Inside A One Person Business - An Interview With Nikki Trott
Join Ellen as she sits down with Nikki Trott, one person business owner whose work spans brand strategy, advisory, coaching and investing. Nikki embodies what it means to build a business around your values. She is dedicated to helping founders and businesses achieve strategic clarity, to create extraordinary impact in the world and their bottom line. Her journey is full of inflection points and big leaps which she deep dives on with Ellen in this interview. Watch the interview for an insight into business ownership as a heart-centric founder, what it means to combine business culture and movements, and the power of making decisions from intuition over data.
Nikki has truly unlocked the power of building a business around her values with Conscious Accelerator. She is an experienced strategist for brands, an advisor, trained coach, investor and podcast host who specialises in supporting businesses to achieve success whilst also putting the planet first. After realising her dream job in high end fashion (flying all over the world and staying in 5*star hotels) had little meaning to her personally, Nikki decided to upend her life to chase purpose. Fast forward to today and she is a trusted sparring partner for founders intent on creating purpose alongside profit. Nikki pivots her business around her intuition and embraces her femininity to the benefit of her clients. From experimenting with a podcast to hosting dinner parties for leaders in the sustainable industry, Nikki’s business is a fluid and fun expression of what is important to her and in this episode she tells us just how she does it.
Listen or watch this episode to learn more about:
Nikki’s personal motivator to live a different life each day of her business, and to do what maker her heart sing (bringing her mission of helping the planet into her wide-ranging support for founders)
Her strategy for connecting with her network despite being a digital nomad for 4 years and advice on how to balance passion and profit in a one person business
What strategic clarity means to her clients and how she’s honed her abilities to offer this to both startups and household name brands
Her take on how the future of business will operate at the intersection of brand culture and social movements
Why bringing her femininity to founder coaching inspires others to level up internally
The role of intuition in business and what happened when she made business decisions with her body for one whole year
Why it’s ok to do what is fun, not just what is strategically relevant
Catch up with Nikki on LinkedIn.
Read on for the full transcript.
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ED: Hey, Nikki, welcome to The Ask’s One Person business interview series. Thanks for coming on today. Thanks for having me, Ellen. Yeah, I'm excited to explore more of your background, what you're up to. I know you are an investor, you're a brand activist, you are a consultant, a coach, podcast host. So clearly a woman of inspiration for lots of our audience, people who are interested in building a one person business around like what they love, what they're good at, and you seem to be doing that to a T.
So would you go ahead and introduce yourself, what you got to day to day and what your mission is as well? I think that's really exciting to hear more about your mission.
NT: Thank you so much. I know it sounds like a long list of things. What I get up to day to day is different every day. And that's one of the reasons that I do this because I love to have every day be different and being able to really work on what makes my heart sing and not just go through the motions and repeating and repeating and repeating. But should I tell you a little bit about where I've come from and how that's influenced where I am now?
ED:Yeah. One of the questions I love to hear is why did you end up here? What is the background steps that led you today to this business specifically?
NT: Yeah. Okay. So you asked about my mission and my mission is really to help people who want to bring businesses for the good of people and planets and to get rid of this myth that you have to choose between profit or purpose and really bring them together to help people to drive greater profit from greater purpose. So that's my mission. Another part of it is that I'm really passionate about helping people transform themselves. So that they can transform business.
And I'm deeply involved in the business for good movements and B Corp and different, different business for good summits and communities and places where I go and speak and host. And I feel that can be a sense of congratulating ourselves for doing something that's better and stopping there. And really we need to be constantly transforming ourselves on the inside.
So finding ways to get rid of our own blockers. For example, if I'm helping a founder through a fundraising, there will be strategic work that we're doing there around how we position their business, how we're working on the pitch deck, but then they'll come against some imposter syndrome or some in kind of internal blocks that are stopping them from asking for more, for example.
So we need to also address those. And I've been researching this for the book that I'm writing at the moment. And I feel that since the industrial revolution, we were kind of told let's separate who we are from our work. And Leave yourself at home, put on a uniform, go into a place and repeat after me, copy this that I'm doing and just do that.
And you kind of then, I think as a hangover from that, adopt the values of the organization or the corporate as your own, but that's not really true, we're entering a new era now. So when we want to bring our true values to how we do business, that also means transforming our true selves in how we do business as well.
So those are the driving beliefs that underpin what I'm doing. And in terms of the journey, I worked in fashion for a long time, more than a decade. I'm from London and I was consulting brands across London, New York, working at agencies and then for my own consulting. Brands from Dior to Mulberry, Mercedes Benz, Calvin Klein, Gary Lafayette, lots of big, major, famous fashion lifestyle luxury brands.
