57: How One ER Nurse Turned a Bedside Problem Into a Business

Every nurse knows the smells that come with patient care. One ER nurse decided to do something about it... and ended up building a business.

In this episode of Life After Nursing School, Caroline sits down with Jennifer, an ER nurse and the founder of StinkBalm, an odor-blocking stick designed for healthcare professionals.

Jennifer shares how her experience with strong clinical odors led her to create a simple but innovative solution that is now used by healthcare workers across the country. What began as a small experiment eventually grew into a successful product-based business.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How Jennifer went from bedside nurse to nurse entrepreneur
• Why nurses are natural problem-solvers and innovators
• The power of networking in growing a business
• Lessons learned while building a brand from scratch

If you’ve ever wondered what’s possible beyond the bedside, or have an idea of your own, this episode will inspire you to think bigger about your nursing career.

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Connect with StinkBalm team:

Instagram: @StinkBalm

Website: www.StinkBalmOdorBlocker.com

*USE DISCOUNT CODE: “NCC20” for 20% of Nurse Gift Sets link here! 

Connect with Nurse Coach Caroline:

Instagram →⁠ @NurseCoachCaroline⁠

TikTok →⁠ @NurseCoachCaroline⁠

Youtube → Nurse Coach Caroline 

Website →⁠ nursecoachcaroline.com⁠

Please consider rating & subscribing to the show if this episode brought value to your bedside life! 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:01

Hey, hey, welcome to Life After Nursing School. I'm your host, Caroline Dana, aka Nurse Coach Caroline. And I'm here to help you, the new nurse, thrive in your career. As a former nurse recruiter, nurse manager, and now your personal new nurse career coach, and obsessed with making sure you don't just survive your first couple of years at the bedside, I want you to absolutely rock them. From the challenges to the triumphs, I'll be right here with you, giving you the real-world advice and support that you need to shine. Whether you're in nursing school getting ready for life after, or you're already out there in nurse life feeling overwhelmed or even questioning your confidence, I've got your back. I'll be sharing tips, tricks, resources, and strategies that are just for you. We'll dive into everything from landing that dream nursing job to slaying imposter syndrome, and most importantly, how to keep that spark alive and stay the vibrant and amazing nurse that you are. So if you're ready to tackle the things nursing school did not cover, like how to build a career, trust yourself, and keep your passion strong, then get comfortable because we are about to dive in and make nurse life the best life. If you follow me on social media, you may have noticed that I've partnered a few times with a brand called Stink Bomb. And today I'm so excited to introduce you to the nurse behind it. Stink Bomb is an odor-blocking stick that looks like chapstick, but you apply it just under your nose to help block the unpleasant smells we encounter so often in healthcare. I first discovered Stink Bomb about a year ago and instantly fell in love with it. My favorite scent is coffee, of course, and I literally keep it clipped to my badge reel so it's always within reach and accessible. Honestly, I wish I had known about this product years ago, especially in those early days when you're first exposed to all the realities of patient care and still building your tolerance. And I definitely could have used this during pregnancy too, when every smell suddenly feels amplified. But what made this product even more interesting to me was learning that Stink Bomb was created by an ER nurse. Because honestly, that just makes sense. Nurses are some of the most creative problem solvers out there, were constantly adapting, figuring things out on the fly, and coming up with solutions when something doesn't exist yet. Today's guest, Jennifer, the founder of Stink Bomb, did exactly that. What started out as her own attempt to deal with strong odors while working in healthcare eventually turned into a product used by healthcare professionals across the country. In this episode, Jennifer shares her story from bedside nursing to entrepreneurship, how she created Stink Bomb, and what she's learned along the way about building a business, networking, and trusting your ideas. Jennifer, I'm so excited to have you here. Welcome to the show, Jennifer. I'm so excited to have you here. You are actually my first guest who has created a product-based business designed specifically for nurses, which is honestly so cool.

SPEAKER_00 3:13

Oh, thank you so much. Thank you for having me. I'm thrilled to be here.

SPEAKER_01 3:17

So, Jennifer, can we just start by maybe sharing your life after nursing school, what your nursing career looked like, and how you eventually found yourself on a completely different path of entrepreneurship.

