Nicole Mastrangelo a 33-year-old small business owner and budding entrepreneur. Four years ago, Nicole left her career on the fast track in luxury fashion, to take over her family’s pest control business.
Pause for reaction… yes you read that right- Pest Control!
Four years ago, Nick Felicione Pest Control was 27 years old, and 2 generations deep. Mastrangelo family were planning for retirement and without a child to take over the business, their only other option would be to sell the company. Nicole has seen Nick Felicione Pest Control from the moment her grandparents started the company from their kitchen table to the point they wanted to sell it.
She not only watched but lived, the phases of growth- from helping to stuff and seal envelopes as a kid, to booking appointments and data entry as a summer job during high school. Nicole felt an enormous responsibility, a sense of obligation, to continue the legacy. And she felt ready. Nicole had received some of the top corporate management and sales
The take over is a success!
Four years ago, Nick Felicione Pest Control had a team of 10, with roughly 1,300 clients, grossing $1.6 million in sales annually. Today, thanks to Nicole the team grew with 27, with roughly 2,000 clients, grossing $2.2 million in sales at the close of 2018.
These 4 years of the journey have been an education in self-awareness, courage, tenacity, and love. And it inspired Nicole to launch a business coaching practice, to help other local small business owners navigate the waters of entrepreneurship.
Your proudest achievement?
My proudest achievement has been earning the respect of my team and effectively shifting the culture of Nick Felicione Pest Control. When you take over a family business, the deck is stacked against you. People believe you’re in that role because of who you are, not what you can do. And their reservations about your capabilities translate into fear about how their job will change. People naturally fear change. And this small business was about to have a complete overhaul in order to improve efficiency, increase sales, and prepare for growth. And even though the changes would most benefit the employees, perception is reality.
Understanding this tried and true concept is the first step in successfully leading a team. Company culture was my first priority because the success of every change and every investment would hinge on their complete support and total buy-in. I spent the first 3 months getting to know the team and letting them get to know me. Believe it or not, I was able to find commonalities with middle-aged tradesman- thank God for sports! I learned their beliefs about their job- what was difficult and what they enjoyed. I asked for suggestions for improvement and shared my own thoughts and plans. Once they got to know and like me, the next step was earning their trust.
I started implementing the changes that they were a part of creating. We streamlined the process, clearly defined roles, and responsibilities, and set realistic expectations that they were confident in achieving. With less frustration on the job, the team began to bond, and dare I say, have fun at work- which led to more openness and participation during company meetings and
And that was pivotal in shifting their mindset. The trust really solidified, and the buy-in became contagious when the results started rolling in. The team was earning commission payouts they had never seen before. In fact, that year our average technician salary increased by 11% due to the spike in commission earnings. Before we knew it, month after month, the company was achieving record-breaking, double-digit sales increases, and our client base grew by 10% due to customer referrals alone.
What have been some of your failures, and what have you learned from them?
During my third year with Nick Felicione Pest Control, I went through an unexpected divorce. Like any divorce, it was emotionally draining and the stress was tolling. In order to feel some sense of control, and to maintain the momentum I had worked so hard to build, I occupied myself with work. I did a great job of staying busy, and a terrible job of being effective. I rarely motivated or celebrated with my team- actually, I rarely engaged with them at all outside of a meeting. My patience was thin, and I was easily frustrated.
Performing routine tasks took me twice as long- I couldn’t even finish reading an email without getting distracted by a paralyzing thought and having to start all over, which only frustrated me more. Anyone could see, my body was there but my mind wasn’t. And it showed in the results- morale was down, sales were down, people were quitting. I tried so hard to remain stoic, but the worse the results were, the angrier and more ashamed I became. Until one day, I was having a meeting with one of my team members, who stopped and asked me genuinely, “how are you doing?” I broke down crying. He started to tell me all about his divorce, how he felt, how he coped, and at the end, we hugged each other. It was my first “good day at work” since my divorce.
Leadership is just like any other relationship. It’s all about connecting with your team, and they are a team of humans who experience all of life’s ups and downs, just like you.
