Let this episode be a reminder to trust in God, his plan, and his flow- because life is flowing y'all! It’s been a minute since we’ve had a chit chat sesh and a lot has been going on this year with birthday celebrations, medical scare ( it’s all okay!), job changes, tensions with relationships, and massive incredible movements happening in my skin care business, Silkenn.
I have been more intentional with my relationship with God and life is becoming more and more abundant every day. Excited to catch up and talk about life updates!
Books I'm Reading:
Million Dollar Weekend By Noah Kagen
Tuesday With Morrie
Catch up with me on Instagram:
@theerickanicole
@behindthesilkpod
If you want more self care tips along with daily affirmations, make sure to check out our FREE Self Care Guide to use daily.
Let this episode be a reminder to trust in God, his plan, and his flow- because life is flowing y'all! It’s been a minute since we’ve had a chit chat sesh and a lot has been going on this year with birthday celebrations, medical scare ( it’s all okay!), job changes, tensions with relationships, and massive incredible movements happening in my skin care business, Silkenn.
I have been more intentional with my relationship with God and life is becoming more and more abundant every day. Excited to catch up and talk about life updates!
Books I'm Reading:
Million Dollar Weekend By Noah Kagen
Tuesday With Morrie
Catch up with me on Instagram:
@theerickanicole
@behindthesilkpod
If you want more self care tips along with daily affirmations, make sure to check out our FREE Self Care Guide to use daily.
Ericka Nicole: Welcome and welcome back to the Behind The Silk podcast, where we have conversations about prioritizing self care in different aspects of our lives. I am your host, Ericka Nicole, the founder of Silkenn. And in today's episode, we are just going to chit chat. It's really going to be A life update, what's been going on with me, my business, the podcast, where have I been, Just really going through the basics, it's been a minute since we really just sat down and had a really good talk, and that's what we're going to do in today's episode. But first, today's affirmation reads. I am pursuing all of my goals unapologetically. Take a moment and receive that.
[00:01:00] All right, so let's just get into it. I want to start off with a wellness check. How have I been doing? And how am I feeling in this season? I would say that I'm doing good. A lot has transpired since the beginning of the year. I think the last time we really caught up was the end of 2023 or beginning of this year when I did like goals and things like that. But the beginning of this year, Q1, it's been a lot. A lot of things have gone down. So I celebrated my birthday in January. I ended up having a little medical situation around that time as well. That was frightening. Beginning of this year, a lot of my relationships, there were tension in some of my relationships, my interpersonal relationships there was instability at my job, they changed over leadership, so that was a crazy season in and of [00:02:00] itself.
Ericka Nicole: So Q1 has been interesting. But we're getting better. yeah, we're getting better. A lot of good things have happened since then. I'm good health wise. My relationships are in a much better place. Life is good. I feel like right now I feel at peace with a lot of things. I think this beginning of this year I was so anxious.
Ericka Nicole: I was deep in therapy, y'all multiple sessions a week in therapy, and now I'm down to, back down to my regular schedule, so I feel grounded. Maybe that's the word that I want to use. I feel grounded, and I'm happy with that. I'm feeling very optimistic for the next couple of quarters coming up throughout the year.
Ericka Nicole: And I've had some exciting things happen since all of that transpired. So I actually just came back from Europe. I went to London and Paris on a girls trip with my friends, [00:03:00] Sky and Lex. You've seen them on the podcast before. I'll link the episodes that they're in below. And uh, Yeah, that was a really good time.
Ericka Nicole: So we were there for about, I want to say, eight or nine days. We flew Delta. We caught a red eye on a Friday night from JFK and we landed there morning. And I believe they were five or six hours ahead. So it was basically like we didn't sleep. And we touched down and we just hit the road.
Ericka Nicole: We were, Out and about, shopping, hookah, drinks, dinners, brunches, like it was a really, really good time. So we split up the days, so we did, I want to say, maybe like three days in London proper. And then we took the train over to Paris. Which was beautiful. I actually really enjoyed Paris.
Ericka Nicole: I wish we would have stayed longer We only did two full days And I think if we had had an extra day it would have been better and we also went like midweek We went on like a tuesday through a thursday or something [00:04:00] like that. It was the middle of the week So there wasn't really anything popping off.
