⭐TBE VIP: Nick Cramp | The Rethink Collective
Nick Cramp is a Co-Founder of The Rethink Collective, a consultancy helping founders focus on the future by building confident leadership teams who can lead alongside them.
Founded in 2025 by Nick and business partner Alice Bea Crozier, the organisation works exclusively with established South West-based companies. Its single purpose is to transform businesses from being founder-led to leader-led.
The Rethink Collective supports founders to step forward from the day-to-day
Can you tell us about your first full-time job?
Assistant Manager at a Squash Club in London. The job was meant to be part of a management training programme but turned out to be more of being the PA/‘Gofer’ for the very enigmatic and slightly unconventional manager.
Very confusing at the time, but in hindsight, I learnt a lot in what ended up being a short but demanding nine-month role.
What did you learn early on in your career that has stayed with you?
The need to stay agile and to be able to balance the needs of the customers with the goals of the business. This was my first experience trying to simultaneously please multiple stakeholders with different demands and preferences. The lesson was that you can’t delight everyone all the time, particularly when the company has rigid guidelines and targets to adhere to.
Who inspires you (a) professionally and (b) personally?
The people who inspire me tend to do so both personally and professionally.
I am inspired by individuals who choose their own path and have the courage to stick with it, despite what others think.
The founders I work with fall into this category, as do a number of thought leaders who are prepared to challenge the status quo in the interests of finding better solutions or developing new offerings.
What three pieces of advice would you give to someone starting out on a similar career path?
- Make sure you know your own personal values and where your boundaries are ( I don’t think you need a purpose on day one, as often this appears down the line)
- Make sure the people you spend the most time with are both challenging and optimists as I have found those two attributes are the ones you might need an extra dose of regularly.
- Ensure you build thinking/creative time into your regular work pattern
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Doing what I am currently doing (coaching founders/facilitating events/ presenting) because I love it. I would ideally be spending more time enjoying and experiencing different cultures, but the ‘work’ I do now, I hope I would still be doing then
What do you do to keep yourself and The Rethink Collective at the top of your game?
I have a business partner who is inspiring and challenging in equal doses, which keeps me accountable and ensures I don’t stay in my comfort zone for too long.
I have the luxury of seeing inside a range of businesses and working alongside some amazing people, so I am always learning from them.
And being part of great networks such as TBE also helps to bring new connections and ideas
What are you most proud of in your career to date?
Our retention rate of existing clients is over 90%. I think clients continuing to choose you when there is an ever-increasing number of alternatives is the highest compliment you can be paid.
I get more satisfaction from retaining an existing client than winning a new one, as being retained means you are adding value
What’s next on your professional bucket list?
More speaking and presenting, hopefully. I have set myself a target of six events in 2026 and have two booked so far, so that’s my focus right now.
I want to challenge myself and share my thoughts with a wider sector of the local business community.