In that moment, I realized I wasn’t being an effective leader because I wasn’t willing to be human. Leadership is just like any other relationship. It’s all about connecting with your team, and they are a team of humans who experience all of life’s ups and downs, just like you. We connect through emotion, and avoiding or internalizing emotion causes disconnection, no matter the relationship. That day, I gave myself permission to lower the bar. I accepted that I wasn’t able to operate at the level I was once accustomed to, and that it was a normal response.
I recognized I needed to take the time to heal in order to get back to the high-performance level my position required. With that shift in mindset, healing became a priority deserving of my attention. I reset expectations for myself at work and started delegating more. I slowly began to remove the elephant in the room and started opening up to my team about my situation. I was afraid to lose the respect of the team, but the more honest and vulnerable I was, the more they stepped up. They surprised me in so many ways. They motivated and encouraged me, they made me laugh, and they helped me get my groove back!
What steps would you advise and give our ladies who are taking over a family business?
First and foremost, communication is key! Start the process by getting everyone on the same page. What are each family member’s personal and professional goals, and what are the expected timelines for them? What is the vision and mission
Don’t be too prideful to ask for help or admit when you are wrong
Secondly, I would highly recommend conducting weekly meetings to hold yourselves accountable
What fulfillment does being a business owner give you?
“Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art.”- Andy Warhol
One of my favorite quotes because it’s so true. Business is an intricate, complex, delicate balance that requires a tremendous amount of courage. If it was easy, everyone would do it. Being a business owner is almost like being in some sort of elite club- there aren’t many members but when you come across one, you know it. There is a level of understanding that only comes from doing this work. Besides, there’s nothing more thrilling than the process of building a successful business.
Have you always been entrepreneurial?
I grew up in a large family of small business owners. It’s in my blood! I can’t enjoy anything or have an idea without thinking of ways to monetize it… I have an ongoing list of business concepts. One day, I hope to have a diverse portfolio that gives Marcus Lemonis a run for his money!
Being a mompreneur, what are the cons and pros?
Let me start by saying, being a full-time working mother, no matter what the work is, is an absolute triumph. Having been on both sides of the fence,“mompreneur” does have a few nuances. Scheduling flexibility is probably my favorite feature of entrepreneurship. I can schedule my work day around my toddler’s schedule, a luxury I would not have in the corporate world. This has allowed me to be a more hands-on mother, and you can’t put a price on that.
In business, every decision you make has an immediate effect
With regards to fulfillment, I always maintained a strong desire to excel, both in my corporate and entrepreneurial life- I like to win. But in the corporate world, those wins were for me- my achievements, my recognition, my advancements, my reputation, my career. Building a successful career is very different from building a successful business. In business, every decision you make has an immediate effect, and significantly impacts the future of the business and the livelihood for you and everyone you employ. And that’s a huge weight to carry around while potty training! But it is an extremely humbling and rewarding responsibility.
Who or what influences you?
I’m so fortunate to have an incredible family, amazing friends, and supportive mentors who love me and encourage me every day. But there is one person in particular, who has a unique ability to influence my mindset, and that’s my brother, Anthony. His optimism takes on new meaning. He has an unequivocal belief that anything is possible- it’s a matter of choice. Are you willing to do what it takes? Are you willing to learn, research, ask for help, step out of your comfort zone, do something you’ve never done, sacrifice, get back up after you fall? If not, then you are choosing not to have it. He continually inspires me to re-evaluate the bar, and then set it a little higher.
Do you believe in destiny or do you think you can control your fate?
If life has taught me anything, it has taught me that everything happens for a reason. I’ve always considered myself to be spiritual, but recently, I have learned to stop praying for what I think I need. I’ve learned to let go, enjoy the process, learn the lesson, and have faith in destiny. And so far, I’ve been pleasantly surprised. I’ve learned a lot about myself and my purpose, and it’s led me to my next venture- my blog: Leading Between The Lines.
What are your goals currently? What problem are you trying to solve?
