Would Recommend: Real Stories From Businesses Worth Talking About with Nikki McKnight

Nikki McKnight
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Entrepreneurship

Some businesses get reviewed. Others get raved about. Would Recommend goes behind the five stars with the founders who earned them. Every episode is a real story from a real business that figured out how to turn their client experience into their most powerful growth engine, without more ad spend, without more content, just by designing something worth talking about. Host Nikki McKnight is a CX and operations strategist with 15+ years across wildly different industries and geographies. Each week, she talks with founders about the specific decisions, the costly experiments, and the moments of truth that separate a satisfied client from a raving one. Some episodes are solo deep-dives into a CX principle or framework. Others bring two founders from the same industry together to show how the same problem can be solved two completely different ways, and why both work. This is not a marketing podcast. Client experience is not a layer on top of your marketing strategy; it is the growth engine your marketing can't replace. If your clients are happy but not referring you, this show is for you. Would Recommend is for founder-led businesses in retail, hospitality, food and beverage, professional services, wellness, events, and beyond.

  1. 10h ago

    How Do You Listen to Your Customers Without Letting Them Run Your Business?

    WorkPlay Branding started in 2019 as a six-step signature branding process with a photo shoot bolted on at the end. Today it's a subscription content model with almost one hundred certified creators across four continents, and it got there because Lyrik Fryer refused to stop listening to her customers, and refused to let them pull her off her mission.  Nikki sits down with Lyrik to get into how a founder holds both of those disciplines at once, and what it looks like when you turn instinct into a system your team can actually run without you. What you'll hear in this episode: The North Star discipline that lets Lyrik rebuild the business every few years without ever changing the mission, and why setting expectations up front is the tool that protects both the client and the businessWhat happened when she hired her first creator and discovered that "I can just take a beautiful photo" is not a training program, and how her team turned that failure into a certification process with over one hundred KPIsThe one Workplay KPI she named that will change how you look at every branded photo you've ever taken (hint: check the feet, but not in a weird way!)How she thinks about being a visionary five years ahead of her customers and meeting them exactly where they are today, at the same time, without breaking either promiseIf your clients keep asking you for more than what you sell, and you can't tell whether that's an opportunity or a warning sign, this is the episode you needed. About My Guest: Lyrik Fryer has spent the last several years building creative systems that don't just make brands look good; they make them unforgettable. As the co-founder of WorkPlay Branding, Lyrik helped pioneer a new model for visual marketing, blending psychology-driven strategy with high-impact content creation. WorkPlay's work has powered million-dollar launches, supported entrepreneurs and companies across North America and Europe, and even landed on billboards in Times Square. Today, WorkPlay is scaling its proven visual marketing system into a tech-enabled platform, making it easier than ever for brands to access certified, brand-ready creators and strategic storytelling support at scale. The mission is simple: to give visionary brands a faster, smarter way to scale storytelling, without sacrificing quality, creativity, or control. Beyond building WorkPlay, Lyrik is passionate about empowering the next generation of creators, shaping the future of brand content, and helping businesses harness the full power of visual storytelling to drive real results. Website: https://workplaybranding.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/workplaybranding/ Connect with Nikki on Instagram: instagram.com/iamnikkimck  The Would Recommend Standard is a free guide to the five principles behind businesses people can't stop talking about.  Grab it here: theopsshop.biz/wouldrecommend-standard  A Spark Session is a 90-minute strategy session where you and Nikki dig into your client experience and figure out exactly where it's working and where it isn't.  Book yours here: theopsshop.biz/sparksession

  2. Jul 28

    Are You Deepening the Relationship, or Just Maintaining the Connection?

    Nikki wore a homemade costume to a Jurassic Park movie with six other grown adults, and it turned into the clearest lesson she's got on the difference between a business that deepens relationships and one that just maintains connections. This is a Nikki Talks solo episode about why "nurture" quietly became a task on your to-do list, and how to turn it back into something your clients actually feel. What you'll hear in this episode: The Jurassic Park dinner her brother engineered on a freezer-aisle budget, and the one laminated detail that made seven grown adults feel like they were inside the night instead of just attending it.The driving-range conversation with her friend Catriona that reframes every touchpoint in your business: are you deepening a relationship, or just maintaining a connection?Why a "quietly satisfied" client is a warning sign and not a win, and the shift from completed transactions to emotional connections (the customer who would return).Signature Moments: how to design the highest-stakes, highest-reward moments in your client journey through adaptation, not automation.Five questions you can run on your own business right now, from the first twenty-four hours after the yes to the newsletter that's secretly all about you.If you've ever crossed "nurture" off a to-do list and felt absolutely nothing, this is the episode that shows you what to do instead. Connect with Nikki on Instagram: instagram.com/iamnikkimck  The Would Recommend Standard is a free guide to the five principles behind businesses people can't stop talking about.  Grab it here: theopsshop.biz/wouldrecommend-standard  A Spark Session is a 90-minute strategy session where you and Nikki dig into your client experience and figure out exactly where it's working and where it isn't.  Book yours here: theopsshop.biz/sparksession

