Start generating business ideas with the Wix Business Launcher →

Some business ideas hit us when we least expect them to. They start as a whisper. A little voice in our head that grows louder every day.

That’s how it started for Nicole Michler, owner of London-based consulting business Phase 20.

Nicole had already climbed the corporate ladder in tech and was responsible for negotiating multi-million-dollar contracts with high-profile clients. While she loved her job, she had also assumed an unofficial role mentoring younger female colleagues as they navigated a male-dominated workplace.

“Whenever there was a younger female co-worker joining the company, I would naturally take them under my wing,” says Nicole. “I would try to support them and help them understand how to succeed in their role and get promoted quickly.”

Over time, Nicole’s natural talent for coaching was getting noticed—making her inner voice speak up.

Nicole's moment of clarity

Nicole recalls the moment when that voice became impossible to ignore. It was after a team meeting, when a male colleague received high praise for the same idea she’d suggested five months earlier.

“Everyone was high-fiving this guy,” recalls Nicole. “I was like, ‘Wait, what's going on here?’ I went home that day furious and wrote down an entire business plan for a coaching platform. I didn't have a name for it or know what it was, but I wrote down a business plan for helping female career professionals thrive in their careers and be heard in those meetings.”

That was the beginning of Phase 20, a career consulting company helping women in their 20s and 30s to “claim their senior titles and earn six-figure salaries.”

Get business name ideas for your next venture with the Business Name Generator.

Breaking through the noise

Nicole admits that at the start, she didn’t know the first thing about how to start a coaching business or how to start a consulting business. But upon realizing what a saturated market it was, she knew she needed to make sure her business stood out.

“Something that I found very challenging at the beginning was cutting through the noise,” she says. “There’s a lot of other platforms out there trying to do something similar, so I needed to showcase how I was different.”

Nicole leaned into her own experience climbing the corporate ladder and focused on reaching women in early- or mid-career who want a promotion but are missing the guidance to make it happen.

“The way to stand out is to really niche down and get very specific on the problem that you are looking to solve,” advises Nicole. “That allowed me to cut through the noise to reach my ideal client.”

Phase 20’s first client came through word of mouth after a friend recommended Nicole to a family member. The client was so impressed with Nicole’s coaching that she urged her employer to hire her for a speaking engagement.

“I quickly started to realize how essential sharing my story was,” says Nicole. “It's what resonated with people.”

Sharing her story online

Another effective way Nicole could share her story with the world was through a website—something she now describes as the beating heart of her business. “Everything happens on my website and it gives me that instant credibility because of the way I can present myself.”

When researching options for how to make a business website, Nicole viewed Wix as one of the best website builders for consultants. She was drawn by its all-in-one capabilities and features like custom forms and automations that could help a one-person business operate more efficiently.

“As a solopreneur, Wix gives me a lot of autonomy in terms of creating new forms,” she says. “Let’s say I create a new free PDF to grow my email list. I just quickly go on the website, create the form, create the automation and it does it all in the back, which is incredible.”

She adds: “I've seen other business owners who use different tools where they need coding skills, and it just takes forever. The fact that I can just jump in and create these assets in a matter of minutes is exactly what I needed to scale my business quickly.”

The Phase 20 site has all the hallmarks typical of high-performing coaching websites and consulting websites. It places Nicole’s personal story front and center and tells visitors exactly what Phase 20’s mission is, with the help of catchy coaching slogans. Customer testimonials and detailed service offerings help to build trust, while a free resources section offers actionable content and captures leads.

Along with her business website, Nicole puts her coaching marketing skills to the test by sharing her story with her 37,000+ followers on Instagram. She also hosts London meet-up events to grow her network and connect with prospective clients. To date, Nicole has coached over 100 clients across 15+ industries.

Discover how to make a consulting website designed for business growth.

Having no regrets

Looking back, Nicole questions why she sat on her idea for so long before taking action. While she has no regrets, she advises others to be bold and to also think about how they can use their personal journey to their advantage. After all, that’s part of what makes them unique.

“Honestly, don't underestimate the power of sharing your story,” she says. “In my case, my website helped me do that, to get my story out there and bring my vision to life. It's very exciting to see something that was in your head for the longest time suddenly out there.”

Lessons from Nicole

Nicole took her time turning her passion project into a full-time career, but her lessons will resonate with anyone thinking about starting a business.

• Weigh up your best- and worst-case scenarios: “At some point, I just paused and asked myself, ‘What is it I’m actually worried about? What's the worst that can happen if I commit to this full time?’ I started to realize that my worst-case scenario is actually going back to a career I enjoyed. The best-case scenario is that I'll build this incredible platform that helps women and changes the way we work in the corporate world. That’s when it became a no-brainer.”

• Don’t wait for the perfect website: “Don’t sit on your consulting business ideas or first product for years trying to make it perfect. It's never going to be perfect. You need feedback. You need to speak to the end user to tweak your product as you go. I would say just get that online presence as soon as you can.” (For inspo, check how to make a coaching website in 11 simple steps).

• Keep your network—you never know when you’ll need it: “It's essential to always have a plan B, because things happen; economies change, your market, the niche that you are operating in. I always have my career, but I also have my professional network. I kept in touch with all of those connections, and there’s always an opportunity that I can take someone up on if I had to.”

• Choose a resilient mindset: “You really need to have a very strong and resilient mindset in entrepreneurship. There will be setbacks, but there will also be exciting and rewarding opportunities. You need to have thick skin to push through those days when you launch a new product and it feels like nobody wants it. That's part of the journey, but that's what you learn from.”

• Stay curious: “You need to be very curious. I'm super excited every morning when I open my laptop, as there's always something new I can learn. As long as you don't lose that curiosity and excitement about your business, you're going to be on a good path where you become a better person every day and your business grows naturally.”