SPEAKER_00 3:30

So after nursing school, I landed my first job at a dermatology office. At the time, it was really difficult to get into a hospital. And I worked with a surgeon and I worked with, you know, just in the office. And they used to do things like cut open cysts, and you know, there was a lot of smells. That was my first experience with really like, wow, you know, there's things we got to deal with here. I loved it, but I really was looking to work in the hospital. And after that, had a nursing job that was quite a distance from my house. And I used to work nights on a med surge floor and have, you know, come into like 12 patients and who were there like for a long time. And it was difficult, but that was good. That was trial by fire. And eventually I was able to find a job closer to home on Long Island and in the ER, which is really where I wanted to work. And that was really where I learned about my sensitivities to odors and that I needed to do something about it.

SPEAKER_01 4:38

So what did that look like? You're in the ER, you're smelling all these smells, and you're like, I've had enough. Like what how did that transpire where you're like, somebody, something.

SPEAKER_00 4:47

Yeah. I just, you know, I remember one time walking into a room and just being knocked over. And the doctor was nebulizing orange juice in the room because he thought that that would help. Oh, and and it didn't. And I always carried with me the little jar of vapor rub. And I would use that. And that was helpful. It just wasn't easy to carry. And, you know, nobody else had it, and everybody was sticking their fingers in it and stuffed during a coat or whatever. And not that it I mind sharing, but you know, it just I needed something better than that. And then I was thinking that it has to be something. So I really started researching, looking for a product, and there was nothing. So I said, I've got to do something. I tried like the essential oil necklace and things like that. So I just started playing around with different things and came up with something that worked. And I also had the idea that if it didn't look like something that was for odors, that it would also kind of be nice to my patients. Because, you know, people would just walk in and just start spraying and uh put on masks and stuff. And they were embarrassed. Patients are so embarrassed. And you know, you say things like, Oh, this is why you're here. We're here to help. Don't worry, blah, blah, blah. But the reality is you you never want them to feel less than. So I got the idea that if I made it look like a chapstick or a lip balm, that would be something good, you know. And also when you put it on, you kind of just they don't know if you're hitting your lip, your mouth, whatever. So started just concocting different things, got something that turned solid, worked well, twisted up, and I'd hand them out, hand out extra ones. That's how this all came about.

SPEAKER_01 6:37

I feel like leave it to an ER nurse to like a MacGyver affix, you know. I feel like I'll be doing something in the ER, like making an extension for a tubing that we don't have or whatever that is. So you're not kidding. Yeah, I feel like how cool is this that you noticed there was a gap in the marketplace and there was a need here, and you researched, nothing seemed to work. And I'm thinking of that vapor rub. I mean, it is kind of in a bigger tub. That's annoying to carry around. And so you do have created something in a chapstick. It's almost like in disguise, like you said, you put it under right under your nose. The patients aren't really aware you're doing it. They're probably in a quick glance thinking, oh, she's putting on chapstick, which again is so nice for their dignity, you know, doesn't have that same embarrassing experience. You know, I I know so many times, and we have a couple people I feel like you work with that just love that room spray. And they go in and they're spraying it around the patient. And I mean, the patient knows what she's doing. And it, and granted, I get it, and they, you know, sometimes that really does need to be done because of the odor, but it's just such a terrible experience, I think, from the patient's standpoint.

SPEAKER_00 7:43

Absolutely, absolutely, you know, and if they're aware, it's you got to put yourself in their shoes.

SPEAKER_01 7:50

Definitely, definitely. So, was it challenging for you emotionally or mentally to kind of pivot from nursing to entrepreneurship? Like you were in this, you were making these chapstick odor blocking samples, you're handing them to your friends, you're in nursing. Are you like, oh yeah, I'm a nurse and entrepreneur now? Or did it like slowly naturally happen?

SPEAKER_00 8:12

More of the second. It kind of just slowly evolved, you know. Several people had said to me, friends and family included, you should sell these. This is great. Because especially since the reason why I did it was because I couldn't find anything. I didn't have the intention of it becoming what it is. I'm glad it has. I just kind of slowly, you know, if it made money, I would put the money back in. And it just grew without mean really knowing anything about selling online or business or anything.