  3. Jul 21

    How Do You Keep an Experience Special as More People Want In?

    Some events you attend once while others you reorganize your whole year around. Nikki sits down with Maria Tassi and Kristina Bartold of High Vibe Women and Janette Downie of The Chill Space, three women who design live experiences for ambitious entrepreneurs and obsess over the same thing: how it actually feels to be a person in the room. The conversation gets into the decisions most hosts never think to make, why protecting an experience sometimes means turning down money, and how the part people remember is almost never the thing on the sales page. What you'll hear in this episode: Why Maria and Kristina say no to more tickets, more sponsors, and more money, and the exact point where scaling an experience starts to break itThe quiet design philosophy behind The Chill Space, and what Janette understands about the people who disappear to the bathroom mid-eventHow the best event hosts use other people's events as research, and the one detail that ruined an eleven-out-of-ten speaker lineupWhat "intimacy" actually means when you're designing for a room, and why it has very little to do with how many people are in itThe thing that happens when there's no permission to step away, and why building in the exhale keeps people engaged instead of checked outIf you've ever wondered why some rooms feel like they were built for you, and how the people who build them keep that feeling intact as they grow, press play. About My Guests Janette Downie is a creative strategist, brand whisperer, and advocate for redefining success as something sustainable and human. As co-founder of Space Creatorz, she helps small to medium-sized businesses transform their marketing strategies into measurable growth. She's also the host of The Chill Space podcast, where she explores the intersection of ambition and well-being, and the creator of The Chill Space: a blend of virtual community calls, in-person gatherings, and physical activations designed to help ambitious, sensitive people find calm inside high-energy environments. Her mission is to help others embrace their humanity, show up authentically, and build success on their own terms. https://www.spacecreatorz.com/ https://www.instagram.com/heynettybaby/ https://www.thechillspace.com/  Maria Tassi & Kristina Bartold are passionate about helping business owners think of their businesses in a bigger way than they could have ever imagined. They are the co-founders of The Social Snippet, a digital marketing agency that helps entrepreneurs grow their communities online using social media and podcasting. They are also the co-founders of High Vibe Women, a community that hosts local events for Canadian female entrepreneurs to connect and network.  The Social Snippet: https://www.thesocialsnippet.com/ High Vibe Women Full Day Experience: https://www.highvibewomen.ca/october-2026-event  Connect on Instagram: @_mariatassi @kristina.bartold Connect with Nikki on Instagram: instagram.com/iamnikkimck  The Would Recommend Standard is a free guide to the five principles behind businesses people can't stop talking about.  Grab it here: theopsshop.biz/wouldrecommend-standard  A Spark Session is a 90-minute strategy session where you and Nikki dig into your client experience and figure out exactly where it's working and where it isn't.  Book yours here: theopsshop.biz/sparksession

  4. Jul 14

    What You Think You Know About Your Customers

    Your brain is trying to protect you but it's also, unfortunately, making things up about your customers. In this solo episode, Nikki takes a therapy homework assignment (yes, really) and turns it into one of the most practical frameworks she's found for explaining why client experience design goes wrong at the thinking level, not the execution level.  Before you can design a better client experience, you have to notice the stories your brain is generating about your customers. And some of those stories? They are not the truth. What you'll hear in this episode: Why fortune-telling feels like prudence but is actually just a fancy way of avoiding experiments (and the one-star review analogy that will stick with you)The moment Nikki's therapist handed her a worksheet and she had a slightly horrifying realization about her businessWhy the loudest complaint in your inbox is almost never the thing that actually needs to changeWhat mind-reading looks like in a team meeting, and what happens when you actually go talk to five customers insteadThe replacement behaviour for each trap, because noticing the pattern is not the finish lineIf your business keeps wondering why things aren't clicking, this episode is probably the conversation you needed to have. Connect with Nikki on Instagram: instagram.com/iamnikkimck  The Would Recommend Standard is a free guide to the five principles behind businesses people can't stop talking about.  Grab it here: theopsshop.biz/wouldrecommend-standard  A Spark Session is a 90-minute strategy session where you and Nikki dig into your client experience and figure out exactly where it's working and where it isn't.  Book yours here: theopsshop.biz/sparksession

