INITIAL SITUATION

Ever since she can remember, Nicole Rayfield has always felt like an entrepreneur at heart, creating solutions to whatever problems she noticed. She had a knack for creative writing skills and even taught herself how to do graphic design. While in college, she created a business that helped students improve their resumes since she was an English and Communication major. After earning her MS in education with the focus on human resource development at Drexel University, she started Polish Me Professional - a comprehensive suite of career and business consulting services. This work was intrinsically rewarding because it gave Nicole an opportunity to see clients benefit directly from coaching and training on interviewing, resume writing, and business planning and marketing. Nicole combined her dual passions for leadership and business by obtaining a doctoral degree in organizational leadership from Eastern University. Her studies on the lived experience of Black women in non-black spaces was instrumental in pushing the boundaries of her entrepreneurship journey. As such, she combined her scholarly insight with skills in marketing and consumer behavior to create Polish Me Unbothered, a nail polish brand that celebrates and empowers women of color in the workplace

While this venture has been going smoothly, Nicole is no stranger to overcoming the challenges that entrepreneurs face. She knew she had the opportunity and the skillset to be successful but taking on the time commitment and energy to achieve success was no easy task. Early on, she faced the professional difficulties of scaling her business such as figuring out organizational structure, advertising, licensing, and taxes. There were many questions that were left unanswered about these topics, and she sorted out the services of a trusted mentor to help fill the gap between her vision and its execution.

HOW THE SBDC HELPED

That is when she connected with Jim Turner, from the Widener SBDC; as a former Widener University employee, Nicole was somewhat familiar with the Center’s services. She quickly forged a fantastic relationships with Jim where she could bounce ideas and ask questions and have her concerns about the more nuanced aspects of business addressed. Together, they devised a plan which included a strategic pricing strategy and engaging target market action plan. As a result of their collaborative efforts,. Nicole was named the Winner of the Level Up Pitch Competition sponsored by WURD Radio station - a spectacular accomplishment to hold after just one month of officially opening Polish Me Unbothered!

SUCCESS

While being an entrepreneur has changed her mindset and opened many doors for Nicole, none of them are as important as the fact that every day she can make a difference in her community and make her customers feel seen and valued. Weather is observing the smile on a polishers face as they relate to the culturally oriented names, or recognizing the sense of pride that comes from being supportive of a Black owned, women owned business, or feeling a sense of community connection because of the proceeds of her sales going towards supporting vital issues in society, Nicole‘s goal is to make sure that everyone who encounters her brand feels polished and unbothered!