And it was awesome. And I thought I was living my dream. I was flying around. I was the youngest director, still in my twenties, staying in five star hotels. And I thought, okay, this is the dream I've achieved. What I set out to achieve. This is success, but it didn't feel like success. And that is because I had a niggling feeling in the bottom of my stomach that said, This isn't meaningful for you.
This isn't really what you care about. And I had this moment. I was 29, the Brexit vote came, which kind of shook me and kicked me out of the UK. I left then. And I realized that I wasn't living my own true version of success. So I became vegan, started meditating all of these things in my personal life.
But then I realized I needed to take that into how I did business. So that was a big turning point for me.
ED: So that was going to be my next question. Like, what do you think the essence, like the Nickiness that you have in yourself which, which aspects of that do you feel like you're looking for? What, what choose, what calls someone to choose Nicky? Does that resonate in terms of like the, the backstory you bring to your clients and the goals that they're trying to achieve in the world?
NT: Yeah, I think that it's a sense that there is for founders and CEOs of businesses, they're ambitious. They have a vision. They want this to work. They want it to grow and to be meaningful and to be successful, obviously.vBut the founders and CEOs who I'm working with also want to do something that leaves a legacy that's greater than them, that's greater than profit. And that doesn't mean that profit isn't good. Profit's amazing. I want them to have the profit because they're then the people who decide where the money flows to.
Awesome. I want the people who want to make a positive impact on the world who are taking responsibility, care and love towards people on the planet to have all the money to decide where it goes to from their pockets. But I think, so they want to see a merge Of these two worlds. I think that's why they come to me because they know that I understand big world famous global brands and working at a established strategic level and understanding how to really build cutting edge leading strategies for the world's best brands.
But also they know my personal values, where I come from, depends how well they know me, but they know about my spirituality or they know about my love of nature or, you know, that they know that those things also come into it. And so I think that that's why, because they within themselves are looking for in this world that's so material, how to bring together positive impact, profit and success.
And that's what I do fundamentally.
ED: Yeah. And I, I see that for you. It's almost like a quilt. I describe it as like a quilt patchwork, you know, these different pieces of the puzzle and you're not just a consultant or an advisor, right? You bring all of that richness of experience and belief systems to your clients. And that's why they chose you and the nature piece that almost you being on flights, you're experiencing, you're like profit piece there. And you were in your early twenties, but you weren't experiencing that purpose piece. So. The bridging of those two worlds is what you've done for yourself before you were able to do it for your clients as well.
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Tell me a bit about the transformations that your clients might experience as a result of doing the work that you do.
NT: Yeah. Okay. So for me, I work with brands at all levels. So I can be at the same time writing a strategy for a brand which is pre launch and writing a strategy for a huge household name brand.
So I've always worked across the whole spectrum and I love to, but for me it's about taking them to the next level, really smashing the ceiling that's above them so that they can position themselves at the next level. So I bring strategic clarity Which is really important because when you're working inside a brand, you're very much swimming around and all the details, all the fine tuning and all of the things that you're working with every day.
You need an external pair of eyes and perspective to come in and look. So I see myself a bit like an Eagle. You know, and I look at all the different stakeholders at different perspectives, what they need, and then bring it together in something super clear and crystallized that they can then actually action upon the news.
So I think strategic clarity is one. Another is just having the, the expertise to take them to the next level as a brand. So understanding how culture plays into it, how the, the community that they're building plays into it, how to create a space for the brand that goes beyond competition. Where they can really own their own space and how to create a brand as a movement, because I really think that this is the future of brands.
It's about people wanting to come on your journey as an advocate because you're bringing them something that they care about that's much more than your own profit or your own bottom line, but it's really advocating for something we need in culture. So I love this exchange between culture of brands and movements and how we can be part of that system.
So it's, it's all about helping the brand to up level, but it's also about working with the founder. So sometimes I just do strategic projects, which is awesome, which I'll write a brand strategy or marketing strategy. And it's a clear piece of work. But other times I'll do both or I'll be the strategic sparring partner, the founders, advisor and coach, because I am also a trained coach.
I don't do pure coaching, but I bring the deep personal elements of coaching into my Approach of strategy. I think this is a kind of feminine approach as well to really say I'm human being and I'm leading a business. So how I feel what's happening inside me is always going to be expressed in the business that I create.
I mean, I've been in fashion. I've seen some toxic places and I'm sorry, but I think it's quite clear where they come from. They come from the internal world of a person who's not doing the work on themselves. So how can we help people to up level within themselves as well? So when they choose that path with me to have me as their ongoing sparring partner, that's also fundamental, which you know very well in what you do.
