We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicole Leinbach Hoffman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicole Leinbach, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I founded my first company, Retail Minded, nearly twenty years ago with a goal of combining my love of retail, media and content into a career that gave my flexibility and professional satisfaction alike. Having held national marketing roles for companies that included Adidas and Franco Sarto at the time, I had just enough confidence to push myself ahead on a solo journey of business thanks to the incredible experiences I gained while working for these incredible brands. Fast forward to just past Covid and I was inspired to launch another business while still maintaining Retail Minded. In 2022, I launched STIMULATE: A B2B Sexual Wellness Trade Show + Conference that held it’s first event in 2023 and since then, it’s second flagship experience and some smaller events, as well. My thought process in this launch was to elevate my own professional growth and goals while also bringing an underserved retail category more spotlight and support through a trade show experience.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
For many years, I was a soloprenuer and while I enjoyed my work, it was equally exhausting as it was exciting. Over time, I realized that having a team and letting go of many of the roles I held actually allowed me to do more and do better in my efforts. After all, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses and for me, that meant administrative work, accounting and other often behind the scene responsibilities that stole time from where I truly excelled – which was content creation, marketing development and client management. It wasn’t easy to make these choices, but they were the right ones to make and definitely helped me growth as an entrepreneur.

Fast forward to the launch of my trade show, STIMULATE, and I have proudly grown my internal team to help in this business growth. I absolutely couldn’t build my business without a strong team, and I think that’s incredibly important for leaders to recognize. More so, trust is essential in business and no matter what kind of business, this is key in continued growth. For me specifically, I work in an often stigmatized business category – which is sexual wellness – so this trust is even more critical since it includes a lot of care in communication, considerations and curation of business partnerships. Historically, businesses surrounding sexual wellness can come with judgement, but through our community we are proudly elevating discussions, discovery and development of sexual wellness brands at retail. This is absolutely a direct result of my team and I’s combined work together and more so, the trust we have in each other – which I am incredibly proud of.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
For a gal that travels a ton, it’s rare I get to spend a full day in my hometown of Denver! But when I do, I always enjoy a good Cherry Creek day. Beginning with lunch at the Narrative, which is adjacent to the Jacquard Hotel, I would then stroll between the various streets of Cherry Creek and in and out of the many stores, galleries and hidden gems that bring this great community to life. I am a big fan of shopping local and supporting small businesses, so those would steal most of my time. I also love a good, leisure happy hour and despite any deals or drink specials, I always order the same thing… blanco tequila with soda water and a little lime. Passing time with friends and my husband would be the best way to spend this time and by mid evening, a great dinner would be ideal. Some favorite restaurants in Cherry Creek I enjoy include The Cherry Creek Grille, Kini’s and Quality Italian.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’ve been so grateful to have been surrounded by amazing leaders, peers, friends, mentors and more throughout my life, but I am most inspired by my kids. A lot of what I do is fueled by my wanting to give them more… but not in things, but rather in time, memories and even inspiration for them to gain from. My work has given us experiences we have all been able to gain from and while there is no doubt I work a lot more than ideal at times, I’d like to believe my kids still value from my work and likewise, bring me value.

Website: https://www.StimulateTheShow.com

Instagram: https://www.RetailMindedWorld.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/retailminded/

Twitter: https://x.com/retailminded

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@STIMULATETheShow

Image Credits
All images provided and owned by STIMULATE.

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.