298: Leading with Faith in Business: How Nichole Kirk Built Dear Heart Designs

Why Leaders Need Clear Lanes

Nichole 0:00

And because of that, where you know we have this team focusing and leaders focusing on their lane, they're able to make that lane flourish more than if I was trying to do all the lanes. Right. I can't do that. I can just give a little bit of time here and there, and then every nothing's ever gonna flourish in that aspect.

Meet Nicole And Dear Heart Designs

Camille 0:24

So you want to make an impact. You're thinking about starting a business, sharing your voice. How do women do it that handle motherhood, family, and still chase after those dreams? We'll listen each week as we dive into the stories of women who know. This is Call Me CEO. Welcome back, everyone, to Call Me CEO. This is your host, Camille Walker, and here we celebrate women who are ready to step into their power, own their voice, and build a business in life that feels aligned. And today's guest is no exception to that rule. Nicole Kirk is the founder of Dear Heart Designs, a faith-based brand that is all about sparking meaningful conversation about Jesus through everyday products like apparel, jewelry, and accessories. What I love about her work is that it's not just about business, it's about impact, purpose, and about your platform standing for something even bigger. So, Nicole, thank you so much for joining us on the show today. Hi, Camille. I'm so excited to be here. Yeah. So tell us a little bit more about what inspired you to start your Dear Heart designs.

Nichole 1:30

Sure. So back way back in 2013, which every single year I'm like, wow, that's getting further and further back. Yeah. Um I was in college, about to graduate, and I was going to school to be a dietitian. I had no, you know, plans to start a business ever because I also am just like not a confrontational tell people what to do person at all. And so I never thought I'd be doing that. But I mean my husband, very, you know, tight-funded for college, trying to make presents for Christmas. And so I was like, just kind of being creative, crafty. I made some presents and some bracelets. And I had a friend going on a mission trip. And I was like, oh, let me put some of these bracelets on Etsy and we'll see how many we can sell. And then, you know, whatever we sell, I'll give to you for your mission trip. And in 24 hours, we sold over a thousand dollars of these bracelets, which is crazy. I know. I was like, I've never had this much money in my bank account in my life. What, you know, what is this? And so I, you know, thought, you know what? She just has a lot of people that love her. They're just going on there to buy these bracelets. Like, that's what this has to be. And so the next day I go and I give her, you know, the check, and then we're walking with my husband. And I'm like, wow, that's so cool that we were able to do that. And right then, um, my phone goes off. And on Etsy, you have this like kaching sound when a sale goes off on your phone. And I look down at it, and there's a sale from somebody completely unrelated to both of us. I mean, nobody else knew this amount that I had just given her of this check. And it was across the country, and it was the exact amount of the check that I had just given her for the sale of like tons of things on our Etsy store. Wow. And so I just thought, okay, God, like I see you. You know, there this has to be, there has to be something more to this. And so ever since that moment, um, my husband and I just keep saying, like, okay, God, what what's the next thing? And we just keep saying yes to the scary things, and they are extremely scary all the time. Uh, so that was back in 2013. And from there, we've um like from that moment, from just me to today, we now have 50 employees. Um, we have several warehouses on our 10 acres and have all kinds of crazy things happening um that we never thought we'd be doing.

Camille 3:56

Wow. Wow. Okay, so when you first started this bracelet idea, was it something that you had inventory available to fulfill the the that next order that came in? Or how did you handle that? Because that was probably quite the shock. Oh gosh, yes, very shocking.

Nichole 4:11

And no, I was just making everything as orders came in because I didn't have the funds to stock up on inventory. I think I was like buying the supplies at like Hobby Lobby or something, you know what I mean? Just trying to get these orders out the door. I uh they were um fabric wrap bracelets too. So I'd gotten this fabric and I would just make the stamp the charm and put it on there. Um, but yeah, they were a hit and it was a lot of long nights trying to fulfill all of that for sure.

Camille 4:40

Wow. When you first started that leap into this is a real business, what was the biggest hurdle of fear based thought that you had to overcome and how did you do that?

unknown 4:50

Yeah.

