SDH 447: She Quit Corporate (Twice!) Before Making Her Leap for Good with Nikki Nash

Welcome back, my beautiful She Did It Her Way listeners. Today I have the pleasure of being joined by Nikki Nash, a marketing expert, author, and creator of Market Your Genius. After a decade-long career in marketing fortune 100 brands and tech startups, Nikki set out to help women build profitable online businesses.Nikki considers herself a content creator and marketing mentor. She knows what it feels like to be in an unfulfilling job and wants to help others make a huge impact in the world. If you find yourself asking: “How the heck do I get my name out there?”, “How do I reach more people?”, or “How do I sign more clients and customers”, Nikki is your girl. Many people feel like they have already tried ev)erything and feel like they have exhausted all of their options and aren’t sure where (or how to best spend their time and they come to her asking for help. Nikki found that she could do what she loves and make money doing it and started her membership community called the Genius Profit Society (GPS). Inside, Nikki helps her members navigate their journey from where they are now to where they want to go, whether it’s writing books, speaking, coaching, consulting, freelancing - whatever that looks like for them, she helps them grow their ideal business. In 2014, after many years of working in corporate, Nikki decided it was time to branch out and start her own business. She knew that she was helping someone else build their dream and while she loved what she did, she wanted to build something of her own. She began to put away money and that fall she left behind her 6-figure career.Nikki quit her job and headed on her annual family vacation to Mexico where she spent the first week enjoying fun in the sun with her loved ones, until her brain intercepted her fun in week two and got in her way. She began ‘thinking’ of all of the ‘what if’s’ that could possibly happen, started to panic and began to look for other jobs. Despite not wanting to go back to corporate, that is what her brain was telling her to do from its rational perspective. She decided to look for a job at a tech startup because she could learn how to build a business from the early stages. She had already worked for the big brands and this would give her an opportunity to learn how to market something smaller. She found a job as head of marketing, took a few months off, and started her new job that summer. After about a year and a half Nikki realized her job had once again consumed her life and she had become a walking zombie, simply going through the motions of life. It was time to start feeling fulfilled and just go for it. Nikki made her final leap, finally leaving behind her corporate career and launching her own business and heading right back to Mexico for their annual family vacation, but this time she enjoyed every moment of the trip celebrating her mom’s birthday.Nikki was living in downtown Boston at the time and while she had some savings she also knew she was living in one of the most expensive places in the city. She got herself into a positive mindset reminding herself,“I’ve got this.” Nikki’s passion and strength for networking pushed her to meet some of her biggest advocates and new clients. In her first year of business, she admittedly made some mistakes, but she didn’t let them hold her back from moving forward. She reminded herself,“You're gonna continue making mistakes. It's okay, just learn and be kind to yourself through.”Her business continued to evolve and she learned so many lessons along the way, many of which revolved around ensuring that her finances and income remained steady. She also continued to make sure that the clients she was working with were people she not only enjoyed working with, but were her target audience. Working with mostly startup companies in the beginning, Nikki has since made the pivot to working solely with female entrepreneurs who are looking to monetize their message. The biggest difference that she sees between her business now and when she first started out is how she has accomplished things to afford the opportunities, flexible schedule, and life that she always dreamed of. Nikki’s business has grown immeasurably, and her team has expanded as well, allowing her to make decisions that puts her priorities first. While Nike has coined the phrase ‘Just Do It, Nikki lives her life through that mantra saying, “Embrace failure. It's going to happen so you might as well. If you embrace it, it's going to hurt less than if you resist it.”To learn more about Nikki, check out her podcast or connect with her on Instagram. Insights:“You're gonna continue making mistakes. It's okay, just learn and be kind to yourself through.”“She knew that she was helping someone else build their dream and while she loved what she did, she wanted to build something of her own.”“Embrace failure. It's going to happen so you might as well. If you embrace it, it's going to hurt less than if you resist it.” Resources:Listen to The Market Your Genius PodcastConnect with Nikki on Instagram @marketyourgeniusVisit Nikki’s WebsiteJoin the Genius Profit SocietyThe Game of Life And How To Play It by Florence Scovel Shinn