Podcasts about about nikki

Have you ever felt torn between doing your best at work and giving your best at home? As a working mother, do you carry a constant sense of guilt or overwhelm? About 72 percent of American women with children are in the workforce(fulltime & partime). Is this trend good or bad? Are kids with working moms different from kids whose moms do not work? In this episode, we will share research with you that proves that you don’t need to fix anything and that it’s time to celebrate who you are, just as you are.   Highlights: [00:40] Benefits of working moms [03:16] Nikki’s mother – a woman focused on contribution [11:37] Monica’s mother – a woman with enduring grace [17:13] 10 takeaways for working moms [24:36] Homework for the week   Quotes: “So much of who you become is a result of modeling after the greatest inspiration in your own life, and for me, that was my mom.”– Nikki Barua “I get my optimism from the mindset that everything works out. I'm a product of my mom and her optimism and her grace.” – Monica Marquez “One of the most important life lessons I got from my mother was never giving up, no matter how hard it gets, no matter what it entails.” – Nikki Barua “For every working mom out there, it's important to remember that, it’s not so much in the hours that you give, but in who you are and how you show up.” – Nikki Barua “My mother taught me to always live in a state of gratitude.” – Nikki Barua   About Nikki and Monica: Nikki Barua is a digital innovator, serial entrepreneur, author & speaker. Monica Marquez is an ex-Googler, diversity expert and senior corporate leader.   Contact Nikki and Monica: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iambeyondbarriers/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyondbarriersco/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iambeyondbarriers/  

Have you ever experienced temporary paralysis when you are faced with a difficult decision and you don’t know what to do? How do you handle those situations? What’s your “go to” state - fight, flight or freeze? In this episode, we share our own lessons learned as we navigate through crisis and adversity. You'll learn from our experience and understand how to assess your risks and make decisions with confidence and certainty using powerful habits and hacks.   Highlights: [01:12] Launching a new business during a pandemic [07:42] How past experiences prepared us for this crisis [09:03] Adapting and pivoting your business model [10:45] How crisis can unlock innovation [14:59] Switching lanes in your career [20:39] Remaining calm in a crisis [26:28] Learning to create boundaries [30:36] What Monica wishes she had known at the start of her career [32:59] What Nikki wishes she had known at the start of her career [43:09] Nikki’s favorite word [44:18] Monica’s favorite word [45:13] Assess risk & make decisions with confidence [47:57] Homework for the week   Quotes: “Do you wait and watch, and then respond? Or do you get proactive, rethink everything, and reimagine a whole new future?” – Nikki Barua “Adopt the mindset of disrupting yourself before you get disrupted.” – Nikki Barua “Don't wait for a pandemic to disrupt your plans. Anticipate change and be prepared for disruption.” “Thinking back on my corporate career, I wish I’d asked why more often and challenged the status quo sooner.” – Monica Marquez “Every time I have achieved a big dream, I realize how much more is possible. That’s how I’ve learned to dream big.” – Nikki Barua “Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable helps you dream bigger.” – Monica Marquez “You can’t be outstanding, if your standards aren’t high enough.” – Nikki Barua “Crisis can unlock innovation, but don’t let a crisis be the only reason you innovate.” – Nikki Barua “There's nothing better than that feeling of being ahead of the curve. It builds tremendous confidence.” – Monica Marquez “Don't be afraid to let go of your past, no matter how attached you may be. There's something more beautiful, more exciting, more meaningful that's waiting for you.” – Nikki Barua “Recognize the power of your dreams. The size of your dreams defines your destiny.” – Nikki Barua “Don't let what you think is possible, get in the way of what is achievable.” – Nikki Barua “No matter what you do, go above and beyond. Aspire to more, because you are limitless. Whoever you are, you can go beyond what you think is possible.” – Nikki Barua   About Nikki and Monica: Nikki Barua is a digital innovator, serial entrepreneur, author & speaker. Monica Marquez is an ex-Googler, diversity expert and senior corporate leader.   Contact Nikki and Monica: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iambeyondbarriers/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyondbarriersco/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iambeyondbarriers/  