SPEAKER_01 8:42

I think that's honestly the best part about being a nurse is that we have usually a very steady, stable income. Many times we have the option to work part-time or 312s, which allows the other days to be free for other things. And if we have something that almost sounds like it started like an experiment for you, like, hey, let's just see. And I'll put it back into it. And if it doesn't work out, it's not a big deal. It's not like you lost a ton of money and it was a big investment. It's more like, let's just see where this goes. And I think that's so awesome that our career, we're not necessarily working five days a week like most other jobs. We can kind of use those other days to potentially pursue other passions or experiments, like in your case. So I think that's really awesome. Now, so you clearly didn't always know or think you were gonna become an entrepreneur. Did you have anyone in your life, like a mom or a dad, that had their own business? So you were like, oh yeah, this is a possibility, or are you kind of like trailblazing on your own here?

SPEAKER_00 9:43

No, I I did. My my parents always had steady jobs and were believers in, you know, gotta work and save for your future, whatever. But my mother always had the entrepreneur spirit, always. And she had, you know, despite working full-time, she had her side hustles and she would come up with ideas like well before their time. And she had one day said she was working and she had her part-time job after her business after work. And she was like, you know, what would be a good idea if somebody would deliver meals to you? Because I don't feel like cooking dinner, but I want like a good meal. And this was like 25 years ago. And that's just one of the things. Like she would always just say things, and then years later I'd be like, son of a guy, you know, mom. Yeah, exactly. So she would have loved this. At least she's passed away, but she would have loved this whole idea. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:37

I'm sure she's with you in spirit, cheering you on. But I I love that you made note of that though, and you were a witness to that. My daughter, she's similar, she's always coming up with these ideas and she's all excited. Because if you ask her what she wants to be when she grows up, it's either an author or an inventor. I'm like, oh, so yeah. So the latest thing, she goes, Mom, what if we came up with this device that picks up dog poop after your dog poops someone else's yard? I go, honey, that already exists. That's the pooper scooper, you know? So yeah, like, darn it. But she is coming up with all these ideas that I'm like, hey, look at you coming up with ideas that actually have made millions of dollars, you know? It's like, I want to encourage that for her because you just never know where something could go, especially if you know, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:23

And you know what? If you nurture that, she'll always look to like figure things out, and that's more important than half the stuff they learn in school, you know, learning how to figure stuff out.

SPEAKER_01 11:32

So true. So at what point were you like, okay, I'm gonna like trust this thing that I need, I'm gonna try and like move forward with it. Was there like a specific moment?

SPEAKER_00 11:42

Yes, when I started selling it online and people started buying it, you know. So I was like, all right, this this sounds pretty good. And I made my own website, which was ridiculous, but people started, you know, buying it. It was just like slowly evolved. And eventually I started selling on Amazon, and that really is what put this over the top. Amazon has been very good to us, a very good platform for us to sell on.

SPEAKER_01 12:09

I love that. How is it getting started on Amazon? Is that a hard process?

SPEAKER_00 12:14

Amazon has a section called Handmade, and that is, I guess, kind of like an Etsy version of Amazon. It's on Amazon. You would never know as a customer, but as a seller, it's designed for you know people, I guess like me, when they're starting. And so I started on there, and that was my foot in the door. And it's been great. Like I said, you know, people complain about how Amazon has closed various stores and malls, but it's created a lot of small businesses. It's created a platform for us. And I've met a lot of people that, you know, same boat I'm in, they sell on Amazon and they wouldn't be where they are without it. So definitely, definitely we love Amazon.

SPEAKER_01 12:56

Yeah. And honestly, I do feel like it, there's probably not a better time to start a small business than today. You know, if you're making a product to have something like Amazon as an out Etsy, that's so amazing. And then even if getting started, being able to use AI or Chat GPT, like I can tell you. Help me with this. Like, am I supposed to be, you know, filing taxes? What forms am I supposed to be doing? You know, and it's amazing how much it has helped me. And I'm sure it has saved me so much time because I have it right there at my fingertips. So I feel like someone like me and you, without a business degree, that we're like, listen, we're nurses, we clearly have something that people need and want and can benefit from, but there's so much more that goes into a business than you really really I got started thinking, oh, I'm gonna help new grads. This is gonna be easy. I know what I do, I'm good at it. This is gonna be wonderful. And then you realize, wait, I need a website, wait, I need an email list, wait, I need, you know, like all of these things, tracking my expenses, you know, like a back end for my website. The amount of things that you don't realize you're gonna have to learn, you know, line for the most part, base business is incredible. It's a lot, but this is a great time to do it because we have so many resources at our fingertips to learn.

