We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nichole Pitts a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Nichole, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the best or worst investment you’ve made?
The best investment I made as a business owner was hiring a brand strategist. I wish I had done it sooner! When I started my business, I modeled it after the typical “corporate image.” I wanted to fit in with other industry consultants. My service descriptions were pretty sterile and focused on standard US Department of Justice best practice guidance.
After a while, I noticed that my work wasn’t fulfilling, and I started questioning the value I was adding to these organizations. It felt like my business was all over the place and was running me instead of me running it. I had way too many customized engagements and needed more structure.
So I decided to engage a brand strategist who helped me to figure out how to refresh my business to focus on the aspects of ethics and diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) that I’m passionate about, identifying my ideal client, and creating service offerings that are rooted in providing effective & sustainable solutions for my clients.
Figuring out my brand was a game-changer! By honing in on the specifics of DEI and ethics that I love, I was hyper-focused on creating services & solutions to specific problems in a very creative way.
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
With a Doctorate of Jurisprudence from Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law, I thought I had everything I would need to be happy. But something was missing.
Until one unexpected call changed my life forever, I was offered an opportunity to move to Paris to lead the ethics & compliance department for a global civil engineering firm. I already loved travel but adding the focus on diverse cultures was fascinating. After a few years, I eventually started my own company.
Then I got caught in another unhealthy cycle of competition. I continuously measured myself to other entrepreneurs and needed to understand that I was comparing my Year 1 against their Year 5. Tuning into my needs and prioritizing lasting relationships helped me escape the grind and create a work-life balance and company where being authentic and personal is at the core of how I do business.
Now I only compete with myself and pour into other entrepreneurs to help us grow collectively. I also help organizations forge their way into a future where healthy culture drives business and creativity allows them to thrive.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
It was never my desire to be an entrepreneur. My focus was to become a C-suite executive with all the money and all of the things. As I was climbing the corporate ladder, I realized it wasn’t really about talent — it was about politics.
After becoming an executive, it was less fulfilling than I thought. In fact, it was more stressful, and I didn’t find the work personally rewarding. I had no work/life balance and ended up burned out. In those dark moments, I had the idea to start my own company. So, after talking it over with my therapist and identifying effective coping mechanisms for the reality of not having that direct deposit hit my bank account every two weeks, I tendered my resignation.
As I started my business, I quickly learned that being a subject matter expert was only part of what was needed to succeed. I had no idea how to run a business on my own. This created a feeling of inadequacy and imposter syndrome that I had to work through while figuring out all of the administrative aspects of the business (i.e., strategy, accounting, business filings, visas, marketing, etc.).
I began networking with other entrepreneurs at various stages in their businesses. This helped me to understand what to expect as seasoned entrepreneurs would share lessons learned. And it also helped me develop a tribe of entrepreneurs at the start of their journey where we would work together to figure it out.
Over the years, I’ve realized that entrepreneurship is full of peaks and valleys. I’ve had to learn to be more flexible and comfortable in a constant state of learning. Your “to-do” list is never done, but finding new things to enhance your business is exciting!
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I had to learn that I did not need external validation. That drove my career, and it transferred over to my business. By seeking approval from so many people, I lost myself. It also made me fear using my voice and speaking out on issues because I wondered about the value I would add.
I learned through executive coaching to trust myself and that the only one that determines what success looks like to me is me. By embracing this thought, I rebranded my business to be more transparent and authentically me.
I work in a space that revolves around constantly being uncomfortable, and I wanted to ensure I was doing the uncomfortable work I ask of my clients. This has created a more genuine connection with my clients and pushed us past performative work into being change agents.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ethintegrity.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ethintegrity/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholepitts
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ethintegrity
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC61BkSIr-lF7BeSnWwKhvQg
- Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3iHzJz6pK5xuZ9cyHyfOE2?si=9b0d51c08c5e4aff&nd=1
Image Credits
Photos by Paulina Branding Photography