Harborough Hustle Podcast

Martin [00:00:00]:
Hello. I’m your podcast host, Martin Robson. Welcome to the Harborough Hustle, where today, I’ll be chatting with Nicky Masson. After the show, you can check us out on marketharboroughbiznetwork.co.uk/podcast where you can find a transcript of all today’s podcast, all the links that I mentioned, posts that you can share on social media to spread the word, and everything you need to know if you’d like to find out more about our lovely guest and our lovely sponsors, and everyone who’s featured on this series of Harborough Hustle. Before we dive in, let’s hear from today’s lovely sponsor.

Sponsor [00:00:39]:
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Martin [00:01:05]:
Welcome to this episode of Harborough Hustle, where I’m delighted to be chatting with Nikki Masson, business coach. Hiya, Nicky.

Nicky Masson [00:01:15]:
Hello. Thank you for having me.

Martin [00:01:17]:
You’re very welcome. Thank you very much for volunteering to come on. It’s always good. Volunteer worth 20 pressed women or something like that. How are you today?

Nicky Masson [00:01:27]:
I’m really good. Thank you. Yeah. Very good. Excited to be here and chat to you today.

Martin [00:01:32]:
Great stuff. So, it’s interesting always for me when I do these things. Sometimes, you know, I I do know the guests quite well, but in your Kessi course, I’ve I’ve kinda bumped into you at MarketHarbor Business Network, you know, along with loads of other people. So I only got a brief time to to chat to you. So, yeah, it’s an exploration for me as well. So let’s kick off and, just to kinda nutshell version, tell us a little bit, about yourself, what you like to do, and what you like to do outside of business.

Nicky Masson [00:02:00]:
Oh, interesting. Okay. So I am a business coach. I work with business owners to help them create impactful and sustainable growth whilst creating time freedom. So I work mainly with solo business owners, the small business owners, but I also work with larger organizations with their teams as well. So that can be really exciting. I’ve been in my coaching business about 7 years now, just over 7 years. About 8 years in March.

Nicky Masson [00:02:26]:
So that’s coming up quite quick. What do I like to do outside of business? Well, I have 2 boys, so they take up quite a lot of my spare time. They are 911. But things like it really is for me. And one of the reasons why, I started my business in the first place is it really is about creating a quality of life. So things like holidays, experiences, doing things, travel, these are all the kind of things. Like, having, things that fulfill me outside of work. And that’s what excites me.

Nicky Masson [00:02:59]:
Yeah.

Martin [00:03:00]:
Excellent. Yeah. It’s it’s really interesting the whole, quality of life time management balance thing. I mean, it’s come up, you know, quite a few times because, you know, a lot of the people on the podcast are either solopreneurs or, you know, small business owners and and it’s that case of how do you manage, like you say, business and and personal life. Something which, I’m quite good at telling people about and absolutely rubbish at practicing for myself. So, yeah, maybe I’ll pick up some few hints and tips as we go through. Yeah. Where where about you based, Nikki, and and what kind of regional do you cover?

Nicky Masson [00:03:37]:
Well, I’m actually based in Market Harbor, but I work globally. So a lot of what I do is online. So I have clients all all around the world. So I have clients at the moment in Asia and America, which is really exciting because it means that I haven’t got a cap on on where I can work and who I can help. When I work with organization that tends to be mainly face to face, so that is a lot more localized. So I will go into their organizations and work with their teams. But if it’s working on a one to one and individual basis, or even in group programs, they tend to be online. So, yeah, it’s it’s great to get to know people all around the world and also to get to understand different cultures around the world as well.

Nicky Masson [00:04:18]:
It’s really interesting.

Martin [00:04:19]:
Yeah. Absolutely. We we got a few parallels there because, I’ve I’ve got a few clients as well that are, different parts of the globe. He started this this business, when I was living in South America. So, similar sort of thing. How do people get to know you then if they’re in Asia or wherever?

Nicky Masson [00:04:37]:
I think, you know, online really is where it’s quite about because I think there’s so many people in that online space. And the great thing now is that we can do business and we’re not restricted to locality anymore. So as a service based business owner specifically, we have got literally the whole world where we can kinda tap into. So a lot of it is about, utilizing, like, social media, email marketing to reach out to a broader network. And when you’re working online, you aren’t restricted. The only restrictions you have really are the time difference. So as long as you can figure out that, then you can work with anybody really around the world.