Do you struggle to differentiate yourself professionally? According to a recent CareerBuilder survey, 70% of employers use social media profiles to screen candidates during the hiring process. Does your digital presence set you apart from your peers? In this episode, you'll learn exactly how to define what you want to be known for and stand out with powerful habits and hacks so that you will be able to position yourself correctly in the marketplace.   Highlights: [01:08] Crowded employment marketplace [04:10] Growth of the gig economy [05:42] Employee vs. Freelancer [07:00] Selection criteria for hiring [11:36] How to differentiate yourself [13:18] Highlighting your superpower [17:23] Homework for the week   Quotes: “Your reputation isn't just built on what you say it is. It's how people perceive you. That’s why differentiating yourself is so important.” – Nikki Barua “If you stand out as the expert with the solution to most pressing problems, you start attracting opportunities instead of chasing them.” – Monica Marquez “Get really specific about who benefits from what you bring to the table, and then help them understand the transformation that you create.” – Nikki Barua   About Nikki and Monica: Nikki Barua is a digital innovator, serial entrepreneur, author & speaker. Monica Marquez is an ex-Googler, diversity expert and senior corporate leader.   Contact Nikki and Monica: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iambeyondbarriers/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyondbarriersco/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iambeyondbarriers/  

Do you have clarity on what makes you valuable? Are your skills and competencies aligned with what’s in demand in the marketplace? In this episode, you'll learn exactly how to keep track of market demand so you can position yourself in line with it. According to a recent report from McKinsey & Company, by 2030, more than 800 million people will lose their jobs to automation. Could some of your tasks be easily automated? What percentage of your role might be automated in the future? That’s why it’s so important to understand what’s growing in demand, so you can keep learning the skills and developing the competencies you will need in the future.   Highlights: [01:08] The effects of automation on the workforce [03:58] The shelf life of skills is getting shorter [04:34] Focus on solving business problems [06:55] Learning to run two races at the same time [07:32] Hacks to identify future demand [14:26] Homework for the week   Quotes: “Digital transformation is unlocking organizations and making them faster, more efficient, more innovative, and ultimately creating more value for their customers.” – Nikki Barua “You have to know exactly what is in demand so that can you can develop the right skills.” – Nikki Barua “Focus on solving a business problem and doing it in the fastest, most elegant, most effective way.” – Nikki Barua “You have to run two races at the same time: be great at what you're doing today, while mastering the skills to be great at what you’ll be doing tomorrow.” – Nikki Barua “Your future is truly in your hands and you must start making changes today.” – Nikki Barua   About Nikki and Monica: Nikki Barua is a digital innovator, serial entrepreneur, author & speaker. Monica Marquez is an ex-Googler, diversity expert and senior corporate leader.   Contact Nikki and Monica: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iambeyondbarriers/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyondbarriersco/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iambeyondbarriers/  

Welcome to the Beyond Barriers Habits & Hacks Show! Have you ever wondered what is that one thing that you can be great at? It’s what you become known for – and what differentiates you. Well that's exactly what we're going to help you with on today's show, where you'll learn how to gain clarity on your skills and competencies with powerful habits and hacks. When you have clarity on what makes you outstanding in your career, you can align what you do to exactly that competency. That way you can continue to hone it over time and become great at it.  Don’t waste time focusing on your weaknesses. Delegate or outsource those things. When you try to work on your weaknesses, you become mediocre at best. Double down on the strengths, you are naturally talented at or love doing versus trying to get better at something that is not a natural gift and You’ll become great at those things. That’s how you accelerate your success!   Highlights: [01:01] The difference between skills and competencies [02:48] Transferrable skills and competencies [03:27] Articulate your competencies, not just your skills [07:19] How to gain clarity on competencies and unique skills [09:22] Homework for the week   Quotes: “Tell a story of your competencies that translates well into your new situation, whether it’s a promotion or new role.” – Nikki Barua “Your career trajectory follows your competency development. As long as you're leveling up in competencies, you will keep rising up.” – Nikki Barua “Don't focus on the weaknesses, focus on the competencies that come naturally to you, because you will become excellent at those.” – Monica Marquez “When you work on your weaknesses, you become mediocre. But when you double down on your strengths, you become great.” – Nikki Barua   About Nikki and Monica: Nikki Barua is a digital innovator, serial entrepreneur, author & speaker. Monica Marquez is an ex-Googler, diversity expert and senior corporate leader.   Contact Nikki and Monica: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iambeyondbarriers/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyondbarriersco/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iambeyondbarriers/  

