Nikki Mocerino 6:24
Yeah, I think it’s a matter of using the tools instead of letting the tools use us. You know, so often we can get lost in any tool that we’re using in life. And I think, I believe deeply in letting go of, like I said that the answers being somewhere outside of us. And it’s a lot easier to do that when you’re grounded in the present moment. When you’re not run by your past. And you’re not obsessed where you’re going in the future and being present. I think then we become the wielder of the tool instead of letting it be something that runs us in our life.
Joshua Chin 7:05
What’s what is your advice for people struggling with, with, with what you’ve just mentioned, and kind of being so caught up with the tools that they’re using and being so caught up with that process of, of just growing and moving? versus you’re just taking a step back and enjoying the present and taking a breath?
Nikki Mocerino 7:29
Yeah, I think one of the the most tactical ways to do it is how you start your morning, I think, you know, when we wake up in the morning and reach for our phone, our entire day becomes run by somebody else’s agenda, right? It’s like, whatever is in our email inbox, or whatever notifications are there suddenly becomes the dictator of our day. And even if you can just, we all right, we all are these, these devices. Being in that world, these devices in these apps are wired to pull you in. And so even if we can just reserve an hour, or even if it’s just 10 minutes in the morning, start with something really small, and start it on your own agenda that sets the tone for the entire day. And I think that’s one small but really impactful way to begin to change your life.
Joshua Chin 8:24
Amazing. And so you started The Ohm Store in 2015, while building a consulting arm for your then employer. How did you so I think many people are also curious as to that transition from being a full time employee and balancing a side project to having that side project grow? And how do you kind of balance your time between the two? What was that story? Like?
Nikki Mocerino 8:58
Yeah, it wasn’t perfect. And it wasn’t pretty. No, even I look, I look back, and it did, you know, come at the expense of other things. And I don’t necessarily think that having everything we want in life has to, but for me, I was really clear on on what I wanted to create and really invested in, in growing that business. But there was also a huge part of my heart and soul that was in, you know, my dedicated to and committed to my employer. You know, I joined that company when there were 20 employees, and help scale it to 300 plus with offices in Argentina and New York. And so my heart was divided. And it required me saying no to a lot of things. And so I think that that level of commitment and focus is so important when you’re trying to balance both a full time job and building a business. But I was less, less attached to what it looked like and more committed to the mission, right, more committed to serving people, both in my business and at my job. And so it was really that service that was something bigger than me, that hold me to it day after day. Right? I think it’s all about finding something much bigger than the work that you’re committed to, and letting it pull you to the work.
Joshua Chin 10:34
Gotcha. That’s, that’s a, that’s. So I think that’s something that most people would listen to and say, that’s, that sounds incredible. And especially considering that you’re taking multiple leadership roles in and leading a brand new business arm of the company, while building a brand new business inside, so take me to the beginning of The Ohm Store. So on your website, there is a story of how you and Frank overcame some very extreme physical ailments. Was that the the spark that kind of set this whole thing on fire? Or was it kind of just something that accelerated the progress?
