It Girl | CHRISTINA MARIE NOEL
Christina is amazing! Our circles overlap a good bit so it was only a matter of time until we met. I have now known christina for years. I also recently went through her accelerator and it provided so much clarity and community support for me and my businesses. FYSO is currently gearing up for a new cohort at the end of January 2021! Learn more and sign up : https://christinamarienoel.com/accelerator/
General Information
Name: Christina Marie Noel
Age: 34
Pronouns: She/her
Job Title/Company: Founder of Noel & Co. and the Figure Your Sh*t Out Accelerator
Education Background: BA in Music Performance & Economics at UNC-CH and MBA in Marketing for New Business Entrants (i.e. Marketing & Entrepreneurship) at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business
In-depth Questions
Tell us a little about who you are.
I’m a social entrepreneur, marketing strategist, business coach, & keynote speaker who specializes in helping mission-driven organizations thrive. My journey started back in 2011 when I was sitting at a bar with one of my friends trying to figure out what to do with my life because I wasn’t happy at my job. My friend asked me, “What would you do if you didn’t have to worry about money?” I knew the answer was that I wanted to help people. I made a commitment to myself that day to go after my dream of living a life with a positive impact. Since that day, I’ve had the opportunity to work with more than 50 mission-driven organizations to develop and improve their marketing and business strategy.
My ultimate mission in doing this work is to create great purpose-driven jobs – jobs that pay well, are meaningful, drive positive change, and allow employees to still have a life outside of work. I see this happening in 2 ways: (1) by helping innovators & entrepreneurs found their own companies, or bring more purpose into their work and (2) working with mission-driven organizations, so they can create more great jobs for more people. We spend more time at work than we do with our family and friends, so that time should be meaningful and about more than just making a profit.
To transition my career, I went back to school and got my MBA. During that time, I landed a life-changing internship with B Lab, the non-profit behind the global B Corp (Benefit Corporation) movement. That experience opened my eyes to the inspiring impact that businesses can have on their communities, employees, and the stakeholders they serve. I spent a summer visiting 10 different mission-driven companies. The most memorable, by far, was Ben & Jerry’s. We spent the day doing a behind the scenes tour of their ice cream factory, which was essentially like Willy Wonka, (except not scary…) we could smell the massive vats of chocolate and we were given ice cream fresh off the line. More than that, we had the opportunity to talk to employees about how working at Ben & Jerry’s made their life better. We also could see how this one company made a huge impact on its community – it brought tourism, it sourced its ingredients either locally or ethically, and it created great jobs.
Since that summer I’ve been actively involved in the B Corp Movement and I’m now proud to be the owner of a Certified B Corp, Noel & Co. We are a marketing & strategy consultancy that helps companies develop a go-to-market strategy to grow their triple bottom line. I’m also the Founder of the Figure Your Sh*t Out accelerator, a 6-month program created to give early-stage, mission-driven entrepreneurs a safe space to test their ideas, hone their business models, and figure their sh*t out, in community.
2. What sparked your interest in starting your business(es)?
When I started my journey I knew that I wanted to change the world, but I still needed to figure out exactly how I wanted to make a positive impact. I’ve always been a mix of “right brain & left brain” – I studied both Music and Economics in college and found them both fascinating. Given this, I was drawn to both Marketing & Entrepreneurship because they are a mix of strategy and creativity, which are my strengths. I ultimately settled on the goal of working in marketing & strategy for mission-driven organizations.
That being said, I landed a job at a Certified B Corp in my hometown of Raleigh, NC doing just that and I decided to pay off my grad school loans before seriously thinking about becoming an entrepreneur. It wasn’t until I started a creative project in 2018 where I began photographing and interviewing people who changed the world called, Arc Benders, that I realized that I didn’t want to keep putting off building a business. I was about to transition to a new department at my job and, due to multiple factors, and even though I was deeply passionate about the work, I wasn’t happy. I had burned myself out trying to do too many things at once. Also, if I was being completely honest, I had already made the impact I was going to be able to make on the company.
Interviewing world-changing people made me realize that I wanted to own my own company. So, with the support of my amazing husband, I took the leap.