Do you have a network of friends or colleagues but don’t like asking them for help? Have you ever wanted to get access to influential leaders but didn’t know how? In this episode, you'll learn how to tap into the resources within your network with powerful habits and hacks. Instead of keeping your head down and doing the work, learn how to gain leverage through proximity. Career success – whether in corporate or entrepreneurial – is accelerated when you have access to the right resources and relationships. A common misperception about networks is that it’s about taking from others. That’s why so many women struggle with tapping into their networks because they don’t want to be a burden or feel awkward about asking for help. The truth is your network is built by giving –the more you give, the more your tribe grows. You receive a fraction of the value you create. So if you’re not getting the value you want, focus on the value you need to create for others. When you focus on how you can help others, rather than think about how they can help you, you are able to create value for them.   Highlights: [01:06] Power of proximity [04:34] The perspective of abundance [07:40] How to build a strong community [09:32] Homework for the week   Quotes: “If you have a gift to give, then give to as many people as you can.” – Nikki Barua “Think of your network, not as something you can take from, but rather something you give to.” – Nikki Barua “It's not about a network. It's simply a relationship and relationships are built on shared values, trust and respect.” – Nikki Barua “Make a list of 10 people within your reach that you want to get to know.” – Nikki Barua   About Nikki and Monica: Nikki Barua is a digital innovator, serial entrepreneur, author & speaker. Monica Marquez is an ex-Googler, diversity expert and senior corporate leader.   Contact Nikki and Monica: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iambeyondbarriers/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyondbarriersco/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iambeyondbarriers/  

If you are looking for new career opportunities, then applying for a job online and hoping you get it is not an effective strategy. Regardless of your talent and experience, it’s impossible for hiring managers to spot you in a pool of thousands of candidates. That’s why relationship-based referrals account for 70% of all hires made by employers. Instead of looking for a job, focus on leveraging the power and advocacy of your community. Community is about belonging and empowerment. Having a engaged community provides access to resources and opportunities that you may not be aware of otherwise. An influential tribe is key to learning, growing, and leveling up together. Successful careers are built on continually growing networks with strong and lasting relationships. In this episode, you'll learn the 5 essential elements of community so that you can build your tribe and gain their support for your success. You’ll learn how to gain proximity to influential people and networks, how to build a peer group at the next level to help you grow, and how to seek feedback from your community.   Highlights: [00:59] Definition of community [02:18] 1 st essential element of community [03:59] 2nd essential element of community [05:23] 3rd essential element of community [06:21] 4th essential element of community [08:26] 5th essential element of community [10:05] Nikki’s favorite habit in building community [11:15] Homework for the week   Quotes: “Successful careers live and breathe because of the strong relationships and networks that individuals have.” – Monica Marquez “It's not about who you know, it's about who knows you.” – Nikki Barua “Define your Dream list, who is within your reach that you want to learn from. And then figure out how you can add value to them.” – Nikki Barua “When you have proximity to the right people, you get faster results because you are learning through their wisdom and experience.” – Nikki Barua “There's a difference between mentors and sponsors. Mentors may guide you. But sponsors are the ones that have the decision making ability to influence your career.” – Nikki Barua “Be intentional in identifying exactly you need mentorship in.” – Nikki Barua “You become the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” – Nikki Barua “By becoming peers with those at the next level, we start to emulate their habits and their mindset. And then success at that level becomes more accessible.” – Nikki Barua “Feedback is a gift that someone is giving to you because they care about you.” – Nikki Barua “When someone cares enough to give you feedback, value their perspective and their opinion, take action on it.” – Nikki Barua “If you want to earn the trust and respect of people, be the person that does exactly what they say they will.” – Nikki Barua   About Nikki and Monica: Nikki Barua is a digital innovator, serial entrepreneur, author & speaker. Monica Marquez is an ex-Googler, diversity expert and senior corporate leader.   Contact Nikki and Monica: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iambeyondbarriers/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyondbarriersco/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iambeyondbarriers/  

