Monique Clark is the founder and director of Nomadigital Pty Ltd, a company that encompasses two distinct yet synergistic businesses. Nomadigital is a boutique design studio and strategic marketing consultancy, and Peptalkr is a revolutionary SaaS platform that enables busy health practitioners to automate their client communications.
From her roots in Sydney to her current base in the Northern Rivers of NSW (or wherever else in the world she might be), Monique’s dedication to her clients has resulted in a 100% referral-based business. Nomadigital has never needed a website and has never had to advertise. Her highly personalised approach to service and deep understanding of data analysis and SEO, PPC and CRO strategy is what sets Nomadigital apart from your typical agency and keeps the referrals flowing.
For more details, visit their website here.
Here we sit down with Monique to learn a bit more about her journey as an entrepreneur.
Q. Tell us a little more about your journey as an entrepreneur – how did you get started? What inspired you?
Monique: I started my first business in high school at 16, making jewellery and selling it on Facebook. I learned pretty early on the importance of customer service. At 24 I started Nomadigital after 6 years working in a corporate office. I felt that life wasn’t for me, the bureaucracy of a corporate environment made it difficult to get good ideas off the ground. I’d always loved to travel, but I felt confined to the office environment – patiently waiting for my annual leave to accrue.
In all my dealings with agencies while working that job, I really felt there was a problem there – a lack of transparency, and often I saw agencies offering services they weren’t experts at just to stop the client from seeking another agency to fulfil a different marketing need. A lot of agencies market themselves as one-stop shops – but the reality is this is driven by the industry problem of ‘keeping clients on board’.
In my role, I had to learn on the go and manage different marketing strategies. I knew my skill set was broad, and I thought – I can really help smaller businesses with this. Within 6 months I’d left my job, sold everything I owned and boarded a plane to South East Asia where the cost of living was a tenth of what I paid in Sydney. This allowed me to make mistakes in learning how to run a business, go without pay for some weeks, and focus solely on gathering knowledge. That was 9 years ago! Word of mouth started to take off 12 months in and the referrals have never stopped. Some of my clients have been with me since it all began, others have found me by seeing one of my websites, and more still have met me out and about.
Q. What entrepreneurial tricks have you discovered to keep you focused and productive?
Monique: Always have a plan for the day. At the end of each day I tidy my workspace, plan my priorities for the next day and wake up each morning with a clear list of what I need to get done. It’s easy to overestimate how much you can get done in a day, so it’s important to time yourself and plan realistically.
The Pomodoro method is also a game changer if you find yourself procrastinating on big tasks. On top of my task management system, I use a digital day planner to keep my day on track and reduce overwhelm.
Q. How do you stay organized with such a busy schedule?
Monique: I have ADHD, so organisation is essential for me to stay on top of my workload and manage my team. I tried about 7 task management systems before I landed on one that suits the way I like to work! So, my advice is to always work on improving your processes, keep an eye out for new technology and talk to other business owners about their favourite tools and methods to stay organised.
Automation is something else I’ve tried to incorporate wherever I can. Scheduling, invoicing, managing my email inbox and setting recurring tasks. I use G-Suite filters to automatically categorise and prioritise my incoming emails. I have a button that instantly attaches email threads to tasks in my task management system to keep everything in one place. I have templated checklists, automated file creation for projects and task templates for all the types of projects I handle. And I have a knowledge base to store processes, resources and instructions for myself and my team so we are all on the same page
Q. What would you change if you had a magic wand to do it?
Monique: Healthcare is something I am passionate about, and why I started Peptalkr – an offshoot of Nomad. It’s a cloud-based communication platform for health practitioners that enables them to better manage and automate their critical patient communications. As someone with ADHD, I find it difficult to stay on top of my health needs at times. I really want to see healthcare services more accessible and patients treated with personalised care every time. For those experiencing mental health issues, disease, chronic pain, neurological disorders, or any type of health challenge – it’s so important we maintain a personal level of care and not feel like a number or a nuisance to the healthcare system.
Q. If you were to write a book about yourself, what would you name it?
Monique: Haha… There’s a TV series called Startup about the beginnings of Spotify. There’s a character in it who has a great quote about his recently diagnosed ADHD – “I don’t know where it stops, and I start”. My ADHD is me, and it’s part of everything I’ve experienced. So maybe I’d call it ADHme”.
Q. What motivates you?
Monique: Freedom of choice. I want to be in control of my time; who I spend it with, what I do with it, and where I go. A neurodivergent brain wants what it wants, and my happiness stems from my ability to choose.
Clearly, I like choosing obvious names for things. The name Nomadigital came from my desire to travel. I can take my work with me wherever I go, that has been my biggest motivator, and I spend anywhere from 3 to 9 months overseas at a time.
Q. What is one of the best or most worthwhile investments you’ve ever made?
Monique: Mental health support. It can be challenging to seek or accept help. I can be quite stubborn in my resolve to take care of my problems without help. But when I think of my own journey, help is what we owe each other and ourselves. It feels good to give it, and it’s life-changing to receive it. That’s what community is all about.
Q. What key activities would you recommend entrepreneurs invest their time in?
Monique: The things you enjoy! It’s not all about business. Make time for what you love. Business owners spend a lot of time working, both on and off the clock. Breaking up my time with the things I really love… Live music, getting outdoors, spending time with my friends and family, and making art – it helps to reset my nervous system.
Reading, too. Not only books about business and self-development but also about people’s life journeys, history and the future. That has helped me expand the way I think and zone out in someone else’s world for a while.
Q. What is your ‘one-sentence’ piece of advice you’d like to give to someone who wants to become an entrepreneur, coach, or business owner?
Monique: Fail. Fail again. Then fail again. That’s where all the learning happens. There really is no failure if you try something else with what you learned after.
To keep up to date with Monique and her journey, connect with her on her website