On 25th May, the OU will be taking part in an exciting social experiment with BBC Radio 1 presenter, Gemma Cairney, stream live via YouTube.

Gemma will be tasked with sitting at the helm of a fictional business for the day, faced with a series of business challenges that she will have to overcome with some specialist advice from our alumni, academics, and students – known as our ‘OU-riginals’.  

Ahead of this, we are launching an interview series on some of those ‘OU-riginals’ who will be helping Gemma out with the challenge on the day….

Nick Bassan is the founder of Niqolas Bassano, a start-up fitness clothing-tech company. Our products live and breathe at the intersection of science and art. Built to work in harmony with the end user we study cutting-edge textiles and adapt them to benefit the everyday user. We see the future of apparel and nanotechnology coming together to give you more freedom and time to focus on your training, creativity and vision.

What's the mission behind Niqolas Bassano and what pain area are you working to solve?

Our mission is to grow and unite our community of creatives, artists and dreamers dotted around the globe far and wide. We are a family of forward-thinking humans focusing on bringing our individual dreams to life, all whilst empowering one another. The pain area, let's say is more of a challenge – this includes new sponsorships and building out our social influencer Creative Athlete teams, which in turn naturally increases sales, brand awareness and solidifies loyalty.

Tell me about the work/technology you have in the pipeline that will work to foster creativity, community and collaboration?

We are working extremely hard over the next three years to launch new products and collections - including a Women’s collection called EDEN (our current Men’s collection is called ORIGIN), utilising cutting-edge fabric technologies and knitting techniques including Silver, Copper, 3D jacquard knits, Seamless and Warp knits, all whilst building out our Creative Athlete team to create social content and challenges that help to grow our channels.

How did you fund the launch of Niqolas Bassano and what creative strategies did you use to reduce cost?

Niqolas Bassano is a start-up entirely self-funded from working a number of jobs and bootstrapping with nothing but a vision, a laptop and a lot of all-nighters! I’ve reduced a lot of costs by simply learning skills like video editing and graphic design on YouTube so these can be done in-house. It’s this way I was able to design garment tech-packs for suppliers, edit my own videos and start a YouTube channel which includes content ranging from vlogs to learning tools for anyone who wants to start a D2C (Direct to Consumer) business.

What are your thoughts on automation and how it could impact our economy in the long-term?

Automation is tricky to fully understand, particularly as we haven’t yet been able to fully grasp the extent at which stage we are within automation. Electric cars like Tesla have not reached a level of being fully autonomous for example but are getting there. Then we have experimental drone deliveries by Amazon so you receive your orders faster than ever before. These are just a few examples of automation in development, when you add AI and machine learning on top of this, it then becomes a question of both human jobs potentially at risk and general safety – AI could eventually reach a level of intelligence greater than that of humans. It isn’t all that bad however, perhaps jobs like construction will benefit from the help of automated humanoid robots. Industries are rapidly changing and so are consumer ideologies, making the future ripe for disruptive and innovative brands like us.

What would your top tip for fellow founders growing an e-commerce business?

Follow your heart and gut – it just doesn’t lie. You will always be the pilot of the rocket ship you create (which is the company) because it’s your dream. Sometimes people will also believe in your dream enough to join you on a seat into orbit. Never give up and always do something you love as this will help to keep you motivated when the results don’t show. Speak your vision into existence, see your mission through, say what you say you’re going to do, when the times are dark and it seems there’s no end to it and it seems your vision isn’t in sight, remember why you started. Anything is possible. Ordinary is the enemy. Dream then do.

If you could have an hour zoom call with any entrepreneur, who would they be and why?

It would be Christian Guzman, particularly as he is in a similar field and has created a number of properties that revolve around fitness including state-of-the-art gym facilities, an energy drinks brand and a supplement company in Houston, Texas, USA.

What value would you say your Business Course with The Open University has added to the growth of your business?

The value the Business Course with The Open University has added mainly revolves around having an independent approach to lateral thinking and problem-solving. As a student, you are provided with the freedom of interpreting a subject, case or brief on your own terms. This is imperative when you have a business, it is a common theme to deal with new unexpected events, challenges and opportunities often and you cannot simply solve these without having a sense of freedom.

Unlock Your Inner Boss LIVE! The CEO Challenge 

Gemma will go live on the hour, every hour between 11am and 4pm at the OU library on campus, tackling a series of lively tasks that cover the below. She will also need YOUR help as the viewers, voting live to help steer her decisions through the day. 

• 11am Street Smart: Understanding customers and the market  

• 12pm Making The Case for Your Business: Putting together an effective business plan  

• 1pm: My Way or The Hire Way: Hiring and managing 

• 2pm: The Profit Is Right! Making a business profitable and having adequate finances  

• 3pm: Leadership Leveller: Mindset and leadership  

• 4pm: Future Feats: Staying ahead with technology  

The livestream forms part of the OU’s new Skills campaign, bringing to life the values, expertise and skills that the OU has to offer in a world where people are increasingly veering away from traditional career routes. Tune in to contribute, and benefit from advice and insight from our ‘OU-riginals’, plus an exciting free collection of resources for livestream viewers…  don’t miss it! 

To join the livestream and follow Gemma throughout her inspirational challenge tune in to YouTube or keep an eye out here on 25th May.