Nikki Mocerino 11:24
Yeah, it was definitely the the spark, and there’s even part of the story that’s untold. So there were these two missions that were happening on opposite sides of the world that we couldn’t even see would eventually come together to serve both missions. And they were both rooted in impact. So over here in the United States, my brother and I had gone through so many health struggles, especially my brother. And it led us down this path of seeking beyond what we knew, seeking beyond Western medicine. And it led us to mind body spirit connection, and different alternative healing modalities. And so we as we uncovered things like meditation and mindfulness, and saw how much tending to our emotional and spiritual needs, supported our physical body, we knew it was something we wanted to share in the world, it had made such an impact in our lives. And that became part of the mission of service and, and being able to help other people have this seemingly elusive state of peace and harmony in their lives. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, in Nepal, are one of our now suppliers started to have this vision of revitalizing and preserving the ancient craft of singing bowl making. And so what was happening in Nepal, and in the state of like, the singing bowl industry was very much, if somebody wanted a singing bowl at the time, they were 800 plus dollars. And individual people would travel over to Nepal and buy antique singing bowls, and bring back, you know, as many singing bowls as they could. And so the scale was really small. And people being able to get their hands on singing bowls was a lot more challenging. And so our supplier had this vision of preserving jobs in Nepal, preserving this ancient craft. And he began to believe that if he can create a singing bowl that was small enough to ship and more cost effective that people could test them out, bring them into their lives, see if they liked them, you know, the barrier was much smaller, to purchase one of these, he knew that if he could do that, and he can pack those with the song sound quality of larger singing bowls, that it was that volume that would create consistent work for these artists ends and and allow them to have consistent incomes, that he can achieve his vision of serving the people of Nepal and these artisans and this ancient craft. And so there became this beautiful intersection of of his mission and our mission, that birth the home store. And something I think about a mission that’s bigger than, you know a business built on me Nicky’s egoic needs is that the mission then takes on a life of its own at the time and 2015 I could have never dreamed that we would grow the old store to what it is today. And and it really has taken on a life of its own. That has allowed not just, you know, Frank and Itaewon in our lives, but many people beyond that in our customers, as well as in the producers of the singing bowls. And so I love that, you know, the business was really built on everybody winning.
Joshua Chin 15:21
I love that story. Because it, its mission first, its purpose driven. And not to not to, not to discount ecommerce brands that are focused on growth, but most ecommerce brands would, would look at their impact in terms of the revenue that they’ve generated. This very kind of sense, kind of like self centered focus, which, which isn’t a bad thing, right? I value its value creation still, total, but with The Ohm Store, how do you think about success? Or rather, what are your metrics that you’re looking at? Is it Yeah, people that that owns a single? Or is it the number of artists and so you work with? What’s that metric, you know,
Nikki Mocerino 16:17
it’s a little bit of everything and full transparency, we are still very much driven by numbers like revenue and profit, but it’s grounded in, you know, the more the more singing bowls we can sell, the more revenue we have, that ultimately leads to the more singing bowls in the hands of people, which are making a difference in their lives, as well as the more jobs that are created to actually produce those. And so we really see it as we are stewards of this business. And we have a responsibility to serve these people on both ends of the business, the producers and the customers. And so we do still track like, like we track numbers, we track numbers, because what you measure is what matters and what you measure is what what grows and, and changes. And so we I am like a lover of metrics and numbers and operations and the business side of things, but it’s very much rooted in this place of service. Right? Like we both know Ezra and I love that as well. His whole thing is serve the world unselfishly and profit. And it really becomes this cyclical nature of service begets revenue and profits begets impact. And so it’s just this, this constant feeding of itself of of, you know, everybody winning.
Joshua Chin 17:46
Absolutely shout out to Ezra Firestone. Smart Marketer.com, guys check out SmartMarketer.com. His motto is serve the world unselfishly and profit. I love that. And while you were kind of explaining that thought process, the first question that came to mind was Ezra and his motto, serve the world selfishly and profit
Nikki Mocerino 18:06
is such a model of it, and he just like, lit up by fairing about digital marketing. And it’s not just about him winning or his ego, it’s very much rooted in service and that comes through loud and clear when you interact with him, or when you see him sharing about digital marketing,
Joshua Chin 18:24
but 100% and the way that I think so let’s talk about teams, and I really love the way that Ezra has built his his team and the culture that supports his operation operations. I actually interviewed Colleen Taylor, COO of Boom! By Cindy Joseph
Nikki Mocerino 18:46
spirit and she’s like my spirit animal that’s like my wheelhouse. I love like the operations the machine that people love it
Joshua Chin 18:55
She is a champion she’s amazing at what she does incredible project manager without being so one thing that I I see is that that I think makes Colleen unique is that she’s able to take something that’s very metrics heavy and in her role, right? She has to be very metrics heavy, but she doesn’t lose the touch of being human and being people focused and it is all about people. So tell me what your philosophy and building your team for The Ohm Store.
