After struggling with infertility for several years, Elizabeth Granados gave birth to a beautiful, healthy daughter in 2015. When Elizabeth returned to work after her maternity leave, she discovered that she had been demoted from her work position. While struggling to overcome postpartum and dealing with the demotion at work, Elizabeth was left feeling like she had lost her sense of self. It turned out to be the best sign for her. It was the opportunity for Elizabeth to test out her entrepreneurial skills and pursue an idea that had been on her mind. She took her demotion from work as a sign to better her life and work on her terms.
Elizabeth Granados and the House of Noa NamaMat
House of Noa
With an investment of her own money and assistance from Kickstarter, Elizabeth could raise enough capital to begin her business venture. The spark for Elizabeth was an idea to create beautiful products with real life in mind. Cringing at the thought of putting primary-colored flooring in her apartment to protect her baby while she played on the floor, Elizabeth crowdfunded the idea for Little Nomad Play Mats.
From testing the market, she knew there was a demand for her product, and she quickly went to work. Elizabeth reinvented her entire career and taught herself, through the magic of google, how to procure products, negotiate with manufacturers overseas, and forced herself to learn and reach out to others to ensure she was armed with the knowledge she needed ensure her business would be a success.
Due to the support of an ever-increasing loyal fan base, the House of Noa brand expanded to a full line of products, including kitchen, yoga, and outdoor mats.
Being mindful that she knew she had to create a profitable business, Elizabeth understood that she always had to stay on top of her finances. Although she now has a profitable and successful business and hires an accounting team, she still checks in on her finances daily, whether it’s checking her bank balance or financial statements. She understands that as a business owner that you should never give your financial power away.
Elizabeth leaves you with the top tips that she has learned by being an entrepreneur:
1. It is never too late to get started
Leaving her mid-level management role to start a business at 36, Elizabeth feared that it might have been too late to reinvent herself but decided to face her fears and took action. She has no regrets and learned a very important lesson of never being too old to start anything new.
2. Remember the heart and soul of why you started the business
Every product that House of Noa has produced has been inspired by her children, from floor mats to protect them from dirty floors to placemats that protect her furniture from the wear and tear of children. Her children are truly the heart of her company.
3. Force yourself to learn every day
Being an entrepreneur requires you to be the boss and know things you wouldn’t usually know. Elizabeth encourages entrepreneurs to dive into unknown territory and learn all they can about the business. Knowledge is power.
The bottom line is that despite where you are in life, if you have a spark of an idea, you owe it to yourself to explore it. Information has never been so accessible and to pursue an idea is better than regretting you never gave it a chance.
