Life & Work with Nicole Natale

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Natale.

Hi Nicole, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
In 2019, my husband and I adopted a three-legged rescue dog from Saudi Arabia named Cleo. I’ve always been a hobby crafter and quickly started making bandanas for our family’s newest member. I wanted to make bandanas that didn’t have ties but instead slipped over our pup’s collar. Much to my husband’s surprise (or horror!), Cleo’s bandana wardrobe quickly grew to over 50 bandanas and I ended up with piles of leftover fabric. I thought it would be fun to start selling bandanas and donating a portion of the profits to animal rescues. One year later, my little business is making dogs fashionable all over the United States!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Overall, it’s been a relatively smooth road. There was a bit of a learning curve setting up an Etsy shop and establishing an LLC, but overall it wasn’t too difficult. The hardest part was taking the initial leap to open a shop in the first place. I knew I had a good product but was fearful of being open to criticism from customers. I had nightmares of getting nothing but one-star reviews! I don’t think the fear of letting down a customer has ever gone away, but I think that’s healthy: it ensures that I continue making the best quality product I possibly can. After all, people are spending their hard-earned money on a product I’ve made.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I sell customized over-the-collar dog bandanas, and I like to think I pick a fun and unique fabrics (my best selling bandana features Ruth Bader Ginsburg)! I love making dogs just a smidge stylish, and I’m a fan of anything personalized. My bandanas slip over the dog’s collar so it stays in place with the collar and there aren’t any loose tie ends. I originally tried regular tie bandanas on my dog when she was a puppy, but she kept chewing the ends! The over-the-collar style solved this annoying and slobbery problem!

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson I’ve learned is to just have fun. It’s so easy to get caught up in the paperwork, operations and logistics, but I get to make cute and whimsical bandanas! It’s the reason I love my Etsy shop because even though there’s always going to be paperwork, I get to have fun. And what’s more fun than making adorable dogs look even cuter?

Pricing:

• $13.99 – $19.99 / bandana

Contact Info:

• Email: nicoleraehandmade@gmail.com
• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/nicoleraehandmade/