Ericka Nicole: There wasn't really any Nightlife or anything like that. So we didn't get to experience that side But we did a lot of the touristy things obviously went to the Eiffel Tower took some pictures You if you want to see some of those pictures, head over to my Instagram, at the Erika Nicole. We did the boat sightseeing tours and yeah, Buckingham Palace, we did all the touristy um, Buckingham Palace is in London, oh my goodness.
Ericka Nicole: We did like the boat tours, and like little cafes, Gustavos, all those things in Paris. And then we took the train back, and then we spent a few more days in London, where we did the touristy stuff of London. The first half of the trip was very Turn up for sure. And then paris was a little bit more like, okay, calm down sightseeing content and then We finished out the rest of the trip in london and we did a lot of the more of the touristy things there one thing about paris, oh my goodness, so we ended up [00:05:00] getting a It's an airbnb, but we use like booking.
Ericka Nicole: com to get like an airbnb and when we had gotten there in paris You There was basically like an extra deposit or something that they had wanted the security deposit that they had wanted prior to giving me access code. I hadn't gotten the email. I wasn't checking my email properly. The Uber drops us off.
Ericka Nicole: I'm looking for the code in my phone and I'm like, oh my goodness, there is no code. So I'm calling the guy. Mind you, it's raining. He's giving me such a hard time on the phone. He's like, I'm not going to give you the code until you we can clear your security deposit. So mind you, we're out of the Uber, we're standing under the little awning outside of the place, it's pouring rain, I have the guy on the phone, I'm like, trying to get out my card, give the guy the information for the security deposit.
Ericka Nicole: Finally goes through, he was so unwilling to compromise, and then we finally get all of our luggage inside, and y'all, nobody told me that they don't believe in elevators. In Paris. So mind you, we each have two big suitcases and a book bag [00:06:00] each, the three of us.
Ericka Nicole: And this apartment is on the fourth floor. And we're talking spiral staircase. Are you kidding me? It's like, Later in the afternoon, and we are lugging these things up the stairs, like doof, doof like, up the stairs, like, it was crazy. But the apartment was so nice, we had a really nice cobblestone park view and we had a lot of fun there.
Ericka Nicole: London was interesting. First off, their accents are so cute to me. Shout out to all the UK London babes that listen to this show. It's vibey. Personality, I think personality wise, there's definitely a difference. I feel like over here, we're a little bit more, I want to say assertive. there was just definitely a personality difference, I feel, Between the different spaces.
Ericka Nicole: Oh, and when we went to Paris, a lot of people were telling us that they don't like Americans over there. So be prepared to fend for yourself. But I feel like the people there were really nice. Everyone that we encountered we had a really good time with. Even when we were [00:07:00] in Paris one of our Uber drivers we kind of befriended and he gave us like an entire road trip tour in his car around Paris, which saved us a good amount of money.
Ericka Nicole: And we love that. And yeah, everyone was saying that London is way better in the summer. their weather is like ours, so we went spring break, which was March our time here. And their weather was pretty similar, very overcasty, cloudy, rainy, and everyone's like, even Londoners don't want to be in London this time of year, he needs to come back in the summer, I think that's something that we will pursue. But I think that's another big thing for me this year has been travel. I feel like, if you really know my story, 2019 was a very big travel year for me. That's the year that I kind of up and quit my job. I went on my sabbatical. I was traveling heavy, really trying to just live and figure out my purpose and kind of just reassess the things that I wanted.
Ericka Nicole: And then I think post panorama, with the lockdown and [00:08:00] everything shut down, I feel like I kind of lost that traveling spirit that really, I feel, was a big part of my identity at that point in time, I think that's something that I want to be intentional about this year. I am saying yes to all the trips.
Ericka Nicole: Like, where are we going, book the ticket, we're stamping the passport. Because I feel like that's just something that's really important to me. There's something about traveling and breaking up the monotony of the day to day that I find to be very encouraging for me. And one thing about it, a booked trip will keep me in the gym.
Ericka Nicole: For sure. I'm going to Mexico in May. So like, that has been my motivation to be in the gym. Like, girl, get it together. And it gives me something to look forward to, like there's something exciting, and I have a lot of trips planned for this year for that reason.
