Sophie Milliken, CEO, Moja
Sophie Milliken is the founder and CEO of Moja Group. Moja works with entrepreneurs and senior executives to amplify their personal profiles and become known authorities in their industries.
In her first business, Sophie led recruitment and employability experts, SRS, to become the leading provider of assessment-centre simulations for universities and trained over 30,000 students at these events.
Sophie also worked with employers such as M&S, JP Morgan, Expedia and AXA to design and deliver their graduate recruitment campaigns. Sophie has been a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development since 2013. She was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal Society of Arts in 2019.
Her first book, From Learner To Earner, was published in August 2019, becoming a best seller in October. Sophie's best-selling second book, The Ambition Accelerator, was published in February 2021 and includes advice from Dragons' Den star Sara Davies MBE and The Apprentice's Linda Plant.
A podcast accompanies The Ambition Accelerator and includes interviews with the women included in the book. Sophie is a multi-award-winning businesswoman and proud mum who also enjoys supporting the North East region.
Sophie supports Northern Power Women and is co-founder of City Ladies Networking. She is Chair of Smart Works Newcastle and has achieved huge success delivering the aim of doubling the number of unemployed women supported with interview clothing and coaching across the northeast and securing Sara Davies MBE as the charity's ambassador.
In June 2021, Sophie became a Founding Ambassador for Every Child Needs a Mentor.
What is your favourite social media platform, and why?
LinkedIn. The quality of connections there is really strong, and I enjoy reading the updates and content they share. LinkedIn has led to some really interesting opportunities for me, both professionally and personally.
Tell us about you and your current role or area of interest.
My new business, Moja, works with entrepreneurs and senior executives to raise their profiles. My own story illustrates the success that can be achieved by raising your profile. I started being proactive on social media and built up a solid following across the major platforms, with particular success on LinkedIn and Twitter. I started speaking at more events and guesting on podcasts. As a result, I won many relevant business awards for both my business and myself.
Being on the boards of charities I care about allowed me to volunteer my time to important causes and access to a wider network, which led to introductions to interesting people. Writing my first book led to being offered the chance to deliver a TEDx talk which, when released, created a whole new range of opportunities, including a column in an industry magazine, further podcasts, radio and TV appearances – all seriously great fun!
Increasing your profile makes it easier to do business with you, as people feel they know you before you even meet them in real life. As well as more sales, there is also an increase in fun opportunities that come your way.
What do you like about your career or area of focus?
I am at a stage in my career where I have good control of the activities I can get involved in. I love being able to run my own business alongside my charity work, speaking engagements, investing and non-exec work. This means that I get to have fun almost every day, working on projects that I care about.
The people I meet through my various roles are really interesting, and I enjoy the chance conversations I have with them. The work we are doing with Moja is special as I know the impact raising your profile can have, and I'm super excited to see magical things happen for our clients.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
Early on in my career, I was advised to always keep a focus on the team. This has been easy to do as I enjoy working with people and seeing them progress in their own careers. I try to communicate effectively with my team. Sharing information and consulting and engaging whenever possible.
It is vital to follow up on important things for your team and be sincere in doing this. Keeping the team engaged and happy will allow you to deliver on your own objectives as well as create a positive and pleasant work environment.
I've been fortunate to work with some great people in all the roles I've had, some of whom have followed me when I've moved into new opportunities. Loyalty shouldn't be underestimated.
What inspires you, motivates you, or helps you to move forward?
I'm inspired and motivated by so many different things, which is handy because it is easy for motivation to dip. Reading and listening to or watching business and self-development related content encourages me. I also surround myself with people on similar journeys who provide excellent advice and lift me when I need it and celebrate the wins together.
What are you proud of in your life so far?
I'm insanely proud of my daughter Jessica, who is ten years old. I divorced my husband when she was two, and despite being the only single parent family within our wider family and (for a long time) our peer group, she has thrived. I try to include her in all of the fun business things I can bring her to, and she enjoys getting to go behind the scenes. When I ask her where she'd like to go back to, she often cites Birmingham - where I did my TEDx talk in 2020!
What is your preferred way to meet new people/network?
I love meeting people in real life - especially after two years of online networking! Those chance meetings at networking events or conferences or just meeting up with people you've met via online events are great. I enjoy learning about other people and hearing more about what they are working on.