Camille 4:51

Oh, absolutely.

Nichole 4:52

Um I just I guess fear back then, I don't think that there was a lot of fear in it. I think I was just kind of blindly just being like, okay, yeah, this this seems like a cool thing. I don't think the fear came till later when you start. You know, I got pregnant like a a year after that. I think when you start getting a family and you start having more expenses that you actually have to care for. Like back in college, you're kind of your expenses aren't super high. So you're like, oh, you know, this we've this is great, extra funds. But as your family grew and you had to get a house and you have all these expenses that you have to come up with these funds for, I think is really when the fear, you know, gets gets to you that I have to make this amount to survive. Um, and then that even grows. Like as you get employees, you're like, oh, I'm not just taking care of myself. I have to take care of my work family. Uh, but honestly, with my faith has truly been like a pillar in that. And I honestly don't know how a lot of business owners get by tackling that fear because it's a real thing without just trusting that we're not in full control, that you know, God's got a hand in this. And as long as I keep doing what feels right and what I feel like he's leading me down, then everything's gonna be okay.

Camille 6:13

Yeah, I love that. I actually was listening in on a it was like a business event. And the person who was presenting was talking about faith-based grounding, and he said something to the effect of don't for a second question that God cares about what's happening in your business. Like these are questions and problems that he wants to help you find solutions for. And to think that you have to figure it out on your own is like the opposite of what we should be thinking and doing. So I think that's really cool, especially where your brand is so faith-centric, that's a really easy crossover to be able to expand and develop it in that way. Can you think of a time that you hit a up against a roadblock or something that was really difficult that prayer helped you to overcome or that you found a solution to?

Nichole 7:06

Yes, I remember when we were building. So we in 2021, up until there, we were working out of like my house, or maybe we're renting small studio places. And in 2021, I would drive by um on the way. We live kind of outside of town in the country, and I have to drive into town into Worcester Falls. And I would drive by this track that was for sale as 10 acres. And I was like, oh, it'd be so nice to have that. Like, I could just work right there, the kids go to school right here, it'd be wonderful. And I just remember being like, um, if you buy that, Nicole, like you buy that. Like you can't just, if it doesn't work out, like you can't just, you know, you're not leasing it and say bye. Like that's yours. You have to sell it or do something. And I had such a peace about it. I knew exactly how much to offer, like that I felt peace with, and everything went smoothly. Um, up until we were building our first warehouse on it. And we had to come up like with a, I think it was like the $30,000 out of nowhere. We had to come up with $30,000 to finish this loan. And I just remember laying in bed and we had several really big events coming up. Um, and I just was like, anxiety was just taking me over. And I was just praying to God, I was like, God, like, I don't know how we're gonna do this. Like this, this, you know, how how are we gonna do this? And I just remember just like seriously, like a supernatural just warmth and peace just washed over me. And I was like, okay, I know you've got this. And within those next uh two shows, we came out up with those funds that we needed to pay for the end of, you know, the warehouse, which was crazy to me to be able to come up with that within, you know, I think we had two months or something to come up with this um back then. And yeah, God was just so faithful. And I just I will never forget that feeling of just like, hey, I've got this. Like, just breathe, like just keep spitting one foot in front of the other. I've got this. And I'm just kind of like held on to that moment ever since then, even with like the new stuff that we have coming up, just knowing that his hand is in this, it's his plan and his adventure anyway. Like, I never thought I'd be doing this, and I love it, but I without him, I would have never gone down this path ever. So I just keep trusting that you know, I'm doing the next best thing.

Bootstrapping From Home To Warehouses

Camille 9:29

Yeah. Oh, I love that. That's really cool. And I I guess let's take a few steps back of from Etsy shop bracelets to big warehouses. Where how did you get to the point of building a spot where you were able to start hiring and building that business? Like, take us through some of those steps because I think for those of us listening, might be like, oh, how do we go from those bracelet sales to building warehouses, having events? How did you build from the ground up?

