About Nikola Maharajh
Bio - Short Version
Nikola Maharajh is a serial entrepreneur who aims to have a positive impact on others through his endeavours. He is the managing partner at Commonwealth Kitchen & Bar and the founder of Commonwealth Members.
Prior to that, Nik was a partner at 441 Main, which ran until 2020 as one of Canada’s premier nightlife establishments. 441 Main won “Nightclub Of The Year” twice during the five years 441 Main was open. Nik is also known as the founder of Unity Underwear Co., which was featured in Forbes and numerous other publications. He sold Unity in 2022.
Nik is focused on growing his businesses while sharing what he learns along the way.
Bio - Long Version
Nikola Maharajh considers himself to be a serial entrepreneur who finds ways to utilize his skills in sales and marketing, while leveraging relationships to help his businesses grow.
His journey started with him jumping from job to job. Never satisfied with working for others, in 2014 he finally started his first business, Alokin Entertainment. As that business grew, Nikola also built a name for himself in the nightlife industry. The goal was to build a business that simply helped people have a fun night out. He was DJing, promoting and consulting for nightclubs. While it was lucrative and enjoyable, it was never his end goal.
In late 2015, he became a partner at the nightclub 441 Main in Winnipeg. There, he helped the team grow 441 Main into Winnipeg’s premier spot for nightlife until it was forced to close due to lockdowns in 2020. 441 Main, during its 5-year run won Nightclub Of The Year twice.
Nikola has had several other projects over those five years as well. In 2019, he bought a restaurant well known for its patio and nightlife called Teo’s. After some time there, he and his business partner rebranded it as Chaise Corydon. Chaise thrived until the lockdowns of 2020. Shortly after the lockdowns began, he proceeded to sell his shares to his business partner.
One of the projects he is most proud of is a clothing brand he created, Unity Underwear Co. With this company, he made what he and many others consider to be the most comfortable underwear for men. He went on to release a women’s line as well before selling Unity in 2022. Unity Underwear Co. was featured in Forbes, Apple News, LA Weekly, Fashion Week Daily and several other major publications.
Due to the unfortunate circumstances of the 2020 lockdowns, Nik ended up losing 441 Main and Alokin Entertainment, and had to part ways with Chaise Corydon. From there, it was a long process to rebuild. He had to start from scratch.
While rebuilding, he got humbled. He realized he didn’t know as much as he thought he did. He shifted his focus to bettering himself. This meant prioritizing his health and learning. With this new focus, he decided to quit alcohol for over a year.
During the rebuilding phase, he focused on helping manage Together Again, a local events company. He also helped business owners with staff and grants. This helped him connect with others in the city and continue to learn. Although he had a few little businesses along the way, his next big step came in 2023.
He and his friend were asked by another friend to help lease a space in a beautiful historic building on Main St, right in the heart of the city. When they walked into the building, they both fell in love, and decided they wanted to start something here themselves. That’s when Commonwealth Kitchen & Bar was born.
Commonwealth was meant to be Winnipeg’s first true supper club. A delicious restaurant during dinner hours that transforms into a nightclub at night. This was meant to be a more mature version of what he was doing prior. A room to cater to those who are 25+ in the city of Winnipeg. This journey proved to be harder than was anticipated. Lessons were learned, many of which are shared in his blog.
Nikola’s motto is to focus on constant, never-ending self-improvement. He has a passion for learning and writing and loves experimenting with new businesses. The concept of happiness has been where his focus lies the last couple of years. Everything in his mind comes down to happiness. You work to build a happy life. You connect with others to be happy. But yet, so few people understand what happiness really comes down to. While he learns about happiness, he shares his lessons with others - many of which contradict each other. Happiness is a tricky, yet simple thing.
Most recently, Nik founded and launched his new company, Commonwealth Members. This is a membership born out of his restaurant that gives members a 50% discount at numerous locally owned businesses. The idea is to make it easy for people to go out. This is to help keep the streets thriving and businesses surviving. Nik sees restaurants dying due to delivery apps, and service businesses struggling to fill appointments. Businesses spend countless amounts on marketing and paying others to try to promote their business. He hopes this new endeavour can help the local businesses stay alive.
This blog serves as an open book to follow his journey and what he has learned along the way. The theme changes as he changes. This is meant to give you a look at how he has evolved over the years. The hope is, you can learn from his failures and successes to help make your life easier and happier.