Martin [00:05:17]:
Yeah. Sounds fantastic. So, I mean, like I say, I know from personal experience, you know, there are pros and cons, but I’m sure you’ll agree the pros outweigh the cons.

Nicky Masson [00:05:28]:
Yeah. Definitely.

Martin [00:05:30]:
So, I mean, you said, you started, on your own, I think, 7 years ago?

Nicky Masson [00:05:35]:
Yes.

Martin [00:05:36]:
So so how did that happen?

Nicky Masson [00:05:38]:
Well, prior to that, I’ve been in corporate. So I’ve worked in my previous job for 12 years. I’ve been there quite a long time. I had my first baby, went back part time, didn’t have the best experience, if I’m really honest, when I went back to work part time. And it was during that time I kind of felt I need to do something different. I need to almost find myself again. Like, when you become a mom, you you sort of lose a bit of yourself. You lose a bit of your identity, especially when you’ve shifted from being quite a sort of a a a good position in a company where you, you know, you’ve that’s all you’ve known for a while, and then all of a sudden your life literally changes, like, in an instant as a parent.

Nicky Masson [00:06:21]:
And so I kinda lost myself a bit. I was looking for something to do, like, something extra to do on maternity leave, and I came across an opportunity, which is nothing to do with what I’m doing now. But it was my first sort of, I guess, like, the first thing of getting into business, really. So I started this business, it was a product based business. And I honestly, I didn’t do very well at it. I wasn’t very good at showing up. I wasn’t very good at selling. I it was an expensive hobby, if I’m really honest.

Nicky Masson [00:06:53]:
It was an expensive hobby, but what I didn’t realize then is there were lots of things that were getting in my way. So there was a lot of internal blocks, a lot of self talk, things that were just stopping me from showing up and being the type of business owner that I really wanted to be. You know, I was looking at all these other people out there, and they were doing these amazing things, and they were earning the you know, a lot of money, and they were doing, you know, living an amazing lifestyle. I was like, why can’t I make this work for me? Like, if they can do it, why can’t I do it? But there was obviously a disconnect. And so I plumped away at this for a little while. I then actually got made redundant from that job just before I was due to go back, off maternity leave. And so it was kind of almost at deciding back to, like, well, do I go all in with the with the business, or do I look for another job? Like, what do I do at this point? And I think I decided then I was unemployable anyway. Like, you know, when you have that taste of entrepreneurship, you’re like, I’m not going back.

Nicky Masson [00:07:46]:
Yes. I’m entrepreneurship, you’re like, I’m not going back.

Martin [00:07:51]:
Yes.

Nicky Masson [00:07:51]:
I’m not reemployed again. So I I kinda did need to figure it out. However, that particular business still wasn’t working. But what it did do is it got me on this path of personal development, which I had no idea about before. You know, obviously, when you’re in the corporate world, you do some training and you do bits and pieces, but it’s all about the business, isn’t it, what that particular business needs you to be skilled in. But this was the first time it was like, well, this is about me as a person. Like, how can I grow? How can I develop? How can I become a better version of myself? And so it got me on that path of personal development, and it was during that time, I think this was in 2015, that I met, my one of my business mentors. And, he gave me the opportunity to work with one of his coaches.

Nicky Masson [00:08:42]:
And then it just sort of changed my whole perspective. I changed as a person. I started getting results I wanted in my business because a lot of it was internal stuff, so I needed to let go of a lot of internal things that were going on. But then I got the opportunity to train and it was kind of one of those things where I thought, do you know what? If I’ve had this transformation, I can help other people to do the same. I’ve always liked kinda helping people. I’ve always liked mentoring. Whenever I’ve had my corporate roles in the past, I’ve always been in management positions. I’ve enjoyed working with people.

Nicky Masson [00:09:15]:
So it kind of felt like a natural progression. So I did my first coaching certifications in 2017. Started my business in March of 2017, and, yeah, that’s where I am today. So I haven’t looked back since.

Martin [00:09:30]:
Fantastic. Yeah. I mean, it’s it’s always fascinating, you know, people start business for a variety of reasons, but often it’s it’s some form of work life balance and and a passion for what you’re doing. Yeah. And of course what what we all quickly realize is that it doesn’t matter what you’re doing as a business. There are generic skills that quite often we don’t have exactly for the reason you said, you know, if you’re in a a corporate environment. I mean, aside from them wanting to focus on the business and growing their staff sometimes, you know, because it’s it’s obviously a a mutual benefit. But they have also their own HR departments, their own finance departments, their own legal departments.