Leading Between The Lines is a blog intended to motivate and inspire the leader at home, at work, and in the community. In both my corporate and entrepreneurial experience, I have seen first hand the impact of dynamic leadership on turn over, productivity, sales, and customer service. The more research shows its impact on results, the more the business world has identified leadership as a high valued
In this blog, I candidly discuss the delicate balance of work and life, the importance of self-awareness and emotional intelligence in leadership, real-world communication strategies that strengthen relationships, and the importance of culture and team dynamics on an organization. In documenting my escapades, I hope to create a community of entrepreneurs, executives, managers, activists, board members, volunteers, coaches, teachers, and parents, who are inspired to lead with their heart.
![From Music to Perfume: How did your background as a music teacher influence your transition into perfumery, and how do you incorporate your musical sensibilities into creating fragrances? I’ve always thought in terms of metaphors, and music has many that can be related to perfumery! Beyond just thinking in terms of top, middle and base notes [soprano/alto/tenor in choir], I approach each fragrant idea as a composition. When documenting my ideas, song structures often come to mind. As the scent brief is visited, I meditate on what the fragrance should convey - do I want to create an accord or a “chord” of fragrance note combinations? Do I want an a capella soloist (a particular ingredient to stand out more than others?) Many of my thoughts regarding song composition transfers to my scent formulation process, with me treating each note as an intentional soliloquy at some point.
Brand Origin: What inspired you to start Pink MahogHany in 2005, and how has your vision for the brand evolved since its inception?
An avid lover of all things pleasantly scented (with slight modesty), looking back in retrospect, it’s no huge surprise that I’ve created an indie perfume house with just an idea to provide unique options for those who may be sensitive to unnecessary pungency. Initially, I just wanted to evaluate various blends to note their aroma profiles when “played” together…it wasn’t until I had friends and family asking if I knew of brands that catered to those who may be on the more olfactory sensitive side, that I really began to take my research more seriously. In the almost 20 years that Pink MahogHany has been in existence, our micro visions for the brand have evolved to larger territory. Where Pink MahogHany used to only be a personal brand, we are now also a bespoke formulation service provider to other indie brands seeking unique fragrance offerings for their products. These products range from (but are not limited to) perfumes, candles, body butters and lip balms. Ingredient Transparency: You emphasize transparency and the use of desirable ingredients in your products. How do you select your ingredients, and what challenges have you faced in maintaining this standard?
Being an indie brand often comes with a set of assumptions and misconceptions - one of them being more negative than positive as it relates to ingredients used. There is a lot of “fluff” in the industry with labeling falsification. Because fragrance formulas are a trade secret, not every molecular breakdown of a material has to be noted on the ingredient label (it would be incredibly long), but we at Pink MahogHany™️ adhere strongly to the IFRA [International Fragrance Regulatory Association] regulations that state for common and potential allergens to be listed on our ingredient label. We’ve taken this a step further to also include these ingredients listed on our website to promote further transparency, all while protecting our intellectual property. Unfortunately, we’ve had companies to unethically sell lesser expensive “dupes” of our artisan perfumes, so as a way to create a better authenticity stamp, we make it our duty to be honest about our claims. If our perfume says “Rose Bulgaria”, it is in fact just that and not a component of rose being passed off as the source material. Collaborations and Custom Scents: Can you share more about your work with private label clients? What excites you most about creating custom scent solutions for other indie brands? I could easily sum this up in one word and say “Funding.” True, there is money out there, but I’m always thinking outside the box. Having a program that has an “Each One Fund One” mentality doesn’t exist (that I’ve been made aware of). Bootstrapping can be quite the challenge, even when you’ve reached the 6-figure mark annually. Competition to be seen and set apart is extremely high, so having quality packaging and branding is a must. There are lots of factors to consider, though when desiring to make upgrades. If there were a unique, tier-geared funding operation available, it would help perfume brands offset packaging and bulk material costs in the beginning stages.
Industry Challenges: What are some of the biggest challenges you've faced as an independent fragrance house, and how have you overcome them to grow your brand? As the brand continues on the path of organic growth, I would like to expand our reach into schools, offering perfumery as an arts elective for middle and high school. I’d love to partner with botanists, farmers and horticulturists directly to grow and source raw materials for the students to work with in the creation of tinctures. My passion is getting back to nature as best as possible, as nature was my first “scent experience” as a child. We would also love to witness our fragrance creations being used to scent model homes, our focus diffuser blends being used in automobile dealerships as well as partner with Air Bnb and boutique hotels that specialize in highlighting minority, indie brands. Personal Journey: How has your personal experience, particularly as a divorced mother and someone who has experienced the loss of a child, shaped your approach to life and your work in perfumery?