Ericka Nicole: And I think that's something that I'm really prioritizing this year, yeah, like getting back into my travel bag. And I'm not saying that every trip is like in a super expensive, luxury, crazy vacation. But I think there's a way to [00:09:00] smart travel and to get the biggest bang for your buck on a budget and being cost effective with your travel.
Ericka Nicole: And outside of international travel, which is very big, even just taking more local trips, right? I think there's a lot of places even in the U. S. that I haven't been. Like, to this day, I have yet to go to L. A. I really want to check out the West Coast. And I've been very skeptical because, the weather over there is very different like, wildfires, all of these things, but At this point, we're getting the same thing over here.
Ericka Nicole: We actually had an earthquake, what, like two weeks ago? It was like Easter weekend, or right, yeah, right after Easter. We had an earthquake here in New York. Like a 4. 8 something that started in Jersey, and we felt it. And y'all, when that thing hit, I thought my building was collapsing. At first, I was like, oh like, is there just a big truck going outside?
Ericka Nicole: I look out the window, nothing's there, and then the shaking gets worse, and I'm like, oh, the building's [00:10:00] coming down they're demolishing the building with me in it. I feel like I need to go. What is happening? I literally grabbed my keys and my wig, and I was out the door. I was like, oh no, what is this?
Ericka Nicole: And then it finally hit me when I had opened my door, my neighbor across the hall opened his door too. And we both looked at each other and we were like, Is this an earthquake? And like, that's when it hit both of us. And when I was telling my friends this story, so now like, all the group chats are popping off like, Everyone's like, Did you feel that?
Ericka Nicole: Did we just have an earthquake? And then that was the reassurance for me when I was like, Oh, okay like, I'm not bugging. The earth was moving. And when I was telling my friends a story, they're like, girl, you grabbed your keys and your wig that's it. Not even your wallet, nothing. I was like, listen, I don't know what's happening.
Ericka Nicole: It's like, I may be homeless after this. But my hair is gonna be done. Okay. I may not have a place to sleep tonight, but we're gonna look good We can't be homeless and look [00:11:00] busted. So that was my rationale through it all but I digress I say all that to say I plan on traveling a lot more this year domestically internationally I have a couple more trips planned for this year.
Ericka Nicole: Like I said, I'm going to Mexico in May I'm doing a trip to Grenada, my father's land, that I am really excited for with my cousin. Aja, you guys have seen her on here as well. We're gonna go together and have a really good time there. And a couple more places, a couple more things that are kinda in the works for the later half of the year, but.
Ericka Nicole: Yeah, your girl has been traveling, and that has really been super, super good for my mental health. That was something that I was talking to my therapist about, a good coping mechanism is to not fall victim to how you're feeling, but doing the things that you can control, and getting back into the groove of things that make you happy.
Ericka Nicole: Traveling has definitely been that for me. Making sure that I'm staying up on my self care stuff getting my nails done, [00:12:00] getting my hair done, getting my waxes, doing those kind of things have also been super helpful for me in getting my mind right. So, all of that is extremely exciting and I'm definitely in a better place mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually than I have been in, in a while.
Ericka Nicole: So I'm really happy about that. I am back on my Bible reading plan, which I'm really also excited about. And I think that has also played a very big role in just like protecting my mental and my spiritual. Like I say it all the time, the things that we deal with in this world, like we are fighting such bigger battles than our day to day, like we are fighting a spiritual war on a daily basis.
Ericka Nicole: So getting back into my word and getting back onto my Bible plan has been huge. I got the book off Amazon, it's across the room, I'm not going to get up now, but it's a reading plan for women, you read the Bible in 52 weeks, and I do my SOAP exercises. SOAP is a scripture, observation, application, and then prayer.
Ericka Nicole: [00:13:00] I've been dedicating, 20 minutes to that in my morning routine, and that has been super, super helpful for me. And I'm proud of myself for being consistent on that. You know, we kind of go through seasons. In life, sometimes we're on, sometimes we're off, and you know, realistically, right now for me is an on season, so that is something that I'm also happy about.
