Today we’d like to introduce you to Nisha Patel.
Hi Nisha, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I graduated from the University of South Carolina with a Broadcast Journalism Degree. I started my career as an on-air reporter in the Augusta, GA, and Greenville, SC, markets. After about 9 years, the schedule wasn’t conducive to my lifestyle, so I moved to Public Relations, which most former reporters gravitated toward. I worked as their in-house marketing/PR person at several places but eventually landed at a Greenville PR Agency – Crawford Strategy. They are a full-service agency, and I wore many hats there, including Client Services Manager. After 6 years of working with clients on crafting their strategy, implementing tactics, working on new business, and assisting with the intern program – I decided to go out on my own. At first, I thought I would do freelance writing, but I got my first client about 4 months after leaving Crawford. I was in the contract marketing/PR department, and they are still a client 3 years later. I started NPatel Communications, where my model is to tap on various contractors for services I could be more confident in. I am a full-service agency serving all industries, but I love focusing on women-owned businesses. I never thought I wanted to own a business, but I enjoy the freedom it allows me. I have 3 kids, an 8-year-old and 14-month-old twins. The flexibility of running my own business will enable me to do the work I love and be available for my children.
Let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
It has been a challenging road. While I come from a long line of entrepreneurs, even on my in-law side – I had no clue how to run one. I still need to do everything right. Some of my struggles include the admin side of the business. I have never had to invoice someone or keep track of the books. So, that was a challenge. When you are an entrepreneur, first start; it means doing everything from A to Z by yourself. I have had to learn how to do these things on my own and quickly while ensuring client work was done. Another area for improvement has been business development. For 3 years, I had been working for my business rather than on my business. Professional development has been massive for me, but I understand that not everyone can do that when starting. I started investing in myself in the middle of 2023. I have had a business coach for about a year and a half, but she was a friend and helped me with advice. Now, I can afford to bring her on to help me monthly so that I can put processes in place so that when I do onboard a client – it’s a smooth process! And I’m not stressing out about the day-to-day business life.
I appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about NPatel Communications?
It’s my business to tell your story. At NPatel Communications, we know that telling your story or a story about your business will help elevate your business. Telling your story by implementing public relations or marketing tactics is one of the best ways to connect with your audience. We all love stories and see what other people are doing. If we didn’t, television shows, movies, and books wouldn’t exist. Because of my unique career path, I can understand what story needs to be told to reporters in the newsroom and what marketing story needs to be said through advertising. It’s all about content generation. We are a full-service agency that can craft a marketing and PR strategy to help you move the needle.
What do you think about happiness?
Being able to do the work I love and being present with my family makes me happy. If opening this agency didn’t make me happy or stressed me out consistently – I probably would have stopped doing it, But I have been fortunate enough to balance the two. It’s not work/life balance because I don’t believe in that. It’s finding a balance between work and family/life that works for you.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.npatelcommunications.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/npatelcommunications
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/npatel-communications/
Image Credits
Ian Curcio