Nikki Mocerino 19:34
Yeah, this is something where we’re really taking on in a big way now. To date we’ve we’ve definitely like there are some some challenge stories are building out the team and really trying to outsource before we had a grasp on on what we were doing. And you know, that’s a scenario where nobody wins. And so As we’re starting to build out a team and really thinking about that, intentionally this year, some of the first things we’re doing is getting 100% crystal clear on every single role. What is the mission of the role? What are the outcomes of the role? What are the competencies required? Because we want to make it really easy for people to win with us. And so I think it starts with getting crystal clear on what it is you’re asking for, of someone so that they know exactly what it takes to win. And I’m a believer of, you know, hungry people who are self starter starters, like, invest in those kind of people and let them begin to run with the mission. If it was just me building a business, just me from from zero to 20 million. The whole thing is built on Nikki, what Nikki thinks is right, what Nikki thinks is good. And so I think getting really clear on on what you want from people, enrolling them into your mission, and letting them take it and run with it. That’s just a way for your mission to outlive you. It’s no longer about Nikki, it’s no longer about Frank, it’s really about something that is much bigger than than either of us and outlives either of us.
Joshua Chin 21:34
Useful, so getting clear on competing sees the mission if the rules. So clarity comes first, and then hire hungry self starters. And letting them run a bit. The three steps to success. Yeah. I love that.
Nikki Mocerino 21:51
And invest in them along the way. This is something I learned in in when I was growing technology teams, it’s really like, invest in people, let them express their genius and and let them grow and evolve. And they’re going to do great for you.
Joshua Chin 22:14
How, how would that look like in? In a smaller company? In a smaller startup? What would investment look like in people?
Nikki Mocerino 22:28
It might even look like me investing my time, you know, sitting down and really hearing people and giving them space to share and expand and then there’s even beyond that there’s so many little ways to invest. I am a huge fan of Landmark. It’s it’s a training and development program. It’s and it’s very cost effective for you know, I’ve been through a lot of personal development and training and Landmark is some of the best training and, and some of the cheapest that I’ve paid.
Joshua Chin 23:08
Interesting. Landmark. Gotcha. Is there is that LandmarkWorldwide.com. That’s
Nikki Mocerino 23:16
That is it.
Joshua Chin 23:17
Gotcha. Awesome. And what, what, uh, what are some of the biggest struggles that you’ve faced in, in this process of building the own store? I’m assuming it’s going to relate to some degree in building the team as well, because that’s what you mentioned. So
Nikki Mocerino 23:38
there’s, there’s another one that stands out for me. I will say this, there have been a whole slew of challenges, I think, you know, when I left the world of consulting and tech, where I was on the top of my game, and had really figured out that world and had a level of confidence in that transition of moving from technology, to e commerce, you know, it knocked me off my feet, you’re, you’re starting over again. And so there were definitely days where there’s still days. I think every entrepreneur can attest to, there are still days I wake up and I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing, especially when it comes to you know, the learning curve of managing cash for me, and really getting a handle on the differences between cash flow and something like a p&l. That’s like a point in time. That was a huge learning curve for me, I thought I thought I was definitely going to bankrupt the business or make a bad decision. And I had to really expand my zone of, of comfort and get really comfortable with being uncomfortable. getting really comfortable with starting over and getting really comfortable with coming to terms with not knowing everything and, and just being somebody who figures that out, you know, always I have this belief that I would if I if we get to this scale, then all of my problems will go away and you look at other entrepreneurs and you’re like, they must not have any problems. They’re busy, right? Like I look at Ezra I’m like, boom is doing $30 million a year he that if when we get to $30 million a year, then my problems are going to go away. And the truth is, every time I hit that next milestone, like, the problems just get amplified. And so I think one of the biggest challenges has just been coming to terms with not being a, someone who doesn’t have problems, but being somebody who solves problems. When everything first happened in March last year when you know, pandemic and in my head, I’m thinking, recession, and oh my gosh, what’s going to happen to my business? Let, let that marinate and be in self pity for about 12 hours, and I woke up the next day, and I was like, maybe this is calling you into your next level of CEO. Maybe you are meant to learn to navigate something that you’ve never navigated before. And I think that has been one of the you know, it’s been a challenge that shift of I think every entrepreneur would agree. You know, it’s it, there’s always problems, but when you can really step into just trust in yourself and trust to find a way and, and embrace it. That’s when business becomes much more of a playground for you every day.
