Nik Sharma

Nik is the CEO of Sharma Brands, a consulting firm working with brands to help grow and scale revenue across digital platform.

Nik is one of AdWeek's Young & Influential, Forbes 30 under 30, and angel invests in companies like Brightland, Caraway, Haus, Sanzo, and others.

On his morning routine.

I’m usually up around 8 and the first thing I do is clean my kitchen. 

Growing up, my mom had a rule that you can't start the day without a clean kitchen. So I clean the kitchen, make my bed, and prep a cup of coffee mixed with an espresso shot.  

Then, I’ll sit down at my computer and run through Slack, Twitter, texts, and emails to make sure there weren’t any fires overnight that need putting out. 

That routine, paired with the slew of 9 AM calls, helps push me into my daily workflow.

On building in public.

People started clamoring for my time last year as I started tweeting more and began my own consulting work.

Working with such a variety of brands, I enjoy sharing insights from my “day job” to hopefully help others in the DTC world, or if anything at least keep a mini diary of notes/tips/tricks for later.

The more I shared publicly, the more texts, DMs, and emails I’d get asking for a 15-minute call, advice on a startup, or to be on podcasts or newsletters.

At first, it was definitely cool. I was blown away when a company would ask me to be their advisor, but what I realized quickly was it’s impossible to please everyone and share your time. You'll go insane!

I know what it’s like to have nothing. I know what it’s like to start from scratch.

I know what it’s like when someone you reach out to actually gets back to you. I do as much as I can, especially if I believe in what they’re working on.

But, my clients take precedence because they’re paying for my attention.

If I have spare time, I give as much as possible, but if I’m slammed with work, I just try to be honest with folks about my limited hours and usually take them up on questions via email, or point them in the right direction.

On taking a stance.

There is honestly so much going on in the world right now. Both from a global perspective as much as a national or even a local perspective.

I was always brought up with the values that you speak what your truth is, and if your opinion or thoughts are wrong, the universe will correct them.

I still believe in that to this day. I continue to share my thoughts with colleagues and, at some times, my followers. Sometimes I get corrected by them, and I appreciate it — it’s better than believe something that is wrong forever.

I appreciate every single person who helps me become a better person, and you should, too.

On making fitness social.

My workouts are entirely depending on my work schedule. If I have lighter workdays, then I’m probably just heading down to the gym in my apartment.

If I have an intense day, or I'm busy with back to back meetings, I’ll make sure to block out a 90-minute window where I can hit a Rumble class knowing I'll be out in exactly 45 minutes with time to shower.

After the class, I’ll grab my backpack and keep rolling with my day. Pre-COVID, I’d hit a Rumble boxing session around 6 AM with some friends.

It’s the easiest way for us to get together, hang out, drink some Cha Cha Matcha, and also get a good workout in. Most of my best friends work in marketing or are involved in the DTC industry in some way.

Aside from a group workout, I don’t have an allotted “social time” blocked out in my calendar. To catch up, we rely on group chats and FaceTime.

If Rumble was open right now, I’d definitely be there at 6 AM, though in my usual fashion, I’d arrive around 5:58 with shoes that still need to be tied.

On managing a busy schedule.

Managing the pocket of time in between meetings can be tough, and varies widely depending on who I’m working with. 

I’ve found that the best personal hack for my schedule has been getting an assistant to help me with all my admin tasks.

It clears up time from things like figuring out a Zoom meeting time between a group of people or calling an airline for a refund because an event got canceled.

If I’m talking to executives for my Sharma Brands work, I usually block an hour off, leaving time for diving deep on a topic or just extra cushion. 

If it’s not a Sharma Brands client, then in most cases calls are 30 minutes, unless otherwise requested.

On learning to delegate.

I’m really bad at delegation.

The thing is, in this game, it’s always my name on the line. I’m very protective of that. At the end of the day, it’s what the clients are paying for, right?

But I’m trying to delegate more, and I’m slowly getting better. At a certain point, you just have to start trusting people more. 

Of course, when I work with web agencies or contractors and we’re building out websites, I still review everything that goes out for any of the brands I work with.

For me, it’s about making sure that my clients always get the best of the best.

On avoiding burnout.

I definitely push myself, but it takes a lot for me to start to feel burned out. 

If you saw my calendar right now, it's insane. I definitely wouldn’t recommend my schedule to anybody else, nor do I make my teammates work the same hours. However, I’ve definitely pushed myself to a point of burnout before.

Whenever I start to feel that, I just clear my schedule as much as I can.

For instance, if I was feeling burned out tonight, then I’d look at tomorrow's calendar, keep what's absolutely necessary, and clear the rest.

I do this anytime that I feel the following day is going to be crazy. I just start canceling or rescheduling my prior commitments.

At the end of the day, you’re in control.

On getting into flow.

The best way for me to get into a flow state is by diving right in. That’s it.

I usually block out 6 to 11 PM every night for straight creative work. Things that I just need to zone in on and execute.

This seems like the best time for my schedule because it's after normal work hours, at least on the East Coast. My inbox is usually getting hit a lot slower and there are fewer people texting me and pinging me on Slack.

I put my headphones and glasses, make sure my devices are on Do Not Disturb, and just start going at it.

I've also started working more on the weekends due to quarantine, which has been huge because there are just fewer notifications coming at me.

On his evening routine.

Honestly, it’s quite random.

Usually, I'll decompress with Netflix or HBO in the background while shuffling between Twitter and Slack, because my developers are on the West Coast. 

I’m hopelessly addicted to a few social games. Game Pigeon on iMessage is my absolute favorite thing to do in the evening. I’ve become an absolute king at Pool and Archery too.

And every now and then, I’ll also hop on an evening FaceTime with friends or family. Most days, I’ll usually fall asleep between 11 PM and midnight.