Meet The PopUp Team: Henry Nicholson

Who are The PopUp Team?
Amongst other things, they have been called Earth's Mightiest Heroes and A Ragtag Bunch of Misfits. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them... maybe you can hire The PopUp Team.

​We wanted to help you get to know the individual members that make up the PopUp Team so you can understand what makes us tick.

​Beginning with our COO: Henry Nicholson.

Who are your biggest inspirations in life and business?

Alan Donegan & Simon Paine in both I think! 
When I joined PopUp 6 years ago, I didn’t really know what was going on, what I wanted to be doing or what direction to even start. Over the past 6 years I’ve had an immense journey with them, teaching and coaching each other through all manners of things

Dave Grohl
Seems like an obvious choice for some but I was a huge fan of this guy through my childhood (see 16 y/o henry for the hair) but the sheer drive, focus and creativity of this guy always amazed me and inspired me to do things. Inspired me to write music, inspired me not to settle for a comfortable life doing the easy stuff. I read his biography when it came out in 2012 and it changed how I looked at certain challenges and saw opportunities.

What song gets you motivated?

The Ecstasy of Gold – Live by Metalica – this track f*cking goes off. Feel unstoppable.
I have a Spotify playlist of pre-talk pump-ups that you can find below: 

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What is your key piece of advice for small businesses at this time?

Create good habits & use deadlines.
The more you can streamline yourself now, the less time things will take you later down the line. For example, your accounts as a small businesses. Do it monthly. Set a deadline each month or a rule to get it done, no matter how much or as little as you’ve sold. Because fast forward two years’ time when this thing is kicking off… it’s going to be really painful if you’re still haphazardly managing your cash. You need to know where your cash is, what you have available and where you’re spending. You cannot add anyone else to your process if it’s a mess. Even an accountant won’t help, they will just add pressure. Get on it early, get streamlined now. Save yourself the time, money and pain in the future.​

Who are three people dead or alive you would invite to dinner?

• Kurt Cobain
• James Watt
• Rob Dyrdek
  
• Adding Gordon Ramsay to the cooking process for the creative insults

What has been your biggest learning in the past year?

Helping to take PopUp to the next level & stepping up to a crucial role.
This year I took over the whole finance, legal and admin part of PopUp - a world I knew little about. My learnings going from managing finance for my side-hustle web design agency to managing that of a ¾ million company are tremendous. A steep (and unexpected) learning curve really throws you in to action and learn things you wouldn’t otherwise try.

Managing people.
It seems that year on year at PopUp we get new blood in the team which is exciting.
But with that comes a whole new plethora of challenges, habits and beliefs. This year I’ve very much been on the front lines within PopUp managing people and supporting them through their own journeys, much like my own. Managing people is one of the hardest but most rewarding projects you can do. You learn a lot about yourself, what drives people, what motivates people.
​And let me tell you… it’s not just in-work challenges you’ll be faced with… it gets personal.

What are some resources that have had the biggest impact on you?

​Notes from a Friend - Tony Robbins
Essentialism: Disciplined Pursuit of Less - Greg McKeown
Simple Path to Wealth - Jim Collins
Business for Punks - James Watt

Come back every week as we introduce you to a new member of The PopUp Team!