From failed businesses to Dragon’s Den

YMCA Exeter trustee, Nikki Buckley has taken her business ideas all the way to Dragon’s Den, but at the heart of her calling as an entrepreneur is her firm trust in God.  

“As an entrepreneur, you can often sit in a place of chaos,” explains Nikki. “You don’t have all the answers and that can lead to a lot of self-doubt. But what I don’t know, I know God will give me.” 

Nikki is the Head of Sustainability Engagement at the University of Exeter. Her team are a major contributor to delivering on the University’s Strategy 2030 commitment to ‘lead meaningful action against the climate emergency and ecological crisis.’   Nikki and her team work across staff, faculty and students to embed a culture of sustainable living within individuals for lifelong transformation.  

In her spare time, Nikki is a mum to four and co-owner and director for three care homes across Devon, overseeing strategy, governance and sustainable development and a trustee at YMCA Exeter.   

“We always said we wanted our life to be an adventure and to live on the edge,” says Nikki. “That started right at the beginning of our marriage when we decided to get married ten weeks after I became a Christian.” 

In 2012, that spirit of adventure took Nikki and her family to New Zealand.  

“We didn’t necessarily have a call from God but we just wanted to go. We left with three kids and came back with four,” laughs Nikki.  

The family settled in Whangaparoah, North Island, a beautiful area an hour north of Auckland. Initially, the entrepreneurial couple started a marquee business, but when that didn’t take off, Joel retrained in advertising and took up a paid role.    

“Our time in New Zealand was incredible,” continues Nikki. “The kids grew up barefoot. I remember even in the winter our son would go to school barefoot but just popped a woolly hat on his head.” 

Moving back to the UK in 2019, Nikki and her family settled in Exeter. In 2022, the entrepreneurial couple took a new business idea to Dragon’s Den and successfully received funding to grow their business selling biodegradable, compostable and recyclable painting trays.  

“It was an incredible experience and we had a lot of fun,” laughs Nikki. “We spent hours meticulously preparing, ensuring we had all the sustainability certifications. In the end, we couldn’t believe it when we got offers from four dragons.”  

The show took on a whole new spin when the longest-serving dragon, Peter Jones, revoked his offer, despite wanting the business and confirmed the couple should accept sustainability expert Deborah Meaden’s offer.  

“We had never heard them be so kind,” remembers Nikki. “We came away feeling really pleased that we’d helped bring goodness out of the dragons.”  

Shortly after the show was aired, the couple received a business offer from their paint customer, Lick Paint, that left them with a huge decision to make. After facing a difficult financial time during covid, the couple could finally see light at the end of the tunnel.    

“In the end we chose Lick over Deborah,” explains Nikki. “Lick were already in the same market place as us so it felt like a perfect match. And as part of the deal I was able to stay on for two years as Head of Sustainability, giving me the chance to ensure all their products were compliant.”  

As Nikki came to the end of her time with Lick Paint, she completed a diploma in Environmental Sustainable Governance (ESG). As she moved into her new role at the University of Exeter, it was this experience that gave her the opportunity to apply to become a trustee at YMCA Exeter.   

“I’m able to bring my experience in compliance and due diligence to this trustee role,” explains Nikki. “So much around sustainability connects to social justice, so it felt very natural to apply to become a trustee. I love the empathy and compassion that YMCA Exeter emulates – they just embrace each young person as they are. 

“When I first heard about YMCA Exeter I was surprised to hear the extent of what they do, supporting young people across Devon,” says Nikki. “And also to hear that there are university graduates who need the kind of housing support that YMCA offers.” 

“In our old house, we used to have the Martin Luther quote on our wall, ‘You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step,’” says Nikki.