SPEAKER_00 14:19

Right. There's no time like the present. You know, I wish I had Chat GPT back then, because now it makes spreadsheets for me. There's a lot of things that we can do now that we couldn't even do a couple of years ago.

SPEAKER_01 14:32

Yeah, it's true. I have it like look at a lot of my data, you know, like what are my conversion rates? What about this? What's sort of the gold standard? What should I be shooting for? Just I don't know that stuff, you know? It's like, listen, give me trending vital signs or lab work or something like that. I just understand. Yeah, we got that.

unknown 14:50

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:52

But I do think we are so lucky to be nurses too, to just be able to kind of create something while having a steady job or income.

SPEAKER_00 15:00

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 15:01

Without that pressure, because it's like you don't need to feel the pressure of having to make a sale or having to make this work and not having to put so much money up front or get investors, you know, right. So that is really helpful.

SPEAKER_00 15:14

Yeah, working three days a week was was what did it for me. I wouldn't have been able to do this if I had, you know, a nine to five for sure.

SPEAKER_01 15:21

Definitely. Now, what would you say has been your biggest lesson that entrepreneurship has taught you, whether it's been about your business or yourself?

SPEAKER_00 15:31

It has taught me to uh really, you know, tune everybody out who has not achieved some level of success that I'm looking to achieve. Many people will be like, oh my gosh, that's so risky, that's this, that's that. You just have to focus, you know, don't listen to anybody, listen to your gut and listen to people who've been there before, who've done things before. You don't have to figure everything out on your own, but find people that you could trust. The internet, it's a great resource, but you're not gonna find the same kind of quality referrals that you would get from networking, from talking to people that you know. So people in my circle who I've brought into my circle are just what I rely on.

SPEAKER_01 16:18

Yeah, I agree with you. You are not gonna take advice from someone, like for your example, someone who didn't who's not selling a product, right? Like, why are you gonna take advice from someone that hasn't done or achieved what you want to, which aspiring to, right? That makes sense. And I do I talk networking a lot on this show because there's so much power behind it. And also the nursing profession has been rated the number one most trusting profession for 20 plus years in a row. So it's so great when we can connect with other nurses that have done things and we say, Hey, how'd you do this? Can you give me any advice? Many times we're happy to help each other and also we're like honest and transparent about it. I've hopped on many calls with other nurses that are like, hey, I want to start a coaching business. Would you just talk to me for 20 minutes about what you've learned? I'm the first one to say, I wasted time on that. Don't do this, you know, because yeah, like I'm happy to share my knowledge, you know, and I think that that's such a great resource. Networking is so powerful.

SPEAKER_00 17:19

It really is. And, you know, the first step is if you don't know people who are involved in whatever you want to be involved with, you know, reach out. I'm sure the person who reached out to you wasn't a friend or whatever, it was probably somebody who'd seen what you did. And that's I put myself in a situation where I was able to meet some people and I met a woman named Kat Golden, who you know, and the reason why we know each other, um, and she was just like, Oh, you know, I'll look at your stuff and I'm not even gonna charge you. Like I was ready to hire her, she's achieved some great things, and she's also a nurse. Yep. And, you know, now we work together very closely, but you know, she helped me find someone good to develop my website because people I'd used in the past weren't good. And, you know, Lord knows when I do things myself, not good. She took over my social media. For those who have followed for a while, know it is much better now. And I, you know, going to conferences, things that might be outside of your comfort zone. But I met some great people at Amazon conferences, which, you know, you gotta be able to, or not able to, you have to be willing to just go up to people, talk to people. And not everybody's gonna say, Oh, yeah, I'm happy to help you. But there are people who will be like, oh yeah, that's the guy I use, and you know, connect you with people who, you know, are good and who can help your business.

