Some people dream of being an entrepreneur, while others are born with entrepreneurship in their bones. Refusing to be boxed into the normalcy of a 9-5 job, Nikki Williams, Milk Bottle Projects’ (MBP) Director, foodie, photographer, Susan Sarandon’s second-hand and even Snoop Dogg’s PR girl for a day, made her dream a reality with her drive to change the digital landscape at the young age of 21. Now, years later, she’s challenging other women to get out of their regular 9-5 routine to go forth and forge their path towards their own passions and interests.
Combining her love of Melbourne culture, food and PR know-how saw Williams build a specialised marketing agency that works primarily within the hospitality and lifestyle sectors. Williams’ love affair with the hospitality industry began when she worked behind bars, at large-scale events and in high end restaurants during her university days. With her experience of bartending and waitressing behind her, Williams realised that there was a severe gap in the understanding of PR in the food scene – and thus, MBP was born. A playful but humble concept that draws on the services of the milkman, Williams’ vision for the agency is to deliver exciting, high quality and always reliable services as Melbourne’s leading PR and digital marketing agency in the Australian hospitality scene.
Williams now has an impressive resume that spans over ten years and industry stories that will make your jaw drop, including working as Snoop Dogg’s PR girl in New York (remember that time he changed name to Snoop Lion? Yeah, that was her!). All the impressive accolades aside, Williams’ passion and keen eye on emerging hospitality and lifestyle trends has allowed her to lead the pack and work with some of the largest names in the Australian hospitality and lifestyle industries – RACV and Vitasoy being some major players who have entrusted Williams’ expertise for their growth.
Often asked about her advice for budding entrepreneurs, specifically females wanting to take a leap of faith and start their own business, Williams admits that you need to “prepare to be resilient and work harder than you probably ever have before. The initial stages of business development and growth are the hardest in [her] opinion, so it’s vital to see and understand what your goals and achievements need to be.” Williams believes you should start manifesting ideas while you work through the initial steps of entrepreneurialism. “If you do research into the validity of your business (check out LEAN Canvas for a structure around validating a business) and you can see what the business might look like in it’s next steps of development, you’re in a good place to really launch into creating a business.”
Williams and her team at MBP work closely to find results that maximise exposure and success. As there are so many different digital platforms to work with, no two clients will ever receive the same kind of marketing strategy experience. This is the entrepreneurial mentality that Williams once set for herself when she started MBP and this is what she aims to run with to stay ahead of the competition in the ever-changing digital sphere as the business grows everyday. As long as Williams is connected to the digital world, regardless of if she’s in the comfort of her studio or on an outdoor adventure, she’s taking the PR industry by storm with her drive for success as a young female leader. If you’re not familiar with her name, then you’re missing out.