Martin [00:10:13]:
And when you’re your own business, that will be you, you, and you, along with the various business skills needed to grow a business that aren’t particularly about whatever your business is about. So I see this coming up, time and time again. This is very interesting to to to talk to someone who’s who’s been through a journey and is now looking, okay, well, how can I, share that with something else? So just moving on from that then, I mean, as as you get to talk to people who who decided that perhaps I do need a business coach. Do you think there’s something that people are not really thinking enough about when they they start on that process?

Nicky Masson [00:10:52]:
Yeah. A 100%. I think one of the common things I hear a lot is can’t I just do it on my own or, you know, surely I can just figure all this stuff out on my own. But if you could do it, you you will be doing it. But what we can what we tend to know is it can take you a long time to figure stuff out. Like, I know for me, if I’m trying to learn a new skill about something, like, especially tech, If I was to do that on my own, it takes me time, takes me a lot of effort, takes me a lot of money sometimes to figure this stuff out. So when you work with somebody, it’s about them being able to spot the gaps. It’s about them being able to help you to move forward in the quickest and easiest way possible.

Nicky Masson [00:11:31]:
And I think a lot of people in the early days feel that they can just figure that out on their own. But then over time, they realize, okay. Maybe I’m not quite achieving my goals fast enough or maybe I’m not, you know, getting to where I want to be because we do wear all those hats. There’s so much to think about as a business owner. But when you think about, like, all of the top people in the world, like, whether it’s a business person, whether it’s a sports personality, whatever industry it’s in, all of those top performers always have worked with somebody to get them to where they are. Like, you don’t see, like, a top athlete who doesn’t have a trainer or a mentor. They are that guide from the side. They’re the person that stood there going, okay, I can spot the things that you can’t see because you’re in your business day to day doing it.

Martin [00:12:19]:
Yeah. It’s very interesting. You should mention, athletes as well. I mean, I’m very keen keen sports fan and, I noticed more and more with both with athletes and, with Wimbledon as well recently when they’re being interviewed, you know. And and obviously you see these players playing singles. They’ve been out there for hours and hours and hours. They go to the interview and they’re all saying we in their answer. You know, this is what we’ve been through, we’ve achieved, etcetera.

Martin [00:12:44]:
Yeah. So I think the acknowledgment of the the team behind the individual is, much more prevalent than it used to be.

Nicky Masson [00:12:50]:
Yeah. And you know what? It’s about fine tuning what you’re doing as well. It’s about finding, like, the micro improvements because you’ve got that vision, you know where you’re going, you wanna make a difference in the world or an impact. But sometimes it’s just spotting these micro improvements that make the difference between whether you succeed or not in that thing. And and that’s why working with somebody can make a big difference.

Martin [00:13:13]:
Yeah. That makes a lot of sense. So, I mean, over the course of 7 years, etcetera, you’ve obviously learned a lot as well, not only about yourself, but about, you know, what you do and indeed loads of other businesses. Is there anything that, you know, if you could go back and and, connect with a a younger Nikki, and say, I wish I’ve known then what I know now, what would it be?

Nicky Masson [00:13:36]:
Well, I would say it’s accountability. It’s one of the biggest statements. And, actually, when you work with somebody, that’s often what you get when you work with a coach or mentor. It’s that accountability to keep you on track. I didn’t quite realize the value of this when I first started in my business. So I was probably still in that mentality of I can just figure out figure this stuff out on my own. I have coaches. I have mentors, but it was less it was more about learning my craft and my skills in in the coaching industry as opposed to somebody to go, right, have you done this thing? Have you done what you said you were going to do? So I think accountability is a missing piece for a lot of people, And that can really make the difference between whether you do things or not because especially if you’re like a solo business owner, you have got nobody.

Nicky Masson [00:14:25]:
You haven’t got a boss. You haven’t got anybody going, well, this piece of work needs to be in on this time. Like, there’s nothing stopping you from just going and watching Netflix all day or, you know, just procrastinating over all the things and busying yourself with other stuff that isn’t important. And so we see that a lot. It’s there’s a lot of procrastination. There’s a lot of avoidance behaviors. And so really it’s accountability. Like, if someone had said to me from day 1, if you have accountability now, you’re gonna hit every single goal, then it would have been a completely different story.

