Meet Trailblazer Rachel James

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel James.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Rachel. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve always been into beauty and fashion and all things beautiful since I can remember. Shortly after high school, I attended Aveda Chicago Institute and obtained my esthetician’s license. Not being satisfied, I decided to go to school for Fashion Merchandising and graduated from the International Academy of Design and Technology: Chicago in 2012. Throughout my years in school, I constantly dabbled back and forth working in the beauty and fashion industries as an esthetician, stylist, makeup artist, personal shopper, fashion editor and an amateur model. My last day studying fashion merchandising I decided I wanted to create a product that I thought sat perfectly between the two worlds and it wasn’t difficult to decide on nail lacquer especially since I changed my mani every other day. I lucked up and quickly found a cosmetic chemist to work on a vegan, 5 free nail lacquer formula that doesn’t compromise when it comes to quality and luxury. We spent over a year perfecting what is now in those Pear Nova bottles. I released the first collection in the fall of 2013. Since then, I have been releasing seasonal shades that are influenced by innovators in fashion design, global travel and creative women working in all artistic mediums.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The entrepreneurship road is definitely not a smooth one. I’d say my main struggle is attempting to juggle being a mother of two and a business owner. Over the last few years, I have accepted that I will never be perfect at both and at times, I will have to sacrifice my time for one over the other in an attempt to keep the balance in life.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Pear Nova – what should we know?
Pear Nova looks to the runway’s most innovative designers and wraps the texture of luxe fabrics into subtle hues of lacquer. A year and a half went into perfecting a formula while staying true to custom color choices. The debut line is all creme polishes, with an aura of silk and leather that creates a depth you will get lost in. Pear Nova is designed in Chicago, made in the USA, cruelty-free, vegan-friendly and 5 free, which means no formaldehyde (ew), formaldehyde resin, camphor, toluene (huh?), and dibutyl Phthalate DBP (yikes!).

Finding a mentor and building a network are often cited in studies as a major factor impacting one’s success. Do you have any advice or lessons to share regarding finding a mentor or networking in general?
As far as networking goes, I think the most important thing to remember is – worry less about what others can do for you and more about what you can do for others. When I network, I try to focus on making a few genuine, strong connections rather than several light ones.

Pricing:

• Glass Nail File $3
• Individual Lacquer Shades $10-$11.5
• Top & Base Coat DUO $22
• Create Your Collection $44

Contact Info:

• Website: https://pearnova.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pearnova/

Image Credit:
Pear Nova

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