Nofu Chronicles #1: What Nofu Means

Hi! I would like to introduce myself, my name is Susan Dressler and I have decided to write a skincare/reiki/infrared sauna blog from my business in Alameda, CA. The name of my business is Nofu. Everyone always asks me what the meaning of my business name is. Well, this is the most important part I believe. After doing hardcore clinical skincare in Oakland for nearly a decade, I realized that I truly had a niche in the industry. When deciding to start my own business one town away…a name popped into my head. Nofu, because I don’t do the typical “fufu” skincare that you find (rubbing fragrance massage lotions in circles and no extractions). That was the moment I looked up domain names and nofu.com had not been taken. Little did I know that this name would weed out the high maintenance clientele and attract the Nofu style of client that I meshed with. Specializing in peels, extractions, hyper-pigmentation, and the most sensitive skin EVER!

So now with the formalities being over and the story of my business name being told, let’s start with my beginning. Over twenty years ago, I went to Sacramento State studying Organizational Communication, where I got my BA. During this this fun time and working at Trader Joe’s part time, I was amazed at how much a T.J.’s manager made. So naturally I took all of the knowledge from university and put it towards becoming a manager. Moving up the ladder in Sacramento was great, I had two amazing role models in the Captain and First Mate (the manager and the assistant manager). Anyway, the hands on training was incredible for my shy, introverted, and INFJ self.

The next eight years would challenge my comfort zone daily. Soon I would become bored in Sacramento. Everyone around me was getting married. So many weddings back to back. It was crazy. I remember being in class at Sacramento State one day and there was a cluster of girls showing each other their engagement rings. If ever I felt like an alien on earth it was at this moment. Why didn’t I feel the same? Why was I so different? The bottom line was that it didn’t matter. Being cut from a unique cloth was me. Once graduating from school, cabin fever set in. Having grown up in the Bay, and I enjoyed going to clubs in San Francisco since the age of seventeen. The energy there was electric, that was my vibe.

The next step was to ask my Sacramento manager to transfer to the Bay. Plus, news was that T.J.’s was going to open a flagship store in SF. This lit me up. First and foremost everyone loves T.J.’s everywhere and second I would have an opportunity to build a store from the ground up from managers all over California. More blossoming, more duties and way more out of my comfort zone with one hundred plus employees. Now my duties included hiring, giving reviews and firing (a huge test for me because I hated negative confrontation). The growth boosted my self esteem and did me great!

Fast forward eight years. Lifting, lifting and more lifting. My little frame couldn’t take moving to the store in Daly City. Already starting back pain issues in SF, things would get worse at my new location. I would have to open the store at 4am, unload the truck outside and then have to break down everything outside on the sidewalk. The floor of the old Daly City store was weak and JC Penny was underneath. The powers that be, would not let us break down the pallets inside due to this flimsy floor. Breaking the pallets down outside in the freezing cold had my sciatica paralyzing  me with pain. I’m sure that our working conditions were totally illegal by OSHA standards.

Finally, my pain was unbearable, I had no choice but to go out on disability.  This was a dark time in my life, and just walking on the sidewalk was unbearable for me. This was a time where I was previously on the hamster wheel fifty plus hours per week. It felt so weird and took me so long to calm my nervous system of constant…go, go, go! I realize now that this wasn’t normal and overtime this had stressed my body.

The good news is that Trader Joe’s has changed their ways due to multiple folks going out on disability. The other good news was that they would have to repay me to get trained in another field. Luckily this happened to me before the governor at the time Arnold Schwarzenegger changed the law. While living in SF, I was seeing an esthetician who was a waxer and always having fun. A seed had been planted in my mind for light weight work that would have me sitting and standing. Just the right recipe for my severe back injury. To be continued on my skincare journey in my next month’s blog…