Martin [00:14:56]:
I think that’s a a fantastic answer. I mean, I know from my own personal, experience, it’s not so much than Netflix or anything. But if I’ve got a series of jobs and some of them I enjoy and some that I don’t quite enjoy, I’m gonna prioritize the ones I enjoy, which might not always be the ones that are the most important to prioritize, you know, from the business point of view. So, yeah, that accountability thing, like you say, very important. So I mean, talking about that, I mean, you you mentioned mentors and things. Is there any particular mentor that you’ve had in your in your journey and, what effect did they have on you?

Nicky Masson [00:15:29]:
Well, the first one, which is who I mentioned earlier, he’s a guy called Daniel. He, was the first mentor that I had. And that was very much about learning about how coaching can have an impact on people and how a lot of it is to do with who we are as as people, as individuals. And I’ve worked with him a lot over the years, and that was a lot about working on coaching, like developing my skills. When I first did my, so to coaching certifications in 2017, there was ongoing mentorship from that. So it wasn’t like like, you’re newly qualified, off you go. That’s it. Give out in the big wide world.

Nicky Masson [00:16:07]:
There was a lot of ongoing support, and then I did, another set of coaching certifications. A year later, I did, master coach certifications. And again, there was a lot of ongoing support. So that was really vital in those early days to, you know, really improve the skills. Because it’s one thing learning something. It’s very different than going put it into practice. So it’s great to have that level of mentorship to really fine tune my skills as a coach. More recently, it’s about working with people that are gonna help me to plug my gaps.

Nicky Masson [00:16:39]:
So where I recognize that there are certain things holding me back or there are things that, there’s a gap to plug that’s gonna help me to get to my goals quicker, I plug those gaps. So for example, over the past year, it’s about working with people in the marketing and sales space because I’ve recognized that that’s an area for me that needs more attention. So I really look at it as, like, where do I need the most help and support, and how can I put the gaps there?

Martin [00:17:05]:
K. Makes a lot of sense. And it’s, again, like a lot of those things that are common sense, but until you hear someone actually say it, gives you a chance to reflect and think, am I really doing that as well in in my Yeah. So, just one thing that that occurred to me. I mean, I’m aware that there’s ICF. I think that’s is that International Coaching Federation? Yes. So there are bodies, but can anybody be a business coach? You mentioned qualifications a couple of times there, but can anybody just go, hey, I’m a business coach and and that’s it?

Nicky Masson [00:17:38]:
Yeah. I think there was a bit of a surge of people becoming coaches after well, during COVID and after COVID where there are a lot of people in other industries that suddenly thought, hang on a minute. I can pivot here, and I can just tell anybody I’m a coach and and or a mentor, and do this thing. Essentially, there is nothing to stop anybody doing that. There aren’t actually any regulations that says you have to have a certification or certification to coach. So anybody can call themselves a coach or a mentor. But, I think really it’s about somebody’s integrity and making sure that they have gone through, the proper kind of roots to make sure they’re trained. So I’m trained in certain areas, and there are lots of different kind of bodies and different certifications that you can do out there depending on the type of coaching that you want to do.

Nicky Masson [00:18:27]:
But, yeah, it’s it’s one of those industries that’s not regulated really at all.

Martin [00:18:33]:
Yeah. Yeah.

Nicky Masson [00:18:34]:
I don’t I think it’s about do you do diligence, isn’t it? So when you’re about to when you’re considering working with somebody, you know, having a conversation with them, I think, is really important because I think, one, you’ve got to get on with that person. You need to have a relationship with them, but also just understand, like, how are they gonna help you to get to where you want to be. Like, what experience do they have? What kind of certifications do they have to kind of back that up? And I think you can ask those questions, and I recommend asking those questions.

Martin [00:19:05]:
Good solid advice. So we we talked about a mentor, you know, from from the past, etcetera. Is there anybody kinda currently that that you admire for whatever reason?

