Built for Entrepenuers
NL Creator was founded by Nick Luke to provide web design, graphic design, printing and photography for small businesses. When Nick launched SLiK Hound in 2011 he struggled to find professional help in those areas that were affordable and geared towards his small business. Like most entrepreneurs he forged ahead the best he could. After years of trial and error he learned how to solve many of those challenges himself. Now he has positioned NL Creator to fill the gaps he found and make entrepreneurship that much easier. Don't make your small business harder then it has to be, let us help you!
Get to Know Nick
Nick is a hard working, self employed, millennial who is married to his high school sweetheart. He has a two year old daughter and a pack of hounds that keep him on his toes. Born in Independence and raised in Blue Springs by a high school wrestling coach and a Mary Kay Sales Director. Nick was a competitive athlete and went onto attend UMKC and NWMSU. After college he worked in variety of industries mostly as a salesperson. Right around his 25th birthday he convinced his wife to start a dog collar business. It took several year to get off the ground then he had planned but eventually it took off. During the pandemic
SLiK Hound
A decade of SLiK Hound has given Nick valuable experience as an entrepreneur. SLiK Hound is a manufacture, retailer, and wholesaler of dog collars. Started in a tent at fall festivals SLiK Hound grew a wholesale network of over 100 stores in 27 states. SLiK Hound still manufactures some of the finest collars in the industry, but now primarily operates as an e-commerce operation. SLiK Hound has been successful at overcoming the obstacles that face a start up business.
Luke's Painting
Nick's first rodeo in entrepreneurship was taking over his father's summer outfit, Luke's Painting. Started in the late 70's to compliment Mr. Luke's teaching and coaching career. Nick started in the summer before his seventh grade year of school and worked all the way through college. When Nick left school he took over the business and ran it seasonally through the years following the 2008 recession. In it's final years Luke's Painting was exclusively restoring the exteriors of large historic homes in Kansas City. Nick learned how to work hard from painting and how to keep commitments to customers. Luke's Painting faded away when SLiK Hound took off.
A Salesman
The beating heart at the core of everything Nick does is his ability to sell. With a mother who thrived in direct sales and won a stable of pink Cadillacs Nick's second language is salesmen. On his long journey to self employment Nick has sold a lot of products. Each stop sharpened his skillsets and taught him the fundamentals of marketing. From rainbow vacuums, Scag lawn mowers, Honda cars, to software for a major corporation. Understanding a products value and what makes a customer pull the trigger is second nature to Nick no matter where he has gone. Nick's star burns brightest when selling, but his independent heart has always kept him from staying a salesman.