Power, resiliance, determination, true grit, crystal clear vision and tenacity for many are just simple words, but for us entrepreneurs they are our means to meaning. They build up our character and shape us into becoming the warriors of our time who will never take NO for an answer, nor accept a defeat lightly. They get us through hard times, inspire us, motivate us, elevate our spirits when we find ourselves defeated and empower us when we find ourselves being bullied by society. And that’s exactly what they did for Adriana Botti, the founder of Little Words Project who within these words found her motivation to conquer, rise and inspire. Words gave her encouragement in times when she’d found herself a bit lost, so she decided to start a company that will do the same for women everywhere. And this is exactly why she’s our next cool face of Bastet Noir.

BASTET NOIR: We love everything about the Little Words Project! You’re running an amazing company with an amazing story behind it. So the obvious question here would be to tell us that story.

Little Words Project‘s awesome bracelets

AB: Thank you so much! So Little Words Project all started as a passion project for me when I was in college. I had always grown up needing to give myself a bit of encouragement, as I was frequently bullied, so I made these bracelets as little reminders to “keep going.” When I joined my sorority in college, I had decided to bring that same concept to the entire chapter and soon it became an iconic symbol of sisterhood for each of the girls. We would wear them and share them before tests, after breakups and “just because.” When I saw that they had such a positive impact on this small group of 80 women, I knew I had to try bringing them to the masses. After receiving nothing but support from my chapter, I finally decided to go for it. Before long, Little Words Project was born and these sweet bracelets went from being a symbol of sisterhood for a small group of women, to one for women everywhere.

BASTET NOIR: Your brand is all about women empowerment and we love you for it. What’s the favorite word you’ve ever put on a bracelet?

AB: “Strength” is by far my favorite word. Not only is it our best seller, but it really embodies everything that we as females are. Not only are we strong, but that strength is often tested by those around us, so the word acts as a constant reminder to be the powerful women we were all meant to be. I also love the word “Believe.” I really think that we could all benefit from believing in ourselves and truly knowing that we can accomplish whatever it is that we set our minds to. So often, we as women can think of the 10 reasons why something is impossible rather than the one reason it’s not. I think we need to start truly believing that no matter what it is, we can make it happen so long as we “Believe.”

BASTET NOIR: Sometimes being an entrepreneur can be extremely stressful with having to juggle so many things and therefore focus can be easily lost. What do you do to keep yourself centered?

AB: Amen to that! It can be extremely difficult to stay focused when your task list is a mile long. So I’ve implemented a few strategies when it comes to tackling my day-to-day responsibilities. For starters, I create a list that I try desperately to attack IN ORDER. It is so satisfying to be able to go down a list and cross things off one at a time. Secondly, I read my emails in order as well. I do my best to knock them out one by one rather than jumping page to page. Anything that I cannot get to, I leave marked at the top of my inbox so I know to get to it first thing the next day (or as soon as I can).

Unfortunately, I’m not one of those people who meditates or practices yoga to keep my mind clear (although perhaps I should…) but I do find that by prioritizing important tasks earlier in the day, I’m able to get the most done and therefore find myself less overwhelmed by day’s end.

BASTET NOIR: What are the 3 most important lessons you’ve learnt while running your business?

AB:1- Write EVERYTHING down. There’s nothing worse than learning something once and not remembering how to do it. Or, making a mistake and not learning from it the second time around. When you write something down, you burn it further into your brain and it helps you grow.

2- Mistakes WILL happen- welcome them. It may sound weird, but I am at a point where I almost enjoy making mistakes. It helps ground me and remind me that no matter how good I get at this job, there will always be room for error. And that’s okay! With each passing mistake, I learn something new and I grow as a person. Also, borrowing from lesson number one, I have become accustomed to writing my mistakes down in a log. This way, I am able to refer back to them if I ever need to! Sometimes, I even randomly read through the list to date so I can get a refresher course on being human and how to not repeat history. 🙂

3- BE A GIVER. This business can be tough at times. There are so many young entrepreneurs that I’ve met on my journey and while a lot of them have been supportive and helpful, a lot of them have also been competitive and unwilling to offer assistance when asked. This is something I’ve never truly understood. If asked for help in anyway, I ALWAYS give. I truly believe that the only way to receive positivity is to put positivity out there. So, if you’re lucky enough to have built something, or to be an expert in a certain field, then I believe it is your responsibility to help others reach that point as well. This doesn’t necessarily mean giving up all of your time, but answering a quick email, or sending an introduction is never too much to ask!

BASTET NOIR: What does the future hold for LWP?

AB: I want to see this company have an impact on girls and women of all ages and not just via jewelry. I would like to see our ‘Nice Girl’ concept sweep the nation in the form of school clubs and summer programs. We want to make sure that girls understand the importance of kindness above all else and are able to apply what we represent to their day to day lives. Until then, we are going to keep selling as many bracelets as possible to expand our influence and inspire girls through the inspiration on their wrist.

BASTET NOIR: Favorite places

AB: Mexico- I have a very large family in Mexico (my mother’s side) and I absolutely love going back to her hometown to visit them. Beyond that, I love Hawaii! My husband and I just honeymooned there and we loved every second of our experience.

BASTET NOIR: Things you can’t live without

AB: My childhood bear, chocolate, my phone, HGTV and chocolate.

BASTET NOIR: What’s in your BastetNoir.com cart?

AB: I am obsessed with the velvet pantsuit! I have been ALL about velvet this past year and that pantsuit is EVERYTHING. I cannot wait to rock it.

And rock she did as in not just our dark blue velvet suit, but our world too. Her story is turly inspiring and educational, mostly because it shows that projects started sincerely from the heart and with the sole intention of helping others will always be success stories. That’s why we have a deep and profound respect for what she does and that’s why this upcoming year, you’ll see our wrists adorned by her amazing bracelets. Get yours here.

We love strong, confident and self reliant women, so if you think you got what it takes, send us an email with your Instagram account and the story you’d like to share and you might just become Bastet Noir’s next cool face. Also don’t forget to check out Little Words Project!