My alcoholic dad threatened me with a knife when I was six – now I run a £300k company helping other women

AS A child, Nicki Louise James was terrified of her alcoholic father, who once threatened her with a knife when she was just six years old.

Now 29, the Essex girl, from East Tilbury, runs a branding and coaching company – set to make £300,000 this year – and wants to show others that having a difficult childhood doesn’t have to define you.

Julia Etherington

Nicki, who works exclusively with female entrepreneurs, spoke exclusively to Fabulous Digital for #BOSSINGIT, our series about ordinary women who have launched incredible businesses.

My mum nearly fell off the chair when I told I’d had my first £30,000 month, she thought it was crazy.

I only started my branding and business coaching company, B by Nicki, in January 2017, but I’m a workaholic and just have an eye for what works in the business world.

Just because you’ve had a troubled past doesn’t mean you can’t still have success, and I’ve found it’s part of what drives me.

Julia Etherington

My dad was an alcoholic and bad with money, getting himself into some pretty stupid situations. Mum and I would hide from the bailiffs while he was at work.

He went from job to job before starting his own will-writing company, keeping it ticking over while drinking from morning to night.

What my mum didn’t know was that he was also violent to me, their only child, on a regular basis.

One day when she was working at the supermarket, dad threatened me with a knife. I must have been about six.

One day when mum was working at the supermarket, dad threatened me with a knife. I must have been about six

Nikki Louise James29

Dad was meant to be looking after me but he went out, telling me to make our own sandwiches for lunch.

When he came back, drunk, he was angry I’d made holes in the bread trying to spread the butter and he threatened me.

Another time he threw me onto the pavement outside our house and locked the door. He left me there sobbing on the pavement in the cold for about two hours.

He wasn’t violent with my mum but he treated her horribly – she had no clue of what he did to me.

Julia Etherington

I was seven when she told me she was leaving him. She said I didn’t have to go with her and that I could stay if I wanted. I finally told her what had been going on, and begged to go with her.

The day we left, mum told dad I wasn’t going into school because I didn’t feel well.

We started packing as soon as he left for work, but he came home unexpectedly.

He was really angry, but also sad. He had two sides to him.

When I was little I remember being the apple of his eye, but when he was drunk he became a different person.

I decided to focus on female entrepreneurs because I want to empower women to realise that if I can do it, they can too

Nikki Louise James, 29

I remember thinking I would never let what I’d been through stop me from doing anything I wanted. I was adamant I was going to make a success of myself.

At 16, I studied for a BTEC diploma in graphic design and then a degree at Buckinghamshire University.

When I was in my first job, on a wedding magazine, I found out my father had passed away.

I wished I could have seen him one more time, just to say him “after everything you did to me look at where I am now”.

Over the next six years, I was made redundant from various magazines, four times, before taking a job as art director on Olive magazine.

Julia Etherington

My husband Rob, 31, is a copywriter and we did our own stationary for our August 2015 wedding.

We ended up turning into a business. We named it Betty Lou Designs in memory of my grandma, who told me I was better than my 9-5, and launched in March 2016.

Six months later, I realised was earning more in my side-business than my salary – and thought I’d have a nervous breakdown if I kept doing both.

So I left my full-time job to run Betty Lou full-time.

Realising I had the skills to make a business succeed, I decided to focus on brand knowledge.

I got myself a business coach and launched Branding, Business and Beyond by Nicki in January 2017, which I later renamed B by Nicki.

I decided to focus on female entrepreneurs because I want to empower women to realise that if I can do it, they can too.

I’m nothing special, I’ve not come from a privileged background, I just have an eye for these things and I think we should all kick ass.

I love the feeling of being able to help other people. Seeing them accelerate their business just gives me a massive buzz, a feeling like no other.

I never got that in my 9-5 or the stationary business, which I’ve now closed.

When I think of where I’ve come from it’s crazy. But I’m still the same person

Nikki Louise Graham29

In the first tax year I made £112,000 and I’m on track to at least triple that this year, thanks to the launch of my group coaching courses online.

I’ve just had my first £30,000 month – the same as I earned in a year in my magazine job. When I think of where I’ve come from it’s crazy. But I’m still the same person.

I like to go to fancy restaurants now, we can have breaks away at a posh manor and I can take mum for a nice lunch, but I’m still very normal – give me a Nando’s any day.

Mum and I had struggles growing up, but it doesn’t define me. I’m still humble enough to know that tomorrow it could all disappear – and I’m grateful for how well it’s going.

My advice for anyone starting out is to feel the fear and do it anyway.

Everything I’ve done I’ve felt nervous about and had butterflies in my stomach, but I think that’s when the best things happen.

Everything has a lesson in it and it’s always better to just try, learn from mistakes and use that to shape future success.

In last week’s Bossing It, we spoke to a woman who grew up with a single mum on benefits, now she runs a nail company Serena Williams loves and has an MBE.