Spreads across every area of their life. So yes, their business up levels, but so do their relationships. So many other things, their confidence, how they, their self worth, because we're really helping them to grow and transform along with their business. And of course it doesn't make sense for a business to be going like this and a founder staying at the same level.
Yeah, the two are intrinsically interlinked and often someone can buy business coaching because it can feel tangible and I get what I'm getting, but the unexpected impact of that is like you say, those relationships flourish, the confidence, self belief, decision making, risk taking, like all the pieces of that puzzle that support you to be a good business owner.
ED: So. You touched on it. I'd love to dive in to the next level of detail, which is what are the services that you offer, like the product ecosystem of Nikki's one person business, so to speak.
NT: Okay. So strategy consulting number one, and in that it includes, depending on what my clients need, brand strategy, impact strategy, marketing strategy, content strategy, storytelling strategy.
So it's all actually creative strategy when you think about it, and it's positioning the brand so that it can really excel in culture, break through beyond competition, and, and create a movement and a community that come with it as advocates. So Those are specific. It could be a strategy for an activation or it can be when a brand is launching something or when it wants to move up to another level or expand a new market, that kind of thing.
Second, Workshops and speaking. So I do lots of workshops for brands, but also speaking and summits and all sorts of things around these topics. And then the third one is the one on one being the advisor and coach for founders and CEOs. And in that package, it's a way that we work ongoing, but it's strategic sparring and coming up with ideas and working through the strategic blockers, challenges, and opportunities.
As much as it is then the internal and sometimes someone will come to do the advisory coaching work with me and they think it's more internal but it ends up being more about business or they think it's going to be about business that ends up there needing to be more internal sometimes or sometimes it stays in one or the other.
So it's really client led.
ED: And would you with your founder coach clients ever do that strategy or do you not try not to kind of cross pollinate that you don't need to?
NT: Absolutely. Yeah.
ED: Very cool. Well I'm curious then also about the podcast and how that fits into it. Do you see that as a marketing channel or do you see it as spreading your message outside your clients? Like I'm putting words into your mouth, but what does the podcast do for you?
NT: Yeah. Okay. So 2020 corona's just hit off. Everyone's wondering what the hell's going on. I'm in Byron Bay, Australia in heaven. Don't tell anyone. Cause. Yeah. I think a lot of people, a lot of my friends would have chosen to be there.
I'm in heaven. Just by this huge beach with this tropical forest. And honestly, my life didn't change. I just said, okay, stay in Australia another six months then. And I, and, and it came to me, you need to do a podcast called going conscious. And it was like, you know, when an idea comes to you and it hits you in the face and it's complete sentence, it's just, yeah, it's there.
It's in. And some people might say that's a message from the universe. Some might say your subconscious was cooking it up for ages. Whatever it is, wherever it's coming from, my intuition said, yes. I need to do this and I don't really know why, but I'm excited and and I'm somebody who loves people and I'm always out hosting dinners around different topics.
I was just in Brussels for the Investing in Regenerative Agriculture Summit a couple of weeks ago and I hosted a dinner for 20 pioneers of regenerative agriculture and investment and had this amazing dinner. There were also brand leaders and conscious filmmakers and such a mix of people. the people and it's electric.
I love this. So a podcast is also a way to do that. But I think I was a nomad at the time and I was a nomad for almost four years. And it's also a way to connect with my network and my people just keep those conversations going. So my podcast has always been something that I wanted to keep integrity around and not make it a sales funnel.
I mentioned what I'm doing, but I don't try to sell and I just enjoy the organic relationships that come into my life. And then when I feel like, Hey, do you want to come on my podcast? Let's have another deeper conversation. What it's brought me is people who don't know me get to know me. Sometimes it's funny because I speak to somebody and they say, yeah, I heard about your Your childbirth.
Oh, okay. Okay. And some of the kind of forget that, you know, people, I think it just gives them a sense of trust or a sense of getting to know me, which really helps in any kind of collaboration or business conversation. But it's not something I use to specifically try and drive sales.
ED: Yeah, there's so many different ways to look at marketing content creation. And one of them, I think a lot of people are interested in is like as a product itself, like creating something that they can sell, be it a substack paid business model or getting sponsors for a podcast or whatever. Then there's like marketing to grow leads and, and nurture. Pipeline and then there's just like brand building around a mission or a movement.
I feel like that's kind of what your podcast is for you. In addition to serving on almost that personal gain of, I want to speak to interesting people and stay connected to my network.
