Greene County native Nicole Fougerousse says she never thought she'd be running her own business full-time. But as a long-time lover of playing and coaching softball, NF Softball Performance is now her own successful business right here where she grew up.
Greene County CEO got to go inside Nicole's Linton training facility to learn all about her background and what prompted her to open her business. The Shakamak High School graduate says she thought she wanted to go to college to work in insurance, but quickly realized it wasn't for her. Nicole says she took a lot of business courses in college while also working an internship at NSWC Crane and performing as an NCAA D1 player. Nicole started a non-profit softball program in 2005 and went on to become a high school teacher. She later moved to Nashville to coach at Tennessee State University and then moved to Ireland to get her Masters of Science in Sport Psychology. Nicole returned to Greene County and opened NF Softball Performance which offers pitching, hitting, and other skills to young female athletes. She says she was just starting to get into remote training when Covid hit. She explained how staying up to date with training and technology has helped her stay current and relevant.
Students asked Nicole about her marketing and logo development, who her target client is, and if she has plans to expand in the future. Nicole says, "With this business, I've gotta think ahead. There will come a point in time when I physically won't be able to do this job anymore, so I have to think ahead and be ready for that. I try to always have a plan in place and that's part of having a successful business." Nicole added, "It's important to be aware of your competition and what differentiates you. For me with my business, it's not transactional, it's transformational."
Thank you, Nicole, for this unique business visit and for sharing your experience and words of wisdom with Greene County CEO!
01May