Josette Mandela interviews Dominique Nika Cagle, an award-winning entrepreneur, author, speaker, and founder and CEO of Nika Corporate Housing. Dominique shares how the events of 9/11 pushed her to pivot from airline work into entrepreneurship, and how one bad corporate housing experience became the spark for a company built around better service, cleaner standards, and stronger systems.
In this conversation, Dominique explains how she built not just one business but a multi-company structure around corporate housing, software, furniture rental, and brand work. She also shares practical lessons on wealth, taxes, trusted advisors, and why she believes women should always have their own money and financial independence.
Key topics:
In this episode, Dominique shares how 9/11 forced a major life pivot and led her to choose between graduate school and starting a business.
She explains how a dirty corporate apartment experience made her think, “We could do this better,” and inspired the launch of Nika Corporate Housing.
Dominique breaks down who her first clients were, including loyal military friends and early advocates who helped validate the business.
She discusses how Nika serves Fortune 500 clients, professional athletes, military families, government travelers, fima-related needs, and disaster survivors.
She describes the systems that keep quality high, including a detailed checklist with photographic evidence to prevent bad move-in experiences.
Dominique shares how Costa Genesis, her software company, was created to manage data, cloud storage, and API integrations for corporate housing operations.
She explains why she keeps each business separate, saying taxes and financial structure made it necessary to build multiple companies.
She talks about money leaks, cash flow, and how every business has hidden inefficiencies that must be identified and fixed.
Dominique shares the importance of family, noting that her business decisions are shaped by being a mother, stepmother, and daughter helping aging parents.
She gives advice for women building financial independence: start small, use your existing relationships, seek trusted advice, keep learning, and do the thing that scares you.
Connect with Dominique Cagle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-dominique-cagle-a316841/
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– Josette and the The Empowered Money Girl podcast team
Visit Josette’s website here: http://www.josettemandela.com/
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The Empowered Money Girl is a podcast for ambitious women who are building careers and lives on their own terms. Hosted by Josette Mandela, each episode features honest conversations with female leaders from across the country—founders, executives, and changemakers who’ve carved their own paths in business, finance, and beyond. From money mindset and leadership to career pivots and personal growth, this show brings real stories and practical insights for women who want more than just success—they want meaning, freedom, and impact.