Nichole 9:58

Absolutely. Um, I tell people all this time that bootstrapping is the best way to start a business. Like as you're making money, just keep taking that money and putting it back into your business. Like, I know some people have to start out with, you know, a big loan or whatever to get going. But if you can start out with small steps and slowly build, that's the most ideal thing because you are, you know, you're out of your house and you're in this small step, and you're like, okay, I can hire a part-time high school girl that, you know, goes to the school that my kids do and she can come work for me, which is pretty low pressure, right? It's like a few hours a week. Um, and then you're finally like renting somewhere and you can hire two people part-time. And that's just so important because it's kind of hard to go from you in your house to a warehouse with even just five employees. You know what I mean? It's just, I say baby steps are so wonderful, but in the same breath, I told you briefly before we started that, you know, in the past two years, we've gone from 15 to 20 employees to 50. And so that has been hard to figure out. And I feel like we haven't had time like to really breathe in that transition. Um, but we've been so lucky with the people that we have in our leadership and that want to be a part, you have to find people that are passionate about what you're doing. And if it's, you know, in if what you're doing is something really simple, um, find people that love to work with you or love your work culture. You know what I mean? That's so important. And because we've built such an awesome work culture, it's easy to have people buy in. And once you have people buy in, then they're gonna care about it almost as much as you do. Obviously, you're gonna care about it the most always. But if you can find people that buy in and care as much as you do, it's gonna be so much easier for you. And we are so lucky in that aspect.

Camille 12:00

That's really neat. And where your brand is centered around sparking conversations with Jesus and about him, how do you stay bold in that mission? Yeah.

Nichole 12:11

Um honestly, like it's been pretty easy to, because of the people that we work with, and we all care about it and we're all passionate about it. And the feedback that we get from our customers just keeps fueling us. Um, of course, you're gonna have people sometimes me, you know, trolling on comments or different things, but just being able to see the impact or the small stories that our customers share with us just lights like a fire, you know, under us just to keep on going. And it, I mean, truly, I haven't had a moment where I was like, oh, I don't know if this, you know, is the right part or the right thing to be doing. It's pretty much had a piece about that and not anything crazy. I think the one of the things that happened um to us was we were trying to get um into Target at one point, not into it, but online. And we were almost the last step that we could do. And they were like, ah, sorry, you're faith-based business. Can't, you know, we can't have, you can't have it, was like in their policy that you can't have whatever this is. And I was like, ah, and so I I know there is a certain ceiling and certain aspects that you're gonna hit, I guess, where they're like, no, we can't do this. And I understand, I guess, to a certain aspect, because then they'd have to say yes to probably every belief, you know. Um, but we did hit that. But the same breath, we're in we got into all the Buckies locations, which is a big deal. I don't have a Buckies in YouTube. But do you know what that is? I've heard yes, I'm familiar with that. Yes. Um, and that's been a huge, wonderful partnership for us. So there are avenues, even in it if you're in like a niche that you can get into.

Scaling Fast Through Team Structure

Camille 14:02

That's really interesting. And some of the things I have seen for sale at Target, I'm like, really? We're doing this, but we're not doing that. Like that's and they're just not your people, which nope, they're not your people, and you gotta find your people. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Have you ever felt, and I guess that is a a piece of resistance for growing your business in that way. What were some key turning points that helped your brand to grow? When you talked about going from 20 to 50 employees, like what was what was that that happened? Or was it just the consistency finally paid off? Or like what would you attribute that to?

Nichole 14:39

Um, I think just having the right people on our team. Uh, because you on your own can only do so much. Like you can't grow every part of your business. And because we found the perfect people for each, you know, the perfect people that are good at lead, you know, leading this department, we departmentalized too, which was nice. We had like our wholesale and our retail, and this person was in charge of our ads. And my husband actually took over running all of our ads uh last year and is just excellent at it. But he restructured, he's our now CEO and I'm now founder. I do all the creative and fun and things that I love. And he does like analytical, um, you know, making sure everything's running smoothly now. Uh, but he we restructured and organized, and that way everybody knows their lane and they're like, ah, I'm gonna own this lane and I'm gonna figure out how I can make this lane better and help this lane grow. And because of that, where you know, we have this team focusing and leaders focusing on their lane, they're able to make that lane flourish more than if I was trying to do all the lanes. Right. I can't do that. I can just give a little bit of time here and there, and then every nothing's ever gonna floor it, flourish in that aspect. So I think like, and you can't do that once again, you have to wait till you get to a certain point, right? Or you you hire this person, they're nourishing this. Okay, that's taking care of and it's making us grow. And you have to find the next person and nourish this part. And so it's just like a like I said, like the baby step thing, not just you can't do all of it at once. Like it's gonna grow as long as you keep having people come on to help you and you know, taking care of what you already have, making it grow.

