You CAN take what you’ve learned at work + what you’re passionate about and turn it into a business.
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
This seems to be one of adults’ favorite questions for kids, right? Interestingly, many adults are still wondering how to answer this question themselves.
You might enjoy the work you’re doing (or at least the paycheck it provides), but you’re feeling the twinges of something else. While that “something else” may not have a name or a strategy, you feel like there MUST be more to life than doing what you’re doing right now.
Whether you have the desire to keep the job you have now and create a side hustle, or throw caution to the wind and create a full-time business or startup, it can be intimidating to pursue it, right?
As a result, you can sit in an increasingly unfilled state, wondering how to do more but not knowing where to begin.
But, it doesn’t have to be this way. On this week’s episode of the Shontavia Show, my guest and I dive into the steps you can take to create a fulfilling career that supports your life’s vision.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Nika White, a diversity and inclusion expert who has masterfully navigated her transition from employee to successful business owner and entrepreneur.
Nika, who Forbes recently named one of “10 Diversity And Inclusion Trailblazers You Need To Get Familiar With,” serves the world as a speaker, consultant, trainer and author. Her company, Nika White Consulting, is a full-service firm with recognized authority on strategic diversity, intentional inclusion, and organizational effectiveness.
Nika’s insights and authenticity blew me away in this episode. Join me in learning from her about going from employee to business owner.
Questions & Action
After you’ve had a chance to watch or listen to the episode, I’d love to hear from you in the comments section!
Please answer these questions:
- What’s your biggest obstacle right now to establishing your expertise?
- Are there classes you can take or social media accounts you can follow to learn more about the industry you want to enter?
- Who is part of your tribe and supporting you in your goals?
More on my interview with Dr. Nika White
Some questions I ask:
- How did you take your educational and professional background and turn it into a full time entrepreneurship strategy? (05:39)
- As a wife and mother of two, how did you find the time to work on your business while working full time? (9:36)
- How did you know when it was time to leave your employer? (11:07)
- What did you do to prepare to leave your job and pursue entrepreneurship full time? (13:03)
- If you could give people advice on the three things they must do if they want to pursue entrepreneurship, what would those things be? (15:34)
- Who were your mentors? (17:18)
- What is your business model? How do you make money? (20:29)
- How do you navigate asking to be paid for the work you’re doing, particularly with large companies? (22:32)
- How do you figure out how much to charge? (26:52)
In this episode, you will learn:
- The values Nika’s parents instilled in her as a child that she still references back to today (2:29)
- How Nika’s advertising and journalism background led her to diversity and inclusion work (4:46)
- The moment Nika realized her interest in diversity and inclusion could lead to new opportunities outside of her full-time job (7:39)
- How Nika supported her husband, two children, AND her dream with the appropriate timing (10:06)
- How Nika talked to her boss about her desire to go out on her own, got his support, AND continues to work with her former employer today (11:13)
- What Nika did to prepare herself for a career in diversity and inclusion work (13:19)
- How to find the right mentors, even if you don’t know them personally (17:23)
- How Nika makes money in her business (20:41)
- Why Nika believes relationships are one of the most important components of her business (22:34)
- How Nika sets rates, and why she doesn’t strive to be the cheapest diversity and inclusion professional in the industry (27:03)
- The biggest mistake Nika has learned from in her years in business (29:38)
Show Notes
Dr. Nika White’s website: https://www.nikawhite.com/
10 Diversity And Inclusion Trailblazers You Need To Get Familiar With: https://www.forbes.com/sites/janicegassam/2019/11/02/10-diversity-and-inclusion-trailblazers-you-need-to-get-familiar-with
Success Profile: Meet Dr. Nika White, Walker’s Legacy Greenville City Director: https://www.walkerslegacy.com/success-profile-meet-dr-nika-white-walkers-legacy-greenville-city-director/
Carlo and Nika White Foundation: http://carloandnikawhitefoundation.com/