The Story of NOA 

As part of our Makers interview series, we caught up with Natasha, the talented entrepreneur behind NOA. The fragrance and wellness brand NOA, crafts and hand pours beautiful aromatherapy products for your day-to-day from their studio in Manchester. Natasha started making candles at University as a way of managing her anxiety. We were completely inspired by the way she turned a hobby into a thriving business and her tips on how you can do the same.

In this interview we talk all things business, discussing the highs and lows of owning a brand, as well as where Natasha gets the inspiration for NOA's product range. Read on and learn all about the story behind this beautiful brand. 

What's the inspiration behind NOA?

I started NOA during my second year of uni back in 2019. At the time my partner had just started up his own biz and I was having a bit of a rough time with my mental health. I'd always struggled with fitting in at uni and making friends, particularly struggling a lot with anxiety and panic attacks. I decided it was time to start a hobby and something that brought me joy, ended up here! I ran the biz alongside my studies and now it is my full time job, which I'm grateful for everyday.

What has been your favourite moment, or biggest win since launching the brand?

I'd say it would be the endless joy this biz has brought my way really. From the little wins to the bigger ones, from getting our first workshop to partnering up with Thortful, being nominated for business awards and featured in magazines - it all started in the spare room at my home and i'm so proud of how far it has come!

What has been the biggest challenge you've faced so far?

There's a few really, business is full of challenges and unexpected things that can throw you off! The last few years have been a pretty big challenge for business owners all over, with lockdown, cost of living crisis - it's hard to keep calm and move the business forwards when there is a lot of uncertainty in the air. It's easy to compare yourself and doubt yourself too. There will always be people who don't like what you do, but you just need to rise above it and believe in yourself!

What does your average day at NOA look like? 

Since it's just myself most days I often end up juggling quite a few things! I'm grateful for the flexibility day to day. I often find it comes in waves, sometimes it can be busy and other days quieter. Usually though a work day for me is emails and admin bits in the morning, check in on the fulfilment centre and see how things are doing there (make sure everything is in stock, orders going out etc!) and then have a snack and head in to the studio.

We moved to a fulfilment centre a few months back now as I was having a bit of a tough time juggling things, so that has taken off a lot of pressure day-to-day and I can focus more on product creation and manufacturing.

Usually, in the afternoon I make, label, pack and work through wholesale orders and stock for deliveries - then I come home! It really does depend on how busy my workload is though, sometimes I'll bring things home to work on, or head back down in the evenings to get things finished, I'm too familiar with the 2am finishes sometimes, especially during candle season!