Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nikki Kay. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Nikki thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. 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.

I am British and my husband is a Kiwi (New Zealander.) Together we decided to visit New Zealand in 1990, and ended up staying there for almost 15 yeas! It truly is an exceptional country.

In New Zealand, I had my feet firmly on the Corporate ladder. I worked for KPMG Consulting, prior to joining Korn Ferry – a world leading management consulting firm. Korn Ferry was exceptionally good to me, and I held many leadership positions across New Zealand & Australia, Singapore and the U.S. The pinnacle of my career occurred in 2016 when, as the GM&VP for Service Delivery, North America, my team was recognized by the leading industry authority as the overall leader in quality of service.

Then, for the first time in my career … I LOST MY MOJO. My sparkle was no longer fizzing. I tried hard to rekindle it, but it had vamoosed. I realized that I had to listen to my inner self and figure out what was missing.

I took the time to so some serious soul searching – to figure out what was important to me. I soon realized that money was only a small part of being fulfilled and feeling rewarded. I realized that I missed being part of a community, missed having interests outside of work, missed being able to be nice to people without having to ask for permission first. (If you have worked for a U.S Corporate, this may have meaning for you too.)

Today, hearing kiddos squeal with delight when they first see their sleepover teepees or receiving a massive “that was the best night ever’ thank you hug, or having a Mom refer me to their best friend, is the ultimate reward.

So “what’s all of this got to do with Elite Teepees?” I hear you ask! Well … my soul searching confirmed four things:
1. I needed to work with something I felt utterly passionate about
2. I needed to provide a people-focused high-quality service
3. I needed to take control of my own destiny
4. I wanted to create impact and contribute to society by creating a path, a guide, for others to follow – especially women who, IMO, are more likely to be eaten alive by “Corporate America.”

The challenge was finding the right role. Then a colleague sent me an article about a new phenomenon in Australia: a curated sleepover business.

You may not realize it, but to the rest of the world the humble sleepover is synonymous with America – almost a rite of passage for many. When I suggested to my husband, Duncan, that we could create a sleepover business together, he thought I’d lost my marbles. Duncan was more than qualified to make beautiful teepee frames, but who could make all the soft furnishings? In the 20 years of being together I hadn’t used a sewing machine once! So with my excitement building, I bought a sewing machine and immediately fell back in absolute love with the art of sewing. My MOJO was back! But how could I breathe life into this business concept?

Every spare cent went into my business fund. Secondly, Duncan and I spent every spare waking moment creating magical teepees – I sewed like a woman possessed! We then trialed the concept in Los Angeles – it was a remarkable success.
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Then serendipity decided to play a fateful hand. A girlfriend suggested that I might like to live in Carlsbad, San Diego. I had never heard of Carlsbad, nor really had a desire to leave Los Angeles. On a whim we decided to visit Carlsbad, and it was love at first site. The beachy vibe, stunning environment, the warmth of the people and community spirit had us hooked. I studied the demographics, of Carlsbad and the surrounding areas, together with the quality of its schools and decided it was ripe for a sleepover business. We moved here a few weeks later in October 2018.

Next I had to decide on a name for my business. In New Zealand the indigenous population – The Māori – are celebrated and honored. Assuming America had a similar perspective I wanted a word that was both literal (to describe a structure to sleep under) and evocative – to create a positive image in people’s minds of community spirit and communication. I looked at other sleepover businesses, primarily in Australia which is where I believe that concept originated, and fell in love with the word Teepee. Why? Because, the word conjures up images of warmth and comfort, connectedness, companionship and community. Which is exactly what I hoped to achieve with my business – to make dreams come true by providing an experience that engenders true friendship bonds, encourages social and emotional learning, and importantly, is fun!

I worked extremely hard to bring Elite Teepees to life. To create the perfect Elite Teepee – changing the design 3 times – and ensuring that all the finer details had been thought through, to deliver a unique, exquisite, curated sleepover experience. I opened my business in Feb 2019.

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’ve always been highly motivated, and fiercely independent with an incredible work ethic: something I inherited from both my Austrian/Polish father and British mother. Even as a child I had a sense of adventure and loved to travel, meet different people and experience new things. Looking back, I realize that I was often the first amongst my peers to try something new.

My Mum taught me how to sew and it became a passion, alongside dancing. So when I was approached by my performing dance tutor who asked if I’d like to create some costumes…I jumped at the chance.

This is our fourth year in business and as I look back, I realize that Elite Teepees was born from my experience in business, my passion for creativity, and the motivation to bring something new, fun and exciting to the community. I was dedicated (some may say obsessed!) to ensuring that all the finer details were thought through in order to deliver a unique white-glove service that creates memorable, luxurious sleepover experiences. All the teepee covers, and essential soft furnishings have been meticulously designed and created by, me. Even my husband, Duncan with his years of construction experience, built the teepee frames himself.

We have thrived primarily because we deliver on our promise to deliver a magical exquisite experience, which forms the basis for creating ever lasting memories to cherish,

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Ha! There was certainly lots of pivoting being done throughout the COVID pandemic! The main idea that worked well for Elite Teepees was the concept of DIY Sleepovers: we delivered all the stock to a door (or garage) together with detailed instructions on how to build/dismantle a teepee experience. We would then return the following day to collect the stock.

The major surprise was just how many clients preferred to invite us into their home (sporting masks and gloves) to create the experience for them.

Essentially this DIY tack opened the door for a fresh conversation.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Without a shadow of a doubt the most effective strategy for growing my client base is through my existing clients.

I have a really well received client referral program which essentially rewards the referrer with $$ of their next sleepover. But what’s important to understand is that its really not about the $$, its simply that good people know good people.

I consider myself to be truly blessed with the best clients in the universe,

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.eliteteepees.com
• Instagram: @ elite teepees
• Facebook: @eliteteepees
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGl9MVJzUF4IrKDIkOvGaDg?app=desktop
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/elite-teepees-carlsbad