  5. Jul 7

    How Brand Photographers Build Trust Before Anyone Picks Up a Camera

    Most founders spend a lot of time thinking about how to attract the right clients but very few spend time thinking about whether the right clients can actually find them.  Nikki sits down with two brand photographers who have cracked that problem wide open, and what they know about making your personality visible, communicating before anxiety sets in, and designing an experience that filters for fit applies to every service business in this audience, camera or no camera. What you'll hear in this episode: Why Vic's clients kept using the same word in their reviews that wasn't showing up anywhere in her brand, and what that gap was actually costing herThe pre-shoot process Dana builds for every client and the reason it exists long before anyone picks up a cameraWhy communicating your policies, your timeline, and your process upfront isn't oversharing; it's the most efficient client filter you haveThe thing both Dana and Vic agree is the most important decision a founder makes before a shoot, and why it has nothing to do with outfitsIf your best clients found you because they felt like you got them before they ever got on a call, this episode is going to show you exactly how to engineer that. About My Guests Dana Castro Dana Castro is a brand photographer who helps entrepreneurs polish their online presence through strategic visual storytelling. She blends her background as a marketing director, her nerdy camera obsession and her passion for authentic human connection to create images that can convert and start conversations. Dana offers a collaborative, personalized approach serving clients across the Greater Toronto Area and beyond. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/threecrownsbranding/  Website: https://www.threecrownsstudio.com/  Google My Business: https://share.google/mAIlVxzz33IsAt6zw Victoria Mae Cassell Victoria is a brand photographer, marketing strategist, and content creator based in Ontario, helping female founders stop being the best-kept secret in their industry. Through brand photography, UGC, and social strategy, she builds visibility that turns followers into clients and dream brands into actual partners. When she's not behind the camera, she's building her own platform as a female entrepreneur lifestyle creator and hosting the Post High Vibe Dinner, an intimate gathering for women who are done playing small. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/victoriamaebrands/ Website: https://www.victoriamae.ca/  Google My Business: https://share.google/3wlGiZPhNfacKfuqw Connect with Nikki on Instagram: instagram.com/iamnikkimck  The Would Recommend Standard is a free guide to the five principles behind businesses people can't stop talking about.  Grab it here: theopsshop.biz/wouldrecommend-standard  A Spark Session is a 90-minute strategy session where you and Nikki dig into your client experience and figure out exactly where it's working and where it isn't.  Book yours here: theopsshop.biz/sparksession

  6. Jun 30

    Pokémon Battle Academy Solved Onboarding Without Calling It Onboarding

    Nikki hates board games. The rulebook comes out, the energy dies, and the fun sits three feet away behind a wall of logistics. Except once: a Pokémon card game showed up at Christmas and broke every rule she thought was inevitable and it quietly changed how she thinks about client experience design. What you'll hear in this episode: Why the Pokémon Battle Academy box is one of the best examples of intuitive experience design Nikki has ever seen (yes, really)The specific design decision the game made that most businesses never do: understanding comes from doing, not the other way aroundHow guidance can serve the person who needs it without slowing down the person who doesn'tThe gap between "feeling like you've started" and "feeling like you're being prepared to start" -- and why that gap is where clients quietly drift awayIf you've ever wondered why clients disengage before you even get to the good part, this episode is going to make something click. Connect with Nikki on Instagram: instagram.com/iamnikkimck  The Would Recommend Standard is a free guide to the five principles behind businesses people can't stop talking about.  Grab it here: theopsshop.biz/wouldrecommend-standard  A Spark Session is a 90-minute strategy session where you and Nikki dig into your client experience and figure out exactly where it's working and where it isn't.  Book yours here: theopsshop.biz/sparksession