Camille 16:22

So I'm curious with hiring, what was the best or the best resource for you to find people that you trust? Because that's a big piece of growth that I feel like a lot of us have resistance to is finding people we can trust that are great at what they do. What has been a good solution for you in finding those people? Absolutely.

Nichole 16:42

Um, I actually got lucky in the fact that most everybody that we've hired has been a customer of ours. And so they already love what we're doing. We don't actually post hiring on, and we tried it a few times on bigger sites like Indeed and stuff. That never, I really haven't hired anybody that stayed with us off there. We usually post our jobs on social media. And so the people that, you know, love our products already follow us. Um, they love what we do already. And I also, for leadership, I have not hired a leadership position outside of our company. It's always who has been with us, who has proven, you know, that they can do this or what are their gifts? That's what when somebody comes in as a lower-level employee and we see that they're bought in and they tell us that they want to be a part of this, we see what their gifts are and we try to figure out okay, these are your gifts and this is the position that we're eventually going to lead you into that we want you to take care of. And so when we did restructure this earlier this year, we sat down with each person and talked about their gifts with them and how they would best fit into the company. And that's kind of how we hire and raise our employees up.

Motherhood Boundaries And Marriage As Partners

Camille 17:58

Oh, that's so cool. I wish it could all be done that way, right? Because everyone has gifts, everyone has the talents and things that they're good at. That's so cool. What an awesome way to do that. So you mentioned that you very quickly after starting this business, became a mother, and where our podcast specifically speaks to motherhood and business. What are some ways that you've been able to manage your time and energy as a business owner and as a mother?

Nichole 18:26

Absolutely. Um, yeah, it's hard, right? Like it's hard to balance that out. I just, if I am having, for example, last night we were up at, we're opening our brick and mortar here in the next month. And instead of, you know, keeping, you know, me and my husband at home with the kids, we just bring them with us. And it's good for your kids to see you working towards something. Like they need to know that, like, if you want to do something, like you have to work hard for it. And we also are very intentional about we're gonna go to dinner when our phones, you know, we're not answering business messages on our phone or anything. And they see us working hard, but I also have built it to where we don't miss ball games, we don't miss field trips. Um, we actually um for a class party, I think my husband ever ran into somebody and they were like, Oh, you have a lot going on. I didn't think that you were gonna be here. And we're like, no, like this is this is our top priority, like our kids' lives and you know, making, you know, raising them to be good humans and to love God and to see people work hard is like our core mission in life, of course, besides you know, creating conversations about Jesus. But um, yeah, like it's a hard balance, but we just try so hard to be intentional about it. We I have three kids now. We have um my youngest boy who's five, and then a nine-year-old son, and then my daughter is 11.

Camille 19:53

Wow, that's awesome to to see that. And you talked about boundaries of like not answering emails and making sure that you're at different places and things. Was that hard for you to come up with boundaries? And also a piece of that is how do you create boundaries with your partner? Because now running a business with your partner that brings in another layer of you know, figuring out those things. Oh, absolutely. Yeah.

Nichole 20:17

Sometimes me and my husband and Chris just have to, if we're if we've had a stressful day and we're like at home and we're kind of like short, you know what I mean? Like it's we had a hard day or whatever, but like, hey, I'm I'm being short with you because of something that happened at work. Now we got to turn off work, Nicole and Chris. We got to turn on husband and wife, Nicole and Chris, we got to put that back there and start a new, a new thing right here. Um, but he just we are so good at balancing each other out. Like if I'm having a really hard time, he's usually lifting me up, and vice versa. Uh yeah, but boundaries are hard, especially when your business and ours just so mission-based, um, is our life, right? Like our even our life mission is the same as our business mission. So sometimes they can mix, you know, throughout it, but we just try our best just to put that away in the evenings, spend time as a family, and then pick it back up in the morning.