Because I homeschool my twin sons, we are together a lot more than most, so one thing we all do is have moments of sharing where a neutral “floor” is laid to converse about anything. Though they are quite communicative by nature, I realize that sometimes I can be in work mode so much that it spills over into what should be our quality time. My sons see the authentic me and learn how to communicate through seeing authenticity. I’ve learned not to feel as if I have to be the epitome of perfection but allow them to see my imperfections vulnerably but with discernment. Having had two traumatic experiences pretty close together has taught me how to truly slow down and enjoy the simplicities of life - igniting a spiritual aspect that I’ve always carried but never fully explored…until Kenji’s sudden passing (2018.) Grief has a way of catapulting us into a quest for more meaningfulness in both life and business. After Kenji’s passing and my processing through the initial stages of grief, I was able to incorporate our spiritual bond into Pink MahogHany by way of essential oil diffuser blends for both focus and sleep and most recently aromatic perfume elixirs. It’s been quite the process channeling the void of his physical presence, but I also have peace knowing he can be honored in a great way through scent. I noticed once I began to be more open and receptive to spiritual signs, synchs and “winks”, more ideas began to flow. It’s been this way since his transition. Emotional Expression: Fragrance is often tied to memories and emotions. How does your personal life influence the fragrances you create, and do you have a particular scent that holds special meaning to you? My creative process is much more alchemic now, and I include Kenji by talking out loud to him, believe it or not. I’m a firm believer that when our loved ones transition from the physical plane, they are still present - just in another form. I choose to keep his memory alive by not pretending he never existed (even if for a brief period of time). I am working (slowly) on a book and accompanying fragrance, but I know it will require me to revisit some memories I’m not quite ready for, so until then, his big brothers will launch their debut fragrance, The Peaceful Tiger (they chose the name.) I’ve learned that even in what we consider “small things”, our transitioned loved ones want to be recognized and acknowledged. When the twins and I designed their fragrance label (with a designer out of the country that didn’t know anything about me personally), we had issues with the graphic - so much so that the designer asked if they could rework the design. When they sent the proof for approval, the Tiger was not only younger but sleeping, with an uncanny, angelic resemblance to baby Kenji! Becoming more aware and being more sensitive to my intention for launching a fragrance has definitely made room for more divine situations like these to occur. Healing Through Scent: In what ways has creating fragrances been a form of healing or expression for you, especially after the loss of your son, Kenji Mwamba? I know my sons may not necessarily want to be perfumers, but they definitely have an entrepreneurial heart. My desire is that whatever they decide to pursue (acting, script-writing, music or architecture), they know that anything is possible with the right amount of determination, grit, belief and immersion. One reason I chose to homeschool is so they could enjoy learning without restraint and have ample time to devote to their own separate passions and it still be fun. They know Pink MahogHany is theirs if they want it (many, many years from now - lol), and we are already discussing business structures for whatever they choose their role to be once I retire. Work-Life Balance: How do you find balance between your professional responsibilities and personal well-being, and what self-care practices do you prioritize? I’m not just a perfumer; I’m also a consumer, and self-care is huge for me. I often take salt baths to reset my energy and clear my mind after being around large groups of people or free a long day. I’m a habitual perfume sampler, and I have so many to choose from to wear as my “nightcap.” Even if just for 10-15 minutes, I cherish each moment I’m able to have some “me-time.” When time and co-parenting schedules permit, I’m definitely on a flight somewhere to indulge in some delicious food and mouth-watering mocktails!](https://www.womenontopp.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_3812-1200x720.jpeg)
Nice Expose , Contact me if you need A Pappy to help you expand. I have Grandaughter’s being born. Share Ideas and see if I fit, Bless your Clan. Thomas Patrick Edge. Our!