Nicole Gray - From Restaurant Table to Real Estate A Creative’s Journey to Freedom 

As a young girl working in her father's Mexican restaurant, The Loop, in Manitou Springs, Nicole Gray dreamed of being a singer. Her father, rather than dismissing her artistic aspirations, nurtured her creative spirit – even taking her to audition for America's Got Talent when she was seven. This early encouragement of her dreams would later prove instrumental in shaping her entrepreneurial journey.

Growing up watching her father build successful businesses, particularly the restaurant that became a cornerstone of their community, Nicole absorbed valuable lessons about entrepreneurship. "My dad has been a huge influence," she reflects. "He's never worked for anybody else. He's always made these random businesses that have worked throughout his entire life until he built the restaurant. I grew up watching him do that."

The transition from childhood dreams of singing to becoming a business owner wasn't a straight path, but the creative spirit remained constant. Today, Nicole has channeled that creativity into building a multi-faceted business empire spanning travel content creation and short-term rental properties.

Her journey exemplifies the power of maintaining a dreamer's spirit while developing a pragmatic approach to business. "I think a big 'more' is exploring the world," Nicole says, describing her current aspirations. "That can probably mean a lot of different things for other people, but I do like to travel and explore the world, to share experiences with other people. So that's the 'more' that I'm going after right now." What started as a childhood dream of performing has evolved into something equally creative but more expansive – building businesses that allow her to explore, create, and share experiences with others while maintaining the freedom to chart her own course.