Joshua Chin 27:01
That that is a That’s beautiful. And I guess that took some time to, uh, to to uncover and understand. For someone who or rather, what would you tell Nikki? straight out of college. Knowing what you know now, right? What’s your advice to do this straight out of college, Nikki?
Nikki Mocerino 27:30
I would say don’t make everything so significant. There’s very few things that are really life and death. And when we can let go of that seriousness, and every little decision carrying the weight of the world and every little thing we say just like carrying so much significance and heaviness and just dive in trust yourself and have fun.
Joshua Chin 28:04
I love that. I love it. I think we tend to especially with with limited experience and breadth of of a worldview. It’s very easy to get caught up in this stage were in a state where everything seems massive, like whoa, this upcoming test in school. If I fail this, that’s the end of the world. And Totally, yeah, it’s it’s it’s, it gets pretty grim as well. And when things like that get out of hand. In fact, in Singapore, just very recently, I heard that a student committed committed suicide after receiving their test results exam like it was like a national exam. Yeah. And that student was 12 years old. Wow. Those things in credibly sad. And it’s such a pity. If you had a billboard, that on the busiest Highway in your town, what would you have on that billboard?
Nikki Mocerino 29:22
Oh, great. So many things. There’s so many things I want to say I think, I think I would say, you know, let’s build a world that works for everybody. Like there is we are so I think we live in a world where everybody is so focused on me, me, me and what we’re getting. And we don’t even realize that we ultimately win when everybody around us wins. You know, I spent my 20s in in consulting Building to this life where I thought, you know, when I, when I get to this peak point, I’ll have everything I want, right when I this is the salary and this is the dream apartment in Chicago and all of this falls into place and I can buy anything I want, then I’ll be happy and I got there and I was like, this was not what I thought it was going to be. Right. And so that was part of my leaving the consulting world to say, wait a minute, I want to build something that’s not just big enough for me. But that’s big enough for everyone. And so I can serve my family and my friends and I can serve the world. And it has been so much more rewarding to be on a path that’s about serving, rather than what I’m getting.
Joshua Chin 30:52
That is beautiful. And my my next question is actually something that I ask in many of our interviews in our hiring interviews, I feel that this is such an interesting question. And it reviews the kind of character and interest if a person so what is your current obsession?
Nikki Mocerino 31:20
Oh, I think it really is like, my current obsession is getting, making it really easy to feel happy about waking up. And this cup of coffee that I’m having is the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had. And this day that, you know, we’re on day 365 of lockdown is just as fun as me being in Italy, at one of my favorite restaurants in the world, or this walk with my dog is the most precious moment of my day, when we can start to look at, you know, what I found is when I start to look at every single moment being that precious, and making it really easy to feel happy. While everything else is just a cherry on top, it makes the winds and the highs that much more intense. And incredible, because you’ve set the bar really low to feel happy. Colors the way we look at at all of life. Yeah, it’s something I’m really, really trying to be intentional about cultivating instead of being obsessed with, you know, when am I going to get to the next thing? Or when is it going to be my turn to talk or when are you know, all of these meanings going to be over? How can I be as present and, and really, really grateful as possible. Right now, instead of you know, 20 years from now looking back and being like, that was the best time of my life really hitting record on right now. And being immersed in it and letting life just wash over me. It’s it’s the the condition of the world. I think there’s a lot of waiting, like waiting until waiting until there was a vaccine and waiting until everybody has the vaccine and waiting until it resumes. And I think it’s actually our greatest opportunity to find and reset the baseline of, of what we create happiness out of
Joshua Chin 33:49
amazing. What are some of your tools or your practices to help you to support you in that in that journey?
