Nasir Shaikh’s journey is a masterclass in reinvention. A celebrated hotelier and award-winning business leader with decades at Marriott International, he has seamlessly transitioned into an entrepreneur who bridges hospitality, education, and leadership. As Founder of Total Coaching and Mentoring Collective LLP and Ahmed Luxury Products LLP, Nasir blends the precision of world-class service with the depth of human connection, helping individuals and organizations grow with authenticity and resilience. In this exclusive conversation with Education Edge Global, he reflects on the pivotal moments that sparked his entrepreneurial leap, the philosophy behind his ventures, and the lessons that shape his forthcoming book Grit Grace and Growth.
From Marriott International to founding two different companies, your career spans hospitality, education, coaching, and luxury retail. What pivotal moment inspired you to step into entrepreneurship?
I believe our journeys are often shaped by quiet moments of reflection rather than loud announcements. For me, the turning point came when I realized that while I had built successful businesses and teams for others, there was a deeper calling to create something of my own… a platform that could bring together my experiences in hospitality, education, and leadership into meaningful impact. It was less about leaving a job and more about stepping into purpose. Entrepreneurship gave me that canvas. It allowed me to build not just businesses but ecosystems where growth, learning, and human connection sit at the center.
What gap in the coaching and mentoring space were you aiming to fill when you launched Total Consulting and Mentoring Collective?
When I looked closely at the coaching and mentoring space, I found much of it was transactional. There was either an overemphasis on process or on inspiration, but very little on the human experience in its entirety. At TCMC, we wanted to bridge that gap. Our work is rooted in building self-awareness, resilience, and authentic leadership, not just skillsets. The idea was to make coaching less about performance reviews and more about life readiness, helping individuals and organizations discover their own rhythm of growth. That philosophy is also a central theme in my upcoming book Grit Grace and Growth, where I write about how true transformation happens when grit is guided by grace.
How do you blend lessons from hospitality with leadership consulting to create unique solutions for your clients?
Hospitality at its core is about creating experiences that make people feel valued. That lesson has never left me. In consulting and coaching, I bring the same principle forward… leadership is not only about strategy or results but about the experience you create for your people. From anticipating needs before they’re expressed to designing environments where teams can thrive, hospitality offers timeless lessons in empathy, detail orientation, and service excellence. When these are applied to leadership and business consulting, the results are transformative. You do not just build organizations, you build cultures where people feel seen, heard, and inspired.
You’ve been described as a “dynamic, award-winning hotelier and business leader.” How do you define dynamic leadership in today’s evolving business landscape?
Dynamic leadership today is not about being the loudest voice in the room, it is about being the most adaptive. It is the ability to stand firm on values yet remain flexible in approach. In a world where uncertainty has become the new normal, leaders cannot rely solely on past knowledge. They need the curiosity to learn every day, the humility to listen, and the courage to make decisions that may not always be popular but are necessary. To me, dynamic leadership is an ongoing dance between vision and empathy, strategy and intuition.
What advice would you give professionals considering a transition from corporate roles to entrepreneurship?
The first truth is that entrepreneurship is not a promotion, it is a leap of faith. It is thrilling, uncertain, and deeply personal. My advice is simple: do not step into it to escape something, step into it to build something. Ask yourself what problem you truly care about solving, what impact you want to create, and whether you are ready for the long game. There will be days of doubt and nights of restlessness, but if your foundation is purpose-driven, those moments will strengthen you. Family support, resilience, and self-belief are your greatest allies. I speak more about this journey in Grit Grace and Growth… the heartburns, the learnings, and the joy of creating something that is truly your own.
At the heart of it all, whether in business or in life, I have found that success is not defined by titles or balance sheets but by the impact we leave on people and communities. As I continue this journey of building companies, writing, and mentoring, my aim remains simple… to create spaces where growth feels natural, leadership feels human, and success feels shared. That is what Grit Grace and Growth is all about, and that is the legacy I aspire to leave behind.