  7. Jun 23

    What Professional Organizers Know About Getting Clients to Maintain the Work

    Every service business owner has felt it: you do the work, the client is thrilled, and six months later it's like you were never there. Nikki sits down with two professional organizers: Brittnei Gaudio of wellnested living Co. and AnnMarie Zezima of Organized A to Z Inc. The two of them have spent years solving exactly that problem inside people's homes. The principles they've built their businesses around will sound very familiar. What you'll hear in this episode: Why Brittnei says the real reason any system fails after she leaves has nothing to do with the system, and everything to do with what the client does the day afterHow AnnMarie's decade buying home organization products for a major Canadian retailer changed the way she thinks about what clients actually need versus what they think they wantThe consult-first philosophy both guests share, and why neither will walk into a client's home without understanding the emotional weight of what they're being asked to doWhat a neutral third party can accomplish that the client absolutely cannot do for themselves, and why that's the whole value propositionIf you've ever delivered excellent work and watched a client slide back to square one, this episode is going to show you exactly where the gap lives. About My Guests Brittnei Gaudio Brittnei Gaudio is a professional organizer, decluttering coach, and owner of wellnested living Co. As an award-winning home management company, wellnested helps busy families create easy-to-tidy homes through a refreshingly practical approach to decluttering and organization. Their services focus less on perfection and more on systems that actually work in everyday life. After working in hundreds of homes, Brittnei knows that sustainable organization isn't about achieving a picture-perfect space - it's about creating thoughtful systems that support the life happening inside the home and lighten the mental load for the families living there. wellnested living Co. offers in-home organization and decluttering, virtual decluttering support, and home management services such as errands, pantry stocking and returns.  Instagram: @well.nested.living  Website: wellnestedliving.ca AnnMarie Zezima AnnMarie Zezima is the founder of Organized A to Z Inc., a professional organizing and decluttering company based in Toronto serving busy families and older adults across the GTA. Before launching her business, she spent over a decade as a buyer in corporate retail, sourcing home organization products and developing a real understanding of how Canadians actually live, what they're storing, how their homes work, and what they genuinely need. Add two kids, aging parents, and the experience of navigating her mother-in-law's estate, and her personal and professional worlds came together in the best possible way. She knows that the busy mom and the overwhelmed daughter helping a parent downsize are often the same person, and she built her practice around both. Her systems are practical, sustainable, and rooted in real life because that's exactly where she lives too. Website: www.getorganizedatoz.com Instagram: @getorganizedatoz LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annmariezezima/ Connect with Nikki on Instagram: instagram.com/iamnikkimck  The Would Recommend Standard is a free guide to the five principles behind businesses people can't stop talking about.  Grab it here: theopsshop.biz/wouldrecommend-standard  A Spark Session is a 90-minute strategy session where you and Nikki dig into your client experience and figure out exactly where it's working and where it isn't.  Book yours here: theopsshop.biz/sparksession

  8. Jun 16

    How to Layer Surprise and Delight For a Big Payoff (Without a Big Budget or a Big System)

    Two years ago I walked into a steakhouse for my birthday and walked out with a story I apparently cannot stop telling.  This episode is that story, and more importantly, it's layers of surprise and delight that we can take into our own businesses.  None of this costs a lot. All of it requires a decision. What you'll hear in this episode: The specific moment at Fleming's Prime Steakhouse that made me realize most businesses are delivering a service when they could be designing an experience.Why the espresso martini my dad cried over wasn't in any SOP, and what that means for how you build your team culture.The one question your intake or booking flow is probably not asking, and why that missing question is costing you referrals.If you've ever wondered why your satisfied clients aren't becoming your raving ones, press play. Connect with Nikki on Instagram: instagram.com/iamnikkimck  The Would Recommend Standard is a free guide to the five principles behind businesses people can't stop talking about.  Grab it here: theopsshop.biz/wouldrecommend-standard  A Spark Session is a 90-minute strategy session where you and Nikki dig into your client experience and figure out exactly where it's working and where it isn't.  Book yours here: theopsshop.biz/sparksession

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Some businesses get reviewed. Others get raved about. Would Recommend goes behind the five stars with the founders who earned them. Every episode is a real story from a real business that figured out how to turn their client experience into their most powerful growth engine, without more ad spend, without more content, just by designing something worth talking about. Host Nikki McKnight is a CX and operations strategist with 15+ years across wildly different industries and geographies. Each week, she talks with founders about the specific decisions, the costly experiments, and the moments of truth that separate a satisfied client from a raving one. Some episodes are solo deep-dives into a CX principle or framework. Others bring two founders from the same industry together to show how the same problem can be solved two completely different ways, and why both work. This is not a marketing podcast. Client experience is not a layer on top of your marketing strategy; it is the growth engine your marketing can't replace. If your clients are happy but not referring you, this show is for you. Would Recommend is for founder-led businesses in retail, hospitality, food and beverage, professional services, wellness, events, and beyond.

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