We recently connected with Nicole Kuklok-Waldman Kate Hennigan and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Nicole Kuklok-Waldman thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Often outsiders look at a successful business and think it became a success overnight. Even media and especially movies love to gloss over nitty, gritty details that went into that middle phase of your business – after you started but before you got to where you are today. In our experience, overnight success is usually the result of years of hard work laying the foundation for success, but unfortunately, it’s exactly this part of the story that most of the media ignores. Can you talk to us about your scaling up story – what are some of the nitty, gritty details folks should know about?
We started the business with just the two of us…both of us doing everything, from business development to bookkeeping to web design! The first piece of advice we give anyone is to let the experts do the work that you aren’t an expert in. Find a good team to support you as consultants. This means finding good referrals for insurance brokers, bookkeepers, web and graphic designers. Don’t waste your valuable time doing things that others can do better and more efficiently than you can.
When you want to scale up, it is important to set goals and understand your numbers. You cannot scale up without understanding where and how you are making money, and data can help you do that. Good bookkeeping and time tracking can show you where you are making money and where you are not. Also, it’s important to work with people who share your values. If a consultant or work partner doesn’t share your values, it’s OK to pass. Your team holds your career and your biggest asset in their hands, so trust your gut!
Then set goals based on what is making you money, and look hard at what activities are making you less. There might be a reason you stick to those activities–perhaps they feed into bigger opportunities, or maybe they help build relationships–or maybe you don’t make enough money from them and it’s time to let them go. Change is part of any business plan, and you have to welcome change to grow.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Kate and Nicole started Collaborate, Inc. in 2018, after they had become clear that they could run an awesome woman-owned business and own their own success instead of handing it to others. Collaborate, Inc. is an integrated public affairs firm that offers lobbying, community outreach, entitlement, and communications services to its clients. We work with state and local agencies and elected officials to help problem solve for our clients.
We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.
Kate and Nicole met…wait for it…as volunteers for the Junior League of Los Angeles. Kate worked for the City of Los Angeles and Nicole was an entitlement attorney, and their paths crossed when Nicole needed help with a City Hall tour after a last minute cancellation. Not only did Kate save the day for Nicole, they also learned they could rely on each other. When Nicole was Vice President of Cerrell Associates and needed a Director, Kate was one of the first people she called.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Collaborate’s reputation in the market has been defined by strategy and success. Our firm is known for problem-solving and doing what needs to be done to get to a great result for everyone. Collaborate is known for being willing to do whatever is required to help the team get what they need, to problem solve along the way, and to help make things happen.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.collaborate-la.com
- Instagram: @collaborate.la
- Facebook: @collaborate-la