What skills or qualities do you feel have helped you?
Being ambitious, saying yes to opportunities and taking risks have all helped me throughout my career. When I worked for a big corporate, I was always clear on the next promotion and focused on increasing my pay. I took on extra responsibilities that would teach me new skills and allow me to spend time with interesting people.
As an entrepreneur, you have to take risks which can be one of the scariest things you will do. If you don't take risks, then progress tends to be slower. I've taken risks that haven't paid off, but these have outweighed the risks that have turned out well.
I've always said yes to opportunities as they tend to lead to fun, adventure and further opportunities. Although I still try to say yes as much as possible, it has become harder, so I'm working on being more selective.
What do you wish you had known when you started out?
I wish I had known that you don't need to know or do it all yourself. We are taught to work on our development areas, which we should, but only if they are essential. The real strength is hiring people who are better than you at those things and letting them enjoy and flourish in areas they excel.
Who do you most admire in business, academic or creative circles and why?
It is so tough to choose only one! I really love Sara Davies MBE, whose profile has exploded since she joined Dragons Den and then Strictly. Sara is an impressive businesswoman with a super sharp brain.
I was lucky to be able to interview Sara for my second book, The Ambition Accelerator, where she gave some great advice to the readers. Sara also became the first-ever ambassador for Smart Works Newcastle, which is a charity for unemployed women that I chair.
Outside of your professional/work area, what hobbies or interests do you have or what other areas of your life are of real importance to you?
I'm Chair of the charity Smart Works Newcastle. Smart Works Newcastle works with unemployed women across the northeast by providing them with interview clothing and coaching, which increases their confidence during the interview. It is a charity that I've admired for a long time, so when the Chair role was advertised, I was so excited to apply. The staff and volunteers (including my Board, who are all volunteers) are incredible, and we all share a passion for our work.
For fun, I enjoy reading and also am a big fan of going to the theatre. So, I'm off to see The Diary of a CEO next weekend and have just booked tickets to see the new Sarah Jessica Parker play in New York when I go in April.
Has the pandemic had a positive or a negative effect on you and/or your business, and how have you managed it?
My new business just launched this year, so I've (hopefully) escaped any issues or restrictions that may have been caused. It could have sunk my previous business but by pivoting to online where possible and taking really great care of our clients. As a result, we carried on having record sales increases.
Do you have a mentor, or have you ever mentored anyone?
I've had mentors and also mentored others. I've found it unbelievably helpful to have that support from people I trust. Being able to share concerns, get useful advice and celebrate wins is invaluable.
I've also enjoyed mentoring others. Usually, those earlier on in their business journeys share my learnings. The key thing with mentoring is that the chemistry between mentor and mentor is strong. You both need to open up for it to be useful.
What advice would you have for someone looking to get into the same area of work or interests?
If someone is looking to become an entrepreneur, I'd say surround yourself with like-minded people and people who know a lot more than you. Test your ideas before you go too far with them. And most importantly, persevere! The entrepreneur journey is tough a lot of the time, but the highs you get from it are unrivalled, so definitely worthwhile.
What do you feel is the most common reason for people failing or giving up?
People expect quick results. Success doesn't tend to be overnight and requires a lot of hard graft. The stats for businesses failing in their first few years are stark, but I did think a lot of it relates to perseverance. People give up too soon when they should instead keep at it, ask for advice and make it happen.
Is there a phrase, quote or a saying that you really like?
"I can, and I will; watch me!"
What companies, brands, or institutions do you like or do you think are getting it right?
At Moja, we have been working with Offended Marketing on our launch strategy. I really rate Dan and Dean, having known them in a previous role. They are good guys doing great things. It is important to work with people you respect and who have shared values. They give us clear and direct guidance on why we should and shouldn't do certain things, and I value that.
I'm also a big fan of Talbot Jones Risk Solutions. They are a family-run insurance brokerage, and I've never known people who are so excited about insurance! They give exceptional advice and guidance and clearly care about their clients. I wouldn't go anywhere else.
How do you define success, and what lessons have you learned so far that you could share with our audience/readership?
This is a great question and one which I hope to answer when I start my PhD later this year. Success means different things to different people. For me, it has time to spend on people and things that matter to me and enough money to not have to worry. Of course, all of this needs to be underpinned by doing work I love with people I rate.