We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nikki Barjon a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Nikki, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? The world needs to hear more realistic, actionable stories about this critical part of the business building journey. Tell us your scaling up story – bring us along so we can understand what it was like making the decisions you had, implementing the strategies/tactics etc.

I wasn’t born knowing how to do any of this. There was no roadmap, no fancy degrees, no family money or connections that landed me in the rooms I wasn’t “qualified” to be in. What got me here was patience, an insatiable curiosity, and an unwavering commitment to learning, adapting, and doing the work—day in and day out.

Scaling my business wasn’t an overnight success. It took years of researching, planning, and learning from people who had been where I wanted to go. I studied everything—business, psychology, branding, human potential—because I knew that success isn’t just about talent; it’s about understanding people, solving problems, and creating real value.

In the beginning, I just had good ideas—I always had the ability to think fast and rise to the occasion. I began sharpening my lens, and stretching my capacity. There were tough days, moments when I questioned everything, times when the money didn’t stretch far enough, and obstacles that felt insurmountable. But every challenge forced me to pivot, to find creative solutions, to stay agile. That’s why “Brand New: Mastering the Art of the Pivot” isn’t just the title of my book—it’s the mantra I live by.

The key to scaling was being relentless about three things: building and maintaining the right relationships, creating undeniable value, and staying adaptable. I would also add implementing systems and structure to hold myself and those around me accountable. As for the relationships, I want to emphasize, underline and circle the words “right relationships. And that goes for personal and professional relationships. Every partnership we formed, every event we held, every program we developed, was intentional. We didn’t just want to grow—we wanted to grow the right way, with integrity, impact, and a deep sense of purpose.

One of the biggest turning points was realizing that it was the mindset of not chasing success, but chasing significance that separated me. My slow, intentional growth, moving with a deliberate focus of doing things that mattered to me, and building relationships and success that lasted was vital. Once I embraced that identity, everything changed. I expanded my capacity, the right people showed up whom I built strategic partnerships with, I launched new initiatives, and invested in my own vision and brand differently. Sure, mistakes were made, lessons were learned, but I kept moving forward.

So, if there’s one thing I want people to take away from my story, it’s this: success is built in the middle phase—the part no one talks about. The years of patience, the countless hours spent learning, testing, failing, and adjusting. If you’re willing to stay the course, embrace the pivots, and do the real work—a meaningful-rich life is possible.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a Global Branding and Crisis Specialist. I currently run a branding agency in Atlanta, Georgia, The Brandshoppe. We help brands think forward and harness the power of branding to unify drive innovation, and influence modern culture. I got into the industry the somewhat traditional route, through a large agency. I started in PR and later moved into branding, consumer products, music and then onto film and television and finally into sports. I put in an insane amount of hard-work, but learned from some of the best in the business, in each sector which led to some wonderful milestones.

My agency specializes in helping you either build and enhance your brand or if you come to me in crisis, repair, protect and rebuild your brand. I’m known for helping steer and position brands into the future. We specialize developing brand strategy, brand design, brand activation, verbal and visual identity, positioning and all the communications verticals to define, build, and activate brands to ensure they build and have a strong foundation for the future. I have a strong focus on legacy planning.

What sets me apart is two fold. First, I have a very unique set of gifts and personality. That includes an in-sane amount of knowledge and skills across a wide variety of sectors, but I make everything and everyone I touch better. I lead with a sense of humor and most importantly, the heart to bring the best out of people. I drive others far beyond where they thought possible. Secondly, I understand why I’m here, which is to serve. My company and everything I build is done with and enormous amount of love, a passion for what’s possible and a commitment to be an unstoppable force for making goodness attractive. I’m most proud of the lives I’ve changed and transformed. The main thing that people should know about me is that no matter how good you are at thinking through your what’s next, or what’s possible I can add a tremendous amount of value because I sort of see in 3D. I see things that no one else sees and I have a rare mix of part art, part science creating a formula that is uniquely mine. My company is one of the best thought partners you can have because we care differently.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Absolutely. Pivoting isn’t just something I’ve done once or twice—it’s my way of life. That’s why Brand New: Mastering the Art of the Pivot isn’t just a book title; it’s the foundation of everything I’ve built.

One of the biggest pivots I ever made was taking the leap to create my newest business BRXND Sportsplex, a facility that specializes in athlete development. I didn’t come from a family of business owners, and I wasn’t handed a blueprint for success. I was stepping out of one of the most lucrative times in my career into a space where there were no guarantees—just a vision and a belief that young athletes needed more than just training; they needed mentorship, structure, and a foundation for success beyond sports. More importantly, they needed protection from the predatory tactics that have taken over sports.

At the time, I was already deeply involved in branding very high profile, big brands, but I saw a gap and felt a sense of deep responsibility and urgency. I knew I could either stay comfortable doing what I’d always done or step into something bigger—something that required more responsibility, and a complete rethinking of how I approached my career. Something that was predicated on building a life and brand that truly mattered and was meant to last and stretch beyond my personal success. It meant learning everything from facility management to training to community-building to fundraising—skills I was determined to master. It also meant working even harder than ever, for even less money or financial reward.

And like every pivot, it wasn’t easy. There were and still are setbacks, huge financial strains, and moments of doubt. But that’s the reality of reinvention—growth happens in the middle of uncertainty. Every challenge pushes me to adapt, to get creative, to lean on my values, and most importantly, to keep moving forward.

That’s why and when I wrote Brand New. Because pivots—whether in business, career, or life—are key in life. If you can master the art of the pivot, and better yet, turn your footwork into a classical dance, then there’s no limit to where you can go.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

My co-founder and business partner is actually my husband, who was also my college sweetheart. We met in a statistics class—ironically, because I was trying to look at his paper during a test where I didn’t know the answers. We started “studying” together, and here we are, 21 years later, married with two amazing children—a sophomore at the University of Florida and a sophomore in high school.

While we both have been running our own separate businesses, this is the first time that we have built a business together. It’s definitely been a learning process. We’ve had to learn to not make decisions unilaterally, learn to give each other space, and learn when we need to be a leader, versus the leader. We’ve even had to learn to navigate how we individually process success, failure, challenges, and even broken ideas. There have been moments of growth, moments of tension, moments of pure joy and moments of pure hell. But the biggest shift in perspective for me has been realizing that this isn’t just about building a business—it’s about building something bigger than ourselves. It sounds cliché, but that is the driving force. I now see our work more as a ministry. Of course, we are not ministers in a religious sense, but this is a way for us to not only create success for our own family, but to pour into other families and into our community in a meaningful way. We’re not just developing athletes; we’re shaping futures, instilling values, and creating opportunities. And that responsibility fuels everything we do.

It’s also been a real-life lesson in the principles I talk about in my book, Brand New: Mastering the Art of the Pivot. Every day, we’re making adjustments, learning from each other, and refining our vision. Working with my husband has reinforced something I’ve always believed—success isn’t about getting everything right; it’s about how well you adapt, grow, and stay committed to something greater than yourself.

It’s been an incredible journey—one that has challenged us, stretched us, and ultimately strengthened us.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nikkibarjon.com
• Instagram: @thenikkibarjon
• Linkedin: @nikkibarjon

Image Credits

Shawn Renae (for all photos)