Camille 21:14

Yeah, I love that. Do you think that there is a belief that you've had to let go of to grow your business? Hmm.

Nichole 21:24

I don't think so. Um, you probably have to be very specific with that for me to think of anything.

Camille 21:31

Um I guess any like limiting beliefs that you had about like your capabilities or like where, you know, yeah. So talk to me about that.

Nichole 21:42

Yes. Uh no, I feel unqualified all the time. I mean, literally, just I can't believe I do what I do every day. And I people are like, wow, I don't say I do it. And I'm always like, it's not me. I promise you, God's leading this way and He's making these things happen. And I'm just trying. To be a steward and just obedient and just saying yes, okay, I'll do this. Even podcasting, like um, being interviewed or on screen or anything, I'm not a public speaker at all. And I at the beginning of this year, or maybe it was last year, I said, Okay, Nicole, you are gonna anytime anybody asks you to speak, or anytime you're just gonna say yes, and you're just gonna figure it out, and you're gonna have to just hope that God speaks through you and that you don't say anything silly because you have to do these things. And so there's been a lot with that just because I don't like a lot of attention. I'm not an attention person, and when I do get all attention, I try to go hide in a corner. Um, but yeah, it's that's been a really hard thing for me is public speaking, um, being a confrontational leader. You have to confront people sometimes. That's very hard for me because I just want to love everybody. And I'm one of those people that when people come in a room, I'm like, how can I make them feel comfortable? And well, when you're having a hard conversation, you can't make them feel comfortable and you're uncomfortable. Uh yeah, just trying to get past the things that you think that you can't do and knowing that you actually can is just gonna be hard.

Camille 23:17

Yeah, yeah. I mean, that's very relatable. And I speaking of that, you were just nominated for a small business person of the year to go to Washington, DC and be a part of a national competition. What has that process been like? And how did that help you overcome some of those self-doubts?

Nichole 23:35

Yes. Uh so in December, I had our small business center, which I think they're spread all across the nation. Um, and different college campuses are different people. They've emailed me and said, Hey, we want to nominate you for this. Can you fill out this paperwork? And I even remember being like almost not even getting the paperwork done, the deadline, because it was in December, which is crazy town for retail family. Yes. Yeah. So I like finally got it to them. And I, it was kind of off my radar till then. And then a few weeks ago, uh, we just got an email saying, hey, you won Texas Small Business Person of the Year. You're invited to Washington, DC, where they'll pick the national small business person of the year. And I mean, we literally thought it wasn't real at first and had to bet it and make sure that it was legit. Uh, but yeah, we leave next weekend. We find out not this Sunday, but the next. Um, I think you there's like a winner and then two runner-ups. But yeah, I could never have dreamt that up in my life that that would ever be happening. And here it is. And we're, I think you're supposed to prepare a speech too just in case. And that is terrifying for me. Yeah. So yeah, it's it, it's gonna be wild when we're there for sure.

Camille 24:52

Oh, that's so cool. And Texas, I mean, that's a big state. So to get that and represent the state, that's a huge deal. You should be really proud. That's awesome.

Nichole 25:00

Yes, our team. I'm just so proud of our team because would not be able to get that without every one of them for sure.

Camille 25:08

Yeah. Oh, that's so cool. Well, I want to hear a little bit. I'm gonna ask you some questions about when or if you ever considered yourself a CEO and what call me CEO means to you. Okay.

