Lydia Nelson is a Wife, Mother of two boys, and the owner of this amazing business Cscrubs with love-Wholesale Division. She began her journey as an entrepreneur in late 2010. As a struggling C.N.A making only $8.50 an hr she realized something had to change. While facing many financial hardships, the bright idea of selling uniforms came to her clear as day. Unlike most in her situation, she took the leap and put her plan into action. Lydia stepped out on faith with only a few hundred dollars to her name. She purchased her first case of scrubs, contacted a local facility to sell and sold out the same day! Lydia then quit her job immediately and ran her business full time. After just one year in business, she went from $8.50 an hr. to over 6 figures. Fast forward many years later, she now has landed over $2.4 million a year in sales. In late 2017, Lydia decided she was ready to take yet another leap! This time it was as a wholesaler placing others in business for themselves selling uniforms. To her surprise, this business has soared, and she now has over 400 retailers nationwide!
Her goal is to instill in others day after day, you are more than an employee, you have a light in you that’s ready to shine. Her passion is to bring out that inner boss in you!
Start the business and secure your financial future. A job will never make you rich it can only fulfill a passion.
When scaling a company, what do you focus on first and why? How do you determine the best timing for scaling?
In business, you have to focus on the money last and the service FIRST.
What motivated you to start a company in the first place? How did you get inspired to start in this industry?
As an ex CNA living in poverty, I needed more for myself. Wearing scrubs more than my actual clothing due to long work hrs, allowed me to become familiar with the product, and that later lead to the idea of opening a scrub business. I knew the product was high in demand, recession-proof, and a true moneymaker! That alone was the fuel to my fire!
Do you have any words of wisdom for women entrepreneurs specifically, based on your own experience?
C-O-N-S-I-S-T-E-N-C-Y! I see so many women give up way too fast as if a business is some walk in the park. Work hard at it every day and be the business you would want to do business with. Don’t try to be perfect, be ok with learning. Focus on what you CAN do and not what you CAN’T.
Over the next five years, where do you see the company headed?
Franchising. We look forward to selling the Cscrubs brand to retailers nationwide.
What is most challenging about what you do?
Learning to balance my work and personal life. I’m a workaholic, so I am that mom that’s working with my child in my lap. My children do understand the importance of hard work, thanks to my long nights and early mornings!
Tell us more about your products, do you have specific clients?
Cscrubs With Love inc is a company that places others in the business to sell scrubs both online and direct. We sell complete start-up packages where we set up your entire business, from LLC filing to website and wholesale supply. We have retailers from nurses to police officers! Anyone is welcome to come aboard, it doesn’t matter the background of the retailer if they share the passion to deliver!
Something personal about you people may be surprised to know.
I am an introvert and extremely private person.
What does design your own life mean to you after you have decided to work for yourself?
Taking charge! Setting my level of success without being at the mercy of someone else. That’s the TRUE definition of freedom to me.
What advice do you have for the busy businesswoman when it comes to dating?
Can they give me any perhaps? My husband is set to be released in 9 months after 4 years of incarceration. Excited is an understatement! Being celibate many years, and being without my husband’s companionship has not been easy, but I think taking the time to make sure I place him at the top of my list is key. Everyone wants to feel loved and valued so that’s most important. I have not been the best wife emotionally due to the feelings of resentment regarding the poor decisions that lead to incarceration, but my husband has now vowed to be a better man, so I am ready to give him that chance!
Share us some tips for women who are in doubt about leaving their secure job and starting their own business.
You’re already running a company each time you punch that clock, it’s just the owner is wealthy and you as the employee are not. Apply that same work into your own business and you will too reap the same harvest.
Learn more about Cscrubs with love-Wholesale
![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)
Join the discussion!