My experience with entrepreneurship has always been positive – in school; it’s a great way to test out ideas in a safe space. I had also gotten involved with organizing Startup Weekend events, which is an event that brings people together for 52 hours to launch a business idea in teams. All along, my idea of entrepreneurship has been grounded in community.
Yet, when I took the leap, I wasn’t quite sure what direction I wanted to go in… and I wasn’t really sure where to get help. I ended up isolating myself for months while I tried to figure my sh*t out and I ended up fairly depressed. That’s where the idea for the Figure Your Sh*t Out (FYSO) Accelerator started – I wanted to create a community where mission-driven entrepreneurs could come together and lean on each other, in a safe space, throughout the roller coaster that is entrepreneurship. Since then, FYSO has become a 6-month program and our latest cohort has 22 founders in it! To make the program accessible to aspiring entrepreneurs, we use a “pay-what-you-can” model. I’m also proud to share that the program is very inclusive. Our latest cohort is 78% womxn and 38% BIPOC (black, indigenous, people of color) founders.
“True success in life comes from being able to fail, dust yourself off, get back up, and try again. Plus, if the only thing that drives you is an achievement, it’s a recipe for unhappiness.”
3. Who are you most influenced by?
I’m a huge fan of Seth Godin and his work, in many ways, serves as my “North Star.” I love that most of his best content is available online, on his blog, for free. That being said, I have absolutely invested in purchasing many of his books. Seth is a big advocate for finding the right people to serve and then serving them well. That’s certainly the approach to business that I align myself with.
Growing my company isn’t about making money – it’s about getting paid to truly add value to the clients I work with and set them up for success, both in life and in their business.
It was actually an interview with Seth Godin and the amazing designer and Design Matters podcast host, Debbie Millman, that inspired me to launch the Arc Benders project. Debbie interviewed Seth after the 2016 election and, at the time, I couldn’t help but feel like I wanted to be doing “more.” Their advice was simple: don’t get mad… go out and make something. I love that. Life isn’t always going to be easy. In fact, I think suffering in some capacity is pretty much a given. However, what we can control is how we choose to react.
4. What was your first job and how long did you hold that position?
I was a lifeguard at the local YMCA...talk about a high-pressure role. When I signed up, I was 17 years old and imagined it would be a great way to get a tan while getting paid. What I quickly realized is that it was a huge responsibility – it was our job to save someone if they drowned. I managed to stay a lifeguard for two or three years on and off. During that time, I had to balance being bored staring at a pool for hours at a time while also staying alert in case someone’s life was in danger.
5. Can you share one of your proudest achievements with us?
Launching the Figure Your Sh*t Out Accelerator for the first time is something I am very proud of. I had piloted the program with a small group of people and then it was time to go out there and find my early adopters that were willing to make an investment in the program.
It was absolutely nerve-wracking to not be sure whether we were going to have enough people sign-up to make it a full cohort. I was, quite frankly, terrified. In fact, I almost used the excuse of “pivoting” towards focusing on my consultancy to try to avoid the fear of failure of the program not becoming successful.
Thanks to some amazing friends, I stuck with it and the kickoff weekend with the first cohort was magical. While we learned a lot during that first cohort, to see the impact of bringing people together… words can’t describe how rewarding that felt.
Obviously pre pandemic
6. What were your initial goals with your work? How have they evolved?
My goal with the FYSO Accelerator, initially, was to create the next generation of thriving social entrepreneurs. However, what I’ve discovered is the power of psychological safety and community and now I think that every single sector of entrepreneurship needs FYSO.
I’ve also shifted my one-on-one marketing strategy consulting work to serve a wider range of mission-driven organizations: from solopreneurs to tech companies.
Lastly, I’m working to build my reputation as a keynote speaker. Getting the opportunity to tell my story and inspire the next generation of changemakers is incredibly rewarding.
7. What do you think is the most important life skill you learned through your work?
I’ve learned to not be afraid to ask people for things – from asking someone to speak at the FYSO Accelerator to asking a mentor to join my company’s board of advisors. I used to feel embarrassed if someone told me “no.” But here’s the thing, you don’t get anything you don’t ask for. People always have the right to say no. If you want to succeed, don’t be afraid to go out and collect the “no’s.” Because at the end of the day, one “yes” can change your life.