SPEAKER_01 18:42

Yeah, you're right. It's funny because my experience with Kat Golden, last May, I like was able to reserve a seat on a Peloton ride in New York City, and she was hosting it for, I believe, nurse.com, or actually maybe it was Striker. Don't quote me on that. But okay, I was all excited because I was like, oh, like Peloton. And I also had been following Kat, and I'm like, wow, she's like business goals, right? I mean, a nurse turned to business, sold her business, starting another business. So I was like, I really want to meet her. So I remember like I did it all by myself, which I know sounds kind of silly. Like, I am in my mid-30s. Like, I can't, I'm an adult, but I'm in Connecticut. I get on a train on my own, I navigate New York City on my own, and then like I get up to the Peloton like doors, and I was so nervous. I got like such cold feet. I was like, oh my gosh. And people are going in like with pairs, like with friends and stuff, and I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm just going alone. And I was like, oh, like I can't say I went all the way to New York City and I like couldn't go in, right? So I go in and then I just I'm like, I'm doing this. I go up to Kat, I introduce myself. I'm like, oh my gosh, I follow you. You know, I've been wanting to meet you. We chit-chat, we connect. And then not too long after that, she reached out saying, Hey, you know, would you want to like partner with stink bomb? And I've never heard of it, but oh my gosh, this sounds really cool. Send me some samples. And then fell in love with it. And I think I was like, dang, where was this when I was pregnant? I had three babies. That was when I really struggled the most with that like queasiness. You know, you're queasy and then you add a really terrible smell on top. It was like just pushing me to my limits. And I was like, darn, everyone needs to know about this, but also like pregnant people. And it's funny, like, I know it's like mostly healthcare related, and probably nurses and nursing staff are probably the ones that use it the most. But I keep one in my car because my son, he's eight, he comes home from soccer practice and he takes those shin guards off. It smells so bad in the car. His stinky little feet are next to me. I'm like rubbing it all over me.

SPEAKER_00 20:43

And I'm like, thank gosh, that I have this like accessible. So funny.

SPEAKER_01 20:47

How funny is that? Like, I went to my net cat, then like me and her connected after. And then now that connected me with your product before I even knew, you know, it was even nurse-owned or anything like that. Wow. And so now I just feel like it's so exciting to like finally have you on the show and connect with you and just to hear your story of how this came about. And I just love it. I don't know. Of course, I love it. Thank you. No, thank you. Such a wonderful product. And I think like you were so strategic in how you made it. Like, I love that it looks like a chapstick and you can be discreet and you can keep it in your pocket. And you know, I even have that like a connector for my badge. Oh, the holder. Yes, I love it. I'm like, this is so brilliant, you know, so well done. And I hope people hear this and think, wow, the power of networking. And like, thank goodness I got over my cold feet before entering Peloton. I did the ride, I did it next to Kat. I was all excited, like starstruck, you know. So it's you know wonderful.

SPEAKER_00 21:43

It's funny. I met Kat so in a similar situation. Okay. I had signed up for an event that her and Katie Duke were hosting in New York City, and it was happening like the day after I was returning from a trip to Italy. Okay. And but yeah. Know when you do things and you're like, Oh yeah, great idea. Oh, it's fine, it's the next day. And I got home and I was like, I'm tired, you know, blah, blah, blah. But I pushed myself. And this was in like the end of June, but it ended up being the most hot, humid day ever. And you know, I'm always like walking wherever I have to go in the city. So I walk there, which was a bad idea. And I get there, and it's just like between the humidity and everything, it I get in. First thing I do is go to the bathroom to like splash water on my face and you know, try to like, I don't know, calm down the hair and stuff. And Katie Duke comes out of the bathroom. And I'm like, oh my God, Katie. And she had no idea who I was. And it was funny. So I was like, I'm I'm Jennifer from Stink Bomb. And then she was like, but you know, meeting the people that you see online that have been so successful in different ways, meeting them in person is incredible. But like you, I was so nervous to go by myself. I wished I had a friend to go with. And I met Kat Golden there. She was great. She was coming around and I called her over and I told her what I did. And she was very, very sweet, very honest. She was like, okay, the first thing you need to do is fix your website. She's like, I'm not even gonna charge you any money. You need to, you know, find someone to do this. And she actually referred me to someone who's been great, who I still deal with, who still updates my website and stuff. So you gotta push yourself like we did, you know? And it's absolutely it's not comfortable, but do it anyway.

