Hi, I'm Nikki

An MBA, a Master of Analytics and no undergraduate degree.

Founder, farmer and professional problem solver.

I took the scenic route: less straight line, more experience, curiosity and learning as I went. Both degrees are from Melbourne Business School.

I've built a global platform, I'm building another, and our farm runs on tools I made myself. Now I help women who run their own business make it run better, with AI doing the heavy lifting.

Connect with me on LinkedIn
Nikki smiling in a field, holding her dog and a bunch of proteas and eucalyptus

My projects

Things I've built, and am still building.

Nikki picking proteas on the farm with her dogs

The farm · Growing

Duck Duck Pig.

The cut flower and truffle farm I run with my partner. It runs on a website, orders dashboard and app I built myself with AI. We're moving into agritourism so more people can come and see it for themselves.

Visit Duck Duck Pig
A laptop showing a map of farms on the platform

Agtech platform · Launching

Agside.

Agritourism tech, built by farmers for farmers. Visitors discover and book farm experiences, and hosts get found. Go outside. Go Agside.

Visit Agside
Nikki holding a bucket of proteas and a phone showing the Grown Not Flown app

Global startup · Retired

Grown Not Flown.

The self-funded, award-winning global platform I launched in 2021 to connect flower farmers directly with consumers. With no marketing budget, it grew to 7,000+ users and 2,100+ growers across 37 countries, plus a chart-topping podcast, Vocal About Local.

See it on Instagram

The turning point

One award, and a lot of rooms I never expected to be in.

In 2023 I won the AgriFutures Rural Women's Award, both the Victorian and National titles. It catapulted me onto stages and into rooms I couldn't have imagined, including Parliament House, sharing the stage with the Prime Minister. It also put me on TV, radio and podcasts, and on the cover of Small Farms.

It's been a brilliant ride. But my real love isn't the stage. It's helping other people succeed.

  • 2023AgriFutures Rural Women's Award, Victorian and National
  • 37Countries reached by Grown Not Flown
  • 7,000+Users on Grown Not Flown, with no marketing budget
  • 50+Keynotes, panels and MC gigs, including Parliament
  • Nikki on stage in front of a big screen, under a chandelier
  • Nikki with a group of women in front of a grow AG backdrop
  • Nikki in a Grown Not Flown t-shirt beside an AgriFutures banner
  • Nikki with fellow finalists at the AgriFutures Rural Women's Award
  • Nikki being filmed for an interview at an industry event
  • Nikki smiling, seated on a panel
  • Nikki holding a Bronze Medal floral design award at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show
  • Nikki on TV news, captioned Rural Woman of the Year
  • Nikki presenting Grown Not Flown on stage
  • Nikki speaking at the podium at the AgriFutures Rural Women's Award

What you get with me

Five hats. One brain.

Plenty of people can show you an AI tool. Not many have also built platforms, fixed operations for a living and run a farm.

  • AI educator.

    I teach you to build with AI yourself, so you're never waiting on a developer or stuck with someone else's software.

  • Business strategist.

    The tool comes second. First we work out what's worth building.

  • Systems thinker.

    I see how the pieces connect, so fixing one thing doesn't quietly break three others.

  • Data nerd.

    Give me a messy problem, a whiteboard and some decent numbers and I'm happy.

  • Professional problem solver.

    20+ years of untangling things that were harder than they needed to be. It's the part I like best.

What I believe

Anyone can learn anything.

Over 15 years ago, I set myself a challenge: learn or try something new every year. No rules. It had to be new to me. So far that's included millinery, pattern making, sailing, half marathons and tennis lessons.

It's why I teach the way I do. You don't need to be technical to build your own tools. You need to be willing to be a beginner.

That's why I don't believe in gatekeeping. If I know something useful, you'll get it. And next year, I'll be a beginner at something again. Eternal hobbyist.

  • Hands stitching gold lace onto an orange fascinator
  • Nikki holding the lead rope of a palomino horse
  • A screen printing frame with a floral design and a tub of purple ink
  • Nikki holding up a half marathon finisher medal
  • An orange and purple polka dot dress on a mannequin in a pattern making class
  • A pair of pink roller skates with yellow laces
  • Nikki in a Melbourne Business School hoodie giving a thumbs up
  • A terracotta bowl half covered in colourful mosaic tiles
  • Nikki in ski gear holding a pair of skis
  • Nikki wearing a wide-brimmed green straw hat with the pins still in
  • Knotted macrame cords at a workshop
  • A Melbourne Business Analytics Datathon name badge and data-themed pins
  • A patchwork quilt under a sewing machine
  • Nikki wearing a black fascinator with sequin flowers
  • Nikki mid-run in a cap during a running event

Want tools that fit your business? Build your own.

Build alongside other business owners inside the Milking Ducks membership, with help when you get stuck.

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