Driven to Achieve: Nikki Butlin
Stronger as a Team Publishing, £10.99 as reviewed by Dee Blick, Commissioning Editor.
Publisher description
In Driven to Achieve, Nikki Butlin, seasoned entrepreneur, CFO, and no-nonsense business leader, shares the real, raw journey from single mum to powerhouse director. No fluff. Just hard-won lessons, setbacks that nearly broke her, and the mindset shifts that changed everything. This isn’t just another motivational pep talk. It’s a roadmap for anyone who’s tired of the excuses and ready to do the work.
First impressions
If I’m reading a book where it’s clear the author wants to share their story, lessons learned and inspire others to follow suit, then I must warm to them. If in the first few pages I sense a big ego on display, I shut up shop and the book ends up in the charity bag.
With Driven to Achieve, my impression from the first chapter was that I really liked this author and would happily spend an afternoon in her company. She’s good fun, enthusiastic about what she does, not afraid to share her wins and losses, with a zest for life, underpinned by a strong enterprising spirit. She’s devoid of the groaning ego which can taint a book and put the author on a pedestal, out of reach of us mere mortals. I trusted Nikki’s voice throughout the book, and in the process, I grew to admire her as well as like her.
Writing style
Her writing style is simple, light and entertaining. She has no problem gently poking fun at herself in a situation she is describing to the reader. As a fellow author, I found her style warm and refreshing, especially with the touch of humour and self-deprecation. I didn’t have to wade through each chapter; there was a consistently applied lightness of touch, making it easy for me to pick up the book even when I was tired. Her style of writing is fresh, open, and inviting and the chapters are short.
Promising start
The book starts in her early childhood, where we learn through stories that she was resourceful and sparky, establishing a school magazine to raise funds for her school; further down the line, introducing systems and processes in her dad’s business, which positioned it for more success. We learn that her late father was a great inspiration and that resourcefulness is an admirable trait she has in abundance. She has amassed a significant amount of experience running her own successful businesses, from being an early adopter of the eBay supply and sell model to founding her own bookkeeping consultancy, even successfully recruiting franchisees for one employer. What Nikki shares is worth knowing because she’s as ruthlessly honest as she is inspiring. There is no bull. You can trust her.
Inviting the reader to reflect
Just when I was beginning to wonder if Nikki would pivot her book to talk directly to readers, encouraging them to use her experience as a framework so they can be more resourceful and informed, she takes us into this sphere with chapters including keys to recruiting and people issues, keep making positive plans and know where to communicate.
Areas I loved
Nikki’s story and how she tells it throughout the book: I resonated with much of her early life and later experiences, and how she throws herself into everything with gusto. If you need a dose of inspiration or have lost your way, this book will help get you back on track. Her character shines through the pages. She’s resilient, talented and very likeable. I would imagine any person reading her book in need of her expertise would be messaging her with a view to taking her on.
Areas I would improve
I really liked the final section of the book where she talks to the reader and encourages them to dig deep and consider her questions. I felt that some of these sections would benefit from a deeper dig, for example, the marketing parts, but then I am a marketer. However, notwithstanding this, she clearly has so much experience in so many areas of business that I would like to have seen this in more detail. I would imagine that there is another book she could write on this.
My key takeaways from this book
That life is short, that we are capable of so much more than we allow ourselves to believe. That we can work through challenges and barriers and move on to better things. That the experience we have accrued is stock in trade we can apply as we take on new roles. And that being adaptable to whatever life throws at us, is an important life skill. That the author has earned her stripes and deserves to write a book about why she was ‘Driven to achieve’
Final comment
Any reader, alighting on Nikki’s book, will be inspired by her unflinching honesty, her candour, and her ability to find the rubies in the rubble, whilst remaining true to herself. Well worth reading, even if all you want to do is discover more about Nikki as a potential business partner or supplier. I suspect, however, that you will benefit from much more.
About Dee Blick FCIM
Dee has just written her fifth marketing book, which debuted at No 1 in six categories on Amazon. With You’re the Best! How to Build an Authentic and Magnetic Personal Brand, Dee shows you step by step how you can move from The Seeker to The Sought After. Chapters include Why being authentic is the ace up your sleeve, building your business brand alongside your personal brand, overcoming fear of failure, how to create a powerful brand plan and how to secure content that underpins your influence and expertise. Dee shares many examples of her award-winning templates in her usual conversational style. You can buy Dee’s book on Amazon and contact her at dee@themarketinggym.org
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