By John Ingle
Times Record News, Wichita Falls, Texas
WWR Article Summary (tl;dr) Nichole Kirk was recently named the winner of the National Association of Women Business Owners’ “No Small Thing” video contest. Kirk’s company, “Dear Heart Designs” customizes handcrafted jewelry and apparel for men and women.
Times Record News, Wichita Falls, Texas
“I hope you smiled when you opened this package. Or happy cried. Or took a walk down memory lane. I hope that your heart swelled with emotion and you couldn’t help but take a moment to appreciate your blessings and the life you’ve been given.”
That’s the greeting that “Beautiful You” receives on a card from Nichole Kirk to someone receiving a specialized piece of jewelry from Dear Heart Designs, a business the Henrietta native and resident owns and operates. It creates an emotional connection with the person on the other end, and that relationship often begins long before the person receives their personalized piece of sterling silver, 14-carat gold filled or 14-carat rose gold jewelry.
It’s no small thing, she said, rather it’s a big part to what she does and the success the roughly 3-year-old business has had. It’s also why Kirk was named the winner of the National Association of Women Business Owners’ “No Small Thing” video contest recently.
Kirk said getting to know people and hearing their story is what gives meaning and purpose to her job and Dear Heart Designs. It also tells her how to customize a piece for customers.
“Hearing the stories … is one of the coolest things that I do, knowing that something I created is going to somebody that it’s going to mean a lot to,” she said. “They’re going to hold onto it for a long time.”
Kirk will be recognized at a banquet in September, and those in attendance will be able to view her video. She said she, unfortunately, will not be able to attend as she and her husband, Kris, are preparing for the arrival of their second child, who is due in December.
In a new release, NAWBO said, “Watching Nichole Kirk’s No Small Thing video submission, it’s hard not to feel inspired. We get to be a fly on the wall during her favorite business ritual of checking customer emails. It’s simple, yet incredibly personal and meaningful.”
Kirk said she started her business in 2013 as a means to earn a little extra money when they moved back to Henrietta from Lubbock. She wanted to do something that sparked conversations and allowed others to tell their story through handcrafted jewelry or apparel with specific messages, with 10 percent of the T-shirt sales going to a different charity every month.
For example, shirts with the word “Redeemed” are on sale, benefiting Faith Refuge in Wichita Falls, a place that offers a new beginning for women.
Dear Heart Design has been an almost instant success for Kirk. She has been able to grow her business each year in sales and was selected the winner of the “Expansion — GROW” category in this year’s i. d. e. a. WF competition.
Kirk said her advice to other businesswomen and others in business is to find something they’re passionate about as well as their “dream client.”
“Your dream client is someone you would like to sell to or someone you would like to work with, not just selling to just anybody,” she said. “My clientele are men and women. They’re people who have stories and are kind and want to make other people happy, and they aren’t just people who are buying just stuff. They’re actually buying things that have meaning in them.”
Go to https://www.nawbo.org/resources/nawbo-one/2016/july/no-small-thing-video-contest-winner to see Kirk’s “No Small Thing” video. Also, visit dearheartdesigns.com for more information about Kirk and her products.