Have you ever felt overwhelmed and struggled to balance competing priorities? You can’t focus on one thing if you’re constantly worried about something else. Well, you are not alone. Did you know that human attention span is now less than a goldfish! In this episode, we bust the myth of multitasking, how you lose focus when you switch, and why discipline gives you freedom from stress and anxiety. Tune in to learn how to establish daily rituals with powerful habits and hacks.   Highlights: [01:45] How to remove distractions [03:47] Favorite hack # 1 [04:51] Favorite hack # 2 [06:52] Nikki’s all-time favorite hack [09:47] Homework for the week   Quotes: “When you know that what you're focusing on right now is exactly the right thing to do at that point in time, you can avoid the distraction.” – Nikki Barua “Discipline is what creates freedom.” – Nikki Barua “Setting aside time in the morning for yourself to think about your day ahead gives you the power to decide how do you want to invest your time and your energy for that day.” – Nikki Barua “Don't pick up your phone the minute you wake up. Instead start your day with a ritual that is meaningful and nourishing to your mind, body and soul.”- Nikki Barua “Recognizing and rewarding yourself is a great way to not only acknowledge your accomplishments, but to celebrate progress.” – Nikki Barua   About Nikki and Monica: Nikki Barua is a digital innovator, serial entrepreneur, author & speaker. Monica Marquez is an ex-Googler, diversity expert and senior corporate leader.   Contact Nikki and Monica: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iambeyondbarriers/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyondbarriersco/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iambeyondbarriers/  

Do you define your vision and goals but struggle to stay on track? If you can relate to missed deadlines and dreams, don’t worry you are not alone. A shocking 92 percent of people do not achieve their goals! In this episode, you'll learn the 5 essential elements of commitment so that you can set AND achieve your goals. You’ll learn how to focus on the right thing at the right time. You’ll understand the secret to staying motivated as you pursue your goals. And you’ll learn how to develop the right roadmap that helps you keep track of your results, adapt as needed, and celebrate your progress. Master these habits and hacks and turn your dreams into your destiny!   Highlights: [01:13] No secret to success [01:55] 1st Essential Element of Commitment [02:57] 2nd Essential Element of Commitment [04:58] 3rd Essential Element of Commitment [06:38] 4th Essential Element of Commitment [07:58] 5th Essential Element of Commitment [11:07] Nikki’s favorite habit or hack [16:49] Homework for the week   Quotes: “Success is about staying motivated and focusing on the right thing at the right time.” – Nikki Barua “Break down a really big dream into measurable tangible goals so you know what to focus on.” – Nikki Barua “Having clarity on a week to week level to say what is that one thing that I must get done is really important to move you forward.” – Nikki Barua “It's who we are becoming in the journey and what we're learning in the journey that defines the experience and fulfillment we have.” – Nikki Barua “Focus allows you to excel at what you're doing, give your best to it, and gives you greater fulfillment because you're not just chasing, you're enjoying the process.” – Nikki Barua “It’s important to reflect back on our accomplishments as we tend to forget how many things we’ve actually done, because we're so busy doing them.” – Nikki Barua   About Nikki and Monica: Nikki Barua is a digital innovator, serial entrepreneur, author & speaker. Monica Marquez is an ex-Googler, diversity expert and senior corporate leader.   Contact Nikki and Monica: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iambeyondbarriers/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyondbarriersco/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iambeyondbarriers/