Nicky Masson [00:19:16]:
Yeah. I’m working with a lady at the moment called Kelly Cookson. The reason why I admire her is because she’s built a 6 figure business whilst only working 20 hours a week, and that really appeals to me because I’m a mum, and I want to do the school runs. I wanna be there to have that kind of lifestyle and that flexibility, but I also want to be really successful. And I want to do, you know, a lot of good in the world and create an impact. And so I went to work with her. She’s actually a marketing expert. So the thing that kind of drew me to her was I want what she’s having.

Nicky Masson [00:19:50]:
Like, I want that lifestyle. And so I’ve been working with her for a little while, and that’s been an incredible experience.

Martin [00:19:57]:
That’s great. And and again, for people listening or watching, you know, we do have all the the notes in the in the show notes. So we’ll have a link to Kelly, was it?

Nicky Masson [00:20:06]:
Yes. Kelly Cookson. Yeah. I’ll happily share her details.

Martin [00:20:09]:
Fantastic. Because I I imagine that you’re not the only one who quite likes the idea of a 6 figure business on 20 hours a week. Yeah. It’s it’s sounds nice.

Nicky Masson [00:20:20]:
It’s very appealing.

Martin [00:20:22]:
Yeah. It’s good to have a have a goal, isn’t it?

Nicky Masson [00:20:25]:
It is. Definitely.

Martin [00:20:28]:
So let’s let’s just go for confession time then and talk about, what would you say is one of the biggest mistakes you’ve made in business and did you learn anything from it?

Nicky Masson [00:20:38]:
Oh, mistakes. There have definitely been a few of those, a 100%. Oh, what could it be? One of them I think is about working with people that you perhaps, aren’t the right clients or aren’t the right fit, but you do it because, or or for me particularly in the early days, it was just about taking on anybody, really. A part of that really was because I wanted to gain the experience, but then you soon realize that you’re not necessarily the right fit. You aren’t necessarily the right person for them and vice versa. And so it almost, like you almost fall out of integrity a little bit, or it’s like sort of you your your values aren’t matched. And I think perhaps recognizing that sooner might have been better. You know, the ability to say, I don’t think I’m the right person for you right now, rather than just thinking, yeah, I could take on anybody.

Nicky Masson [00:21:35]:
I could work with anybody and everyone. So so potentially that, I think the ability to just really understand that, yeah, this is this is not the right person or I’m not the right fit for you and and to kind of own that and be able to to say that is a good thing to do.

Martin [00:21:51]:
Yeah. No. I’d agree a 100%. I mean, it’d been exactly the same, you know, when I started out. And same thing. You say yes to everybody and and then find that, you know, either some people you you work better with. Mhmm. And at the end of the day, they’re gonna get a better quality of service if they’re working with someone, you know, that they can deal with.

Martin [00:22:10]:
You’re gonna be happier. So, it’s actually being kind and respectful to say no. Yeah. But, yeah, we all have to kind of learn that.

Nicky Masson [00:22:22]:
Yeah. It’s not easy there, especially at the beginning because I think there is a an element of scarcity, you know, especially if you’re not quite earning the level of income that you want because you just think, well, I can take on everything. I’ve got the availability. I’ve got the flexibility. So you’re in that sort of scarcity mindset, not wanting to let go of the money, but you’re almost doing yourself and your potential client a disservice by, you know, going forward with that relationship. So that’s definitely a big learning for me.

Martin [00:22:49]:
Yeah. No. That makes a lot of sense. Let’s flip it a 180 then. Talk about your proudest business moment.

Nicky Masson [00:22:54]:
Wow. Okay. I think the proudest business moment for me was when I first was a guest speaker at an event, because I’d gone through years, like, of my childhood and being at school where I was just I lacked so much confidence. I was, like, bullied at school and being able to stand in front of people on a stage was never something that I thought I would do. It was just never on my radar. Like, I was always the person that would stand at the back of the room. I would never put my hand up if someone said, have you got a question? Like, I was just, like, you know, in in the shadows almost. I don’t look at me kind of thing.

Nicky Masson [00:23:30]:
And then through this kind of process of personal development, it did give me the confidence. It did give me the self belief, and to be able to then go and share, like, my story, but also to help people, in that kind of capacity was just, I think, a massive turning point for me, to be able to do that. So, definitely, I I just remember it so vividly. Like, I remember the people in the room. I remember the lovely comments afterwards that I got. And just to to do that after being somebody who really lacked confidence and lacked self belief, was really shy to to sort of always have that full kind of 316, you know, moment and then be on stage in front of people was incredible.

