Faces of Entrepreneurship FT. Nicolette Addesa
I am Senior Account Executive at Edelman, an independent communications agency, where I specialize in helping clients build trust, advance and protect their reputations, shape unique corporate identities, and foster purposeful stakeholder relationships. I’ve translated a life-long love of storytelling into a career developing communications strategies, crafting smart messaging and materials, and securing valuable media opportunities for my clients.
I bring an entrepreneurial spirit to Edelman having recently managed my own communications practice where I helped small businesses achieve their communications objectives. Prior to starting my own business, I managed communications for ADGA Group Consultants in Ottawa having come from working with the City of Ottawa where I handled media relations, social platforms and crisis communications.
I am also on the Executive Committee of the non-profit organization, Young Diplomats of Canada, serving as their Director of Communications. YDC is a national, non-partisan, youth-led non-profit organization that aims to break down barriers of decision-making at the highest levels of global diplomacy. YDC hopes to mainstream youth engagement in big policy discussion within spaces such as the G20 and G7 meetings.
When I am not teaching yoga or visiting art galleries, I enjoy giving back to my local and global community. I am a TEDx Speaker, the University of Ottawa Alumni Regional Council President, and a Director on the Board of Connexion Internationale de Montréal.
What does entrepreneurship mean to me?
To me, entrepreneurship means having the audacity to create, make mistakes and try again. It is networking, meeting new people and creating links in order to make to make a common dream come true. It is taking your knowledge, whether you studied in arts, in science (or any field really), putting in the time and work and using your critical thinking to shape a better world for everyone.
How am I entrepreneurial?
The easy answer to this question would be to plug the communications practice I founded in 2018. The true answer is found in the small things we do every day. Going to a 5 à 7 to meet new people is entrepreneurial. Reaching out to potential clients to check in is entrepreneurial. Connecting people in my network is entrepreneurial. Taking courses to ensure that I am up to date on my industry is entrepreneurial. Taking time for myself to ensure that my physical, mental and emotional health are well is entrepreneurial.
It is in the everyday common things where one can flex their entrepreneurial muscles.
How does an entrepreneurial mindset contribute to my life?
When applying business practices to our lives, it is easier to measure the impact of our actions. The way I go about it is setting personal and professional goals for myself every three months. This allows me to have an idea of what I want to accomplish and provides a road map on how to get there.
Some quarters are more successful than others, that is ok. This entrepreneurial mindset is what allows us to be able to look back and learn from past wins and losses and what will help us move forward.
*This feature was published as a part of the Faces of Entrepreneurship Campaign, 2019.
