A Birdies View explores the lives of some really amazing women, with equally amazing stories! I was delighted to have met Nadia and Colin at the Desert show (USA) last year and then again at the PGA show. Such gorgeous people who married and set up their own business in the same year, and chose to have a discreet wedding so that they could invest more money into their dream business!
NADIA: Thank you so much for having me here today. It's been so nice just meeting you at different events, and I just feel so blessed that you asked me to do this, so, so much.
LIZ: Let’s start at the beginning! I presume that you're a golfer first, right? So when did you start playing golf and why?
NADIA: I started playing golf about five years ago, up in San Francisco. My husband and I used to live in Northern California and that's when we started to play in San Francisco.
LIZ: Did you start playing at the same time?
NADIA: Well, my husband started first and then he didn't like to be away from me for hours on the weekend, which I thought was so sweet because you don't really get that usually. It's normally like ”Oh, I'm going to play golf, Bye!” We love our quality time. So he bought me my first set of clubs and we started playing together and now it's something we really enjoy doing together. It's really lovely. And we get to actually enjoy it together and have the same social life and everything!
We also love to travel and I soon realized that golf courses take you to the most beautiful places, and I am also part of women's golf communities, which will go and play nine holes or full courses. That's been really fun and enriching as well. So I'm full. I actually have more golf friends than my husband at this point!
LIZ: At what point did you decide that the apparel wasn’t meting your needs, and that you decided to embark on building your brand? Did you think, oh, it's so boring, I need to create something, or how did that come about?
NADIA: I'm someone who loves fashion in general and I've been an artist since I was 10 years old. So I just love amazing clothing and I’m really creative. It was mind boggling that we would go to these beautiful places and I'd go in the shop and there just wouldn't be anything that I felt was as beautiful as these courses deserve, right?
“I wasn't even gloating about just having got engaged. We were fabric sourcing!”
I'm thinking, I'm in this beautiful place, that is also expensive so why do I not have a great outfit to wear? That was kind of the initial thing that inspired me. I also thought it always felt that the options that were out there, that women were the afterthought. That just bothered me to my core.
So I got out my sketch book and designed styles that I would want to wear knowing that there's other fancy, fun, and fabulous women out there who don't want to compromise!
I did not have any experience in textiles. I'd always loved fashion and I used to cut up my own clothes to make my Barbie clothes when I was a kid. I loved the idea of making outfits but I had no prior experience.
LIZ: Oh we are so similar–I took my mums curtains down to make a pair of trousers when I was a teenager–she was not happy!
NADIA: That's funny. Very innovative! I'm someone that likes to just Dive right in and learn as I go, but I'd say I have a more of an appreciation for a really beautiful garment and all that goes into it.
I don't think people really realize all these different things that are critical to having a beautiful wearable piece of clothing for sure. I’ve learned so much!
When I started I thought I'm not going to design something that I can't wear. I empathise with why companies pay fit models as they stay the same size the whole year round. But I don't, I totally fluctuate. So that was quite interesting as we were doing all the fits for the prototypes. We didn’t really identify a demographic, and doing all the trunk shows we’ve been so proud to say that we have customers from the age of 13 to 70 plus. It's become this multi-generational brand that I like to say is for the “young at heart”. And that's my demographic! Anyone who is young at heart!
LIZ: So what’s it like working with your husband, Colin? How does he contribute to the business?
NADIA: Colin is the 'Coco' of Coconads. I'm the Nads and he's the Coco, and he is so amazing. I'm so thankful.
We have very complementary skills and we stay in our lanes, which I think is critical at times too. He handles legal, accounting, finance, and he also does sales. So he really helps with building more relationships and scaling. He's also very good with tech which is amazing! So everything on the back end with our website etc. He’s very 'techie', which totally comes in handy and which I really, really appreciate.
LIZ: So tell me about Colin–I seem to remember there was some change of plans to do with your wedding due to having set up a new business?
NADIA: Ha! Yes! So we got engaged in 2022 in Hawaii, and it was beautiful. But it was funny because this was at the beginning of starting this business. So I was, on a lounger in Hawaii doing initial fabric sourcing. I wasn't even gloating about just having got engaged. We were fabric sourcing! But we had a little engagement party with our family there.
We felt very happy with our engagement party, but the business had really picked up suddenly and I said that there's just no way I'm going to be able to plan a wedding on top of this! We had so much momentum with the business, and we just couldn't have a big distraction. Also financially, when you're investing in a business, investing in a wedding as well doesn't make a lot of sense.
So for us, there a lot of reasons that we actually just decided to elope to 'Vegas and that was it!
LIZ: A great story there. That's amazing!
NADIA: I'm not kidding, it was extremely spontaneous! Colin was actually going to Las Vegas for a business conference and I just remember the week before he left we looked at each other and said “do you want to elope?”
Like half joking... but half serious. Kind of testing the waters with each other a little bit! And then we just thought let's just do it! Like, let's just DO it!
So I went with him to 'Vegas and he's attending all his meetings and I'm doing my own thing. Then on the last day of the conference we look at each other.
“So are we getting married tomorrow?”
The next morning we literally go to the concierge and we say “how do we get married today?” They've done this a million times, so they know all the spots and so we booked it all the same day. We called our family to let them know that we were going to do it. And they were happy for us, for the most part!
