Shot by: Cedric Smith chiradox.com
You can, you should, and if you’re brave enough to start you will. -Stephen King
But first, my name is Nicole Stone, the ‘Q’ above stands for Quynh. I’m a 20-year-old (almost 21 woohoo) animal-loving, fashion obsessed, coffee crazed millennial that is hoping to make a difference in the world; one blog post at a time. I want to lead passion-filled individuals to lead lives they love.
I believe in loving what you do and exploring every aspect of life in order to find your passion.
I believe that life should never be taken for granted.
Tell mom and dad you love them, tell your friends you appreciate them. Life is precious, every second matters.
I believe that everyday is an opportunity and that in order to live a life wholeheartedly, without regrets, you need to bring ALL of you to the table.
Life is what you make it, use your time wisely and never walk away with a regret.
I believe in gratitude.
Life is not about what you get, it’s about what you give.
‘What can I do for them’ is how you’ll make your mark on the world.
I believe in love.
Not that 21st century, social media type of love. I believe in true love, soulmates, that everlasting love you will never want to give up once you find it.
I believe in hard work.
Nothing in life, that lasts, will be handed to you. Use your passion to work for what you want. And most importantly, never give up.
Now, why am I here:
I started working when I was 14 years old// thanks mom & dad. I hated it at the time but I look back and am grateful. Working at such a young age is what shaped my work ethic, it shaped my values and made me cherish each moment I had.
High School was not my strong suit// I had my small friend group, was active in choir, had my fair share of nasty relationships. Typical right?
A few years later// I was getting ready to start my freshman year at OSU and accepted an internship with Global Media Outreach. A wonderful organization who’s mission is to make sure everyone in the world has had a chance to hear and know Jesus Christ.
I found my passion// While interning I worked part-time at a local boutique, Firefly Trend. I loved the staff so much and they offered me so many opportunities to grow and love the industry. I knew I belonged in fashion.
I found what I love, now what?// I knew I had a passion, I knew what motivated me, so the next step was finding a part-time job in college that allowed me to pursue that passion. My parents, as hard-working and humble as they were, weren’t able to help me throughout my college career, so it was my responsibility to make money and make my own way, something that I will relay onto my kids one day. I found a small, local boutique the summer before college and emailed asking for an interview while I was there for orientation. I got the job and started the second week of school.
Fast forward a little bit// Since half the population of Stillwater, OK consists of college kids, summers are the worst, especially for retail. So due to budget cuts at the local boutique I was let go and left to find a new opportunity to pursue. One evening I found a ‘Now Hiring’ sign in another boutique and the next day went in to apply. I had never heard of the brand before but as soon as I stepped into the store I loved it. It was small and cute and the clothes were reasonably priced. That’s when I knew I would fit in very well here. I started as a sales associate at Dainty Hooligan and then a couple months later became the Assistant Manager and soon after that became the Regional Manager/General Merchandiser.
Now wait a minute// Regional Manager? How old are you again?
You read it right, I was offered an internship at the corporate office with Dainty the Summer of 2016 and it was definitely one of the best experiences in my life so far. I was able to help with social media/marketing, I helped pick out and shoot products for each store as well as the website, I learned a lot about the back end of e-commerce and everything it entailed and I. loved.every. minute. of. it. I was like a sponge, soaking up everything I was learning. I knew I was in my element, in my zone. When I returned back to Stilly I accepted the offer of Regional. I was, I am ambitious and often times I think before I do, which later I learned was one of my greatest weaknesses. I oversaw 5 store fronts, their marketing, merchandising and all the HR that came with that. It was a great experience but I bit off more than I could chew since I was still enrolled as a full-time college student. I had to step down from my management position and now I work two part-time jobs and I’m on track to my last year of college (woohoo!!!)
The best thing now?
I’m not done yet// Welcome to my life, I love people and interaction so whatever you want to know ask! I love to collaborate new ideas and opinions, I can’t wait to share more ideas and experiences with you guys.
Thank you so much for spending a little bit of your time with me, it’s truly cherished.
Nicole Q. Stone 