We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dr. Nikki Smith a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Dr. Nikki, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
About 10 years ago a new methodology emerged called Design Thinking that offered a new perspective that put people, more specifically having a deep understanding of people at the center of problem solving rather than just thinking about the business objectives of that problem. This gave organizations, mostly large tech corporations like Google and Apple, the opportunity to tap into the hearts and minds of their customers and really begin to understand them at a deeper level so that they can better position their products and services in a way that resonated. Companies also saw Design Thinking as a way to spark internal organizational change and remove the status-quo thinking and inspire new ideas.
Over the past decade, I’ve become an expert in this space. Using this methodology in a corporate space allowed me to see how you can position something that is more about the feelings and behaviors of people and position it in a way that motivated action and had tangible results. So I sharpened my skills, traveled the world training, and then created ad.do consulting where I marry cultural context + business acumen + Design Thinking.
ad.do means “to inspire” in Latin.
I’m so proud of this company because I have been able to leverage a skill that is really unique and mostly used in tech and design, to bring a fresh perspective to the community in areas I’m really passionate about; business strategy, financial activism, and career development. We aren’t venting, we’re leveraging intentional problem-solving exercises to get to the root of the challenges and be creative in our solutioning. White boards, whether virtual or in-person, are a must. Sharpies, stickies, we have it all. Even in the financial empowerment workshops I do in the community. Imagine not only unpacking your relationship with money, or what’s holding you back in your career, or why you’re unable to scale your business, in a REAL way — while using stickies, sharpies, and templates to come up with innovative solutions that will actually inspire long-term, sustainable action.
We’re using creativity and innovation to ask deep questions and solve big problems so that we can untangle patterns of behavior and not just speak to empty platitudes that mean nothing in terms of true change.
Dr. Nikki, 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 passionate about all things people and creating unique and unmatched experiences. Bringing forward human-centricity that elevates
strategy and delivers business outcomes is my jam. Serving in diverse roles in
the innovation space, I became a confident leader who is adamant about
bringing the voice of the people into the board room and ensuring the
experiences we deliver are inclusive, accessible, and equitable.
As I reflect on how the world around us is changing and has changed, I
concluded that one mantra has remained the same throughout my career;
People. First. Always.
St. Louis born and raised! I received my BA in Strategic Communications from the
University of North Texas, MBA- Market Research from Webster University,
And I am most proud of recently receiving her Ph.D – Business Management with
a concentration in business model innovation and experience design.
At ad.do consulting we have the opportunity and the skills to design the
world we want to live in –one that works with people and for people. We
specialize in the application of experience design and business strategy to
solve your biggest and most pressing challenges. We work for clients
across all industries, unleashing the limitless potential design combined
with the right business strategy and the right partners.
An area of specialty for us is leadership development. We have created a
new niche that is unlike any other professional development offering. We
unlocked our superpower of experience design to create a series of
leadership workshops that reimagine how we think about personal and
professional development. By focusing on the whole human, we provide
relevance and context to how you develop from the inside-out in order to
create sustainable behavior changes that will empower you throughout
your career.
We are audacious and collaborative, which are character traits that shine
through in our work. We have a deep love for our community and put that
love into action by delivering innovative and healing workshops. Our
workshops are designed so that everyone feels seen, heard, and
understood — no matter where you are in life and regardless of
circumstance.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
The great thing about the period we’re in right now is that people are really starting to see and understand that small businesses are really the driving force in this country in a number of different including job creation. So funding organizations are beginning to recognize that and open up many resources for small business owners to money. Things like grants for nonprofits, fellowship programs that offer funding, and branding deals.
I’m always an advocate of responsibly, key word ‘responsibly” using your main source of income to help fund your business. I would not say be responsible with budgeting your money and smart about how much you’re putting into your business, especially before your business starts generating revenue on its own. Just say be very careful about you use your main source of income to fund your business but for most people that’s going to be their best and most accessible option.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
N/A
Contact Info:
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/nikki-smith-phd
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfcbO0gL35rqtCC_tl_HgVw
Image Credits
Church Productions