Ericka Nicole: I talked about it earlier, we are on our fitness journey, we are, are embodying our fitness goals. You know, I got my trips planned, so that's been my motivation for sure. If you check out my Instagram stories, I am that person, okay? I am posting a random gym picture, whatever machine I'm on, show that I went to the gym today.
Ericka Nicole: Yep, that's another thing too, holding myself accountable in that aspect. [00:14:00] All right. How have I been spending my downtime? I've been trying to create more pockets of downtime for myself because I am a workaholic. And when you're working a nine to five and building a brand on the side, you have to be extremely intentional about. time for yourself and creating those boundaries, [00:15:00] not just with the people around you, but with yourself.
Ericka Nicole: I have been really intentional about setting aside time for reading and for spending time with family and for recharging and spending time by myself. So for me, that's look like Reading and listening to podcasts, I will say I haven't been reading as much as I wanted to. The last book I actually read was On My Flight to London.
Ericka Nicole: And I was reading Million Dollar Weekend by Noah Kagan. I've really been in my entrepreneurial bag right now. I'll fill you in on what's going on with Silken and the brand later, but I've really been super business focused. So a lot of the content that I've been consuming has been extremely business focused.
Ericka Nicole: Podcasts, books, YouTube videos, things like that. But yeah, Million Dollar Weekend by Noah Kagan, and that's a really, really good book for someone who's struggling to just get started. In the book, he talks about basically starting a business in a weekend. So coming up with the concept, testing it, figuring out how you're going to market, [00:16:00] and making your first sale within a 48 hour time period.
Ericka Nicole: And I really enjoyed that book just for perspective. Because even though I'm past the starting phase, and I'm, I feel like I'm in the building phase, when you're building, it's always about getting to that next level. How do I get from point A to point B? And it's a continuous cycle of just progression.
Ericka Nicole: So that was a very good motivational read. But I do want to get back into Reading for leisure because I think I've been consuming like, microlearning a lot and consuming a lot of educational content. I actually just purchased on Amazon one of my favorite books that I love to read Tuesdays with Morrie.
Ericka Nicole: I will link that book below. It's really a book that's just about life lessons. Who is it by? Oh Yes, Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. That book is so good. It's really a book just about life lessons. There's this kid, and he basically spends his Tuesdays with Morrie, who is an older gentleman, and he just passes down [00:17:00] wisdom to him, and it's such a wholesome story. It's such a great read. The first time I read it was actually in high school, because it was a part of our reading curriculum, and since then, it's just like a really good, enjoyable book.
Ericka Nicole: I did purchase that on Amazon today, and that is going to be my next read. But I definitely want to prioritize reading for leisure a lot more. I've also been very intentional about carving out time with my friends and family. And I mean like super intentional, like sending out calendar invites to my friends.
Ericka Nicole: I'm like, hey, what are you doing this week or next weekend? When are you free? We need to spend time together. We'll land a date and I'm like, all right, boom, sending you a calendar invite. That's the where I am in life right now in regards to being intentional. For me, a calendar invite solidifies our plans.
Ericka Nicole: You can say you didn't remember, you didn't forget, things change, you forgot to loop me in. A calendar invite is confirmation that we are committing to this date and something crazy has to happen for that to change. [00:18:00] And it doesn't even have to be going out like we can, and that's another thing, creating different pockets of space to hang out with my friends and family.
Ericka Nicole: I think so often we get caught up in we have to go out, we have to do dinner, we have to do something in that capacity, but I think I'm also learning how to, hang out with people outside of our normal setting. So that could be. going for a walk that could be just coming over and we just have a movie night and wine and popcorn and ice cream in the house that could be doing a different activity you know like bowling or laser tag or painting or going to a pottery class like just doing other things I mentioned before that I really want to do piano lessons I'm actually going to reach out to a couple of my friends and see if they want to do the lessons with me so really getting out of the norm of the way that I normally hang out with people and really trying to Just spend time with people in different capacities which, again, also requires being intentional from both parties, really, our relationship is two sided, [00:19:00] hopefully.
Ericka Nicole: So that's how I've been spending my downtime, and what else? Recharging, yeah again, I've been so consumed with micro learning, that, Going to bed on time, shutting off my laptop at a certain time, when I'm going out with friends, trying not to talk about work and the business and podcasts, like really trying to tap into the different switches of my brain.
