Business owner spills the tea on how she turned her dream career into a reality

Do you often daydream about the perfect career; the ability to work for yourself and make your own hours? Nadine Dominguez, 31, the owner of Talkhouse Trinity nutrition shop in Trinity, Florida, was recently in that boat too — and it took a lot more than just faith to make her dream a reality.

Dominguez has been building her business model selling health and wellness products for several years, starting out online before finally opening a brick and mortar shop in December 2019.

The Trinity location has been open to the public for just over a year, and despite the pandemic, Talkhouse just announced a new location opening in New Jersey; but it’s been a long road of ups and downs getting to this point.

“Talkhouse actually blew up as a local business in the area during the pandemic,” Dominguez told The Sunburnt Blogger in an exclusive interview. “Being that we sell health and wellness products, when COVID-19 happened we had to focus on how we were going to be a positive impact to the community.”

Through the pandemic, Talkhouse offered essential workers free drinks and a variety of special offers to get them through their day.

For Dominguez, this business has always been about purpose and helping others, which is what makes her happy.

“[Before I started my business] I was working a comfy office job with an insurance company and going to college for a business degree, but I wasn’t happy.”

Around that time, Dominguez was struggling through a major depressive episode due to the loss of her child.

“I gained a lot of weight and was just generally unhappy and unhealthy,” she said. “I wanted to do something for myself and decided it was time to focus on my wellbeing.”

Dominguez became part of the Herbalife nutrition brand, which ended up being just what she needed to kick off her health (and business) journey.

She quickly became a Herbalife advocate and things started to fall into place.

“I became so familiar with the products and their advantages; I knew how they made me feel and I wanted to help others feel good too.”

Dominguez took to social media to share her story and build connections, and by doing so she was able to become her own boss by selling nutrition products.

“I was terrified to leave a job that I knew was paying my bills, but eventually I put my two weeks notice and I quit taking my college classes. I just started doing what it was that I wanted to do,” she noted.

It took time, tears, and a lot of pep talks in the mirror, but after establishing an online business the next step for Nadine was to open a walk-in location; thus the idea for Talkhouse — a healthy environment where people could get together and connect — was born.

“I didn’t know what I was doing, but I knew I could do it,” she said.” Despite our bank accounts running low and my self-doubt, I had to have countless ‘you can do it’ conversations with myself to keep the excitement flowing.”

Nadine’s business model was to have a trendy #Instaworthy nutrition shop in town, using the Herbalife products to craft an array of healthy — and pretty — drinks.

Though at first, business was slow.

“No one came in on our opening day, and for the first week I wasn’t even making enough to pay the electric bill.” But instead of being discouraged, she took the challenge head-on. By making flyers and handing them out in public and networking with local public figures, her perseverance paid off.

“I remember our first $500 day — I cried. It was a milestone for our business,” she told us. “But it’s not the amount of money that you make that means you’re successful, it’s the lives you touch.”

Dominguez has built countless relationships over the past year, so much so that she knows nearly every customer's name (I think she remembered mine after the first visit!)

Talkhouse is truly a small business worth visiting. Not only are their drinks delicious, it’s the small business atmosphere that really makes you feel at home, and soon, their new location will be offering the same amenities.

If you want to try their bestsellers, you should order:

• Ocean Bliss Tea- Blueberry, lemon and lime flavors
• Rainbow Dream Tea- Blueberry, strawberry, lemon and lime flavors
• Mango Berry Tea- Mango and raspberry flavors
• Banana Pudding Shake
• Cookie Dough Shake
• Birthday Cake Shake

Teas are served as one size, 32 ounce, contain no sugar and are only 30 calories. Their caffeine content is 165mg and each tea is fortified with a variety of vitamins and digestive support.

The protein shakes are served in a 16 ounce cup and contain 24g of protein, 21 vitamins and minerals, and are only 220 calories.

Every week, Talkhouse hosts a day of complimentary fitness classes that you can participate in, ranging from yoga to aerobics.

Talkhouse Trinity is located at 9945 Trinity Blvd, Unit 103, Trinity, FL 34655. You can find more about the company, including their hours and classes here.

Originally published at https://www.thesunburntblogger.com.