... and then I remembered the 2008 crash...
It was the morning after by the time I got the news.
I had never actually heard of Lehman Brothers til that day, but could feel the weight of the closed doors, even from a darkened guesthouse in Chiang Mai.
Was this the end? Dammit.
Things had been going so well. Television placements were happening (Housewives of Atlanta, anyone?), and I was being interviewed about slow fashion before it was even a common phrase. There was unsolicited press in magazines and on radio that fed the business with new eyes and ears. I felt that after six years from the first cut and sew, I was achieving a rhythm.
But the economy was tanking by the second, and I had to respond.
First, there was a shortening of seasonal orders. No overages. There was also a need to adjust prices to cushion the economic blow for my customers. I took a look at the 360º ecosystem of my business, and I started to draft terms and conditions and working policies (and have been updating those since for all clients and customers) that protected each stakeholder.
Amidst all of that, there was creative opportunity. While I had always worked in collaboration with other brands, I leaned in deeper, establishing double labels. That expanded interest while dissolving dead stock, addressing aesthetics and business at the same time.
I wasn’t sure if I could survive it, but what I know now is that by allowing the business to evolve and adapt, I preserved my working practice for the better times ahead.
SO, WHAT ABOUT NOW?
While it’s not 2008, the truth is this:
We are entering, or already in, another moment of uncertainty, that will be followed by another, and yet another. The conditions might be different, but the need for recalibration and collaboration is more important than ever.
That is why I’m launching The RISING TIDE now.
The RISING TIDE is a structured working cohort for women solopreneurs and duos. It is a guided refresh for branding, communication, and strategy so your business stays focused while remaining flexible. It’s also a chance to get 1:1 consulting with me. The group is curated for diversity of offerings so that we get to cross-pollinate our practices for the collective good.
This is not a mastermind or a coaching circle. It’s an intimate 8-week curriculum-based working group, meeting on Monday mornings (get that week started right!) to sustain vision, flexibility, and focus so we can continue to grow. And best part, we do it together.
Applications take only a few minutes, and those received by February 20 receive one hundred dollars off.
I welcome your questions and inquiries, as well as your application. Scroll down for all of it.
With steady resolve,
Nica
INTRODUCING NICACELLY CREATIVE'S FIRST
FACILITATED WORKING GROUP
The RISING TIDE
Sustaining
Vision, Flexibility, and Focus
in Troubling Times
An intimate 8-week working group for women solopreneurs to maintain vision, clarify focus, and develop entrepreneurial flexibility in times of drastic change.
We begin Monday, March 23, 2026 @9am PST
8 weeks | 90 minutes weekly | Small Cohort | Live hot seat consulting
This is not another business group.
The RISING TIDE is a curriculum-focused, facilitated working group with live consulting.
And everyone gets a turn in the hot seat.
Let's generate the power of learning in the collective. This is the space where we keep steady, stay motivated, and grow as the world changes yet again.
Through eight weekly themes, we will navigate the bumpy waters to this moment that we have all been readying for: the rising tide of women's wisdom not as an idea, but as realtime businesses, initiatives, and influence... from micro to macro.
We work on what matters most right now in your business practice: your vision, your pricing, your strategy, your systems, and your next move... creating fluidity and consistency in the process, and your business practice.
The format is simple, and the container is structured, with room to explore tributaries before and after every session (the room will open 15 minutes prior and stay open 15 minutes after). There will also be thoughtful and productive prompts and inquiries to consider in-between sessions.
Who is this for?
The RISING TIDE's maiden voyage is for independent women solopreneurs & duos. If your work is in service to
people, environment, and culture, or across the spaces of wellbeing, arts, education, and entrepreneurship, you are invited to apply.
We begin March 23, 2026.
Each week, we will explore foundational themes & engage in meaningful & productive exercises that will contribute to your entrepreneurial flexibility and growth.
We will:
Maintain Vision
Everything is moving so fast, we might lose sight of what is beyond this immediate moment. Let's calibrate yours so it serves you through this current, and the next one.
We will tune our mission (mast) and vision (sail) — the essence of our work and business—so that we can find steadiness and ride through this storm.