8. Where do you hope to be in five years?
In five years, I hope that the FYSO Accelerator model and curriculum will be adapted to serve different partner organization’s needs all over the country and, possibly, all over the world.
From a marketing strategy standpoint, I hope to have worked with a handful of mission-driven clients to successfully take their new products or services to market.
I also hope that once the pandemic is over I’ll have the opportunity to be featured as a keynote speaker on some big stages.
And personally, I hope to have built a business that still gives me the flexibility to spend time with the people I love.
9. What is a typical day like for you?
One thing that I love is that there isn’t really a typical day. On some days I’ll carve out hours of time to focus on strategic research and putting together “go-to-market” plans for my clients. On other days, I’ll have a day full of client coaching calls. I really enjoy the fact that I carve out time every week to make new connections with people both in my local community as well as the global B Corp (benefit corporation) community.
10. What was the biggest obstacle you’ve faced so far in the process of pursuing your goals?
The biggest obstacle I’ve faced, hands down, has been “myself” and, more specifically, my mental health. In the past I have been relentlessly hard on myself and I had a major case of Imposter Syndrome. I’ve struggled with anxiety for most of my life and I tried to cover it up by overachieving… but eventually it took a toll on both my health and happiness. My anxiety made me terrified of “failure” and that was a huge obstacle to overcome once I took the leap into entrepreneurship. It takes a tremendous amount of leadership and a positive mindset to navigate the roller coaster of building a business.
For a year I decided to invest the time in going to therapy pretty much every single week to work through the thoughts and ideas that were holding me back in my life. To be quite frank, I had to move from hating myself and my humanity to learning to show kindness and compassion to myself. I also decided to go on Wellbutrin for my anxiety and depression. Those two decisions combined have been absolutely life-changing. I’m also grateful I had insurance that afforded me the opportunity to get that level of support.
Now, I don’t worry about failure. I dare to dream big without second-guessing myself. I’m also much more accepting of my own humanity. Do I sometimes stumble? Of course, I’m human. But every time I do it’s an invaluable lesson that will serve me in the future.
In my opinion, society puts too much pressure on us to be perfect. At a young age, we’re rewarded for achievement. But true success in life comes from being able to fail, dust yourself off, get back up, and try again. Plus, if the only thing that drives you is an achievement, it’s a recipe for unhappiness. You have to learn to truly enjoy the journey because we spend the vast majority of our lives in the valleys. When you reach a peak, make time to celebrate. When the excitement wears off, know that in only a short amount of time you’re going to be back on a new path and a new journey, yet again.
“My idea of entrepreneurship has been grounded in community.”
11. What is the best piece of advice you have received?
Don’t live your life for others. My college flute professor gave me this advice when I told him I didn’t want to pursue a career in music. He was worried I was going to take the “safe route” in life. He told me the story of how one of his students became a doctor because it’s what his parents wanted and admitted to him years later that he always wondered, “What if?”
That conversation has really stuck with me. It helped me be brave enough to pursue my passion for social entrepreneurship, even though it was a road less traveled when I set down that path. When you make decisions that make your friends and family wonder if you’re crazy, just know that, succeed or fail, you’ll never be haunted by the question of “What if?”
12. When do you get your best ideas?
I always get my best ideas when I mix up my routine. Some researchers describe this phenomena as the “Kafka effect.” Any level of change in your life can be the source of great creativity.
Traveling is a huge source of inspiration, but when I’m home it can be on a smaller scale – I’ll go for a hike in a new place or try a new activity that pushes me outside my comfort zone. Sometimes my inspiration comes from listening to podcasts and hearing people’s stories.
13. Can you share with us one time that you failed and what you learned from that failure?
When I first took the leap into full-time entrepreneurship I was working on a storytelling project called Arc Benders. Inspired by Humans of New York, I decided to start taking photos of people who are changing the world and tell their stories. The experience was truly life-changing. However, I didn’t want the project to simply focus on the South, so I decided it’d be worth it to launch a crowdfunding campaign to fund a road trip to hit the road and meet with new Arc Benders in different communities.
