Meet Marlene Nurick, a force of nature in the world of business strategy, entrepreneurship, and public speaking. She is not just an entrepreneur; she is a dynamic visionary who empowers people across the globe to embrace revolutionary mindsets, transform their lifestyles, and enhance their business acumen. Marlene is the creative mind behind two game-changing organizations, Akktiv8 and The Like-Minded Collective, which have become influential platforms for catalyzing transformation in both business and personal development.
Marlene’s remarkable career spans over two decades, marked by her leadership in senior positions within the corporate world. Her ability to establish meaningful connections with diverse audiences sets her apart. With an insatiable passion for helping individuals unlock their full potential, she has left an indelible mark on those she’s encountered.
What makes Marlene exceptional is her down-to-earth approach, a quality that draws audiences in and encourages active engagement while learning. From the moment she steps in front of a group, Marlene possesses the unique ability to captivate and inspire. She leaves her audiences not just with knowledge but with empowering tools and a focused mindset, equipping them to conquer challenges and reach their highest potential.
Marlene’s impact extends far beyond traditional business roles. She is a catalyst for transformation, a beacon of inspiration for those seeking to enhance both their professional and personal lives. In an ever-evolving world, leaders like Marlene are at the forefront, lighting the way for individuals and organizations to thrive, evolve, and achieve their fullest potential.
Leadership, Mentorship, and Entrepreneurship
Marlene is a passionate advocate for people, leadership, and successful businesses. She is dedicated to empowering individuals to elevate their careers and personal growth to unprecedented levels. Her recent initiative, The Like-Minded Collective, reflects her commitment to creating a platform where like-minded women can connect, mentor, and highlight entrepreneurs. This platform takes a comprehensive approach, encompassing wellness, business, and continuous learning.
Marlene has had an extraordinary corporate career. In senior leadership roles, she achieved remarkable results by transforming a business from a modest $75 million to an impressive $1 billion in under seven years. Her strategic focus on redefining the relationship between distributors, retailers, and brands led to a complete turnaround for a previously struggling enterprise, turning it into a profitable success. As a young woman entering the IT market, Marlene’s guidance had a profound impact on those she mentored. One individual attests to her ability to provide clarity through a well-defined 30, 60, 90-day plan, helping them excel both personally and professionally. Another mentee shared that Marlene’s positive influence and unwavering belief in their abilities significantly boosted their confidence and ‘can-do’ spirit. Her mentoring style is characterized by a natural ability to inspire and encourage others.
Journey to Empowering Others
Marlene’s remarkable success can be attributed to her distinct leadership style, which centers on building robust teams, cultivating departmental commitment, and leading by example. Her approach has yielded exceptional results, evident in the impressively low staff turnover rate of less than 0.5% during her tenure. Marlene’s capacity to inspire and retain high-performing teams is a testament to her exceptional leadership skills and her unwavering dedication to excellence. Her core principles for achieving success include authenticity, expertise in one’s field, trusting one’s intuition, and a belief in the potential for learning from everyone encountered throughout one’s career. Her unwavering customer-centric focus is another vital element. Marlene’s authenticity and commitment to being true to oneself have been pivotal in her path to success. She places a strong emphasis on ongoing learning, respect for others, and tireless effort in pursuing her goals.
While Marlene possesses a proven track record of professional achievements, it is her passion for assisting others that truly distinguishes her. She recognizes the significance of forming deep connections with people and helping them unlock their full potential. Her capacity to inspire, motivate, and empower individuals to shape their best lives positions Marlene as a dynamic influence in the realms of business and personal development.
Holistic Retail Strategy
Marlene emphasizes a customer-centric approach aimed at ensuring that retailers uphold their brand promise throughout every customer interaction. Unlike many agencies that primarily work with brands and then transmit their messaging to retailers, Marlene’s approach is more holistic and cohesive. She believes that the retailer serves as the customer’s primary point of contact, especially after the purchase, making them a critical element of the customer journey. By concentrating on the retailer, Marlene’s strategy revolves around aligning engagement and deliverables with the retailer’s brand promise and brand story, rather than solely focusing on the brands supplied to retail. This approach ensures a more unified and consistent customer experience.