SPEAKER_01 23:28

I totally agree with that. And even hearing that she referred you someone for your website and you're still using them, word of mouth is so huge because you can go online, you can go on Fiverr, you can find someone to do your website. Oh yeah. You don't really know are they gonna do a good job? And also, like, are they charging me like what is the going rate? Or like, am I getting like people pulled over me or or what? So I do feel like that goes a long way. And again, back to nurses being like a such a trusting source. Like, we're willing to pull back the curtain a lot of times and share the people we use or share the business doing. So that really does go far. We're gonna have to tell Kat that she needs to listen to this episode to think about her. I'm gonna title it, Cat Golden. Right, right. Definitely, definitely tag her in this.

SPEAKER_00 24:12

No, she's she's great. Love her.

SPEAKER_01 24:14

Yeah, she really is great. But I think finding someone like that that even is almost like a mentor. I mean, she kind of I feel like that for me, even though I hadn't closely worked with her, you know, until recently. So it's really great to find a little network of people that are as excited about business stuff as you are, just kind of keep momentum going.

SPEAKER_00 24:33

Yes, it is. And I love the nursing connection because it just goes to show you that, you know, the way that as nurses, we're always trying to figure stuff out or do a workaround and try to get things to work, that mentality really is a good quality if you want to try and do something.

SPEAKER_01 24:54

Yeah, I agree with you. I think we're very resilient. We know how to like MacGyver things. And also, I mean, there's never gonna be something as stressful as like dealing with someone who's like trying to die on you, right? So when you like trying to go to business, you're like, okay, so it's a crappy website, like it's not the end of the world. Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Now looking back for you, is there anything that you wish you did differently in the business sense, or even something that you're like really glad you did early on?

SPEAKER_00 25:26

I'm definitely sorry that I didn't pursue Amazon seriously in the beginning. I just looked at it like another outlet. I didn't realize that it could really help my business grow. So I wish I had early on started to get that momentum going. But, you know, you just have to know that you have to keep going and finish things, even if they're not perfect. You just have to like get that website up. And if you're not happy with it, eventually you'll find someone to help you. Your ideas don't have to be completely thought out, but you know, just to start. And I just think that for me, bootstrapping it and not investing anything more than what I originally laid out to start this for myself helped a lot. You know, it was less scary. So I think that that was a good. I'm glad I did that.

SPEAKER_01 26:20

Yeah, less pressure when you're just kind of putting the money right back into it that you made doesn't feel as drastic as, you know, finding investors to give you thousands of dollars or even like just maxing out all your credit cards or whatever. So I agree with you. I think that's why we are so lucky to be nurses and potentially have that stable income alongside while growing something else to see where it goes. Exactly. And I love to like kind of going back to what you said, you don't need to have it all figured out. You don't even need to have like sometimes I think we look so far ahead, like, well, how will I ever get there? It's just what's the next step? Every day, let's just make a little bit of progress. We can go back to that website and make it prettier later. Or, like you said, when we get to a certain amount of money, pay somebody to do that. Pay someone that that's their zona genius, because clearly it might not be our own, you know? So I think sometimes we get very overwhelmed. Like if there's someone out there listening that's like, oh, I have an idea, but I don't know. Don't get too far ahead. And I also feel like a lot of times things evolve as you go. So you might think this far ahead, this is what's gonna look like. But then as you go down your entrepreneurial journey, you realize, oh, I'm actually like my path is a little bit different than what I thought. And that's this other direction. And wow. And that's like where the excitement happens and the magic happens, and you just kind of let yourself evolve and really meet your clients where they're at so that you can best serve them.

