Today we’d like to introduce you to Nitty Beat.
Hi Nitty, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a photographer based in San Diego. I’m also the co-owner of Home Base Smell Good Co. Home Base is a scented candle business/home goods. My partner and I started the candle business a year ago during the pandemic. It’s amazing what you can do and learn during quarantine. But this all started 10 years ago, when I was doing art shows and founded a clothing brand called Hanuit. My partner (Jay) used to own a shop in downtown where I held my very first solo show at his shop. That shop didn’t last very long. I went on doing more art shows, sold a few clothing items of Hanuit Brand, and eventually sold photo magazines. Years gone by and we’ve all grown up. Jay has been very successful with his job where he purchased a few homes and had already gained interest in home goods, it was just an adult thing to do. I finally moved into my own place 3 years ago and I got into home goods myself. I was buying plants, furnitures, and candles. A year after living in my own home Jay told me he made his own candles and gave me some to test to let him know what I thought about them. I fell in love with them, it was near perfect. I pushed Jay for a year to sell the candles and that I’d be his first customer. I kept pushing and eventually, Jay asked me to be his business partner. I did not hesitate to say yes.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Well, no, it hasn’t been smooth. Nothing worth having comes easy for sure. The last 10 years of being an artist and learning what it’s like to be an entrepreneur has been one of the most challenging lessons I’ve faced. 10 years of hard lessons, who to trust, who not to trust, how to deal with shady folks, and how to grow from failures and mistakes. How to get back up when you fall, that it’s okay to cry, hang on for dear life when all the sacrifices you’ve made came with lonely days and nights. How to forgive, how to come to acceptance, to be understanding, how to remain a good person to keep a good heart, to hold on to the belief that you can make this happen, even if it’s been 10 years. Well, 10 years of that I found a new business venture, Home Base Smell Good Co. I can now say it’s been a blessing and a great journey to be on. My partner and I have had a few minor issues but every time we had problems; we grew from it. It’s really hard to find people like that. I can say I was lucky but I don’t believe in luck, this was simply “preparation meets opportunity.” I’ve came a long way, learned a few things, and running a new business venture with a better mind helped me get to a better place.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
While doing art and selling candles I still have a day job. I do not wish to work there forever; I’ve been working on creating my own company to work for. For my day job, I am a proofreader for a marketing company out of La Jolla. A great place to learn and pay bills with. I don’t want to spend too much time on that, but I just wanted to let people know, yes you can still work on your dream, goals, and own a business while working a job. The problem wasn’t always your job, it was your excuses. Lack of putting in the work.
With that out of the way, I’m known for my photographic art called Food Porn. I’m obsessed with food. I used to blog so I make food videos on social media. I promote restaurants and brands, mainly the ones I love. I study marketing, read a little on psychology, it’s very important to learn these things. While everyone thought I was wasting time with all of these things it was just a means to meet and connect with people. I have a little bit of fun and do what I love, but at the same time, it’s all networking and connecting people and brands. What set me apart from it is I’m genuine about it. I’m not a salesman, I don’t lie to make a sale or get attention. I don’t lie to get my way. You’d be surprised how far you get for being real and authentic to people and importantly, yourself.
I gotta say that I am most proud of doing things without confidence. I lack confidence all my life, I still do a little. What drives me to keep going and do new things is fear. The fact that it scares me is why I convince myself I should really do it. And doubts, you can just ignore the doubts. I have doubts all the time but I just ignore it and keep going.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
I love meeting new people, though that still scares me because I don’t know if they mean well or not. But if it’s meant to be we all eventually meet in person or through mutual friends or projects. But I can be reached on my social media. Instagram @_hanuit or by email hbsmellgood@gmail.com. If people would like to support my art, contact me through my IG. For HB candles, you can get them online at www.hbsmellgoodco.com. Ps. Come to our pop-ups!
Contact Info:
- Email: hbsmellgood@gmail.com
- Website: www.hbsmellgoodco.com
- Instagram: @_hanuit
Image Credits
Sydney Valiente
Mikey Albritton