Martin [00:24:13]:
Yeah. It must have been. I I know for a lot of people, you know, it’s it’s a big fear. I mean, even something like, you know, local networking. I mean, talk about market harbor business network. You’ve got the opportunity to do your kind of 60 second pitch if you want to. And for some people that’s no problem. For others, you know, it’s the big thing, you know, in in getting through it.

Martin [00:24:32]:
And then once you’ve done it, you’re like, okay. Alright. And of course, getting up on stage is is like the next level of of that. So, yeah, to get through that’s fantastic. So I I borrowed an idea from from a guy called Steven Bartlett. You possibly have heard of him. I have. And he’s doing okay with his podcast.

Martin [00:24:55]:
So I thought, well, if he can do it, why can’t I? Which was to take a question from a previous guest or for a future guest. So this one is gonna come from, Becky Whittaker. And she wants to know, can you describe a habit that’s changed your business?

Nicky Masson [00:25:12]:
Oh, okay. That’s so interesting. Yes. The one habit that massively changed my business was, having clear separation between business and personal life. So when I first started my business now this is when my boys were really young, so they weren’t even at school. But, it was all a bit blurred. So I was trying to, like, juggle all of the things, like do calls in the evenings or, you know, answer emails when the kids were around, and it just felt like you you kind of 1, you’re always on it, but 2, you can’t give your full attention to any one area. So I wasn’t really fully focused on business.

Nicky Masson [00:25:51]:
When I was with the kids, I wasn’t really fully focused on them. And so what I learned was if I separate the 2 completely, and it’s obviously got a lot easy when the boys rolled and went to school. But if I just focus on business and work while I’m at work, and then I have that clay cut off, and then when I’m with the family, that’s family time or it’s personal time or whatever. So that made the the the distinction so much easier. So that I always remember this, like, all the time, I’m like, why don’t I just focus on work? It’s so easy to get distracted by other things. It’s so easy to be spending all evening answering emails. But, again, it comes back to that quality of life, and I never wanted to be the type of parent or business owner that was just like, oh, I’ve just got to go and answer this email. I’ve just got to do do that, and then it impacts family life.

Nicky Masson [00:26:37]:
So when it was impacting it, I was starting to realize, hang on a minute. I need to make a change here. So it’s it’s it’s been a really good game changer, and it’s one of the things that I recommend my clients to do as well. Because it’s so easy to fall into that trap of, well, I’ve gotta be on all the time. I’ve always gotta be working. I’ve got to answer you know, this client messages come through at 10 o’clock at night. I’ve gotta go and answer it. We don’t need to answer it.

Nicky Masson [00:27:01]:
Like, we can run our businesses on our terms. So, yeah, that’s definitely been a big change I implemented.

Martin [00:27:08]:
That’s that’s, again, something so relatable, you know, what you’re saying there. I mean, we very briefly talked about the fact there were pros and cons of, working in global business, working from home. Yeah. And and of course, those are 2 of the things that can come into the cons. If if your office space and your works and and your home space are 1 and the same thing, then, you know, getting that separation and and what techniques you use for it. And the same, if you’ve got clients who are on different time zones Yeah. You know, and and they’re like, well, okay. I’ll I’ll just message Nikki because it’s 2 o’clock in the afternoon.

Martin [00:27:41]:
And in fact, you know, they’re in Australia. It’s 2 o’clock in the morning. You know, like, you might not wanna be handling that just to that point in time. So, yeah, having, systems and I think, like you said, having boundaries that are clearly set out so that both parties know, you know, what’s what’s acceptable Yeah. Is beneficial again for both parties.

Nicky Masson [00:28:01]:
Yeah. And it it communication, isn’t it? It’s communicating that so everybody’s on the same page. So, like, I let my clients know the hours I’m available to contact me. They can contact me anytime they like. I just won’t respond necessarily until potentially the next day. So it’s just get making sure that everybody’s seeing from the same page. And if you know that upfront, it just means there aren’t gonna be any issues because people aren’t expecting something that you can’t deliver or then they’re not gonna get. So it just irons out all of those issues upfront.

Martin [00:28:33]:
Yeah. Communication, like you said, hit it on the nail. Perfect. So, I mean, if if you weren’t a business coach, is there any other career you’d you’d like to do?

