When a Grantown woman supported an entrepreneur in building their own company, she was left with a queue of people after her advice.
Nadia Fyvie-Feldmann has since been building and connecting with business owners and creators to run Dhow Consulting.
She is keen to help them showcase what Scottish businesses have to offer.
Nadia answered our questions on the biggest struggles, achievements and more for her Grantown business.
How and why did you start in business?
During Covid I had started to support an entrepreneur in building their company across all aspects of their growth.
When I was approached by more and more people for business advice and support I realised that I could build a company around this.
As I started building and connecting, I noticed that business confidence was generally low.
Scotland has so many amazing entrepreneurs and great creators but somehow we still hesitate to show the world.
Dhow Consulting’s business purpose is to raise Scottish business confidence – every business counts. So that is why I do what I do.
How did you get to where you are today?
Perseverance mostly. I build everything from the ground up and it can be hard sometimes. I love to connect and build – I am constantly meeting new people and getting new inspiration from hearing their stories.
I re-evaluate what I offer my clients and how to best serve their needs, so change is constant for me.
Now I operate in a unique space of offering hands-on business advice and tools while explaining how macroeconomics affects each and every one of us.
Productivity is my overall focus – let’s work smarter, not harder.
Who helped you?
During Covid I twinned with an entrepreneur in Germany.
We had never met in person but we connected every day and discussed how we were coping with lockdown, business changes and life.
We have met now and are still in touch every day; I couldn’t have done without her – thank you Mareike.
My husband is the biggest supporter, but that may be because he wants me to retire him.
Locally I have received tremendous support from the Moray Chamber of Commerce, the Moray Wellbeing Economy Community of Practice and other FSB members.
Shout out also goes to Dr. Yekemi Otaru who always has invaluable advice for me.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever had?
When it gets bumpy you don’t jump out of the car, you buckle up.
What is your biggest mistake?
There were a few people along the way I probably should not have trusted, but everything is a lesson.
What is your greatest achievement?
Life as I live it now – filled with purpose, with a wonderful family and amazing friends in the most beautiful country in the world. I worked hard to get to this point.
How are you managing rapidly rising costs, and how could the government help?
My business overheads are minimal thankfully, but I see my clients struggling.
I help them identify money and time leaks to increase their profitability and counter rising costs as much as possible.
It’s amazing how much time and money you can save with a process and productivity review.
The government in this country needs to be much more transparent and accountable – it feels like business constantly has to respond to every knee-jerk reaction parliament spits out.
What do you still hope to achieve?
I am running a three-day workshop next year for changemakers called The Next Chapter and a day event called Change it Up.
I hope to run more entrepreneurial events in the future. I am also working on a collaborative collective to facilitate innovation and growth in all its forms.
What do you do to relax?
I like to spend quality time with friends and family and enjoy good food and drink. A good musical jam session is always relaxing too – singing is my favourite pastime.
What are you currently reading, listening to or glued to on TV?
I recently watched The Rivals, which is a stunning piece of entertainment about TV in the eighties. I also have discovered a few artists from the Harlem Renaissance that I listen to a lot currently.
What do you waste your money on?
I don’t believe in having regrets – so I am happy to report that every single one of those fifty or so notebooks and diaries I have in my office were worth it.
What’s the first thing you do when you get up in the morning?
This has never changed in my adult life: Coffee and planning my day.
What do you drive and dream of driving?
I drive a 2011 VW EOS Convertible. It’s my dream car really; they don’t make them anymore and there are only around 120 of the style I have in the UK, so I am banking on a classic.
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