Meet Liz Thomson: Nica Life Founder

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

Hi Liz, what principle do you value most?
I believe that business can be a tool we use to improve our world. Capitalism has pulled millions of people out of poverty and improved lives. However, the impact of business all depends on the rules we agree on as a society. We don’t have to put profit over the well-being of stakeholders. If companies pay living wages, care for the environment, and invest in communities (such as in healthcare and education) the world we all live in is better. The stock market going up doesn’t necessarily make our society better off. Gains on the S&P don’t improve our lives, or our neighbor’s lives. Nica Life works toward a profit, because businesses need to turn a modest profit to be sustainable, but I believe that profit will come as a result of acting ethically. Care for your people, and they’ll work hard for you. Care for your customers, they’ll support you. Care for your community, they will be your support system. Care for the environment because none of this is yours, you are renting from your grandchildren.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Nica Life is a social entrepreneurship, so all decisions we make must serve our mission first. That mission is to create a community of women that empower each other through the exchange of meaningful & purpose products for fair wages. We also use profits to fund education & development programs. I am so proud to be verified fair trade! We were approved to join the Fair Trade Federation last year after a lot of work verifying our fair trade practices.

I am even prouder of our team in Nicaragua. They have been through so much. In 2018 the entire country was affected by civil unrest and violence. We spent 2019 rebuilding our operations as well as our team’s mental well-being. We were then were hit with another really hard year in 2020. But the women of Nica Life are so resilient, and all that work we did on ourselves helped them (and me!) bend rather than break. We pulled together and fought to survive, to provide for our families, and to stay positive and healthy. At this point I believe this team can do anything.

Our handmade jewelry is definitely something I am proud of. The entire team puts so much love into making it and the quality is outstanding. It’s fun & colorful, and even more importantly it’s meaningful. I love designing pieces with a purpose. I came up with our Girl Power Collection, beaded chokers that spell uplifting words in Morse code, to help girls believe in themselves & lift each other up. I picked real stones for their meanings when making our Intention Rings, so that our supporters can use them as a reminder to keep working at what they want for themselves. We believe women are amazing and we want to remind them of that!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We’d hang out in Reynoldstown/Cabbagetown and on the Beltine! First, because of my future home & store (reynoldsatl.com) will be in that neighborhood and I would want to show her the progress. We would definitely need to go to Muchacho for coffee and avocado toast. I discovered Muchacho when Santa was in town a few years ago, we are both into coffee. I love walking with my dog Sabi on the Beltline, and stopping for ice cream, food, and drinks along the way, we would do the whole beltline experience. Hopefully my friend is visiting when we are getting back to normal and we can hit up patios at places like Ladybird & Krog Street Market. Another favorite spot of ours is the Whitewater Creek Trail in East Palisades. We’d definitely take the dogs there. It’s a little forest right in the city and it’s Sabi & my happy place. Atlanta is a fantastic place to get outside and get a little exercise. 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?
I have so many people to thank! The idea that it takes a community is something I believe deeply. My mom, everything she has done for the last 40+ years has been for my brother and me. Jerry, my awesome partner in everything, for always jumping into this crazy stuff with me, and believing we can do it. Santa Grinberga, our partner in Nica Life, for building the best fort ever and then holding it down in Nicaragua. Anslee, our sales manager, who has helped me fight through the last year. Janel, the founder of Lotus & Luna, for reminding me I could do this when I really needed to hear it. And of course, my Reynolds business partner Courtney & all my friends for having my back.

Website: https://www.nicalifeproject.com/

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