Meet Nicole Doud | Retail Owner + Mother

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicole Doud and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicole, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
This is a tough thing for many business owners, especially working mothers. The guilt game plays a big part in the work life balance. When you are with your kids/family, you feel like you should be at work, and when you are at work, you feel like you should be with your kids. Over the years, the amount of time I am in the store has changed as our family is growing. I remember the early days where I was in the store for 14-16 hours a day. I only had part-timers starting out and did all the book keeping myself, ordering, social media, cleaning, the list goes on. I could only get to merchandising and pricing products usually once the store closed at 10pm. Once we had kids this changed, but I was still working a lot, just with some breaks in between. I would work 9-5 then go back in later at night and work til 12-2am. The night hours seemed to be the only time I had peace and quiet and could really get things done. Now with three busy boys and living in another town during the school year, my time in the store is limited. The late nights in the shop do not happen. My ‘late’ nights are now ordering products after the boys go to bed while I lay in bed. It’s usually the last thing I do before falling asleep.
The work life balance has always been a challenge for me, but as the boys are getting older quicker it seems, I want those moments with them so I make sure I staff the store as best as I can.
I now have a book keeper and social media manager which helps a ton! My advice is to hire out the things you do not enjoy doing and/or the things that take up the most time.
Life is short, and working the long days when your kids are growing quickly in front of your eyes, it’s just not worth being away from them so much. Enjoy these moments. I find that being productive during school hours helps a lot and getting some things done after they go to bed. If the day was busy and hectic and you’re just exhausted, the work can wait until tomorrow.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I own a gift shop called Little Luxuries of Mackinac for 15 years. I opened when I was only 23 years old with no retail experience. I have learned A LOT over the years and I am still learning along the way. Especially having a business in a tourist town, each season can be different with new staff, the economy and trends. Being new and young to the downtown Mackinac scene it wasn’t a breeze to be where I am today. I was the new girl in town and not everyone liked that. I have had to hold my own and really remember to be authentic. Remembering this I believe has made me where I am today. Stepping out of the box and creating new designs and systems within Little Luxuries has set me aside. Ultimately, I am just doing what I love. Since middle school, I have always been the girl to step out of the box and not follow the crowd. I played on different travel basketball teams than my friends, I went to a college with nobody that I knew, I traveled across the world to Australia during college and then I moved to Mackinac Island to work for a summer, even when my mom didn’t want me to. Taking that leap and doing what you want to do is going to get you where you want to be. Like they say, if you can dream it, you CAN do it.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This is a fun question and this sounds like a blast having my best friend in town for a week! I would stay at a few places on Mackinac if my friend was visiting for a week. I would first stay at The Murray Hotel, a cute, quaint European feel hotel downtown. I love the Victorian decor, the customer service and the smaller rooms. Then I would stay at a B+B on Market Street. There are a few to choose from and they are all fabulous! Lastly, I would end the week off with a bang and stay a night or two (splurging) at Grand Hotel. Things we would do while staying on the island: long bikes rides, long walks, watching the sunset, watching the sunrise, grabbing a chai latte at Luckybean, grabbing breakfast or lunch at Watercolor Cafe, taking an art class at Watercolor Cafe, have dinner at Patrick Doud’s Pub with a yummy Guinness. Hit the shops, jump in the lake out at British Landing, miniature golf at Grand Hotel and Mission Point Resort, have a cocktail in the Cupula Bar at Grand Hotel, get dressed up and have dinner in the Main Dining Room followed by dancing in the Terrace Room. Visit all of the favorite icons on the island – The Fort, Sugar Loaf, Arch Rock, British Landing, Devil’s Kitchen and I am sure I am missing some, oh yes, Fort Holmes, the highest point on the island. There’s more, but this is a good start to our week. 🙂

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have had more than one person help create who I am today and be where I am today. However, to narrow it down to one person, well two, I give the most credit to my parents. They are the ones who instilled in me my faith, a hard work ethic, how to be kind, and how to play and have fun too. I am from a small farming town in mid-Michigan. My dad has a small business and my older brother has a business. Growing up my parents made my brothers and I earn our own money. I mowed lawns, pulled weeds for neighbors, returned pop cans, cleaned houses, helped my dad clean carpets with his business and different jobs he needed done such as painting. Learning these tasks and how to save money and pay for me things on my own, taught me the importance of a hard work ethic. I paid my way through college, paid to be part of a sorority and study abroad program and any trips I wanted to take. I will never forget paying off my student loans. It was the best feeling because I earned penny of paying it off. My parents are the two hardest workers I know. They like to keep busy, but they have fun too. Growing up we spent a lot of time at our cabin snowmobiling and doing water sports. Our family enjoys working and doing the fun things as well. My parents who are high school sweethearts (which I think is so incredible!) are not only hard work workers, they know how to be kind and respectful.

Website: www.littleluxuriesofmackinac.com

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