Nicky Masson [00:28:42]:
Well, I spent years working with horses. Like, from the age of 16, I left home, and got a job, and I worked with horses for many, many years. I wouldn’t say I would necessarily do it now, because I stopped doing that when I was about 21 to get a proper job. So I was like, years years of working, like, 70 hours a week, 6 days a week takes its toll. But it’s interesting to think back now that that was a big massive part of my life. If I wasn’t doing, like, if I wasn’t being a business coach now, goodness, I don’t know what I’d do. I actually don’t know. It’s a really hard one to think about something different, isn’t it?

Martin [00:29:21]:
Yeah. But maybe that’s an indication that you’re really enjoying what you do.

Nicky Masson [00:29:24]:
Yeah. Definitely. Yeah.

Martin [00:29:26]:
So possibly, you know, maybe maybe, you know, if if you’re not quite a 100% happy inside yourself even if you haven’t quite admitted it, You spend more time thinking about, oh, I wish I was doing this or I wish I was doing that. And if that’s not happening, then that that’s possibly a good sign.

Nicky Masson [00:29:41]:
Yes. You know that I’m not gonna lie. There’s some times when I thought, wouldn’t it be easy just to go get a job in Tesco? Like, I think we all have those sorts so great. We’re like, it would not just be easier if I was, like, stuck in shelves with someone else. But no. On the whole, I do love what I do, definitely.

Martin [00:29:57]:
Fantastic. And I had to smile to myself as well when you’re talking about, you know, when you’re up to the age of 21 and from 16, I think you said working with with horses. The the first job I ever had was, working for the government on the the youth training scheme.

Nicky Masson [00:30:11]:
Oh.

Martin [00:30:12]:
Going back a while now. And and that was different industries, of course. And I remember at one point, the the the idea was, well, we’re gonna start charging employers for the time that the young people are with them because originally they didn’t.

Nicky Masson [00:30:28]:
So, you

Martin [00:30:28]:
know, a young person went to college for a bit, they went to the employer for a bit, and and they went and did some other bits and pieces as well. So you had a kind of 3 3 stage thing. Anyway, in most industries they’re like, okay. Yeah. We can do that. We can pay a little bit towards this. One of the industries that I went to go and have a look at was, was horse. You know, it was either stables or racing stables or or liveries, you know, all that kind of thing.

Martin [00:30:55]:
And I was amazed. I mean, I was only a teenager myself, to go and find out the girls, and it always was girls, were paying to work 70 hours a week effectively at at these horse places because they love, you know, it was like a passion. And the employers were like, what do you mean we pay them to work for us? No. No. They pay us to work for us. I’m looking at with wide eyes going, this is mad, but there we go.

Nicky Masson [00:31:22]:
No. It’s definitely a labor of love. I can vouch for that. I actually didn’t pay anyone to work for them, but I remember my first job was an apprenticeship, and I got paid £25, I think, per week for that. But it it because you just got paid such a basic amount that they could get away with paying you back then. And then the rest of it was just supposed to be for the fact that you just wanted to be there, and you looked horses, and you wanted to learn and ride and all of those kind of things. So, yeah, I wonder how much the industry’s changed now, but who knows?

Martin [00:31:55]:
Probably not as much as you might expect. And the only reason I say that is because my son’s first job, was watching football. So and like me, he’s avid football fan and the fact that somebody would pay him to watch football. He was, working for a company who generated data for, football firms and gambling firms and things like that. So he had to do lots of analysis on who was doing what within football. And, it wasn’t a case of him paying to work, but again, the basic wage for that was incredibly low compared with other jobs that doing data analysis for argument’s sake. And again, it was pretty much all boys. And because they’re they’re queuing at the door to go, what? You wanna pay me to do that? Yeah.

Martin [00:32:44]:
Of course. So, yeah, it’s always the same, isn’t it? If you’ve got an aspirational Yeah. Kind of thing that you want to do, then you’d it’s supply and demand, I suppose.

Nicky Masson [00:32:53]:
Well, it isn’t. It doesn’t it’s not about the money. Like, I never went into that industry for one second thinking, oh, I need to earn money here. I’m gonna earn money. It was just like, no. This is what my passion is. Like, I am dedicated to this. Course, I work, like, 70 hours a week and get one day off a week and never have a social life.

Nicky Masson [00:33:10]:
That’s fine. Like, but even money was never a thing. It was just about the desire and the passion to be in that, like, environment in that industry.