Nichole 25:25

Well, yeah, it's kind of weird whenever people do ask for your titles. Now that I am, I was CEO up until January, but now my husband technically is CEO and I am founder above him, right? Restructuring companies. But even saying that, even founder, CEO, president, anything is such a weird thing to hear myself be called. And I actually shy away from it. Um, I'm actually like, oh no, I'm just, you know, doing my best. Uh, but yeah, I guess probably once we got a few employees um under us and we're trying to lead the company, um, it is, even though it's terrifying, it is a gift to be able to be a part of our team's lives and to, you know, steer the company in a way that our employees love coming to work and we love being a family. And like if Deerheart wasn't here, where would our work family be? Like, would they be as happy or as thriving or, you know, mission or being impacted without Deerheart? And so even for me, like, where would I be without Deerheart? I'd be really sad. Like, I love our you know, company so much. But yeah, probably those little things makes me feel that way. And I'm just so grateful to be a part.

Camille 26:47

That's awesome. Do you have a favorite design that you love right now? Like, if someone's listening to this and they want to check out your designs and your website, what would you say? Oh, make sure to check out this, or there's like a favorite that people love or you love.

Nichole 27:02

Yeah, we just came out with a new one. Uh, it's has deeply loved fully known on the front. Um, and the back has like this really cool star, and it says he counts the stars by by their names, and it says, and how much more must he love you? If he knows all the stars' names, you know, and it's uh it's like a charcoal tea and it has this really uh bright orange and cream on it. It's stunning. I wore it yesterday, so I thought it was a little bit more. Oh, that sounds way cute. It's way cute. I need one.

Camille 27:29

Yeah, that sounds way cute. What's your favorite scripture right now?

Nichole 27:34

Oh gosh. Um it I think that this will forever be my favorite, but it's that God can do immeasurably more than we could all ask or imagine. Like He what what we think is the coolest thing that we could be doing, God has something way bigger than that, like immeasurably more than what we can imagine and or that we could ask, right? Like it's just little things. Like God has this great grand plan for us. And yeah, I just I adore that scripture. I don't the book doesn't come to mind like I can't, you can look up immeasurably more verse and it'll pop up, but I don't have it off the top of my head, but I always go back to that. I love that.

Camille 28:16

Do you have one non-negotiable habit that you need to have be a part of your day or your week or something that's just for you? Oh, yes.

Nichole 28:26

I uh wake up, get my kids off to school, drink coffee, and read scripture, even if I just have time for one page. It just fills my cup enough to where I can go about my day, just having like a quiet time with me and God before all the chaos starts. Like I can't, I don't like to go just straight into the chaos. Like I just need a time with me and him before all of that starts.

Camille 28:51

I love that. Yeah. Well, this has been so wonderful. If you were to tell someone who's starting out from the beginning, who's that person making the bracelet who just had this idea take off, what bit of advice would you give that person who has this idea but doesn't know if it's going to work out or not? Absolutely.

Nichole 29:09

Just keep, you know, talking to God, doing the next step that you feel like you're supposed to be doing, even if it's scary, like pray about it, think about it, and just know that like you're not in control of anything. Um, God is in control of everything, and that you just have to hand just surrender that, right? And just keep doing what you think you're supposed to be doing. And if it's supposed to be what you're supposed to be doing, then it's gonna turn out great. And like God has a crazy, wonderful plan for your life, and you just have to trust that. Wow, that's awesome!

Camille 29:46

Well, this has been so wonderful. Please tell everyone, Nicole, where they can find you and look into your business and that t-shirt I need to get my hands on and exciting things you have coming up.

Nichole 29:59

Yeah, you can find us at uh www.dearheartdesigns.com and then on Instagram and Facebook at Dear Heartco. And I think we have a TikTok too, even though I don't have a TikTok because I guess I'm getting old. Um, but it's Dear Heartco as well. Perfect.

Camille 30:16

Well, thank you again for sharing your story. I know it's going to help a lot of people.

Nichole 30:20

Thanks, Camille. It's been great.

Camille 30:23

All right, everyone, thank you for tuning in. And if you have loved this episode, make sure to share it with a friend to inspire other women who are building businesses just like you. And any rating or review is always appreciated. And until next time, we'll see you later. Hey CEOs, thank you so much for spending your time with me. If you found this episode inspiring or helpful, please let me know in a comment in a five star review. You could have the chance of being a featured review on an upcoming episode. Continue the conversation on Instagram at Call Me CEO Podcast. And remember, you are the boss.