We recently connected with Nikole Strauss and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Nikole, thanks for joining us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

I believe success comes down to one thing, how badly you want it.

It’s not about where you come from or what advantages you were handed. It’s about what you do when no one is watching. How you show up when the odds are stacked against you. And how hard you’re willing to fight for the life you see for yourself.

I didn’t come from a polished path. I come from rough beginnings, where stability wasn’t a given and opportunities weren’t handed out. I learned early that I could either be a product of my environment or I could use it as fuel. I chose the latter.

On the flip side, I’ve also seen people who had every resource at their fingertips fall short, not because they lacked opportunity, but because they lacked hunger. Circumstance doesn’t guarantee outcomes. Drive does.

There were moments in my career when I had every reason to quit, when I was under-qualified, under-resourced, and underestimated. But I kept showing up. I stayed committed. I outworked the doubt and learned whatever I needed to learn to rise.

Success isn’t reserved for the lucky or the privileged. It belongs to the relentless, the ones who are willing to keep going when it stops being convenient or comfortable.

That’s what I believe it takes to be successful: hunger, discipline, grit, and the absolute refusal to let your starting point define your finish line.

Nikole, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

For those who don’t know me yet, my story doesn’t start in a boardroom or at a polished university, it starts with drive and an unapologetic work ethic. I’m a college dropout who refused to let a degree define my future or dictate my worth.

I began my career in service, supporting ultra high net worth families and principals as an Executive and Personal Assistant. That meant stepping into deeply private, high stakes environments, managing everything from global travel to complex household operations to crisis level problem solving. I learned early on how to move in rooms where perfection is expected, discretion is nonnegotiable, and time is the most valuable currency.

What those years taught me was invaluable. I didn’t just organize calendars, I studied people. I built systems. I earned trust. I became the person principals relied on to keep their world running quietly and seamlessly. I worked with billionaires, creatives, founders, and visionaries, and over time, I realized I wasn’t just supporting the vision. I was ready to create one of my own.

I started my own company because I saw a gap in how elite level operations and support were being delivered. There is a difference between assistance and leadership, between reacting and anticipating. My work and my brand are rooted in that distinction.

What sets me apart is my foundation. I didn’t inherit a network, I built one. I got in the room with the right people not because of connections, but because I knew how to solve problems before they became problems. I created value with my presence and earned my seat by proving I was indispensable.

Today, I bring that same mindset into everything I build. Whether it’s providing high impact operational consulting, supporting a principal behind the scenes, or launching products that make elite level support more accessible, I approach it with precision, loyalty, and zero ego.

What I’m most proud of is not the title or the company name. It’s the path I carved on my own terms. It’s the trust I’ve built with the most discerning people. It’s knowing that what I offer isn’t just skill, it’s a lived in understanding of what excellence looks like under pressure.

For potential clients and collaborators, what I want you to know is this, I don’t believe in surface level. I believe in substance. I operate at the highest level because I’ve lived it, not because I studied it. I bring clarity where there’s chaos, discretion where it’s needed most, and I do the work with the kind of ownership that can’t be taught.

This is not just a business. It’s personal. It’s legacy work. And I’m just getting started.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

I’ve been in toxic work environments. I’ve been spoken to in ways no one should be spoken to. I’ve been on the receiving end of leadership that operated from ego, not empathy, and I’ve never forgotten how that made me feel. Because of those experiences, I have a very clear sense of what not to do as a leader, and I make it a personal mission every day to create the opposite environment for my team.

To me, leadership is about emotional intelligence, accountability, and energy. I prioritize high morale through intentional connection. That looks like team retreats, dinners, shared wins, and day to day moments that remind people they’re seen, valued, and supported.

When a mistake is made, it’s never about public reprimand or shame, it’s about showing how we fix it, together. Growth happens when people feel safe to be human, ask questions, and learn from missteps without fear. I don’t lead with fear. I lead with clarity, consistency, and care.

People remember how you made them feel, especially in moments of pressure. My goal is to make sure my team feels empowered, appreciated, and never afraid to raise their hand. That’s how you build loyalty, and that’s how you build excellence.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

One of the most defining moments in my journey came when I was working in an environment that was both emotionally and physically draining. I was young, had no degree, and was surrounded by people who didn’t believe I belonged in the room. I was overlooked, underestimated, and at times spoken to in ways that were completely dehumanizing.

There were days I wanted to walk away. But instead, I chose to stay focused. I made the decision to outwork the doubt and let my discipline speak louder than anyone’s assumptions. I kept showing up, even when it would have been easier to shrink. I studied everything, paid attention to what others ignored, and learned how to manage complexity under pressure.

Eventually, the same people who once dismissed me were relying on me. I became the one they trusted to keep everything running, not because I demanded respect, but because I earned it.

That experience shaped my resilience. It taught me that your value is not determined by how others see you, but by how consistently you show up in the face of resistance. I carry that mindset into everything I do today. No matter the challenge, I don’t fold. I figure it out. I rise.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.perchtechnology.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikole-strauss-94836b188?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app