NT: And I'm in Byron Bay, which sounds awful. So yeah, I can see how it's kind of the third piece there. And sometimes I think we have to follow our passions and our hearts and do things that feel awesome. And you don't have to always be able to tie it back to the bottom line. I need to have a balance where I know I'm spending enough of my time on activities that generate money for my business, which I need, but I also believe in following passions and not just making ourselves into transactions. That's not all that I am.
And I belong to a ceramic studio and someone's finding really hard to give myself permission to go to the studio. I mean, it's only at the weekends and I'll spend say three hours. making ceramics. Why am I going to sell them? Am I going to become a famous ceramics artist? I don't know, probably unlikely, but it feels so good that I allow myself to do it because it's part of my whole.
So I've tried to retrain myself because we are brought up in the system of like time equals productivity, productivity equals money, that equals self worth. And actually, no, my self worth is not related to how much of my time generates money. It's about having self worth. Successful thriving business and doing other things that I love.
So I didn't know where my podcast fit in, but I knew my intuition would tell me the right thing. You know, it's interesting three years later, 150 podcast episodes out there. I'm just as weak signing a book deal. Well, it was sent to me for a, for my first book with an incredible top publisher. Amazing. Would that have come without the podcast? Don't think so. Would I have known that setting out in the podcast? Absolutely not. Definitely not. So I think for me, it's also just shows me that when I follow my heart and do what feels amazing and where my energy naturally flows, it's going to lead me to greater places. Sometimes beyond my imagination in that moment.
ED: Oh, amazing. Well, there's such a lesson.
NT: Let's be unstrategic.
ED: Yeah. Let's not really go through the data and comb through facts and look internally and go, what feels good. And like your podcast. Yeah. It was a bit of a whim, but an aligned intuitive one, which from what I've seen about your work is, is very true to how you serve your clients and how you encourage them to, to be in the world as well. So congratulations on the book deal, if I can say that. Not yet. Prematurely. So probably have time for one more question. I'm curious if you felt like there are times where you've had to change course or, or, or a lesson was really hard one, any kind of pure to look back to earlier Nikki and give her some advice and similarly to the audience watching this, what preventative things that you've done differently or lessons that you've really had to have a hard time learning in some ways.
NT: Interesting. I think because we were talking about intuition, I'm going to go there. So one of the hardest lessons for me was I felt I needed to say yes to everything, especially as a single business owner. I wanted to. say yes, whenever a project came on my desk, as long as I of course have my filter. I call my business conscious accelerator for a reason because it's meant to be allergic.
It's meant to make people who are allergic to it, not approach me. You know, you don't like the word conscious. I'm probably, probably not, not the one for you. So let's just put it up front and center. But something I found really hard to do was to listen to my intuition and say no to projects and clients.
So I set myself the goal beginning of 2023 to say this year, I'm going to make all of my business decisions with my body. I think we've all had those situations where we, we have something in front of us and go, okay, it ticks this box and this box and this and that. It doesn't feel right. It feels, ugh, something I don't like about it.
It's not gonna go well. I don't really know why. But it ticks all the boxes. Let's do it. Let's see. And of course, I think we're always right. And something was there. Something was off. So in 2023, I'm just going to be radical. I'm going to make every business decision with my body and see what happens.
Felt radical. Actually, it seems obvious now that I did it for a year, but I made one mistake. Where I got a project and I knew it didn't feel right. I didn't get good vibes. But I wanted to do it because it was also an opportunity for some of the collaborators who I work with on projects. So I have a great social media strategist I have a great copywriter who I love to bring into projects. And it was for all three of us. And I thought, that's so lovely for us to do another one together. And so I said yes, and yeah, long story short, he totally wasted time, went back on his word, was asking for really unreasonable things, and I thought, yeah, why did I do that?
So my lesson was, again, listen to your intuition, and just go with what feels right, and stay true to yourself.
ED: And that's almost permission to throw out that tick box because otherwise you would have seen that the answer there. So yeah, I think it's a muscle, isn't it, that we build and grow and I know you have some good resources on your website about meditation and like listening to your body.
So maybe that's a good place to land is sharing with people how they can continue to find you, follow you, potentially work with you. Where should we direct people?
NT: Yes, I think the best place is LinkedIn. So just, I'm just Nikki Trott on LinkedIn. I know you'll include my link or on Instagram, just add Nikki Trott.
And then my website is consciousaccelerator. com, but I'd love to connect with you on LinkedIn.
ED: Yeah, well go check out what Nikki's up to. Some incredible brands, collaborations. Changes that you're, you're bringing with your movement. So thank you for coming on our little movement today to spread the one person business model successes. So yeah, congrats on all of yours and hopefully speak to you soon. Thank you so much.
NT: Thanks for the work you're doing. I really appreciate you having me today. Take care. Bye.
