Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your businesses:
Hi! My name is Reda Hicks, and I'm a practicing attorney and business owner based in Houston, Texas. I run three companies, all focused on helping small businesses grow and thrive. My law practice, Hicks PLLC, is a commercial law firm that does general counsel work for small businesses. My consulting firm, Nexus Consulting, is focused on organizational development, helping companies and nonprofits trouble-shoot their businesses and optimize their operations. My tech company, GotSpot, is a platform that lets brick-and-mortar businesses make money off of day-renting their space to other local businesses for meetings, events, and pop-ups.
What excites you about being an Entreprenista League member?
I love engaging with other women who are entrepreneurs. Peer mentoring and support have been key components to my success, and I love supporting other business owners as they grow, especially other women.
What made you take the leap to start your own businesses?
I started my businesses because I know how important thriving local businesses are to a local community. My first ten years of law practice were spent in bankruptcy litigation, so I know that a huge number of the reasons that businesses fail are avoidable with the right support and resources. I love helping organizations find a path forward and chart their success.
What was your background prior to starting your own business?
I've been an attorney for seventeen years, including nearly ten as a complex commercial litigation partner in a national law firm, and seven as general counsel to organizations ranging from tiny nonprofits to huge, multinational businesses. I've also worked in strategic organizational development and governance for many of the same kinds of organizations over the past fifteen years. I've also spent many years working in advocacy for military families, and in teaching grassroots leaders how to navigate spheres of influence and create more impact for their communities.
Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?
No, I'm something of an accidental entrepreneur. I saw problems that needed solving, and starting new businesses wound up being the best way to tackle them.
Take us back to when you first launched your business, what was your marketing strategy to get the word out and did it go as planned?
Marketing is not my professional language, and I'm sure I've done lots of things the wrong way. But what I did right at the beginning involved letting my network know what I was up to. My best message carriers have been the people who've worked with me over the years, who are invested in my success the way I have been in theirs.
What is the accomplishment you are the most proud of to date?
I'm a proud military spouse, and I've been proud to employ military spouses in all of my businesses. Over the three years that I've been in business, I've been able to hire six skilled military spouses around the world to work in my businesses.
Do you believe in work/life balance? What are some of your best tips?
I don't think "work/life balance" that involves shooting for 50/50 is a goal that makes sense. But I do think that if we're mindful about ensuring that our time and energy is spent in line with our priorities and values, and if we communicate openly with the important people in our lives about how and why you've allocated time and energy specific places, we can live our days more closely aligned with our priorities and values.
What's a piece of advice you can share that you wish you'd known when you first started your Entreprenista journey?
My favorite Albert Einstein quote is "if you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." When starting a new business, I was inundated with messages from vendors trying to sell me all kinds of productivity tools, automation tools, services, and the like. There's nothing wrong with those at all, but here's the thing I've learned: if you can't outline how your business runs clearly on a piece of paper, it's not the fancy tools that you need right now. It's clarity.
What have you achieved recently that you'd like to celebrate with our community?
For many years, my businesses have been side hustles, and I've continued working in Corporate America to maintain stability for my family. But this May, I said goodbye to my day job and bet on myself! Now I'm an Entreprenista full time.
What's next for your business? What can we expect to see over the next few years?
My success has always been tied to the success of other organizations: better stewardship for nonprofits; more impact for local communities in the businesses they serve. For me, success looks like being the go-to partner for helping businesses at a crossroads choose the path to success.
Learn more about the Entreprenista League and join today!
About the Author
Entreprenista Team
