Meet Charlene Nichols | Digital & Virtual Marketing Expert

We had the good fortune of connecting with Charlene Nichols and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Charlene, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
There are 2 unique sides to the vision industry. One side is solely focused on medical care which is the optometry and ophthalmology side. The other side is related to fashion and function which is the optical where your frame and lens is fitted. There are so many gorgeous independent frame designers and the average consumer can really feel special just by finding a provider of unique eyewear.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
All of my brands are housed under my company SellSMART Not Hard. We develop platforms for business, brands and industries. These platforms are uniquely designed to fill in gaps that exist in the customer journey. What sets us apart is we do not only look at what is working today when identifying solutions, we also observe what could be needed tomorrow. In a rapidly moving world, it is important to aim 10 feet before your mark. I am most proud to say I did not ever take on an investment to get my business off the ground. This was perhaps the hardest challenge because we knew we could not rely on the safety net of investors. The only reason we are at this point in our development is because we stood by our beliefs in the future and knew it was coming faster than most business owners were willing to admit. Our solutions were in development before COVID, however during COVID it was important time in our innovation. We learned during COVID that there were too many gaps because most small businesses were unable to function. Sadly most are still not equipped and would be in the same position if a shutdown occurred again.

The one thing I want the world to know is shopping from small town USA is more than just a one day holiday. It is something we should all be mindful. Local businesses have to work much harder than we realize to be in a position to provide us the service we need. If local businesses went away, we would miss their place in our communities. It might not seem convenient to shop in a physical store these days which is why we are building the Omniverse. This will make it possible for you to shop from small business owners from any mobile device or PC. Imagine going shopping with a friend from across the country or even the world and still supporting a local business!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would go to Broadway in Manhattan. I love walking around the city and exploring unique shops and restaurants. The people in New York go out of their way to make you feel like you are home. When you go to a show, it transports you to another place. One of my favorite shows was The Lion King and The Color Purple.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Ryan Markey, Dr Irina Yakubin and Dr Kristie Nguyen. My story is one of perseverance and collaboration. It is these individuals and many others who have supported me in my early start up days so I could begin earning a place on stages such as this.

Website: theomniverse.city

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theopticalmetaverse/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theopticalmetaverse/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPXIO65fbKezdR0K73u8Jxg