Ericka Nicole: And it's hard because when you, it's hard to explain, but when you have a business and you're an entrepreneur, and if you're really indelible and passionate about something, it's literally everything. It's all you eat, sleep, breathe, think, do. So being able to really control those. Switches those folders in your brain is hard, but I've gotten better, I think, at closing certain folders at certain times.
Ericka Nicole: And I think time blocking has been huge for that, right? Like, for me, at least. This is a time where I'm going to focus on my 9 to 5. This is the time that I'm going to record, I'm going to go all in on everything podcast related. And during this time, or on this day, [00:20:00] We're gonna schedule all of my Silken meetings, I'm gonna meet with my team, do all the things that need to get done, and that's what we're gonna focus on.
Ericka Nicole: Time blocking has really helped control my thoughts, which I think has lessened my anxiety and nervousness and anxiousness throughout the day. Those are some of the things I've been up to in regards to my downtime. What else are we doing? Career. I can share this now because it's finally official, your girl actually got a new job, woop woop. Yeah, obviously, you know, I'm still a girly, for those who don't know, my background is in forensics I did that for a while, toxicology, and crime scene. And then when I really decided to pursue entrepreneurship, I pivoted into being an executive assistant because I really wanted to spend time with founders and CEOs and very high level people and I felt like that was the best way to do so. so I'm currently an executive assistant by trade, primarily in the financial [00:21:00] services sector. Private equity, asset management, things like that. And the company that I was working for am working for, but will not be working for in a couple of weeks. They were initially in Brooklyn, and then we actually ended up switching offices to the West Village, which is a little bit better because it did make my commute a little bit better.
Ericka Nicole: But now for those who don't know, I live right outside of the city in the, what I guess you would call the suburbs in Westchester. Shout out to, you know, the 914. Um, And this company is also in Westchester as well. It's actually a 15 minute drive from me, which I am super, super excited about. Because your go doesn't have to take the subway anymore.
Ericka Nicole: Okay, that is huge. Do you know what goes on in the New York City subway? If I were to document all of my subway experiences and encounters, I'd be like, TikTok viral. some type of sensation because the things that I see on the subway on a daily basis are crazy. And [00:22:00] for me, at least, it's not even a direct train ride, right?
Ericka Nicole: So I live in Westchester, I drive to the subway, and I have to take three trains to get to my destination. And it's not as bad as it sounds because if you understand the subway system the trains interconnect, so all of my trains come on the same platform. It's not as bad as it sounds, but it's a lot of maneuvering.
Ericka Nicole: And like giving up your seed and then getting to the next chain and hoping you get a seed and hoping there's no craziness or whatever the case may be. So that has been a very positive thing. But the biggest adjustment for me with taking this new position, which I'm really excited for, they are such a dope company.
Ericka Nicole: Like the interview, the interview process was so, so good. And I'll circle back on that because I've been in the job market actually for a couple months. Like I felt like my time at my current company was coming to an end. Yeah. Just like a lot of different things going on in the company and I knew I needed to make an exit and I was working with different recruiters in the space and just nothing was sticking.
Ericka Nicole: Like I had gotten really, really far in a couple interview processes. I had one [00:23:00] company actually extend an offer, but it just didn't work out and I think that was for the best. And then finally getting to this point, it was like really leaning into the path of least resistance. And I think that is also a testament to the season that I'm in now.
Ericka Nicole: I am the type of person who likes to pray over big decisions. And one thing that I've learned, at least I feel that I've learned, is that what typically is for me, finds me so easily. Like when I'm praying for confirmation about something, it's typically the path of least resistance that really works for me.
Ericka Nicole: This opportunity was presented to me. I did my first two virtual interviews and, those were great. And they wanted to schedule the final in person interview, but I was actually going to be away that week out of office traveling to Europe. So they were like, you know, it's fine, like, you know, whenever she comes back, we'll just, you know, follow up and pick up where we left off. And y'all, the interview was so smooth. I [00:24:00] actually ended up going in on, the CEO's birthday. So everything was like, decked out in Hello Kitty. Everyone in the office was like in such high morale and in a great mood. And I was like, Ooh, like this is cool. And the interview was just so smooth. It was very conversational.
