Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nikki Bryan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Nikki, appreciate you joining us today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?
I like to think of myself as someone that is adaptable in any situation. I have been an employee, a manager, and now a business owner. I have been a business owner for almost 7 years now, which is longer than I have been an employee and yet there are days that I wish I could work a regular job. Operating a business can sometimes be extremely exhausting as much as it is rewarding. When you are a business owner, there isn’t an option to clock out, go home and never think about the issues of the day. You are always on, even in times of loss, depression, and fatigue. In 2021, my family and I took numerous losses back to back. I eventually became numb to the loss but I still had a business to operate, a book to promote and etc. But I absolutely did not feel like doing it. When you operate a business you realize that people can be insensitive to things that you are going through in life. If you are open then they are expecting you to be ready and happy to accept business – no questions asked. During this time, I seriously wished I just had a job that I could go to, do the work and go home at the end of the day. But it wasn’t that simple nor would it have made any sense. Having my own business meant that I had the ability to shift my business model to what I needed to be to work in my favor and around my needs. That is exactly what I did – I retrained my #1 employee, my website and I shifted my mindset to – my business is here to work for me just as I am here to work for it.
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
Nikki Bryan is an author, I/O Psychology consultant, and mindset coach specializing in assisting executives, entrepreneurs, leaders, and creatives in shifting their mindsets from limited to limitless. She has a Bachelors’s in Business Supervision and Management, her master’s in I/O Psychology and she is a certified coach.
As an ambitious goal setter, and goal-getter entrepreneur she has been featured in Voyage Magazine, Shoutout Magazine, Pretty Women Hustle Magazine, and various blogs and podcasts.
In addition to this, Nikki is known as a celebrity baker at her online bakery D’Delicious Delicacies. A 5-star bakery that specializes in dessert cakes with an island flair. Her bakery has also been featured in The Knot wedding magazine and Baking for Business Podcast.
Through her endeavors, she has gained knowledge on leadership, business, society, and the inner workings of our subconscious mind. Through her coaching and writings, her sole intention is to share her knowledge and expertise with others by inspiring and empowering them to create the life they desire and deserve.
Nikki has also created a digital space, Affirm. Create. Manifest., for like-minded individuals to congregate and support one another on their journeys.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I built my reputation in my market by simply being consistent and true to my brands. Once I understood what I needed to do, I showed up each and every day to serve the community with the authenticity of my brands. I was consistent in connecting with my audience and showing them the humanistic side of my brand. A lot of times small businesses show up in their audience’s faces asking them to buy each and every day. The world has shifted and customers do not want that anymore. They want to know more about the face behind the brand, what keeps the brand thriving, and how is the brand going to give back to the community. It is our job as business owner’s to answer these questions for our customers in addition to providing the product and the services.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I briefly spoke about my losses earlier and I don’t want to harp too much on them. However, they did require me to truly show my resilience. I am naturally a resilient person, I believe in getting up and continuing to create the life that you deserve and desire. This time was a little different though, I felt defeated. I didn’t want to bake, I didn’t want to write, I barely wanted to talk to anyone. But at some point, that shift happens and you know it’s time to get up and get back to it. It took everything in me to get up and when I got up, I wanted to do something different than what I had been doing before. I wanted to shift into purpose and live life on my own terms. This meant flipping my businesses upside down and it felt much like starting all over again. Yet, I knew that I had to do it anyways. I cried often, and I felt like quitting or reverting back to my old business model. It felt like a matter of life or death – for my business of course. As much as I wanted to just throw in the towel, every day I got up and did something in alignment with the changes I wanted to make. I kept going. I kept thinking about what would my friend and business partner says if she was here? And usually, she would say, “Nik, you got this!” – this is what I remind myself of daily, that I got this. My businesses will thrive through any tough time, loss, change of model, and whatever else. My business will serve its purpose in the community and the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.iamnikkib.com/welcome
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/nidoubleki_b
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nidoublekib/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tenniquwab/
- Other: https://g.page/r/Camz5oP_7CBREAE www.ddeliciousdelicacies.com www.ltlconsultingandcoaching.com
Image Credits
Ariel at Phoenix Media Miami