From Detroit to Charlotte: How a business coach built a culture of ‘tough love’
As a small business coach in Charlotte, Nikita Allen prides herself on holding clients accountable. That mission is ensuring they don’t “fumble the ball” when transforming entrepreneurial dreams into tangible realities.
Through her company, Growmetix, Allen provides coaching and training with tough love. She notes that many small business owners cite accountability as their greatest need. Without it, the risk of failure doesn’t just threaten a project — it can jeopardize a family’s livelihood.
“If you go to work every day for somebody else, there’s usually a manager there asking, ‘Where’s that thing I asked for?’ ” Allen said. “As a business owner, you don’t have that. You have to be the person to motivate yourself every day.”
Allen’s drive stems from her upbringing in 1980s inner-city Detroit. Raised as a latchkey kid in a divorced household, she navigated a childhood that was both technical and demanding.
A self-described tomboy, she spent hours in the basement helping her father solder computer parts.
“My dad was an entrepreneur, and growing up, he said he was going to build the next IBM,” she said. Witnessing his ventures sparked the realization that entrepreneurship was a viable path for her own life.
However, her journey took an unexpected turn when she became a mother at 15. By age 22, she was a mother of three. Driven by a desire to be present for her children — unlike her own mother, who worked constantly — Allen, now 51, turned to the flexibility of business ownership.
From Detroit to Charlotte: Shaping a business path
In 1999, Allen launched Simply Virtual, a web-based program that provided administrative and executive support for small business owners. Operating an online business in the pre-Zoom and Microsoft Teams era presented challenges.
“We didn’t have any of that stuff,” she said. “Running that kind of business then was a challenge. It required a lot of client education just to explain how it could possibly work.”
Allen earned a degree in business management from Queens University of Charlotte.
In 2003, seeking a better environment for her children, Allen moved the family to North Carolina.
“I think we came here to get away from Detroit’s ‘Detroitness,’ ” she said. “I had sons, and I really wanted them to have a brighter path. Charlotte has held up its end of the bargain.”
After selling her initial business in 2016, Allen founded Growmetix in 2018. The firm focuses on business training and education, primarily for Black entrepreneurs and other people of color. Her coaching emphasizes longevity over the fleeting “honeymoon phase” of a startup.
“I tell people it’s about having a profitable and sustainable business,” she said. “There are a lot of businesses out there. But are you profitable? And can you stick around for a while?”
Growth has brought physical expansion.
In January, Allen moved Growmetix from a co-working space into its own office in South Charlotte. The new headquarters isn’t just for her four-person team; she has opened the doors to other small business owners needing a professional space to meet with clients.
Growmetix works to build businesses that last
Beyond her private practice, Allen has worked with Amp Up Charlotte, a city-funded program helping established minority-owned businesses expand their operations and job creation. Throughout her career, Allen estimates she has mentored or worked with more than 3,000 people.
Dissatisfied with the pace of existing small business education programs, she launched Luna Launchpad, a 10-week incubator for women balancing full-time jobs and families. Unlike the six-month commitment required by Amp Up, Luna Launchpad is a sprint designed to help women transition from a side-hustle to a full-time career quickly.
Luna has been free to join. But if Growmetix can’t find a sponsor, it may start to charge in the future. Other Growmetix coaching services range from $249 to $899.
Staying accountable with clients
One of her clients, Tonya Ford, owns the e-commerce brand Making Statements. Ford sought out Growmetix for a “re-evaluation” of her established business. The experience was eye-opening.
By digging into her numbers, Ford said she discovered that segments of her business she assumed were profitable were actually draining resources. This prompted a rebrand and a shift in her financial strategy.
“Some things you think are working may not be once you sit down and assess the data,” Ford said. “I found that a couple of things I thought were making me money really weren’t.”
Ford credited Allen’s direct, no-nonsense style for the breakthrough.
“She made it clear that for the program to work, you have to work it,” Ford said. “When you remove the emotion from the criticism, you see it’s all for the benefit of your business.”
To ensure these habits stick, Allen has launched a digital community where alumni can stay sharp long after their formal coaching ends.
“If you show up,” Allen said, “somebody is going to ask you: ‘Did you do that thing you said you were going to do?’ “
