Mindful & Driven | Nikita Ladwa
Quitting Isn’t Easy but It Could Be the Best Decision You Ever make
It’s ok to take your time
In the movies, people spontaneously quit their jobs and leave in a ball of fire. The reality often isn’t so simple.
Nikita Ladwa, the founder of The Naked Laundry, wrote her resignation letter six months before handing it in. Each day was an internal battle and she agonized over making the right decision.
This was despite the company gathering significant momentum. This wasn’t a new venture where she would be guessing if there was a market. She’d started The Naked Laundry several years before and orders had already been flying in. Nikita had created a strong brand in bespoke crop tops that straddled Western and Indian fashion despite working full time.
She knew she loved working on her business but the thought of not having the safety of a salary scared her. I can empathize with her because by the time I quit, I was already matching my former salary but it’s scary to take the plunge. Unlike me, she had invested all her savings into the business and had less of a safety net which makes her path even braver.
Over a year later, she says it’s the best decision she’s ever made. If you’re struggling to make a choice right now then don’t beat yourself up over the time you take. It might be what sets you up best for the future.
This article is based on the Mindful & Driven episode with Nikita. You can listen here or find the YouTube video at the bottom of this article.
No need to rush
Doing a job you don’t think is perfect for you may feel like a waste of time but it could be what helps make your dream a reality.
Nikita’s previous job was as a digital marketer and those helped her to build her brand’s online presence rapidly. If she had quit when she first thought of her clothing brand, it might have been much harder for her to reach the level she is now.
The other obvious advantage to starting your dream project on the side is the income. This puts far less pressure on you to generate profit in your business and frees you up creatively. Since I became a full-time creative, my relationship with writing has changed and it’s no longer the outlet it once was.
There’s no shame in taking a long time to decide to go all in to your business nor is there in choosing to keep it as a side passion project. Don’t ever feel pushed based on other people’s timelines when it’s your life.
Passion through everything
Nikita doesn’t believe in only having one passion. She’s lucky because what she does for The Naked Laundry combines much of what she loves in one role.
A key highlight for her is delivering her products directly to customers who live near her London. She gets to see their happy faces and understand who they are and what matters to them. She’s also able to be creative in different ways through fashion design and the strategies she uses for online marketing.
Nikita starts every day by talking to her team in India and during our conversation, it was obvious how much she enjoys working with them too.
In whatever you love, remember to consider what other tasks come with it. If the part you love is only actually 10% of how you’d spend your time then it’s worth considering your other options. It might mean it’s not the right path for you or simply that you need to bring on team members to handle those parts for you.
Stay true to what you believe in
Turning something you love into your livelihood comes with trade-offs. They might start with lofty ethical standards but abandon these for the harsh realities of profit.
Nikita refuses to make this sacrifice despite knowing it would make her numbers look better on paper. She’s against fast fashion and intentionally keeps the number of items she creates low. This increases her costs per item but ensures there is less wastage. With her team, she comes up with ways to make sure as much of the material she buys is used as possible.
Nikita outsourced her production to India but visited the factories herself to ensure the safety standards were high. She talks directly to her producers at a friendship level and cares about what’s going on in their lives. Once all the travel restrictions are lifted, her plan is to rotate her time between Delhi and London so she knows exactly what’s happening in all parts of her business.
By ensuring she lives up to her own standards, she stays proud of what she does know she’s not only doing the best for her customers but for her staff too. If you decide to forge your own path, make sure you think about both sides to keep everything in balance.
I hope you found these tips useful and can see ways you can apply them to your own life. If you’d like to hear Nikita talk about it with me in more detail, check out our conversation in the video below.
