We had the good fortune of connecting with Nick English and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nick, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
It’s funny, my father is an entrepreneur and throughout my childhood he encouraged me to start a business when I grew up — but I couldn’t think of anything more boring! I only ever saw him in his office pushing papers around and wanted to do something more exciting. I wound up studying journalism and politics and spent years bouncing around the developing world doing aid work and writing, but eventually I realized I wanted to have more control over my time and finances, and the only way to do that is to start a business. Dad, of course, is gloating, but very proud.

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?
I followed the basic rule of getting a job in the industry you want to work in, then use the information you learn at that company to start your own business — one that doesn’t compete directly with your employer but can be built from the lessons you learned working in that industry. It took a couple of years of working both jobs, which was pretty stressful, but success tasted all the sweeter when I did.

For me, it was digital media: I worked at a startup fitness media website and used their business model to start a startup fashion media website. Today I have hundreds of thousands of monthly visitors to my site and I’m about to launch my own boot!

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?
David Thomas Tao, for hiring me for my first job in New York City — and, years later, hiring me for my last.

Website: www.stridewise.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/stridewise

Youtube: www.youtube.com/stridewise

Image Credits
Kevin Henao

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSocal is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.