I set a really aggressive goal of launching the crowdfunding campaign in June, so in less than 2 months. My goal was to raise $5k, but I decided to make the campaign flexible to ensure I could go on the trip regardless of whether I raised the full amount.
When I launched the campaign, I was absolutely terrified. I was worried that people wouldn’t see the value in the project. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case and, in the end, I was able to raise a little over $3k.
While on paper, this was a failure, there were a lot of valuable lessons I learned from the campaign.
First and foremost, I think it really takes time to build a brand and if I had tried to launch the crowdfunding campaign a year+ after I had started the Arc Benders project I would have more easily reached the goal.
Get creative. I was able to raise a lot of the funds in return for a free coaching call or photography session. That way, I was able to add additional value to my supporters.
Adjust. Even though I didn’t raise as much as I’d hoped, I was able to simply adjust my road trip plan to be able to stay with friends and family to save money. The road trip in and of itself connected me with so many inspiring people and it also inspired me to ultimately pivot my business to focus on both one-on-one consulting and creating the FYSO accelerator.
14. How do you unwind?
I have a guilty pleasure of binging tv shows. I know there are some high achievers who brag about how they don’t waste time with tv, but I’ve found that I’m really able to relax when I watch television shows. I’m a sucker for comedies, drama, sitcoms… if it’s critically acclaimed, I’m probably watching it.
Beyond that, I’m a huge believer in the importance of staying active. Since the pandemic has hit, I’ve fallen in love with riding my bike. I also recently invested in an indoor bike, so I can stay active in the winter. My husband and I also bought a kayak this year and I’ve loved taking that out on the Neuse River.
15. Can you share a sacrifice you have made to pursue your dream?
For me, entrepreneurship has been a big “opportunity cost.” Having an MBA degree, I could be working in a corporate job making six figures. While I believe I’ll eventually get there with my business, it has taken me years to build my company into a sustainable business while also developing the FYSO Accelerator. It’s a sacrifice that was well worth it and I see it as an investment that will pay off tenfold across my lifetime as I’ve learned invaluable lessons along the way.
16. What would you tell someone else who is interested in entering your field?
Broadly, as an entrepreneur, take the time to ensure you’re going to have a sustainable business model. I often see a few different paths to entrepreneurship:
You go deep in an industry & then build a business to solve a problem within that industry
You develop a marketable skill set and build a business around selling that skillset
You develop a product or technology that’s needed in the market
Marketing is an extremely rewarding career. That being said, it can be competitive and there are many directions you can go with it. Figure out what you want to specialize in. For me, my focus has really narrowed down to performing market research, nailing down an organization’s value proposition and key brand messaging, and advising my clients on how to develop a marketing strategy that will best connect with their customers.
Other marketers will specialize in SEO or content marketing with an emphasis on increasing SEO rankings, copywriting, graphic design, branding, social media, PR, paid advertising, etc.
Also, consider whether you want to specialize in an industry. One of my dear friends who is a content writer specializes in the healthcare industry after surviving cervical cancer. Specializing in tech can be especially lucrative.
As for my work as a business coach, I’m personally grateful that I made the decision to go get my MBA. While building a business in the real world is complex, having a foundational knowledge of business strategy has been very helpful as I provide guidance to my clients.
17. What do you hope people take away from your story?
While it’s not original, it’s important: live your life without regrets. Taking risks is inherently scary. I felt afraid at many pivotal points in my entrepreneurial journey. Thanks to my community of friends and supporters, I had the courage to move past the fear.
There is power in community. Be sure to find “your people” who will hold you accountable and not let you give up. I do believe that you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. Choose wisely.
Also, I really think taking the time to under really nail down your “why” is a powerful way to shape your career – What problem is it that you want to change the world? Why does it matter to you? Now, how can you use your talent to solve the problem? Who can help you make it happen?
With the right strategy & support system, anything is possible.
18. Anything we missed that you would like to share?
Nope! I think this covers it.
Follow Christina:
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