She followed her hunch – and passion – to create a phenomenally successful healthy snack business in the U.S. called Late July.
Sales have consistently grown 40 percent year-over-year since 2012, thanks to dozens of varieties of corn chips that include ingredients like chia, flax, and quinoa.
Nicole shares with Well+Good her five top career rules every woman should abide by to be happy at the office.
They might even make you fall in love with your job all over again…
1. Schedule breathing room
Nicole’s number-one strategy for remaining calm and creative in the midst of small business mayhem: taking periodic breaks to clear her mind. “You can get caught up in the rushing, but if you take 30 seconds to breathe, centre your mind, and be appreciative of the people you’re with, your whole day runs smoother,” she says. She also builds 15–20 minute chunks of “free thought” time into her daily calendar. “It’s an incredibly valuable time to reconnect and think clearly and creatively without the confines of a meeting agenda telling you how to think through a problem,” says Nicole, who stresses it’s important to leave your desk for this – get outside, if possible.
2. Exercise your optimism muscle
If you find it hard to love your job when everything’s falling apart, Nicole recommends shifting your perspective. “Every single day there are gonna be a million things that will go wrong, and each one of those is an opportunity to do something better,” she says. “I always have this guiding feeling that everything is going to work out, I just have to figure it out – almost to the point where I know it’s annoying.”
3. Invest in good headphones
“If I need to change my frame of mind, turning on music always does that for me,” says Nicole, who is a fan of iTunes’ themed playlists because “sometimes it’s fun to just be surprised and discover new music. The entrepreneur also recently bought a Peleton bike for her home to ensure that she sweats once a day. “Working out is so important to my psyche, my health, and my business,” she says.
4. Create your tribe
She says it’s important to surround yourself with people who are going to inspire you and help you along the way. “Networking with the right people and finding the right mentors can make or break your early career decisions.” She suggests reaching out via LinkedIn to those who have what you want with an easy-to-answer question. “Instead of saying, ‘How do I begin my career?’ ask, ‘What’s one great networking organisation you’ve used?’” she says. “Relationships begin slowly, and asking an easy question will increase your odds exponentially of getting a response.”And make sure your higher-ups at the office also know where you want to go. “Your bosses can’t help you if they don’t know what you’re passionate about,” she says. “Be vocal about your own goals and don’t be afraid to speak up.”
5. Ignore the haters
If you’re passionate about something, don’t let anybody tell you no, says Nicole. “Maybe you haven’t fully formed your idea, but you’ll get there if you really believe in it.” Instead, she says, use criticism to strengthen whatever proposition it is you’re fighting for, whether it’s weekly yoga classes in the office or that wellness center you’ve always wanted to open. And whatever you do, don’t let fear run the show. “If you’re asking for people’s opinion, it’s because you’re insecure that your idea is not good enough,” she says. “The more sure I was [about Late July], the less outside input I needed…because I knew I had it.”
