When we first decided to go into wholesale, we were at a trade show that placed us between a knife salesman and a cowboy hat salesman. It was the worst spot for us to find potential vendors, so we asked the management team and they said there were no other spaces available. We took it upon ourselves to find a little open area and carried our card table of wares over!
As a part of this series, we had the pleasure to interview Nora Napientek.
Nora Napientek is the founder of nora fleming, a home décor brand that transformed everyday entertaining into a collectible obsession with its signature serving pieces featuring interchangeable hand-painted ceramic “minis” that celebrate every holiday, milestone, hobby, and season. A self-described accidental entrepreneur, Napientek has built one of the gift industry’s most passionate collector phenomena, fueled by an active community of over 42,000 members. Beyond her business, she is deeply committed to supporting those navigating grief and fostering in-person community through her design work and retreats.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?
In a world where people and businesses are leaning more into AI, instagram and other social media platforms, nora fleming has done the opposite. Although we do work through some of their channels, we see a strong need for in-person, real time, real life communication and gatherings. It is our mission to continue to bring people together in person to celebrate, commemorate and create community.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
When we first decided to go into wholesale, we were at a trade show that placed us between a knife salesman and a cowboy hat salesman. It was the worst spot for us to find potential vendors, so we asked the management team and they said there were no other spaces available. We took it upon ourselves to find a little open area and carried our card table of wares over! It was our best show ever and we picked up over 15 accounts! We learned very early on that you are the creator of your own destiny. Do not sit back and let others set the tone. Know what you want, where you need to be and don’t let anyone stop you.
We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?
My parents and grandparents for sure. My parents always believed in my product and brand and my grandmother is the one who loaned us the seed money when all the banks said no. When you have radical support, it is easier to take a risk and try something new. In my case, I couldn’t have done it otherwise. My mother watched my two small children for free while I was getting the company off the ground. As far as designers go I’ve been enamored with Tracey Porter and Rachel Ashwell. When I’m not designing minis and platters, I’m designing homes and spaces. These two women have really influenced both my business designs and personal home choices.
In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?
I believe that disruptive is a positive adjective but do not believe it is always good. I think it is a fine line to walk. We, as business people, have to balance staying relevant and profit driven with staying authentic and future-minded. True disrupters in my opinion are the ones who can successfully manage staying relevant without giving up their core values or world view of how we would like to see the future unfold. Obviously we are all working within the new framework of AI, increasing online presence and communities built through zoom and teams meetings. This, however, is not and never has been the nora fleming way. So while not completely bucking the new world system (ie most of our team is remote, we have a strong online presence, we play in the tiktok and Instagram and Pinterest world) we have become disrupters by holding strong to the notion of real life communities. For us it is not one or the other but doing both and using the online world to drive people to in person tactile events. We believe that when things lean too far either way we lose core tradItions, memory-making events and even relationships. It is our strategy to remain true to our mom-and-pop shops who curate real life experiences for our customers. We provide events such as our “paint your own mini” event where we send blank minis and paint pens for the stores to host parties. People gather and create together while creating memories and new friendships. The same thing holds true for our in-person signing events when I travel to stores and host parties where people gather, share stories, share hardships, joys and memorable moments that all revolve around the nora fleming brand. This has become somewhat of a lost art and and we believe we are creating a new revolution where the online world and in-person world can coexist and create an even stronger more palpable sustainable community.
Can you share 3 of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.
1. Who we say no to is as important as who we say yes to. This relates to our sales strategy. It is hard to pass up large PO’s when you are a fledgling company, but we always have held true to the notion that bigger is not always better and honoring the strategic relationships we’ve cultivated will serve the brand much better in the long run than short term flash in the pan gains.
2. Stay in your lane. This is a tangent from the advice above. We have seem many brands through our twenty plus years try to be everything to everyone. Sell in big box and small boutiques. Have a huge online retail presence and sell to stores. It rarely works. Pick a lane. Commit to it. And don’t deviate.
3. Don’t worry about the other guys. Every year we get knocked off. Every. Year. The first few years it really bothered me, but now I don’t pay much attention. I have decided to stay committed to making the most innovative, fresh, forward thinking housewares in the industry and it doesn’t matter what other people are doing.
We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?
Honestly I am going to keep doing what I’m doing. I think in the new disruptor fashion, I am turning the traditional ideology that more is more and growth is paramount to other markers on its head. We just instituted a program where one piece from our January launches is only available in a a true brick and mortar store. No online sales. No flash sales. A human being has to actually walk into a store front to purchase the piece. My hope is that other brands will take part in this type of selling/buying program. It will invigorate Main Street America, create community and expose people to brands they might not know of when shopping in real life.
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by ‘women disruptors’ that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?
Family. I am in the sandwich generation right now and it is very difficult to segregate our disruptor brains from our very real concrete responsibilities to our own aging parents and growing children. Although I see more and more men stepping up on the home front and more businesses leaning into respecting family responsibilities, it continues to be a struggle for a lot of women to balance work and home life.
Do you have a book/podcast/talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us?
Journey of Souls by Michael Newton. I lost my brother and business partner Jon Neidlinger in November of 2019. After losing him at only 40 years old, I spent the first few years after his death trying to wrap my head around my life’s purpose. This book delves into the idea of soul circles, soul journeys and experiments with the notion of us agreeing to our soul’s journey before ever incarnating into our human bodies. It allowed me to understand some aspects of loss that I was struggling with and in many ways gave me the permission to go on with Nora Fleming without having my brother by my side. I would highly recommend it to anyone navigating loss and trying to forge ahead in a business that is forever changed.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
I am working on this as we speak. I have bought a retreat center outside of Nashville and am gearing up to host people with like experiences to gather in real life to share stories, struggles, successes, and most importantly create community. My wish is for these guests to feel that they can leave their “armor” at the door and be welcomed into a space of unconditional love, acceptance and understanding. Although I don’t think I will literally host millions of people, I do believe the trickle down effect of the experience will create a kinder, more compassionate world, one interaction at a time.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” — -Maya Angelou
I carry this quote in my heart in every interaction I have, whether it be business or personal. We don’t always know the right thing to say or the right thing to do, especially in difficult situations, but we do know how to make someone feel safe and connected. It is a natural human gift that most of us have lost in the busy day-to-day cut throat world we live in. I believe if we focus less on exact works or deeds and more on social graces, welcoming smiles, less talking and more listening, creating tangible spaces where people can gather and express themselves safely and without fear of rejection, the world will be a much more beautiful and sustainable place.
Thank you so much for the time you spent with us today!