Ericka Nicole: That wasn't like a drill session about like your history and question after question, like it was very conversational. They ended up inviting me for a cake after they had, when they were cutting the cake for the CEO's birthday, they invited me to that. And then literally the next day they extended a verbal offer.
Ericka Nicole: And everything just went so smoothly throughout the process. So that was just a very big blessing. But I was saying the caveat of it all is that it is five days a week. And at my current position, it's hybrid. So I would, I would go in roughly two to three times a week currently, which gave me time to do things like this, right?
Ericka Nicole: To create and work on the [00:25:00] business. And I had a little bit more flexibility in my schedule. But now with this new position. It is an office five days a week, but it's only a 15 minute drive, so it's actually not that bad. I don't know. I had very mixed emotions because I was concerned that taking this position would take away from this, and what I'm doing now, and that, being in office five days would stifle my creativity, or I wouldn't have time to sit, think, create, build But there was just something about it there's just a feeling that I have in this season that it's going to be fine.
Ericka Nicole: And I'm really leaning into that. And instead of thinking about all of the things that I may not be able to do, it's like, how can I make this work? So for example, even I actually just had to go into my Calendly and block out, Thursdays and Fridays because I can no longer record on those days.
Ericka Nicole: And, dedicating just maybe one day. So like dedicating my Saturday mornings to any guest [00:26:00] recordings that I want to do So it's going to be an adjustment for sure. So having to reschedule my recording days and reschedule the days that I meet with my team and things like that.
Ericka Nicole: But I'm just taking that in strides and, try not to worry about it because I do believe what's meant to be will be. And we are, we're gonna figure it out. We're gonna keep chugging along. let's get into Silken. Let's get into the business content. If you don't know, I am the founder of Silken.
Ericka Nicole: Silken is a skincare brand and is my skincare brand. skincare And we are pioneering urban skincare solutions for the modern world. So we are really focusing on formulations that protect the skin from environmental stressors. And specifically the environmental stressors that come with living in high densely populated areas.
Ericka Nicole: So large [00:27:00] cities, urban areas. Because we do have environmental factors that affect us differently, right? Air pollution, smog. UV radiation, hard water just so many other things, right? And that's really what our focus is on, in addressing skin concerns that come with that, right? That can cause things like inflammation, aging.
Ericka Nicole: And it can really just exacerbate a lot of other skin conditions. So we are really tackling those skin conditions by focusing on the skin microbiome and the skin barrier, which has been a really, really exciting project to work on. So last year I actually met my brand strategist who has been my lifesaver throughout this process and we have done an entire basically of the brand.
Ericka Nicole: Like we basically, not even a revamp. We've started from scratch. The version of the brand that I had in my head early 2023 was completely scrapped And we really just started from the basics. It was basically starting over And I want to say that [00:28:00] was about midway through last year. So maybe end of summer last year We really kind of just started this entire rebuilding
Ericka Nicole: process And we are moving in the right direction so we Really have landed our brand identity and positioning and messaging.
Ericka Nicole: And we are currently in the fundraising process. So working on our own, my pitch deck and pitch to investors. And we were actually accepted into an accelerator program here in. New York Dream Ventures is the name of the accelerator program and it's eight weeks with Annie and Kelly.
Ericka Nicole: They are amazing. And the focus of the accelerator program is raising capital. So positioning you, your brand for funding, how to reach out to investors, how to open those line of communications and get warm introductions and networking and all of these things. So that has been a very huge milestone for us.
Ericka Nicole: Especially since we're so early on, right? Like we are pre [00:29:00] revenue, we're even like pre seed actually. Like we are just so early on still in the ideation product development stage. So being accepted was just such a huge accomplishment. And I think it really just showed me that the brand that we are building now is the right one because when you're able to articulate what your brand does and your story and your mission and your vision and people get it and people connect with it.
Ericka Nicole: That's how you know that you're onto something. So we've been accepted into the Accelerator program, which is amazing. We're prospecting investors, preparing for our first initial raise, which is extremely exciting. And building out the team, right? So really planning out what the next couple of months look like for us.
Ericka Nicole: We also finally landed a product development team, which I'm so excited to work with. So prior to, I actually was working with another lab here, obviously all of our labs are here in the U. S., but I was working with another lab, and, they were great, their formulations and things like that, and, talking through the things that I wanted.
