We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Nika White and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Nika, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
As a Black woman and DEI practitioner, I care deeply about the work of diversity, equity and inclusion. I am after impact not activity. Sometimes when you do this work as an employee of an organizaton you aren’t given the support and resources needed to truly create DEI transformation. I don’t want those barriers to be an obstacle to creating the change I wish to see. Starting my full-service managment consulting firm was a way to exercise freedom in doing DEI work in ways that align with my values and expertise. I can determine which clients and projects I say ‘yes’ to. I’m also about wealth creation in the Black community and entrepreneurship is one way to reach that goal.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
NWC is a diversity, equity, and inclusion boutique consulting firm with recognized authority on strategic diversity, intentional inclusion, and organizational effectiveness. We are a 100% remote work organization – our clients are all over and as such our colleagues are all over. This has been our business model since inception and is not a result of the pandemic. We are headquartered in the beautiful city of Greenville, SC. Our client roster varies in that we serve organizations of all types, sizes and industries.

Companies that are inclusive know how to optimize sustainable success and create strong communities. Navigating the complexities of an evolving global business environment requires strategic diversity, inequity disruption and intentional inclusion. But, what happens when an organization needs an experienced DEI practitioner, but the size and structure of the company don’t make that possible? Here is where NWC comes in as a trusted solution to serve as an outsourced DEI partner helping organizations to best leverage their greatest asset (people) and grow to the next level.

Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart. In fact, NWC is currently in a season of change. Like many consultancy businesses, we experienced rapid growth during the pandemic. We started building a coalition of new, brilliant minds to better help serve our clients during a time of hyper attention on DEI issues within organizations.

As time went on and our clients’ needs changed, we decided to taper back our hiring boom. We began to focus on what our clients needed today (versus 18 months ago) and what we could do to better serve them in the future.

This fall, we decided to do a full-on organizational restructure to better align resources to address customized solutions. We had a goal to get hyper-focused on who we are, what we are trying to accomplish with our clients, and the talent we want to attract to help us do the great work of building intentional inclusive cultures.

The truth is, many companies go through a re-org when they see that things aren’t working or if there is a significant change in their business model, product, or service offerings. For NWC, our re-birth came as a result of a year of tremendous growth that continues to maintain speed and recognition. I realized that after a year at our current pace of growth, we had to slow down to go fast.

As we are full-on into the last quarter of the year, as I do every year, I am taking inventory of where NWC started in the year, how we’ve progressed, and where we are going.

This year brought with it many new opportunities to grow, learn and improve.

Grow

NWC skyrocketed in growth this year. But with that growth, came the immediate need to build an agile, competent team with a heart for the work and the skills to match. We were able to meet those needs and even exceed the expectations of our clients. But, as the year moved on, we realized that we needed to do something different.

The staff we hired were brilliant, heart-focused, and ready to do the work, but it was only later that we realized our client needs had shifted. So, our team layout shifted in response. We’ve slowed down our hiring and peeled back the layers. We are confident these changes will position us to exceed the expectations of our clients as we go to the next level.
Learn

This year, we learned that our clients’ DEI transformation required more profound work, customized solutions, and even more specialized personnel. We had to step back and ask ourselves:

What do our clients need now that they didn’t need in 2020?
What can we do to meet them where they’re at?
What can we learn to better serve our clients and their constituents?
Who can best serve our clients’ needs at this time?

We have a lot of learning to do in order to tailor our offerings to each client. We’re also learning who to add to our team that can speak to each clients’ individual needs.

At NWC, we’re not about blanket solutions. We’re about tactical, effective, and personalized solutions. That requires us to put on our thinking caps, get creative, and be bold in our growth and development in the coming months.

Improve

As a business owner, I found myself reflecting on how NWC and I arrived at this place. I reflected on how we’ve helped dozens of organizations in the DEI space, and how the incredible team of people we had helped move the needle forward. But, it was time to make major changes within the organization and I found myself between a rock and a hard place. As a leader, it’s crucial to understand that everything rises and falls with leadership. So, I sought out counsel, spent time reflecting on the vision of NWC, and intentionally sought client feedback to further refine our organization.

The bottom line is that NWC needed to slow down to go deeper and go further into the work that our clients required. Where NWC began, and the work being done, though impactful, it was just the initial layers and not the full scope of service and expertise needed for the deeper work.

Our current and future clients deserve a more robust and customized approach and solutions. All of which are
in alignment with the vision and goals of NWC. When a problem arises, the answers reveal themselves and it’s up to us to listen and make the necessary changes, adjustments, and pivots (including making necessary endings) to improve and grow.

The ability of NWC to operate within its vision and mission to meet the needs of the world we serve moved me
to refine the team, streamline our processes, and add greater depth and dimension to the services we provide.
Final Thoughts

Today, NWC celebrates all of those we’ve had the opportunity to work alongside and serve. Every engagement we had was an essential building block in what NWC is today and what it will become in the future. Whether a moment, a season, or a lifetime, we build with people, and when the time is right, we honor the gifts they leave behind. Why? Because we whole-hearted believe that we must continuously learn, unlearn and relearn to grow, evolve, and flourish.

I am grateful for this journey of service and leadership. As I continue to improve and refine myself, I hope to always do my part to be accountable to the people I meet, serve and do life with. When I grow, we grow, and we all grow together. We’re excited to grow with our new clients and staff in the coming months and years.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Greenville is such a gem. I have such an affinity to my city. A visit downtown to the shopping boutiques, the amazing eateries and of course the impressive scenery of the waterfalls at Falls Park would all be on my list of places to show off Greenville.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I dedicate this Shoutout series to all women of color who dare to dream big and believe they can achieve. I am inspired by you. I also dedicate this Shoutout series to my amazing husband, Carlo White, who has supported me in every imaginable way in my entrepreneur journey!

Website: www.nikawhite.com

Instagram: nikacwhite

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikawhite/

Twitter: @NikaWhite

Facebook: Nika White Consulting

Youtube: Dr. Nika White

Image Credits
Stacey Gardin Portraits

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