Oh my god, I NOT recommend finding your wedding dress on the day of your wedding because nothing fits you and it's so emotional! It was a nightmare, and it was the last dress I tried on which actually fit. I had like a mini meltdown and Colin totally came in picked me up from the ground. One of the first challenges of our marriage! He was amazing and able to take me from this low moment and bring me back up!
We got married on St. Patrick's day. My Mom passed away when I was in my early 20’s and I think there’s a lot of pressure from society to have a perfect wedding. But for anyone that’s lost a loved one, it’s bittersweet. You want to be having the most beautiful happy time, but at the same time you’re longing tor them to be there. I knew that my wedding experience was going to be hard, but also knew it was going to be beautiful. It was emotionally hard, and by eloping it kind of protected us both from some of those things.
LIZ: So now you are 2 years married and 2 years into business! What were you doing before Coconads?
NADIA: I started my career as an investment banking assistant. I was in that industry for about six years. So I know about investment banking and finance. I know what excellence looks like and I learned my hard work ethic from that. Then I switched to tech, and supported C-Suite. I did everything operations and strategy for the business.
Colin was an economics major, but he got right into the tech startup world straight from college. So different backgrounds. Now he leads a business development team.
LIZ: So this is a really different industry for you both?
NADIA: It’s crazy, you know, you learn a lot when you're working at a company but you learn so much faster when you're starting your own business! You've got to do every role and learn about everything, and it can be overwhelming at times. But it can also be FUN!
LIZ: I know exactly what you mean–such a BUZZ
NADIA: I feel the same way. Last year we did a ton of trunk shows people would say “Do you enjoy trunk shows?”
I'm like, I love it because I get to meet my customer. And they go and try it on and come out and they say “this is amazing. I love this. I feel amazing!” What I think has also been probably one of the coolest things is that I put so much thought and love into these designs and they're supposed to be happy and uplifting and just beautiful. The woman who wears it; I feel like I could be her best friend.
Our lines attract really kind, big-hearted, amazing women. So just having that customer, that customer fit has just been incredible. I can't even believe it sometimes. There was this one woman in Miami who she found us online. She loved the outfit. So she bought it. And she actually went and just did her own photoshoot for golf in this outfit because she loved it so much and she sent me all the pictures! She's so happy! She loved it!
LIZ: Are you both online and selling wholesale?
NADIA: It's so important to diversify because I think initially we thought we were just going to be direct to consumer, but then we got into boutiques, and private golf clubs with wholesale.
You realize that every piece of it is so important for the success of the business and it's different customers. Some people love to buy online and some people don't.
LIZ: What is it like working with your husband? Do you have moments of having to go into separate rooms or are you pretty good all the time?
NADIA: We don't exactly have to go into separate rooms, but I think like anything else, when you're an entrepreneur or starting a business, it's 24/7, or it can feel that way. We both work from home and spend a lot of time together. So it's not that we need to go in a different room but more “I can’t have this conversation right now–I need some peace and not think about business.”
Ultimately, we have complementary skills. I'm so grateful for what he's doing, because I don't have the time and we both are able to shine with our own paths. If my partner was not my husband, I would probably be spending a lot of time away from my family. This is my dream life. We do work really well together and, we're best friends.
LIZ: I can relate to that–my daughter and I work together and have learned to make space for one another in our relationship. So big question–you’re young, beautiful and newly married–are you going to be bringing out a little girls range should you be having a little Bambina in the future?
NADIA: Oh My Gosh! This is definitely something that's top of mind for us. Not only for our own children but I care so much about women empowerment, and especially girls empowerment. They need so much support and encouragement. Yes, for sure, I totally can't wait to have a mommy and mini me golf line! That's definitely something I'm super excited about. I can definitely see it. And that would just be really special.
LIZ: Wouldn’t that make such a great story that you've got engaged and started a business in the same year, and then eloped and then had a little person who would then wear your brand – so cute! Tell me about your logo?
NADIA: Sure! The logo is our names Coco for Colin and Nads for Nadia. The heart. Is the, is a C and an N. Yeah, together, but also I joke because It's also a diamond.
"Our lines attract really kind, big-hearted, amazing women...that customer fit has just been incredible. I can't even believe it sometimes."
Diamonds are symbolic and diamonds are forever. So, this brand will be forever. And it's also the diamond for the wedding that we didn't have or even that diamonds are made under pressure.
I feel like All these things are, symbolic of the brand for sure.
LIZ: Maybe it's cliché, but where do you see yourself in five years? Do you plan on going international?
NADIA: I would love to be a global brand. I really would. At the same time, I also want to keep the brand special and unique. One thing that's particularly cool about my customer is she likes finding the unique thing that no one else really has. And so, you know, if the brand is everywhere, like that kind of takes away, the specialness a little bit.
I want to be really strategic with how we expand. But I want everyone to experience a coco outfit. We just have to really figure out what that looks like.
LIZ: It’s be absolutely wonderful to speak to you today–we’ve got so much in common and it’s lovely to feel your excitement! Any final words?
NADIA: Doing this has made me a different person. There's no going back to life before Coconads. I wouldn't have even known my full potential and I still don't know it, but I think while you have the energy and you're so motivated for it, just do it, just DO it.
LIZ: Great words Nadia–JUST DO IT! It was lovely chatting to you. And I'll see you in a couple of weeks out in Palm Desert!