Ericka Nicole: I [00:30:00] felt like they got it to a certain extent, right? But it was really important to me to work with a lab that Really understood and specialized formulating for melanated skin because inclusivity for me is a very big brand pillar that I do not take lightly and when I say inclusivity, I don't just mean posting pictures and taking pictures of a wide range of skin tones like yeah, that's great in regards to representation, but inclusivity from a scientific standpoint, have our formulations been benchmarked and tested for efficacy.
Ericka Nicole: on various skin types, tones, and conditions. That was extremely important to me. And that's just something that has to be innate in the product development process. So partnering with a lab who got it was extremely important to me. And we had been in conversations end of last year [00:31:00] Things just weren't aligning at that point in time.
Ericka Nicole: Spun the block, because apparently it's spin the block season, and we reconnected earlier this week, actually. And again, everything just flowed. We were aligned with timing and price and expectations and the project spec and all of these things. And it just flowed. So we are officially kicking off our product development, which is extremely exciting.
Ericka Nicole: I don't want to put dates out there because I'm very tentative about that, but if all goes according to plan, Silken will be launching in live Q1 of 2025. There's a lot of work that goes into what we're doing and what we're building. And when I say we, I mean my team and I, because If you want to go fast, go by yourself. If you want to go far, you need a team. And that was another big thing that I learned. I've been learning throughout this process is how to vet people and how to build my team properly. That has been, whoo, a learning curve in and of itself. If you know a little bit about [00:32:00] the story, you know, when I had tried to launch this brand before, but the product wasn't right, the people that I was working with wasn't right.
Ericka Nicole: I was ready to just scrap the entire idea, but I just couldn't let go of it. And I believe that that's something that's truly special. You know, when God gives you a vision that you just can't let go of, that's how you know it's for you. And I was just so defeated early beginning of last year, when I was trying to launch the brand, and things weren't going the way that I wanted them to.
Ericka Nicole: I was so over it. And to now be in this season where everything is just flowing it's just truly a really good feeling. And what I've also come to learn is that when God gives you a vision, He will give you the provision, because everything that has transpired since relaunching this brand this time around, has honestly just flowed.
Ericka Nicole: From, you know, context right, and how this all happened, how I even met my brand strategist who's has played such a huge role in helping me build the brand to this point. You know, with starting this [00:33:00] podcast, I was so reluctant in starting this podcast. It was just not something that I wanted to do.
Ericka Nicole: I love having conversations. I love talking with people. But like, putting my thoughts and opinions on a public platform is scary. The internet can be mean. Y'all, y'all be trolling sometimes. And I was like, no like, I just, I just don't want that. I don't want to do it. But then finally it came to a point where I was like, alright, I really feel called to do this.
Ericka Nicole: I'm really feeling a push to do this. Let me be obedient. And just go through with the process. And I met um, well, I stalked first, my, producer, anyone who's been on the podcast, you know her. She's been on my social media story takeovers a few times. Shout out to Marie. And I met her. I saw her listing, reached out to her.
Ericka Nicole: We connected. She then introduced me to my social media manager, Mon, who we can thank for the beautiful feed. Again, if you're not following us on Instagram, you should do that. And Mon actually introduced me to her friend Miranda, who has been my brand strategist, and we have been locked in ever [00:34:00] since, rebuilding this brand literally from the ground up.
Ericka Nicole: And again, everything has just been in flow. You know, Financially, we have not raised any capital yet. We're bootstrapping. Everything's been self funded. And, God has just given me provision after financial provision after provision to just keep going up until this point. And I'm really just trusting the flow, right?
Ericka Nicole: So Because again, when God gives you a big vision, sometimes it exceeds your expectations. It's like, whoo, I don't know how we're, I don't know how we're going to do this. You know, I don't know how we're going to get this business from here to here, but I'm here for the process. And again, really submitting to that obedience and just again, going with the flow.
Ericka Nicole: That's been the season that I'm in, not thinking too hard about it and just doing, and I think that was a very, that's just that's my prayer, honestly, for the entire business. It's God, I want you to take it. If it's not from you, I don't want it. I just want to live in your flow and what is meant to be, will be.