Welcome to the Beyond Barriers Habits & Hacks Show! Have you ever worried about getting left behind? Well, on today's show, you'll learn the 5 essential elements of conviction so that you can achieve your goals and get ahead of disruptive change. According to a report by the World Economic Forum (2019), about 42% of core skills required to perform most roles will change in 3 years. With the rapid pace of automation and innovation, the average life span of skills is about 18 months before becoming obsolete. As disruption accelerates and the workplace evolves, your ability to learn quickly becomes your core skill. If you anticipate challenges, learn new skills, and pivot faster, you will eventually overcome every obstacle and get ahead of disruption. Conviction empowers you to achieve your goals, no matter what happens because you have the skillset, mindset and toolset to get ahead of change. Highlights: [00:40] The importance of conviction [01:07] Artificial intelligence and automation – Fourth Industrial Revolution [03:25] Essential element #1 [04:32] Essential element #2 [05:36] Essential element #3 [07:06] Essential element #4 [08:38] Essential element #5 [10:59] Nikki’s favorite habit or hack [12:41] Homework for the week Quotes: “We're living in the age of artificial intelligence and automation, often described as the fourth industrial revolution, because the scale and scope of change is so massive.” – Nikki Barua “Instead of being rigid in your views, or the skills you had in the past, or the beliefs you had, if you simply look at everything as an iterative process, you're just constantly in a state of motion and state of evolution moving upward and onward.” – Nikki Barua “When everything is changing, your superpower becomes your ability to learn faster than the pace of change.” – Nikki Barua “Look at failure as feedback, where you're getting evidence of what not to do, or maybe you're identifying an area of growth that you need to take action on.” – Nikki Barua “Figure out how you can invest in your own self development, in your own growth by continuously learning, you have to become a lifelong learner and make learning a daily habit.” “When you reframe failure as a learning opportunity and failure as feedback, you're able to keep moving forward, you are able to stay agile, adapt to change.” “Success, ultimately, comes from consistent execution.” About Nikki and Monica: Nikki Barua is a digital innovator, serial entrepreneur, author & speaker. Monica Marquez is an ex-Googler, diversity expert and senior corporate leader. Contact Nikki and Monica: Email: hello@beyondbarriers.co Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iambeyondbarriers/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyondbarriersco/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iambeyondbarriers/

Are you an ambitious woman who wants to dominate your career? In this episode, Nikki Barua and Monica Marquez help you develop the skillset, mindset and toolset to accelerate your success by discussing courage. They share the difference in fear and faith and the five essential elements to being courageous. Along with sharing 5 essential elements to being courageous, Nikki shares her favorite habit or hack in tackling limiting beliefs and fear and becoming courageous. She shares that this hack has built a belief system where the past doesn’t matter but it’s about who you’re becoming. She encourages listeners that once you take action and get results, your confidence builds. In conclusion, Nikki and Monica challenge you to take one habit or hack and apply it to your personal life. In addition, they’d love for you to share it with them on Instagram. They look forward to hearing from you! Highlights: [00:14} About Nikki Barua [00:18] About Monica Marquez [00:37] Welcome to Habits and Hacks [00:43] Defining courage [02:40] Courage in the five essential elements [09:46] Nikki’s favorite habit or hack [13:07] Homework for the week Quotes: “Courage is not the absence of fear but being able to move forward despite your fears.” “Courageous people have more faith (belief something positive will happen) than fear (belief that something negative will happen).” “Courageous people aren’t fearless. They just have learned to embrace faith more than fear and move forward with confidence.” “The five essential elements: 1. Knowing how to assess your fears and limiting beliefs that are holding you back 2. Knowing how to assess you risks and make decisions with certainty and confidence 3. Knowing how to adopt powerful identities to achieve your goals 4. Knowing how to communicate and show up with confidence 5. Knowing how to own your achievements and promote the impact” About Nikki and Monica: Nikki Barua is a digital innovator, serial entrepreneur, author & speaker. Monica Marquez is an ex-Googler, diversity expert and senior corporate leader. As thought leaders in innovation and inclusion, they bring unique insights on career success in the digital age. Contact Nikki and Monica: Email: hello@beyondbarriers.co Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iambeyondbarriers/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyondbarriersco/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iambeyondbarriers/