Nikki Mocerino 33:57
Yeah, I, I have a morning practice of. And I’m in Chicago right now. So it’s really cold and snowy here. But a morning practice of going for a walk in the morning. And I run through, you know, this set of questions. So my, my day I really find, for me, at least right now it’s important to start my day as a producer instead of a consumer. And so instead of consuming other people’s information and other people’s agendas really starting at as a producer. And so I just run through some questions on a morning walk in the forest, and it’s everything from checking in on how I’m feeling to what I’m afraid of, and maybe why I’m afraid of that and then, you know, what am I longing for? What do I need in this moment, and then and then really asking myself how I feel about myself as a human and as a woman. I think that practice of giving a voice to what’s going on inside of me, it’s almost like this, this washing of the mind. And so every day, I start my day from this clear space, so that I can show up with people more present and less reactive. I’ve, you know, taken the time to really clear, whatever baggage is coming up for me, and go beneath the surface to say, Wait, this isn’t about being annoyed about something that my business partner did. Right? This is actually because I’m afraid of, of taking a big swing in business. And I’m, I’m actually letting that fear run me, but I’m blaming it on my business partner, because it’s just much easier to blame it on someone else. And so, I really take seriously that, that practice of giving a voice to whatever’s happening inside of me, so that I can be present and own, my own emotional, you know, things that are going on and give them a voice and, and show up for people and show up for my life.
Joshua Chin 36:21
Think the world would be a happier place or rented something like that. Everyone’s just a little bit more self aware and self reflective? Yes. It’s, it’s, it’s definitely, I guess, the shift in what we see right now and in the world. We’re forced to, I guess, take a step back and sit down. And really, we have nowhere to go. Like, literally, we have nowhere to go. Right. So if we’re forced to live in our own minds, and I think that’s where people start to take, I guess, their own mental health and yes, mindfulness a little bit more seriously. Yeah. What have you learned? How have you grown in this lockdown pandemic slash, changing the normal of the world?
Nikki Mocerino 37:13
I think like exactly what you shared, I really had to take a look at a lot of my own things and face myself, and I found this, you know, the start of the pandemic, I had a lot of these stories about, well, all of those dreams that I cooked up in January, they are off the table, right? I am at the mercy of the circumstances that are happening. And I had to you know, I was in that for a while. Really in that? And there was a moment where, you know, I started to ask myself, Well, if this wasn’t over, in a year, or in three years, what I have wanted to put my life on hold? And the answer was no. And so it was about getting into the flow of life, and really standing for the things that I was committed to, in, you know, my health and well being in you know, wanting love in my life, in big goals in business. And once I just decided to stand in the vision and not the circumstance, everything was unlocked, all of these things that I put on hold suddenly started to flourish in such a big, big way. I met my boyfriend, who, right? Like I think is, is my person in the middle of a lockdown. And it could have been so easy for me to say, well, dating is off the table, or, you know, this is something that’s on hold. And I would have missed out on that. And so I’m, I’m just so grateful. The biggest thing that I’ve learned is hold the vision, not the circumstance and, and if you’re committed enough to something, get into the flow of life and, and just trust yourself and and trust God or the universe or whatever you want to call it, that you are so supported.
Joshua Chin 39:19
Beautiful, hold hold the vision was the mission, the vision, hold the vision, not the circumstance. I love that. That’s that’s a quote. That’s a quote for sure. Thank you so much for sharing that. I really appreciate that. Um, final question for you. What is your current read? What’s your favorite? I haven’t read that.
