Today we’d like to introduce you to Na’ama Landau.
Can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today. You can include as little or as much detail as you’d like.
This time last year I was working overseas and was completely burnt out. I came back to LA last February to escape COVID, thinking I’d be home for about a month or two. One month turned into three, which quickly turned into 6 and then before I knew it, I had been home for a year. When I first returned to LA, I was struggling with severe anxiety. In an attempt to improve my mental health, my boss bought me an ice cream machine so I would have a hobby to focus on outside of work — little did he know I would turn it into a full fledged business!
Once I had my base down, I began to write down every flavor that came to mind and started testing them out. I gifted the ice cream to my neighbors, friends and family and was pleasantly surprised by their positive feedback, including multiple messages saying I should sell it. I had a few friends who started food companies during the pandemic (shoutout to Zoe’s Kitchen Table) so I knew it was possible.
Then, I enlisted one of my closest childhood friends to help me design a logo. Around July, I took the plunge. I posted my first drop on my Instagram stories and within 24 hours had 30+ orders both through Instagram and a few other unique marketing channels. Many of the orders came from old friends whom I hadn’t seen in 10+ years, so the ice cream also became a wonderful catalyst to reconnect with friends from my past.
From there, I created new flavors every week often inspired by tastes from my childhood and my Middle Eastern culture. Around October, my main job got incredibly busy and I took a break. I decided to post again at the end of November and to my surprise, I didn’t receive a single order. I was crushed; however, I was extremely lucky to have supportive friends who encouraged me to keep going. By mid-December, I worked up the courage to post again. This time, there was no going back.
Early on, an old friend from high school purchased my ice cream and told me he was opening a store in the near future. I was excited for him but didn’t think much of it.
Then, in early February, he messaged me to tell me he had opened his store, Verbena, and wanted to carry my ice cream. I was over the moon but knew there was a lot of work to be done. I enlisted a group of friends and we made it happen. 7 days later we launched at Verbena. 5 days later we sold out. 3 days later we restocked. 2 days later we sold out, again.
Creating and growing Nom’s has been a whirlwind experience, none of which would’ve been possible without the support of my friends, family and incredible customers who keep coming back for more. I cannot wait to continue serving people around Los Angeles delicious ice cream and am extremely excited for what’s to come.
Has it been a smooth road? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
A smooth road would be a massive understatement; although, anyone who starts a business and tells you otherwise likely isn’t being honest.
As I mentioned previously, I took a break at mid-last year and when I tried to come back, no one purchased. It was hard enough to build up the courage to come back but incredibly disheartening when I didn’t have any orders.
However, even when I did have orders, the road was (and continues to be) extremely bumpy. My first machine did not have a compressor so I could only make 2 batches a day. I would wake up around 6am to make a few bases and churn a batch, run errands during the day, start my normal job around 3pm, churn a batch in between meetings and then work until 1-2am.
Recently, I decided to upgrade my machine. The first weekend I had it, I made ice cream for 10-12 hours straight until about 2am both filling orders and testing new flavors. The new machine was incredibly useful but with the extra ice cream capacity came a new problem: sourcing enough containers.
The store I normally purchased my containers from stopped selling them in the middle of my launch at Verbena so I ordered some through another supplier that were not set to arrive on time. I decided to rush a few on Amazon but when they arrived, they were the wrong dimensions. I spent an entire day researching restaurant supply stores, driving from DTLA to Torrance and back, enlisting the help of friends in the food and restaurant industry (thank you Armen from Oui and Kirstyn from The Very Best Cookie!) and calling container stores, two of which ended up being steel shipping container stores, not exactly what I was looking for. My container escapades proved unsuccessful so after much deliberation, I decided to make the re-up in the containers we had even though the dimensions were off.
Luckily, no one cared as much as I did and we sold out again.
The rocky road is inevitable and so I try to embrace it as much as I can. The day I drove around the city looking for containers? Although ultimately unsuccessful, I decided I was going to make an adventure out of it, blasted some music and ended up enjoying a rare lunch with my dad because I happened to be in the right place at the right time.
Starting a business, while also holding a full time job, is not easy but positivity helps. I credit a lot of my optimistic perspective to a daily meditation and work out practice. Remember how this story started? The ice cream machine was meant to aid my burnout and anxiety, turns out it did that and so much more.
To be honest, I still don’t know where my next containers will come from but I do know whatever comes tumbling down my path, I’ll face with grace and positivity, okay fine, and the occasional meltdown too!
Please tell us more about your business or organization. What should we know? What do you do, what do you specialize in / what are you known for? What sets you apart from others? What are you most proud brand wise? What do you want our readers to know about your brand, offerings, services, etc?
Nom’s is a handcrafted, small batch ice cream brand known for its interesting twists on classic flavors and tantalizing new tastes. Based in a city as multicultural as Los Angeles, we draw inspiration from the cultures around the city. Some of our most popular flavors include Boozy Cookies & Cream, Honey Nut Cheerios, Dairy-Free Turkish Coffee with a Chocolate Shell, Milk Tea Tiramisu, Chai with Parle-G Crumble and Matcha with Strawberry Jam & White Chocolate.
Can you talk to us about your view on risk taking. Have you taken any major risks (and if so, can you tell us about those risks)? Regardless of whether you view yourself as a risk-taker or not, we’d love to hear your perspective on how you think about risk.
Fortune favors the bold. And being bold is inherently risky. In general, I live what most would consider a risky life, from moving to multiple countries for work, to launching a foreign market for a global company on my own, to starting Nom’s, but I still get really nervous every step of the way. I often doubt myself and definitely suffer from imposter syndrome.
For example, announcing my ice cream brand on Instagram for the first time was really hard. I posted and deleted the announcement multiple times before my friends convinced me to leave it up — turns out, the ice cream machine didn’t rid me of all of my anxiety!
One of my mentors, Karen McDonald, offered me some sage advice during a particularly grueling period: “Sometimes the universe puts stuff in front of us that challenges us. When we think something is bigger than we are, we must run towards it – not away from it. You are allowed to be afraid but then compose yourself and get excited about the joy of your new challenge.”
I wholeheartedly believe that it’s those who push through the initial fear and get excited about the joy of the new challenge in front of them who ultimately drive change.
If you’re thinking of taking a step in a new direction, or are feeling stuck in your current position, struggling with anxiety or just unsure of what’s next, keep pushing. All big steps start small.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @noms.icecream
Image Credits:
Painting: Laurel Greenfield Personal: Cody Rappaport
