Noellery is a women’s jewelry & accessories startup on a mission to give women access to the latest global trends away from shopping malls and into their neighborhoods. By creating a unique shopping experience and serving as a one-stop jewelry styling resource for women, Noellery has grown into 3 burgeoning brick and motor store fronts in Hoboken, Jersey City, & Montclair, New Jersey. We had the opportunity to ask the brainchild behind Noellery, Noel Do, a few questions about her background and experience as a female entrepreneur and investor, so we jumped on the chance.
Noel Do is a regular guest lecturer at St. Peter’s University for entrepreneurial studies, certified in financial planning, graphic design, and a licensed notary public. She obtained her bachelor’s in finance at the University of Illinois Chicago and her master’s in finance with a real estate concentration at New York University. She has extensive experience in financial services including wealth management and international tax, and is active with mentoring entering college students with career development. In addition to her professional and academic achievements, Noel has gained recognition as a successful stock trader for growing her investments to over $1 million by the age of 30.
Why did you decide to create your own business?
I decided to start Noellery because I love jewelry. The idea had always been on the back of my mind, but I did not really develop a gut to go for it until after getting a taste of financial services. Being glued to a desk was never for me, and I realized that I would never meet my financial goals by working for someone else. I’m immensely grateful for the opportunities that came my way, but I reached a point where I felt it was necessary to pursue something that stretched me in a different capacity and actually made me happy. I was craving for something that honed my ability to create and gave me purpose. That happened to be Noellery.
What do you love most about the industry you are in?
Fast fashion gives you a rush, as you have to constantly stay on top of trends and understand how production cycles operate in order to succeed. That entails monitoring rapid changes in the industry in advance of the season, which means you are always working off season. Globalization allows us to import the greatest ideas and talents from other parts of the world, and I get to mix that with our equally as talented domestic designers to yield a unique collection. In today’s retail environment, ideas and information flow freely at lightning speed and you must able to make decisions quickly along with the pace of changes happening. The industry requires a lot of research and knocking on doors, which I find both eye-opening, exhausting, yet fun. I learn something new every month, and it has been a rollercoaster of a fulfilling journey.
What does a typical day consist for you?
Wake up, listen, and read the market news while eating breakfast. Prioritize what needs to be completed and jump right into work. I am in a structured routine, which is on daily repeat for the most part. I wake up not knowing what the day will bring, and sometimes I will have to move things around to accommodate the unknown. Navigating the unknown is usually what stops one from pursuing entrepreneurship in the first place, but if you’re well prepared that leap into the unknown will be well worth it.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
I can look at jewelry all day, but I actually get most of my inspiration from traveling. Being in nature triggers the creative side of me and engaging with people from different walks of life allows me to stay open minded and think outside of the box. I am a self-certified book worm with a lot of interests, and I read a lot on world history for fun. I regularly look to the history of world leaders in business, politics, and even religion to learn how they were able to change the world for the better. I’m endlessly fascinated by the advancement of our financial markets and the world we live in, and excogitating history helps me connect the dots and make more thoughtful and informed business decisions.
How do you maintain a solid work life balance?
I’m still working on this. Outside of work, I like to run, golf, play tennis, or paint and doodle. I make it a point to give myself at least 45 mins each day to completely detach with coffee and be outdoors; sometimes in silence or with my favorite songs spinning in my ears. Being your own boss requires you to be focused and disciplined, especially with your time, because it goes by so quickly. There are only so many hours in the day, and you want to make sure you spend it on the areas where you add the most value. I work through every holiday without question, and that’s something most won’t understand unless they’re in a startup entrepreneur’s shoes.
What traits do you possess that makes a successful leader?
I adapt to change quickly, and slice data granularly through a colorful lens.
What suggestions do you have for someone starting in your industry?
Be consistent and believe in yourself. Focus on growth and development both personally and in your business channels. Roadmap your financial goals with specific numbers and share those goals with someone you trust so he or she can hold you accountable. Do your research, fact-check everything, and invest early. If I can do it- anyone can do it.
What is one piece of advice that you have never forgotten?
My favorite finance professor from undergrad shared a ton of tips on how we should carry ourselves in interviews as we sought out jobs. Knowing the company’s metrics and being well prepared to answer tough questions intelligently has influenced the way I approach business and negotiations to this day.
What is your biggest accomplishment?
My greatest accomplishment is probably becoming self-sufficient relatively early. I paid my own way through college without any financial support from my family. During undergrad, I was working over 40 hours while attending school full time. I took my academics very seriously, and shuttled all day between school, work, and the gym. Any free time was mostly spent researching value stocks for long term growth possibilities, so I applied the trading principles learned through class discussions and at work into my own real-time traded portfolio. My goal had always been to minimize my debt exposure upon graduation, so I kept myself busy with activities that helped me get closer to that while balancing life as a working student. That was challenging, but that period taught me how to stay focused on my goals and the earning possibilities when staying actively invested in a free-market economy. For this reason, I am and always will be a huge proponent of education as it helped pave a path for me that I would have never had.
What is one piece of advice you would give to others?
Don’t be afraid to chase after something that your current circumstances may stop you from pursuing. Get in the habit of setting incremental goals for yourself, and work towards them. Learn as much as you can, ask a ton of questions, and strive to evolve into a better version of yourself every single day. We are meant to stretch ourselves, and not to be idle, so do something each day that challenges you and remember to dream big. Really big.