Womanpreneur Wednesday - Meet Nassie!

I met Nassie about 8 years ago when visiting my friend Anouk in Paris. We dined with her husband (then boyfriend), and another friend at a super cute fondue spot, where we drank wine from baby bottles. Yes you read that right.

Through the amazingness of technology and social media, we’ve kept in contact over the years. One wedding and two babies later, Nassie is happily living in Paris and creating a wonderful entrepreneurial world.

Meet Nassie!

When you were little what did you want to be when you grew up?

I never knew what I wanted to be, I knew what I didn’t want to be! Lol. I didn’t want to be a doctor or anything to do with science, because that meant being in the science class where you had to learn about and dissect insects. I was always drawing as a child, but never thought of that as a career (too practical, even as a kid!) Then a teacher in the 4th grade told me I should become a lawyer, and I was fixed on that for a while, but then I realized it is hard to travel and move places with a law degree. (My parents travelled a lot, so I got the bug from them.) In the end, I became a CPA, like my dad, because I knew I could travel relatively easily with an accounting degree. And I have, first living in Bermuda for a few years, and now in France.

How did you come up with the idea for your business?

The culture shock of living in France! I had initially moved here for a few months on a working holiday visa, something I figured was just temporary. (I had left a job after 3 years in Bermuda, and thought a few months in Paris would be nice before probably heading back to Canada.) It was rather spontaneous, and then I met my now-husband that first week in Paris, and so I’ve been here been 10 years now. When I first moved, I didn’t think it would be that different since we have a bit of the French culture already in Canada. But once here, I realized I was keeping a running commentary in my head about the quirks and peculiarities of living in Paris. At a certain point it stopped being an inner commentary, and I started boring my husband with it. At the same time, I had always loved art and illustration which I’d always considered a hobby before, and living in Europe this is the place for it. History and art, museums and galleries, there’s just so much to absorb around every corner. So I had been feeding that passion a bit, while still working in the corporate world.

homepage of Nassie Snippets of Paris webpage

And then I had kids. And in thinking about the dreams that I wanted for them, when all of a sudden I realized that even though I’m not a Type-A personality, I was actually a bit of a risk-taker. This was a surprise to me because I can be a bit of an introvert, but I have always been willing to step out of my comfort zone. And it brought me to realize that I was ready to push the envelope again. ( Without spontaneously moving my little family to another country, of course, lol.) And what better way to push the envelope than to pursue what had previously been passions, into an actual project. So I opened my art store Ainsi Hardi (www.ainsi-hardi.com) with a blog, but now the blog has become its own entity at Snippets of Paris (www.snippetsofparis.com). It is still quite new and I have a lot bigger plans for it, but it’s been an exciting ride so far. Stay tuned!

What is the biggest struggle you’ve encountered as an entrepreneur and how did you solve it?

Finding enough hours in the day. Running a business is quite different to running an Accounting dept! I have to wear a lot more hats. And I really like to have an understanding of the subject (eg. an IT issue which is out of my expertise) before delegating it out to the experts. So that requires a bit of balance, focusing on the parts I enjoy, but also finding time for everything else, and off-loading what I shouldn’t be spending time on.

What do you think are the pros and cons of being a womanpreneur?

Pro: The network. I find there are so many women who are willing to offer advice and support each other. Women are ready to ask questions and open up more. The chutzpah of being an entrepreneur, but also being able to say, “I’ve been there”, without fearing that they look weak. It is really helpful to see that. Con: The amount of time social media requires! I’d rather be spending time creating art than making pins for Pinterest. But the social media presence is essential these days.

Do you have any mentors or coaches that you work with?

I have a good friend here who is a coach who I reach out to, but generally I just like to take a bit of advice from everywhere. One size doesn’t fit all, and I love getting different perspectives. Again, women’s networks are so powerful for this, the support and the advice in the business groups I’m in, here in France, has been brilliant.

What advice would you give to someone reading this that has the entrepreneurial “itch”?

Just do it. It’s the same advice I’d give for people who dream about visiting Paris. Just hop on a plane and do it. Now, I know it is easier said than done. The stars need to align, the personal life taken into account, etc. I’m very lucky to have such a supportive family, who are very encouraging. But all I would say is, if you have an opening, go for it. You have everything to gain.

What is the secret to achieving work-life balance for you?

Delegate. The perfect work-life balance only lasts for a few minutes and then something comes and knocks you off that pedestal! I do try to delegate out all the stuff that I don’t enjoy as much as possible, such as buying everything online in my personal life, paying someone to setup my IT processes at work, etc.

Even before kids, I always tried to keep the weekends free. No cleaning, grocery shopping, etc, only fun stuff, time to relax and enjoy the family. (I won’t lie there is a big backlog on the To-Do list such as hanging up the wall sconces which has been pending for 4 years now, but who cares!?)

How do you find inspiration?

I live in Paris, inspiration is everywhere! I have so many ideas at any given time. I’m always jotting them down in notebooks and trying to keep track of them all.

What is your favorite book?

I confess with two toddlers and a full-time job running my shop, I don’t have much time to read. But I have been reading a French book called La Grande Histoire du Monde by François Reynaert, which translates to The Grand History of the World. I love history, so it is very interesting to read such an epic overview of past events. As the saying goes “If we don’t learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it.”

What is your favorite quote?

Other than the quote above, I really like the quote by Harriet Tubman: “Every great dream begins with a dreamer.” It’s why the logo at Ainsi Hardi is “Go Places. From the comfort of your couch.” It’s to say that you can transport yourself to the places you dream about, from wherever you are.

What do you do to decompress?

Running and Yoga with Adrienne on youtube. And browsing the internet with a cup of tea.

Connect with Nassie!

I love her blog Snippets of Paris – the perfect place to go to learn about Paris life and swoon over her beautiful sketches. Check out her online shop Ainsi-Hardi!

You can also connect with Nassie on Instagram and Facebook.

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