom hand beaded t-shirts for women. Mind you, at that time I had no experience with hand beading. I immediately took $250 went to hobby lobby purchased some t-shirts, jewelry making beads( like pearls, glass beads, etc.), needle thread kit, glue, letter stencils, and a few fabric pencils. After that, I would spend hours teaching my self how to create hand beaded shirts.
When starting, all I had was $250. The reason I share that is, so many times we find ourselves with a big vision but very limited resources. And because of that we stop and put our dreams and visions on hold. Little did I know, at the time, that if I started with the little I had that it would, in less than six months, multiply multiple times over. Hopefully, this encourages someone reading. The little you have is enough to start. Just start!!
Within a few weeks, I got my first few custom orders. Within the next year, my skill increased drastically and also my customer base grew. After a year my orders grew so much that I could no longer physically take all the orders. One customized t-shirt would take me on average 56 hours to make. So it was at this point that I began to brainstorm through different ideas on how I could continue to Restore Dignity to women through Clothing. I sat and was like Nova what else can you do that is more efficient in time. Especially with being a stay at home mom, my time was very precious. I wanted to make sure whatever I decided on doing would not cause me to neglect my children or my husband.
So with the profits made from the t-shirt, I phased out the custom hand beaded part of the business and opened up an online women and children clothing boutique. I did that for about three years and then in 2018 once again the vision of BCNovaMarie began to grow and require more out of me.
In the fall of 2018, I began to feel like there was more. As a creative person, vision consistently expands and grows. Where you start is never where you end. Where you start at many times is smaller than the big picture that you see on the canvas of your mind. I found myself knowing that I had gotten comfortable and knowing that I was not living up to my full potential and or using all my God-given creative gifts. I was letting comfort, and fear keep me from maximizing all the creative juices that were on the inside of me.
In December of 2018, I finally took the leap and began to transition my business from a boutique to a Ready-To-Wear Fashion brand/ fashion designer. To give you further understanding of this time of transition, at that time I did not know how to draw or sew a pattern with a machine. So all I had was the vision of designing clothing that I did not know how to draw, sew, or even bring to life. Despite all that, and the constant feelings of inadequacy, and temptations to not even try, in January 2019, I moved forward and began the process of transition.
I marked down all the rest of my clothing that was left in my stock and used all the profits made to invest into the beginning stages of designing and manufacturing. A year later, January 20, 2020 I re-launched my business with three designs.
The starting point as a designer with only three designs is small but I know, from all that I have experienced in business over the past five years, that this is only the beginning and that greater days are ahead for my brand. As I sit here, I am so grateful to have come this far. I started with only a vision and $250. I have experienced so much and grown so much because I decided to not let the lack of a big budget and or experience stop me. My hope is that this encourages you to step out and do the same.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. And I know every visionary, business owner, and or person in any capacity of leadership can attest to this. This journey has been filled with so many different ups, downs, sharp turns, victories and disappointments. It has also been filled with so much growth. Throughout the years, I have had to come face to face with, and have had to overcome my own inner self defeating talk. Sometimes you don’t realize that your mindset concerning confidence and self-esteem is not where it should be until you are faced with the obstacle of growing a small business that seems to be moving too slow.
The struggles I faced in the beginning became a mirror and it constantly reflected back to me the reality of my low self-concept and the hidden weaknesses, that often times we don’t like to admit are there. Most of my struggles had nothing to do with the natural outward things but more about inner self. For example, in the season where business was slow and I barely made a profit (sometimes not selling anything for a whole month). I would start to doubt myself and think I was a failure.
I had to fight back in those seasons and develop a healthier and stronger self-concept. I had to fight back and learn that everything that I was facing was apart of the process and did not disqualify me as a woman in business. And I had to rise up and remind myself of how far I came and how bold I was for even starting a business. Growing a business would be a fight and if I wanted to succeed, I would have to have grit, mental toughness, and I would have to be unmoved by dry seasons. I would have to succeed at mastering myself and my emotions.
Some of my other struggles were:
1) Learning the balancing act of being a mother of 3 young children, a wife, and a businesswoman. The beginning months were definitely a struggle especially for my children. I had to learn the art of giving time to my craft while making sure to not neglect my family.
Remember as mentioned above in the previous question, that my children were all under the age of 5 when I first started. Which means they needed more of my attention and time. You see by nature I am like a racehorse. Once I get an idea I waist no time and I aggressively go after whatever the particular goal or vision is. In the beginning, I would get so drenched and focused on my business that I would drop the ball in my home. Especially when it came to my children and husband. I had to learn quickly, the art of multi-tasking. I had to learn to be more organized with my time.
2) Also, I started with a small budget which limited how much I could do. I determined from the beginning of my business to never go in debt and to use and grow what I had. So if I was going to expand and or add anymore products I would have to first sell what I had. Sometimes that would cause for me to move slower and introduce new inventory at a slower pace than other boutiques. This was a struggle because as business owners sometimes we are often tempted to compare our growth and our speed with others. And as a result we can find ourselves getting into debt trying to keep up with others instead of working with what we have.
Even though this was a struggle, I found that the “slow movement” was building in me self control and discipline and taking out of me the temptation to compare my steps and seasons with others. It’s better to move slow than to not be moving at all.
Every struggle has been a blessing in disguise. I am tougher, more resourceful, more creative, more organized and more resilient as a result.
BCNovaMarie – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I would say that I’m an artist who designs clothing. The reason I say that is, each piece that I design is full of detail. I pour my love for bold colors, my eye for detail, and my heart of passion into each design. Each design is crafted and made out of a heart and hands of excellence. I am known for my excellent eye, my attention to detail and my commitment to quality. BCNovaMarie is a Ready-To-Wear Fashion/ Lifestyle Brand that is made in Los Angeles. With the rise of so many boutiques and clothing designers it can become easy for designers and fashion brands to get lost in the noise of a market that can seem so saturated. Having a vision that goes beyond profits is one of the beautiful things that causes my brand to standout from the noise. The businesses that will thrive are those that exist for the purpose of and are committed to solving social and economic problems.
The main thing that makes my Fashion/ lifestyle brand stand out is that we go beyond fashion. Fashion is the tool we use to build a platform of self-esteem, confidence and true beauty for women of all cultures, creeds, and sizes. This is what I am most proud of. Not only do I get to design beautiful, classic and chic pieces, but as a company we are able to help women who are in need. Help them smile again, laugh again, and genuinely feel beautiful again. Through the upcoming launch of our Royalty Box Program, we will be able to accomplish this and so much more. This is what keeps me going and the reason why no matter how hard and challenging it has been and will be, I will never quit.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success is subjective. In today’s society people often try to measure success by looking at a persons status, house they live in, the job title they carry, and the money in their bank account. And we often tie it to these tangible things that can change in a minute. So many people are actually successful but are unaware because they measure it by tangible things.
Success to me is the single parent who defies all environmental odds and raises his or her child(ren). It’s the stay at home mother who wakes up day after day who passionately takes care of her family and home. The CEO who overcomes all types of odds and obstacles and wins not just in their public world but more so in private. It’s the individual who has suffered loss but in the midst of grief they continue to rise and move forward. It’s the one who does not quit but is able to persist under extreme pressure.
And lastly, success to me is the person who is willing to start again!
Contact Info:
Website: www.bcnovamarie.com
Email: bcnovamarie@gmail.com
Image Credit:
📸: @edgarxl and Torrian Scott
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