Clarify Communication
When things get hectic, we might react, opposed to respond, to the conditions, fumbling our messaging.
Let's update and tune our communications to grow community. We'll spend 2 weeks working with approaches and pragmatic tools to stay relevant, build trust, and connect more deeply with our audiences.
Reciprocity and
Right Pricing
More and more people need your support in this wild time. We will address value exchange and access through flexible offerings strategies, while maintaining baseline revenue goals.
Together, we tune our pricing for multiple stakeholders who need us while building revenue in a way that does good and feels good simultaneously.
Revenue Growth
& Management
How will we adjust between lean and fat times?
This week is going to be all about revenue.
We will run numbers, and create adaptable strategies to reach revenue goals. We will map out what is possible, and begin the practice of getting there.
Values for Value Alignment
Our values and tenets are how our community gets to know us, and how we maintain integrity across all channels that we work in.
If you have yet to create a value ecosystem for how you work or you need to realign with them, this will not be a week to miss.
Deeper Collaboration
When it comes to collaboration, our networks are stronger together than they are alone. Learn to dissolve competition through the creation of your own equitable collaboration agreements with integrity & mutual benefit.
How I came to offer this:
a note from Nica
There is no better time than now to get clear on our work, and how we work through changing times. For the past twelve years, my work has focused on supporting entrepreneurs through branding, business development, marketing, communications, and program and curriculum development. I’ve built and advised independent businesses across creative, nonprofit, and wellbeing spaces, staying close to the realities of what it takes to sustain meaningful work in real conditions. Before moving into this work, I was an independent fashion designer, producing seasonal collections rooted in principles of slow fashion. I was committed to a sweatshop-free, fair trade business that utilized dead stock and progressive fabrics. It was a tall order, and one I pursued with dedication and curiosity for thirteen years. See, when I was in my early 20's, I was exposed to a particular kind of business model that proved collaboration and community are the foundation of entrepreneurial longevity. I was 21, had moved to Northern California, and landed work with the Women’s Initiative for Self Employment and Hieroglyphics, one of the first artist-owned hip hop labels in the United States. Together, these two entities showed me how essential consistency and working within a collaborative community are to sustaining long-term, independent careers. What I've also learned and practiced across business and contemplative studies is that when you have a strong foundation, you can work with what already exists and tune it for the moment. It’s like a remixed music track, where small shifts in tempo and sampling can shift the whole mood. It’s still familiar, but it’s giving dynamism, evolution, and oftentimes a new beat to something that feels super familiar. In short, I believe we already have what we need. We just need to tune it to this time. And if we do, we can usher in the new era of women’s businesses that will contribute to a more peaceful and equanimous era, even within this turbulent one. Rising Tide is my response to that reality. By activating the collective learning model alongside deep and on-the-spot consulting and navigational themes, we will cross-pollinate with each other while lifting our messaging and business skills, so that we may transform this moment with the best of what we’ve got to share. My intention is to offer focused attention, structure, and practical guidance to a small group of women who feel the same shift underway, so we can meet this moment with steadiness and skill. So, you in? If this sparks even a little curiosity, I encourage you to apply. Every application will be read and responded to. Soon and best, Nica
Let us feel a lift in this moment to maintain vision, clarify focus, and develop entrepreneurial flexibility.
We begin March 23, 2026 at 9am PST
The Rising Tide meets on Mondays from 9am to 10:30am Pacific, with cushion containers 15 minutes prior and after.
This is the maiden voyage, and it is priced as such.
Apply before February 20, and receive an earlybird rate of $595.
After February 20, the tuition goes to $695.
There are only 10 seats left for this inaugural working group.
We know a rising tide lifts all ships.
Get up on this one.
We begin March 23, 2026.
There are only 10 seats available on The RISING TIDE's maiden voyage.
Apply by Feb 20 to be notified by the 23rd. If accepted, you will be invited to the earlybird rate of $595.
All applications received after February 20 will be responded to within 2 business days. If accepted, you will be invited to the regular rate of $695.
Woman-led businesses & initiatives naturally disrupt oppressive systems, transforming the future into a healthier, more equitable, and equanimous world.
We all see it, and we all know it.
Our time is now.