Nikki Mocerino 39:48
There is a book that I have read over and over and over again. There’s actually two of them. And I I reread every year last year. I read these books four times, I actually started listening to them on Audible because it gave it a different, it just carried differently. And they are The Untethered Soul and The Surrender Experiment, both by Michael Singer and they are a beautiful. The Surrender Experiment is this beautiful testament to his life. And what happens when he just decided to stop trying to force life to his liking and and let go of control and surrender to whatever shows up. And it’s an incredible story. He ends up as an incredibly successful entrepreneur, even though he was trying to live out in the middle of nowhere and meditate for the rest of his life. Wow. And the other Untethered Soul is his his, I think collection of all of the lessons he learned along that path.
Joshua Chin 40:56
Very cool. That sounds insane. It sounds insane. definitely gonna check that out. Is it a Is it a novel or a nonfiction?
Nikki Mocerino 41:08
So they’re both nonfiction and The Surrender Experiment is almost like a biography and autobiography.
Joshua Chin 41:17
Gotcha. The Surrender Experiment: My Journey into Life’s Perfection, Michael Alan Singer
Nikki Mocerino 41:24
Oh, gosh. I reread them over and over and I will share that The Untethered Soul. I listened for the first time on Audible last year. And it was it’s almost like a very meditative, listen. And so I highly recommend the Audible.
Joshua Chin 41:43
Was it Untethered Soul? Was it narrated by by Michael himself? Or
Nikki Mocerino 41:46
I want to say it was not. But it’s still there? Is it his words the way he writes? It’s very poetic, almost. And when I listened to it, it took it, it hit me differently.
Joshua Chin 42:04
Gotcha. I’m gonna, definitely going to check that out. Very interesting. From surrendering to becoming a wildly successful entrepreneur.
Nikki Mocerino 42:15
Yeah.
Joshua Chin 42:16
that’s strange. I guess life works in very, very different ways I was speaking to as I was interviewing Eric Malka from Ingredients, he founded The Art of Shaving sold to P&G. In 2009. I asked him what was what changed in, you know, starting the Art of Shaving and starting Ingredients, his current project right now. He said that, that back then, it was all about survival. And all it was all about growth. It was all about revenue. But today, it’s it’s it’s passion. First, its purpose version first. And ironically, just because of that, he’s attracting way more growth and way more success then, than he used to.
Nikki Mocerino 43:09
Yes, I think it’s a magnet on purpose is like a magnet. Everybody wants to be around that.
Joshua Chin 43:18
And I think that’s, that that’s what matters most. Personally, I love what I do, because I get to connect with amazing people like you, Nikki. And I get to build meaningful relationships, not just few, but also with people that I work with on a daily basis with my team, despite being a remote team and remote environment. So yeah,
Nikki Mocerino 43:42
and isn’t that beautiful that we can do that in 2021? Yeah, and continue to build those relationships and connect.
Joshua Chin 43:51
We take it for granted. But I think without without zoom without Google meet, and all these tools, it’s it’s unimaginable to be in to be in a lockdown for a year.
Nikki Mocerino 44:02
It would look wildly different.
Joshua Chin 44:06
It would be insane. I think more people go It’s literally insane.
Nikki Mocerino 44:09
Totally. So even like so much gratitude for for these tools, and they’re not the enemy. It’s really like how do we wield them and and what are we using for what is the intention?
Joshua Chin 44:24
Beautiful, Nikki, if people listening are interested in contacting you or getting in touch with you, how should they reach out or if they are interested in checking The Ohm Store?
Nikki Mocerino 44:34
Yeah, so I think the easiest way to check out The Ohm Store is TheOhmStore.co. And if if anyone’s interested in seeing anything that I have to share, on Instagram, Nikki Mocerino.
Joshua Chin 44:52
Awesome. Nikki, thank you for your time. Thank you for being on the show.
Nikki Mocerino 44:56
Yeah, I love connecting with you, Josh. Thank you for having me.
Intro 45:03
Thanks for listening to the eCommerce Profits Podcast. We’ll see you again next time and be sure to click subscribe to get notified of future episodes.
