Business Athletes: Nicola Gunby

Hello and welcome to Business Athletes everyone 👋 

Each week, we’ll explore the athlete-like habits behind a different business leader. In less than 5-minutes, we aim to provide you with practical tactics that you can quickly apply in your day-to-day.⚡️

In this edition of Business Athletes, I sat down with Nicola Gunby, the co-founder of CLIQ, a fast-growing community platform that’s quietly rewriting the rulebook for how we connect in real life, nudging people off their screens and into actual shared experiences.

In a world that’s constantly online, Nicola Gunby wanted something more human. What started as a personal pain point — that feeling of loneliness in a big city — has turned into a mission to fight the loneliness epidemic, one community at a time.

However, CLIQ is not her first rodeo. Nicola previously launched MY REV, a platform for freelance beauty pros, and this time around, she took eight months to shape CLIQ into something people genuinely enjoy using.

In this conversation we go deep into Nicola’s playbook, and she opens up about founder guilt, building trust in a fast-moving startup, and how CLIQ reached 10,000 users in its first few weeks, without spending a penny on marketing.

If you’re building a company, scaling a community, or just trying to win the day more often, Nicola’s mindset is full of practical lessons. 

Let’s dive in ⚡️

Pre-Game Preparation

Guarding the Start of the Day

I’ve always felt like mornings are everything. I’m such a morning person. It’s the most important part of the day.

Before you look at your phone, before your laptop’s open and the craziness kicks off, it’s your only window of control. I give myself at least half an hour to an hour in the morning, no phone, just focusing on things that help my mental health.

I’ve gotten really into journaling, writing down things I’m grateful for. It puts me in such a positive mindset. If I have time, I’ll meditate too, and I’ve started doing ten minutes of yoga every morning. Sometimes I’m still in my pajamas. It doesn’t matter! It’s just about moving.

Even if I’ve got an early event, I wake up earlier to fit it in. I used to skip it when I had early starts, but then my whole day would feel off. Now I’m strict about keeping it. The morning is non-negotiable.

Finding Focus in the Day

When I work, music is a must. I love chilled house music that gives off those summer vibes. I also try to keep my phone away from me so I don’t get distracted.

Working from home is nice, but if I’ve been procrastinating, getting out to a coffee shop really helps. At home, you get distracted by chores, but in a coffee shop, it’s just you and your work. It helps me get into that deep work mode when I really need to focus.

Lessons From The Field

Stepping Out of the Immediate Storm

When things go wrong, I’ve learned not to just sit at the laptop trying to fix it immediately. It only leads to stress and unproductive work. Now, I take myself out of the situation. A quick walk or a coffee break can make all the difference.

Honestly, I’ve burnt out before, and I know better now. You actually find solutions when you step away. My co-founder and I have this rule, that if something’s not working, we get out and clear our heads. Mental health is so important, especially as a founder.

It’s All Work, And That’s Okay If You Enjoy It

I used to feel guilty when I wasn’t glued to my laptop. But I’ve learned to reframe that. Going to events, networking, getting our brand out there, that’s all work too. And honestly, CLIQ wouldn’t be where it is if we hadn’t been out there meeting people.

Email inboxes don’t build businesses. Relationships do. It’s about seeing all the different types of work that push the business forward, even if it doesn’t look like “work” in the traditional sense.

The Championship

CLIQ’s Championship Goal: Fighting the Loneliness Epidemic

Right now at CLIQ, we’re laser-focused on changing how a generation connects. That’s our mission. Messages from users saying, “I just moved to London and met my best friend through CLIQ,” that’s what keeps us going.

We’re focused on the UK, but Australia’s been growing organically too. Someone there started a fitness community, and it just snowballed. With CLIQ, we only need a few key communities in each city for things to really take off.

Communities First, Tech Second

From the start, we’ve focused on community leaders, not just individual users. Other apps are swiping apps, they’re one-to-one. But we saw that communities already existed, they just needed better tools.

So we built CLIQ as an all-in-one tool for community leaders. Messaging, event management, everything in one place. And because we listen so closely to our community leaders, the app has basically been built from their feedback.

Tech has had its challenges, of course. Things break, things connect in strange ways! But we’ve built steadily, improving the app by 1% every day. We had 10,000 users in the first few weeks. All organic, no paid marketing. We focused on bringing communities on board, and they brought their members with them.

Consistency & Trust

Building community is hard work. People think you just set up a group and it grows on its own - I wish! But the best communities are the ones that can exist without the founder needing to be there at every event.

It takes consistency: regular meetups, updates, and events. And they don’t have to be big, fancy events. A simple walk in the park or a run club can work wonders.

And it’s about trust. The community should run smoothly even when you’re not there, because you’ve built something that’s bigger than just yourself.

Leader & Coach

Lead with Openness and Big Dreams

For me, it’s about two things. Firstly, it’s about inspiring people by being open.

I’m not shy to say I don’t know everything. I didn’t come from a business background, but I’ve learned so much by just doing it.

We’re not afraid to shout about our big goals. We all start from zero, and we learn as we go. And when you’re loud about your mission, you attract people you never expected.

The Business Athletes Mindset

Defining a Winning Day

A winning day for me isn’t necessarily about clearing every single to-do, but it’s about not going to bed with things looming over me.

You know that feeling when you think, “Ah, I should’ve done that today”? I hate that. Even if it’s just small tasks, ticking them off gives me peace of mind.

Funny enough, I love working on weekends or evenings because there’s less noise, fewer distractions. That’s the beauty of being a founder: you get to choose how and when you work.

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