SPEAKER_00 27:41

Absolutely. Absolutely. And you know, you might be pleasantly surprised. I remember early on, I was always like reaching out to people and people wouldn't answer or whatever. I'd be like, hey, you know, do you want to promote this or whatever? And so the first time I I got somebody with a big following to answer, and that I was willing to pay because people will do things for a big, big amount of money, but to find somebody good who do things at a reasonable amount, yeah, and they posted something and I hadn't realized they posted. And my husband and I were sitting there watching TV and my phone alerts me when I get a sale, and we're sitting there and it's like ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. And we're like, oh my God. You know, so like I'm telling you this because you never know like who will say yes, who will be helpful to you. And some of the best people that I work with, a lot of them are nurses, and they're, you know, they're not cutthroat. You know, when you find somebody who is a good person and a good business person, they're also a reasonable business person. You know, you get what you pay for, but you don't always have to pay through the notes. Just because something's expensive doesn't mean you're gonna get something good out of it.

SPEAKER_01 28:54

Yeah, that's so true. And I think even when I think of this podcast, when I reach out to my different guests that I've had on the show, almost every single one of them has said, absolutely, I'd love to be on your show. They probably don't even know what my show is about or what, you know, they maybe have never listened before. But the fact that there are so many nurses out there willing to do that, right? I mean, to be on the podcast and take their time out of their day, you know, it's not like this quick little thing. So I'm so appreciative of that. But you also won't know unless you ask. So you do need to put yourself out there, reach out and send some personalized message to someone saying, Hey, would you consider this? And you just never know, you know, and you don't know who's gonna move the needle, right? Or what's gonna do that for your business. So just being open to that, I think, is really helpful.

SPEAKER_00 29:38

Yeah. And I have to say, the other thing is, you know, when you do start like for me, like every client to me is so important, every customer is so important. And we treat everybody with the utmost care. And uh we just try to provide not only a product but excellent service. And so, you know, somebody who might order one stink bomb might work with, you know, the director of this department in the hospital who sees you using it and orders it for everybody. And things like that have happened. And I've had people just, I don't know, just really ask a lot of me. Uh, and I've done it, and that turned into like a huge order for a government agency. So you don't know where things will lead. So just, you know, if you treat everybody right, regardless of how you might be frustrated inside. Yeah, good things come. Good things come.

SPEAKER_01 30:32

I totally agree with you on that. Okay, so before we wrap up the conversation, Jen has been so gracious to share a discount code with you all today. I feel like that's a good thing to say after being kind and respectful to people and putting that good juju out there. So she is actually sharing a code which is NCC20 for 20% off the nurses' gift sets. And I will have a link in the show notes so you can do just that. I highly recommend the coffee scent. That one's my favorite. But, you know, there are so many to choose from. So, Jen, where can listeners find you if they want to connect with you or just learn more about your business?

SPEAKER_00 31:13

Well, on social media, we're at Stink Balm, one word, and it's B-A-L-M, not bomb. And our website is stinkbalmodorblocker.com. And, you know, on Amazon, just search Stink Balm. You'll find us, Etsy. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:29

Great. Now, if here's my final question for you. If you could go back in time, what advice would you give New Grad Nurse Jen?

SPEAKER_00 31:39

I would tell Newgrad nurse Jen to step back, take a breath. Don't expect to know everything, but expect to have to know where to get your information from because you know, I used to spend hours just worried about what I didn't know and trying to, you know, and it's like, you know, your team is your resources and stuff like that. You will find people who will help you. Even that scary nurse who's been there forever is not gonna watch you fall. You know, there are the your resources are all around you.

SPEAKER_01 32:13

That's wonderful advice. Well, Jennifer, thank you so much for sharing your nursing and entrepreneurial journey with us today. I truly love hearing from nurses who choose a path that's less traveled and to create a unique impact on other people, not just in their own career, but in healthcare as a whole. This podcast is all about dreaming big and remembering that we get to choose the direction our careers go. And your story is so powerful and a great reminder of that. Thank you again for being guest. It was such a joy. Yes, you're amazing. Thank you. You're amazing. Well, that's it for today's episode of Life After Nursing School. I hope you feel more confident and ready to tackle the challenges that come with starting your nursing career. Remember, the first year or two might not be easy, but with the right mindset, you can overcome anything. If you found value in today's episode, I'd love for you to hit that subscribe button so you never miss a future episode. Also, please consider leaving a review on your favorite podcast platform. It helps so much in reaching other new nurses like you. Thanks for listening, and remember, you've got this. Take care and see you next time.