About Me – Nik Kirkham – Writer & Creativist

I am a storyteller, who believes one has to live life to the fullest to tell the best stories. I have worked across fields such as finance, R&D&I, healthcare, film, transportation, trade services, education, game development and crisis management, to name a few.

My varied background allows me to look at things from a multitude of perspectives and find the best path forward.

My aim is to inspire others to see possibilities, rather than obstacles.

My values drive me to work harder than most.

By making sure I enjoy and fully support the projects I work on, I can guarantee you will get 100% of my attention and rigor.

Social science has long shown that we work more efficiently when we enjoy what we do. As someone who has burned out before, doing mundane tasks, I can attest to this being true. That is why I only take on projects I absolutely believe in and feel a burning desire to pursue. This ensures you get the highest quality work as fast as possible and don’t subsidize an office of bored workers staring out the window.

What gets me excited? I love working on projects that will improve people’s lives / work environment, that inspire people and create an overall benefit for humanity and its legacy. That means I will work on anything where I feel I can create a win-win scenario or somehow make a positive difference. I will not engage in destructive projects that are detrimental to people’s health, environment or rights.

FAQs

Do you also work on smaller projects?

Every project is different, but small-scale projects are my favorite, because they allow me to dip my toes in a new world and work really hard on cracking a problem before stepping back and enjoying the rear view of the fruits of my work. Nothing satisfies me more than to come back to a company and see they still use my solution years later.

What is your process working on small-scale projects?

The first step is always to establish the big picture. Who are the stakeholders, what are the different goals we have to reconcile and what are the root causes of the issue? Once I have gathered all the facts (and feelings), I work out different pathways for the future and check them for feasibility. Finally, I narrow it down to the most beneficial options and craft a solution with as many positive spill-over effects (or synergies) as possible. Once we are in agreement, it is time to implement the solution together with the client.

Do you work alone?

Most projects do not require me to work with anyone else. On occasion, I will work with one or more of the many professionals in my network for especially demanding and large-scale projects if very specific talents and skills are required and unavailable to my client.

When do you even sleep?

I have been asked many times how it is possible for me to do so many different things in such a short lifespan. The truth is very simple: I focus on what matters most to me and I don’t shy away from challenges. Sometimes, I made sacrifices to pursue my dreams. It is also possible to get a lot of different industry experiences, when you work in functional roles (or as a freelancer) that are applicable to a multitude of industries.

You do so many things, why should we hire you instead of a specialist or a big consulting firm?

Specialists miss things. They do one thing really well and that is great if you need just that, but they will not be able to provide you with a comprehensive solution. A consulting firm on the other hand, will bedazzle you with Power Points created by the summer interns or 1st year associates, who did basic Google searches to come up with their solutions. They lack depth. If I take on a project with you, it is because I care, and I really want to solve your problem the best possible way. I bring both the generalist view of a consultancy and the ability to get more granular from years of working in and around different companies.