Get to know Nicole Athanasopoulos, founder of Nulink Events. From PR student to national event producer, she’s built Nulink into a premiere agency while navigating business, motherhood, and purpose.
When Nicole Athanasopoulos launched Nulink Events in 2016, she was still finishing her last year of university. What started as a school project — a hypothetical business plan — quietly became the blueprint for something real.
Armed with a degree in public relations, a shoestring budget, and a vision she couldn’t shake, Nicole skipped the traditional job route and took the leap into entrepreneurship.
“I figured I could always get a job later,” she says, “but I wanted to see my ideas through.” Nearly a decade later, Nulink Events has grown into a thriving agency specializing in experiential marketing, brand activations, and event execution across Canada.
But it didn’t click overnight. “The first couple of years were definitely difficult,” Nicole admits. “It was just me and a website. I had to convince people to believe in me before I had the portfolio to back it up.”
The turning point came when she made her first hire — the moment she realized she couldn’t (and shouldn’t) do it all alone. “Delegating felt like a risk, but it also gave me the capacity to grow,” she says.
From there, the business evolved — more services, more clients, a growing team. “It taught me that you don’t have to stay small. You can expand, but on your own terms.”
These days, Nicole balances business ownership with motherhood. Her mornings start early — a bit of journaling, skincare, and a short window of quiet before the baby wakes up. Then it’s full-speed ahead into meetings, vendor site visits, or on-site event production that can run morning to night.
“Every day looks a little different,” she says. “But I try to protect my evenings for family time. That boundary is sacred.”
That balance didn’t happen by accident. Nicole credits journaling — specifically The Five Minute Journal — with helping her stay grounded through it all.
“It’s quick, but it keeps me centred,” she says. “Gratitude, intention, affirmations — it sets the tone before the chaos kicks in.”
When asked about the hardest part of building a business, Nicole doesn’t hesitate. “You don’t always know the right answer. And sometimes, you just have to figure things out alone.” That uncertainty, she says, is part of the journey. But over the years, she’s learned to trust herself more — and to say no when it matters.
“I say yes to what energizes me and no to anything that drains my peace,” she says. “That includes clients who don’t share the vision. Alignment matters.”
To anyone thinking of starting their own thing, Nicole has one piece of advice: “Just try it. You’re never going to have all the answers at the beginning. You have to start without certainty — and trust that you’ll figure it out along the way.”
Looking ahead, she’s excited to grow Nulink’s national footprint and take on more destination events, while also making time for what really matters. “Family, creativity, purpose — I want to build a life that holds space for all of it.”