Ericka Nicole: I've been very intentional about [00:35:00] partnering with God this time around in building my business and it has made all the difference truly. So we have exciting things to look for. We have such exciting pre-launch marketing stuff going on with the business and the brand. Again, continuing to build the team starting the product development process for our products.
Ericka Nicole: And you know, there's a lot that goes into that, right? Testing, consumer perception studies, efficacy, all of that. And then we have the fun stuff, right? Prepping for launch. Well, we have the fundraising, which is not necessarily the most fun part, but a very necessary part if you want to grow and scale your business a certain way, you don't have to raise capital, but I think it's What we need to do at this point in time I've bootstrapped it up to this point, and I think it's just time to take that next step in our growth journey.
Ericka Nicole: And then, yeah, planning all the fun stuff, right? Like the partnerships, the collabs, the launches the go to market strategy and, all of the fun things that come with it, especially in the early days, when I speak to a lot of seasoned entrepreneurs, they're like, the early days are the [00:36:00] best days, right?
Ericka Nicole: Sometimes they're hard because you have to be scrappy and you have limited resources, but they're truly the times where you are. the most free and have the most control and, you're just excited. It's like the peak of your excitement. So I'm really just going to ride this wave until the wheels fall off.
Ericka Nicole: And I'm just really grateful for this season of the business that we're in. So yeah, that's like what's been going on with silken and then the podcast, my beautiful behind the silk family we're growing, we're thriving. You guys have really been just showing up and showing out. I've been doing a lot of polls on Instagram, getting a feel of what you guys want, and the type of content, and the conversations, and the guests, and the topics that we want to cover, and definitely taking all of that into account, so a lot of our upcoming episodes and content are really a reflection of that.
Ericka Nicole: of you guys and your guys feedback, which I appreciate, you know? this podcast isn't just a documentation of my journey, right? It's behind the Silke Self Care journey, but it's [00:37:00] a representation of the journey that we're all on. So I also want to make sure that I am providing valuable information to you guys as well.
Ericka Nicole: And having a good time while we do it, right? So I think we're focusing a lot more on, still being educational, still being fun, but having a good time, you know, more, more life updates, right? I feel like it's, we need to check in more. Can we agree on that? I think we're going to check in more and, like a lot more girl chats and, good times, good vibes, and a lot more stories and lessons.
Ericka Nicole: And that's just where we're going. We have some big, potentially big things in the works. I'm not going to speak on that too much until we cross that bridge, but there's really some fun, exciting things in the works of the podcast.
Ericka Nicole: And, I will keep you guys up to date on that as things progress. Stay tuned. But yeah, you know, life, life has been interesting. Like I said before, I'm So excited for the rest of this year. I'm so [00:38:00] optimistic. I'm pumped. Like, I guess that's the word. You know, This week alone, there's been so many things, positive things going on, and sometimes I think when you have so many good things going on, it's hard to receive, right?
Ericka Nicole: Because when things aren't going really well, or you feel like too many things are going good at one time, we get kind of like questionable. It's like, that's, that's a little sus. I don't know. This is too much good. Like, where's the crash? where's the turning point of, the craziness, but, I'm just here for the ride.
Ericka Nicole: I'm here for the ride. That's where I'm at right now. We're grounded. We're building. We're doing. That's where we're at. But yeah, I feel like that's all I have to share right now. Again, I definitely want to do these more often. make sure you leave a rating for the podcast. Leave a rating, leave a review on whatever platform you're listening on right now.
Ericka Nicole: I say it every episode, but your guys feedback really matters. I read every comment, I read every review, I read every DM. They mean so much, and again, they really do help shape [00:39:00] the conversations and the content that we create here over on this platform. So yeah, share this episode with a friend, share the podcast, make sure that you're following us on social media @behindthesilkpod.
Ericka Nicole: Follow me if you want to keep up with a little bit more of my day to day. I'm trying to get better at cross promoting my content because I realize I'm either really active on the Behind The Silk page or I'm really active on my personal page and I'm trying to balance that out. I obviously post way more frequently on my personal page.
Ericka Nicole: So @theerickanicole, all that will be linked below. And yeah, most importantly, I want you to remember, as always, that the best part of today is you. Bye!