Martin [00:33:19]:
Yeah. Yeah. And I’m fantastic really if you are an employer in that industry. Mhmm. In in, you know, and you’re offering something that that people desperately want to do anyway. I mean, it’s fantastic because even outside those sorts of ones, money is an aspect of why we work, but obviously, you know, it’s it’s only one part. But anyway, we could go off into math and things like that. Let’s not do that right now.

Martin [00:33:46]:
Anything left on the bucket list?

Nicky Masson [00:33:48]:
Oh god. So many things. Like, personally, a lot of travel. I see myself having a house by the beach, and being able to spend, like, the summers by the sea, that that kind of thing. I have a goal that I like to take my boys away if possible, like, every school holiday. So even if it’s just like a night away, we will do something every school holiday. And in business, it’s about working with more business owners, and really just helping them to achieve your goals. That’s the thing that excites me.

Nicky Masson [00:34:20]:
So lots of things coming up and lots of different ways to support them. But things like writing a book, being on TV, there are a couple of things are on my are on my goal list.

Martin [00:34:33]:
Fantastic. Alright. Well, I mean, we’ll we’ll come at the end of the show and talk about how to get in contact with you, even further and and maybe, you know, we’ll be able to follow and see how well these these things come. Because they all sound like, you know, they’re they’re things that you’re gonna achieve. I have that feeling. Do you have any hidden talents that that perhaps people who don’t know you or even people who do know you and you’ve kept them well hidden, and you just love to share with just me and you and the few people that are listening?

Nicky Masson [00:35:02]:
Of course. As long as it’s only me and you, that’s fine. No. I do you know what? I really don’t. This is a really interesting question. I just genuinely don’t think I’m very good at anything other than coaching. No. There isn’t anything really.

Nicky Masson [00:35:17]:
I suppose years ago, it would have probably been like riding and things and working with horses, because that’s not something that everybody does. Like, that that’s quite quite unique. But, yeah, there isn’t really anything. Fair enough. Okay. Boring, isn’t it? Sorry.

Martin [00:35:34]:
Let’s let’s, let’s rephrase that as the open book, Nikki Masson. That sounds better, doesn’t it?

Nicky Masson [00:35:41]:
It does.

Martin [00:35:43]:
So talking about, online social media, stuff like that, how can we find out more about you, Nikki?

Nicky Masson [00:35:49]:
So I’m on LinkedIn, and I’m on Instagram. They’re my 2 kind of main preferred platforms online. I have, an email list as well that I, email regularly every week. So the best place to find me is LinkedIn or Instagram. I think I’m Nikki Masson Global on Instagram, and I’m just Nikki Massson on LinkedIn. So come and connect. Like, I love to expand my network. I like to get to know people.

Nicky Masson [00:36:14]:
I like to build genuine relationships with people. So it’d be lovely, to get to know some of your listeners and, yeah, people in the local area as well.

Martin [00:36:24]:
Fantastic. And like I said before, you know, we’ll have those links obviously on on the website. So, dear listeners, I do, you know, encourage you to go and and check out what what Nikki said. If you’re local to the area and you get the chance to come along to one of the networking meetings, then then do that as well because I mean that’s where I met Nikki. So just before we, we finish off, always the last question that I try to remember to ask people is what have I forgotten to ask you, Nikki?

Nicky Masson [00:36:51]:
Oh, that is an interesting question. What have you forgotten to ask me? Oh, you’re asking some very good questions today. I do like these questions.

Martin [00:37:01]:
Thank you.

Nicky Masson [00:37:03]:
Throwing me on the spot. Oh gosh. I don’t know. What have you forgotten to ask me?

Martin [00:37:09]:
Well, I don’t know either, but, clearly, we we’ve we’ve both done a good job because we’ve covered off everything that we need to do.

Nicky Masson [00:37:16]:
I think we have. I think you’ve asked great questions, and I think we’ve talked about a lot and we’ve covered a lot. So it’s been lovely to chat.

Martin [00:37:23]:
Great. Well, that’s a really positive note to to end on. So, Nikki, thank you very much. And, as I said before, dear listeners, a little message coming up for you to remember to to like, subscribe, spread the word, and if you wanna be on the show as well then, we got the details on the website how to do that. But for now, Nikki, thank you very much. Thank you.