We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nicky Altikulac, BCBA. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nicky below.

Nicky, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

’ve been working with the special needs population for over 30 years now. I wanted to have a resource FOR them as much as ABOUT them. There are so many YouTube videos for the neurotypical population that are not applicable for special needs individuals. It has always been, in my mind, a necessity to educate the public on the nature of ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) and while many different educational platforms were considered, the Youtube option made it more affordable for me to start. There is much to learn about the nature of autism, its benefits, its challenges and ways to identify it. Since we live in a culture where the education field has changed incredibly partly because of Youtube, I have embarked on a journey to join cultural trends and create a Youtube channel devoted solely to educating the public on the subject. As formerly mentioned, there is so much to learn about ASD and I am thrilled to be able to bring FREE education to the public via my new Youtube channel!

Nicky, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a board certified behavioral analyst. I’ve been working with the special needs population for over 30 years. Currently I have a company with 4 clinics that provides ABA, speech and occupational therapy services and I lead an adult spectrum group as a volunteer. We’re a proud sponsor of local special needs organizations. I used to travel internationally (before covid) to give training to professionals who work with children on the spectrum. I always wanted to work with special needs since high school even though I have never seen a special needs individual before then. I’m very passionate about my job. I want to go above and beyond the resources available for them and bring impactful solutions and encouragement to the autism demographic and give them a voice in the community.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Well, the first step is to know the goal is and believe in the end goal and then maybe slowly, but surely, you will begin to attract others that believe in the same goal. Next step is to value your team members. I can not emphasize enough how important it is to show your team that they are valued and to have the humility to acknowledge that without them, I would not be where I am today. Let them know that they have job security BECAUSE they are valued and in this very uncertain world, job security has become a scarce guarantee. Next step is be patient with the process. Do you have to have flexibility when things don’t go as planned either circumstantially, if you don’t get the kind of responses from potential partners, views on YouTube are not as high as you’d like at first, ect. Hold fast to all the classic clichés, Rome was not built in a day. 😁 just keep moving forward despite any setbacks or discouraging bumps in the road, and consistently establish and reinforce in your team that they are valued and that their time is worth to you what they’re doing. That speaks more volumes than simply a paycheck. Also creates fun ways to do things. Wow your team to contribute ideas to the project. Remember as one person, we don’t have all the answers.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I certainly would say that we have a ways to go when it comes to building a reputation in the market but I would say part of it requires knowledge of the industry. We live in a very different world than we did 50 years ago and what is considered popular in the social norms and in the fields of entertainment and informative technology, has drastically evolved. So, setting yourself up for success by adhering to the unwritten rules of video length and pacing of video content helps in establishing and maintaining audience participation. Marketing and advertising is also crucial. That takes time, dedication and a good team. Once you have a good product and you know that people will want it, it’s only a matter of getting it in front of your audience which is not as easy as people may think it is. It requires enormous amounts of time and resources. Social Media is the number one outlet for advertising and marketing in that it is free and it is widely used. Other methods however, can also be used. My advice is start slow and work mainly with social media. As budget allows, other types of avenues will prove to be helpful as well. Don’t give up when things don’t show immediate improvements even after money is spent. One has to be patient with the process. Thanks for your time!

Contact Info:

• Facebook: AKF Channel
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AKFchannel2022/featured

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