Her Story
About Nykea
I've been in finance as a whole for over 20 years. I started in consumer finance with One Main Financial where I worked for 17 years managing about 6 different branches like franchises, handling hiring, firing, training, expenses, credit decisions, servicing, everything. After that, my father who was a builder was killed in a drunk driving accident, and a month later Builders Capital recruited me into construction finance. I was with them for a little over 2 years, and now I'm with Arch West which recruited me through LinkedIn, still in construction finance. As Senior Business Relationship Manager, loan officers recruit builders and drop relationships to me, and I make sure their deals get all the way through funding, acting as liaison from sales through verification, project management, reviewing plans, to closing.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Nykea
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say that you don't have to fit a specific mold to be successful. You can be ambitious, and feminine, and compassionate, and faith-driven, and dominant, but still girly, and still excel in business. I think that success and authenticity can coexist, and that's really what makes you successful in any industry.
02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
In the finance world interest rates are going crazy, the economy is doing all kinds of up and down stuff. Materials to build homes especially those from overseas are a lot more expensive than they used to be, so it's more expensive to build homes. We can still help scale a business but sometimes at a slower pace. The housing market is looking for affordable housing, so the challenge is trying to find a good fit for what the buyers in the market are looking for.
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