Empowering Women
As a highly accomplished woman who has achieved remarkable success in her career, Marlene is also a mother of three daughters. Her decision to transition from the corporate world to establishing her own business was motivated by a desire to connect with and collaborate with other like-minded women. She sought a platform where she could share ideas and experiences with women who shared her aspirations. However, Marlene noticed a gap in the existing groups, with many focusing on specific niches, be it business or wellness, and none offering a comprehensive approach to connect across these diverse areas. This realization led to the creation of The Like-Minded Collective, a platform with a vision to unite like-minded women. The focus is on the holistic self, encompassing the mind, body, and business, with each individual at the core. The collective provides a space for women to collaborate, share, and support each other in their personal and professional journeys.
Where Culture and Values Meet for Success
Marlene firmly believes that in both businesses, culture and values are one and the same. The culture she advocates is built on principles of collaboration, idea-sharing, active listening, productivity, and an element of enjoyment throughout the journey. This culture celebrates achievements and maintains an unwavering focus on the customer’s needs and experience, placing them at the forefront of every decision and action. In essence, Marlene’s perspective underscores the critical role of a shared, customer-centric culture in fostering success in both personal and professional domains.
Leadership Approach
Marlene’s leadership role within the organizations involves a dual focus on achieving both commercial and personal objectives. Her primary responsibility is to recognize and nurture the best in her team members, ensuring they perform at their highest potential every day. She also takes a proactive approach in aligning her team members’ strengths and potential with their respective roles. A significant aspect of her leadership involves a keen sense of timing, understanding when to take certain actions and when to exercise restraint. Marlene emphasizes that intuition and gut feel are invaluable assets for a leader. She encourages the acknowledgment, trust, and effective use of these instincts, recognizing their significance in running a successful business and leading a team effectively.
Adapting to Change
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on people, businesses, and the way we work today, including Marlene’s experiences. The key challenge during this period was the need to swiftly adapt and ensure the well-being of their team members. It required the development of new strategies and innovative methods of connecting, presenting a significant and complex challenge for individuals and organizations alike.
Four Empowerment Strategies for Resourceful Employees
Marlene implements four strategies to empower employees and make them more resourceful:
- Weekly Meetings: Conducting regular weekly meetings to keep employees focused on the top ten priorities that will have the most significant impact on the business. This helps in setting clear objectives and priorities.
- Toolkits: Ensuring that employees have access to the tools and training necessary to accomplish their goals effectively. Providing the right resources enhances their capabilities.
- Accountability: Clearly defining and communicating each employee’s areas of responsibility and ensuring that these accountabilities are measured. Creating a culture of accountability promotes productivity and task completion.
- Celebrating Success: Establishing a culture that celebrates milestones and achievements. Recognizing and rewarding success not only boosts morale but also reinforces the idea that accomplishments are valued and should be acknowledged.
Meeting Evolving Customer Expectations
Marlene recognizes that the most significant transformation is being driven by an increasingly informed and discerning consumer base. Customers today are more knowledgeable and have elevated expectations when engaging with retailers. Throughout the customer journey, they are willing to provide feedback via surveys and online reviews. However, in the future, customers will anticipate a highly personalized experience when dealing with retailers.
The primary challenge lies in retailers’ ability to keep pace with these evolving consumer expectations and provide a personalized experience consistently across every touchpoint in the customer journey, whether in digital or in-person interactions. To address this challenge, the approach is centered on education and training. Staying at the forefront of technology and customer expectations is essential. Communication and leadership play crucial roles in guiding and assisting retailers on their journey to meet these ever-evolving customer demands. The key is to stay proactive and responsive to changing consumer preferences.
Quote from Marlen
“Know who you are and what you want to achieve. Make sure you can see what that looks like (visualize it). Identify who in the industry you admire and ensure to connect with those people all the time. Watch and learn. Listen. Not to take anything personally. Accept feedback and criticism from those you admire and are admired in the industry. Ignore the rest. The other big one is to manage burnout. Take a break every quarter and splash out on a 4-day weekend somewhere lush. Think massages, food, wine, and beaches. This allows you to disconnect and gain clarity on where you are, and it will also give you the opportunity to perhaps look at things a little differently. Always good for you and the business.”
