Nicole Phillip is many things: author, CEO, devoted daughter, hardworking single mother—and beyond just her own personal accomplishments, she is defined by a desire to help others aspire and achieve their entrepreneurial dreams.
Phillip’s mother was an entrepreneur and an early role model. She found herself inspired by her mother’s dedication and perseverance. Seeing how hard her mother worked day-in and day-out taught Phillip, from an early age, the importance of hard work in business. She saw, too, the many benefits of being a business owner, the extent to which one’s career and life path are in this way brought under one’s own control. This is why she’s so dedicated to helping others realize their visions in business.
Real-Life Lessons
Phillip’s business acumen is as much the result of specific education as it is of her continual willingness to see life’s challenges as opportunities for growth. For her, life and business have been part and parcel. Growing up, she experienced many personal and interpersonal hardships.
When her mother tragically suffered a stroke, soon leading to paralysis, Phillip rose to the occasion. As a junior in college began caring for her mother and two siblings. While caring for her family, Phillip started a corporate career and set up a small business to increase income for her and her family.
Life-Raft in a Storm
Nicole has always emphasized the value of owning one’s own business, and for a good reason.
“After I was laid off without notice,” said Phillip. “Having my own stream of income that helped me bring in money on my own terms was even more helpful.”
For her, business ownership has proven itself to be a steady source of financial well-being and one that happens on her own terms, not somebody else’s.
Eventually, Phillip went back to her corporate job. Still, something wasn’t right—after earning her own income from personal businesses, being back in the corporate world just struck her as somehow empty. “I was at the point where it was uncomfortable because I wasn’t living with a purpose,” she explained. This, among other reasons, is why Phillip left the corporate world, turning down a significant raise and pursuing her own entrepreneurial goals.
Family-First
For Phillip, her family has always been an integral part of what motivates her in her professional life. From taking care of her mother and two siblings in her younger life to ensuring a stable future for her son, Phillip’s drive has always come from a community-oriented place. She sees entrepreneurship and helping others do the same as a means of spiritual, rather than merely monetary, fulfillment.
By using her knowledge and acumen, Phillip strives to help ease some of the barriers to business ownership that many may face, use her own experience to level the playing field, and help others achieve the stability she knows they can.
A Holistic Approach
For Phillip, and for those with whom she works on brand strategy consulting through ‘Behind the Brand,’ success in business does not occur in a vacuum—it is intrinsically intertwined with all other significant aspects of one’s life: from physical health and well-being to mental hygiene, faith, and personal support, a successful journey outward in business is as much a trip inward. The key, for her, involves achieving a balance between these different elements, things not commonly associated with business, and yet just as necessary as a strong portfolio when it comes to long-lasting and fulfilling business ventures.
“Health is so important,” said Phillip. “Having the right people around you to support you and your mental health, including being able to share your goals with someone and having them encourage instead of discouraging you.”
The whole approach is refreshingly inward-oriented, treating the “self” as something that is as much a part of the work as the business itself. Whereas too often, one is told that self-sacrifice is key to success, ‘Behind the Brand’ flips the narrative. It places one’s personal life and well-being at the forefront of a clear and organized approach to business.
Working with Authenticity, Embracing Differences
Phillip’s motto is to, as she said, “Create brands that inspire.” Even a cursory glance into her background and work building her creative advertising agency shows you how inspiration plays a crucial role in everything she does. She believes that passion is the real fuel of lasting success, and likewise, her passion for helping others is on full display.
In a male-driven world, there is no shortage of obstacles facing the businesswoman of today. But rather than adjusting oneself to fit within that mold, Phillip remains adamant that communicating and celebrating one’s differences is the most authentic way to achieve success.
Phillip is big on sharing the fruits of success with others—from access to seasoned professionals to individualized support and resources not typically made available to those still finding their footing as business owners. And that’s the beauty of ‘Behind the Brand,’ that it seeks to bridge the gap between one’s vision and the means for realizing it. Founding a business is no easy task. But with the help and guidance of someone like Nicole Phillip, there’s no need to feel disheartened: success is about you, not despite you.
About Nicole Phillip
Nicole Philip, CEO of Ministry Event marketing and creator of Behind the Brand, helps leaders create luxury brands that inspire. She has helped dozens of individuals define their brand and scale to the next figure. Click here to learn more: www.thenicoledenise.org
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