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PodCast with Niki Mahon | Know Thyself

Ask Ell #ASKELL
Ask Ell #ASKELL

Today we have Niki Mahon is a friend and of whom, I am a fan.

From a young age Niki has thrived in environments such as dance and art, showing from an early age, creative flare. After completing a degree in graphics design from Bournemouth University, Niki quickly set up a side hustle, selling finely sourced jewellery online.

Over the years, she has been a finalist in 3 KEIBA (kent excellence in business awards) for her excellence in business and has also featured in beauty publications and Bhangara music videos.

A business is like an iceberg. There are greater depths to what you see. And when the line between the business and the person is blurred, the depth grows deeper. 

I had a great time discussing today with Niki, 


01:43 General Introduction

03:00 Niki expresses the conflict she felt age 23
She was a qualified graphics designer but didn't feel it was her calling. She had to make a move. Niki decided business was her move. But how she came to this decision took introspection and a drive to leave the comfortable working environment she had found

06:50 Cutting the Emotional Attachment to Instagram
Niki now has over 90,000 instagram followers but when she initially hit 10,000 she deleted her account. She felt embarrassed at the time and didn't feel people would take her seriously at work. How did this shape her perception of social media? How does that manifest itself today?

Do people feel entitled when contacting her; do they demand attention and a response? Niki discusses how this affects her

14:15 How much don't people see?
I used the metaphor of an iceberg. Niki explains how much people don't see of the background workings of her business. But she also gives insight in as to how social media is becoming more transparent for the better. It gets tiring keeping on a mask that doesn't always represent how you feel

16:20 What would have happened if you didn't change?
When Niki was 23, the family of her spouse at the time put undue stress on her to fit a mould she didn't affiliate with. She needed something for herself to be proud of... but what would have happened if the pressure to change wasn't as great? And is this pressure to fit a mould felt by many second or third generation immigrants? 

23:52 The pressure of the Entrepreneurial Pop Culture
Is everyone meant to be an entrepreneur? And do they come in different shapes and sizes? Niki expresses that you don't necessarily need to go ALL IN straight away. I agree

28:05 What are your motivations going forward?
Niki expresses her motivation; what she's running towards and what she's running from

34:15 Niki flips the script onto me. Know Thyself
I express how early experiences of racism ignited my fire to prove myself to the world and leave no stone unturned

40:38 Could the drive have been extinguished
There are many people who live in chronically oppressive situations. Can these situations extinguish the greatest parts of our personalities if she sit there long enough?

42:45 "John lost his wife and sold his house. Next week he was a billionaire"
We discuss how the glorification of these often fictional events are harmful for entrepreneurialism

44:25 Word Associated Game
Popularised by Sigmund Freud, it's a simplified version that shows what people's minds associate with different words. Niki had some great ones

End

Thank you for listening! And if you have any suggestions for future podcasts, please let me know!

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