Hello Couragemakers! This week I'm speaking with the delightful Nikki Newbauer and this week is all about hope: a topic that I think is more important than ever in a world that sometimes feels like it's falling apart. Nikki is a hopeful humanitarian and founder of Little Hope Notes: an initiative that is spreading kindness, one note at a time. Nikki is passionate about loving others and spreading hope to strangers through her writing. She lives with her husband and uniquely wonderful five year old daughter in Virginia and can be often found hiking in Shenandoah National Park, coffee shop hopping, and looking for nearby creeks to play in, and are always on the lookout for tacos! In today's episode, Nikki is sharing the story behind little hope notes, her mental health journey and how writing has made a profound difference in her life. We dive into how Nikki keeps her hope alive, how random acts of kindness have made a huge difference in Nikki's life, perfectionism and how social media can be used for good. We have a great conversation about the power of comforting yourself, hitting rock bottom and Nikki shares the four things she does to look after herself and a hope note for everyone listening. This episode is a great reminder that we already have all the tools we need inside ourselves and that courage doesn't always feel like courage and the power of comforting yourself. Just a head's up before we begin that this episode does mention suicide, so look after you. This is such a hopeful episode and my hope is that it fills your heart and fans your flame of hope as much as it has mine! Nikki is building such a wonderful community and I'm so inspired by how she  is creating, to borrow Nikki's words, a tidal wave of kindness. Enjoy the show!   About Nikki   Nikki is a hopeful humanitarian and founder of Little Hope Notes: an initiative that is spreading kindness, one note at a time. Nikki is passionate about loving others and spreading hope to strangers through her writing. She lives with her husband and uniquely wonderful five year old daughter in Virginia and can be often found hiking in Shenandoah National Park, coffee shop hopping, and looking for nearby creeks to play in, and are always on the lookout for tacos! Website | Instagram | Pinterest   Things We Talked About   The story behind Little Hope Notes How random acts of kindness have made a huge difference in Nikki's life and how it inspired Little Hope Notes Nikki's mental health journey What getting to rock bottom has taught Nikki The power of comforting yourself   About your host, Meg Kissack + That Hummingbird Life  I'm Meg and I'm the host of Couragemakers and founder of That Hummingbird Life. I'm a coach for creative and multipassionate women, a writer and INFJ creative and multi-passionate who has a bit of a notebook and post-it note obsession, loves foot-stomping country music and likes her hot chocolate with way too much chocolate. I started Couragemakers because I wanted to create a platform for passionate and unconventional women to have honest conversations and to share their stories, struggles and dreams. The intention behind this podcast is to inspire and encourage creative and mission-driven women to live a wholehearted life and follow the beat of their drum. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free Sunday pep Talks to my wonderful Couragemakers community or working 1:1 with coaching clients, I'm usually covered in paint or walking my wonderfully weird cockapoo Merlin.  

Nikki Faye left her corporate job 3 years ago and took a leap of faith to gain more freedom and adventure in her life. 3 years and 30 countries later, Nikki Faye and I connect from Nairobi, Kenya to Brooklyn, NY to dive into what it’s like to date around the world as a global nomad!   Join global nomad, Nikki Faye The Wanderer and I as we discuss the ins and outs of leaving your corporate job, nomading around the world and the dating scene from Italy to Kenya, Colombia and beyond on Episode 91 of Ignite Intimacy!   About Nikki     Nikki Faye is a lover of travel, blogger, entrepreneur, public speaker and travel influencer. From a young age, she jumped at every opportunity to travel, meet people, and learn from the lives of others all around the world, and in turn, she would like to inspire and educate the people along her path to travel and experience this amazing planet to the fullest.   Connect   Instagram: NikkiFayeTheWanderer FB: NFTheWanderer Twitter: NFTheWanderer    

How could we possibly leave our amazing careers and awesome lives to live out of a single backpack? In this episode, you will find out more about who we are and what brought us to this decision to travel the world full time. We both discuss our lives before we met each other and since. We talk about our career paths, things we love (and miss), obsessions, and our sincere desire to travel. We cover how we traveled as kids, making the tough decision to leave, that final moment that made it a reality, and, finally, how tough it was to get everything in order. Thanks for checking out this episode and learning more about who we are. Enjoy!   About Matt - https://passportjoy.com/matt/
 Matt’s Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattjavit
 About Nikki - https://passportjoy.com/nikki/
 Nikki’s Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkijavit

Nikki Chin, the founder of Spark Spring, an online marketing company, tells us how to successfully navigate the business world as a solopreneur. Ever been scared to take a leap of faith and start a business by yourself? Nikki gives great advice on how to be a successful solopreneur! Solopreneur Success: Nikki moved to Louisville to reduce her cost of living, and to pursue her original dream of being a sign-language interpreter. She originally learned to sell as an insurance agent before starting Task Guardian, a digital marketing company. Nikki's pet peeve is people who try to do everything themselves and don't ask for help in business. We learn the reasons a company should choose Wordpress over another web builder such as Wix or Squarespace (Wordpress will grow as your company grows). How Nikki has built successful businesses while attending "The School of Hard Knocks" and why she believes anybody can be successful without going the traditional college route. Nikki's key to doing great is to make everything a game/competition (gamification). To self-teach herself, Nikki used Moz.com to learn how to be a successful marketer/web designer. She recommends others use online learning platforms and find a mentor if they skip the college route. If she could go back and do it again, Nikki would skip college and go straight into the workplace, but does regret missing out on some of the relationships colleges provide. The problem with most entrepreneurial failures is that people give up and are not persistent. To learn more about not giving up, check out our episode with Jon Matar. "It's the journey not the destination. Once you get to the destination you're bored." "Fail fast and optimize what is good." As we learned from our conversation with Matt Kenney, when you're young you can afford to fail because you have the rest of your life to make it up. John's mindset when starting his business was the worst thing that could happen is he goes right back to where he was with his previous employer.  Remember to focus on what you love and what you're passionate about because you don't want to be miserable and filled with regret the rest of your life.  Nikki prefers Facebook and Instagram for both personal and business but has not jumped on the Snapchat train yet.  One thing everyone can learn from Facebook is their constant drive to keep improving.  One of her keys to getting new clients is to ask for testimonials from her friends and existing clients.  Last call questions and answers: Best career advice: Never give up Advice to entrepreneur:  Have the guts and skill set to be successful.  What advice would your 60-year-old self give you today? Charge more at Task Guardian and be more selective with her clients.  Best thing spent money on the past 6 months: Rocky Patel Edge cigar. Get from J Paul at Oxmoor Smoke Shoppe Financial vice:  Going out to eat.  What media do you recommend: Essentialism by Greg McKeown Favorite drink: Yuengling! Like Phil Brun, Nikki swims well in all waters.  What do John and Paul love about Drunken Money?  John - being able to educate people without financial backgrounds about personal finance and entrepreneurship.  Paul - being able to create and keep learning every day, while hanging out with awesome people.  Special shoutouts and show notes: Yuengling, America's Oldest Brewery, is Nikki's favorite beer and one of John and Paul's gotos when they're on vacation. Scary Mommy, a blog Nikki helped that originally got her into the marketing world. Kale & Flax - a friend of everyone on the show and the designers of John's redesigned website. Wordpress - Nikki recommends companies use Wordpress to build their websites, even though the learning curve is steeper than other platforms. Executive Presence - a book Nikki highly recommends for women professionals. Enjoyed this episode? You can learn more about Nikki Chin at GoSparkSpring.com. If you enjoy hearing about startups companies, check out our episode with Jon Matar. If you want to learn more about online marketing or SEO, check out our episodes with Tarik Nally, Guardian Owl, and Jenna Ahern.  Have any topics you want to be covered or entrepreneurs you'd like us to interview? Let us know! You can email us at paul@drunkenmoney.com or john@drunkenmoney.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Linkedin. Please be sure to subscribe to our weekly mailing list at drunkenmoney.com/subscribe. About Nikki (from LinkedIn): Nikki is a professional with a focused career in the advertising industry; experience includes a variety of environments and roles. Her skill set includes digital marketing, branding, websites, client services, operations management, account management, team management, business development, community management, human resources, insurance industry, basic accounting and more.