Latest / Black Girls Consult TOO! / Episode 104: Building Momentum in Consulting for 2024

Transcript

Episode 104: Building Momentum in Consulting for 2024 · Black Girls Consult TOO!

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: They say, the odds are stacked against us as women, especially women of color, trying to thrive in the consulting world.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: But rather than wait for a seat at the table that may never come, what if we build our own tables?
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: What if we channel our talent into guiding each other toward the success we deserve?
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: Welcome to the Black Girls Console 2 Podcast.
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: I'm your host, dr Angelina Davis, and I've walked the path from healthcare consultant to a mentor.
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: For women like you, ambitious, unstoppable and ready to make ways in the consulting world, this podcast is your go-to spot for all things entrepreneurial consultants.
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: For us as women, especially women of color, think of it as your weekly coffee chat with a friend who's here to dish out real talk on building a solid business, elevating your thought leadership and mastering their all important mindset.
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: And let's not forget we're doing all of this while balancing day jobs, family life and running teams.
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: Yes, we can do it all.
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: So if you're ready to dive into how you can grow a thriving consultancy or get strategy and insight that actually fits into your busy lifestyle, then you're in the right place.
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: So grab your coffee, tea or, hey, even a glass of wine Look I won't judge and let's get started.
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: Hello, hello, hello.
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: Welcome to the Black Girls Console 2 podcast.
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: I cannot believe we are already in season three of the podcast Now.
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: You know I like to run my seasons by calendar year.
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: I don't know, maybe they'll change sometime in the future, but I feel like it's just a really clean slate for me to start off in a new year, and now we're here in 2024.
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: And it's time for us to shake things up a bit, don't you think?
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: I feel like we have been on this journey for a while now.
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: Especially if you've been tuning in over the past couple of years now, or even if you've just tuned into a couple of episodes here or there, you know that this is a year that needs to be a year of change, it needs to be a spark year, it needs to be our groundbreaking year y'all, and that's one of the reasons why I wanted to create this first episode and to share with you a lot of what I have been thinking about when it comes to the podcast and how this podcast can help you achieve your next big goal.
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: So here we are in a new season, and this season I want to dedicate really to, I would say, five critical areas.
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: And before I go into these critical areas and what they look like.
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: I want to talk a little bit about why I chose this.
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: So you know I talk a lot about increasing the success and longevity of women and consulting, and one of the things that I notice is that many times we start businesses, especially consulting businesses, and when times get rough we hang in there for as long as possible, but usually so many factors are at play and many times we end up not necessarily giving up or tapping out, but losing our momentum, losing our ability to go kind of full throttle into this next business venture.
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: And so what that typically means is that if we're not moving forward at a steady pace, if we're not growing like we need to grow, then we're prolonging the state that we're in currently, and for us, many times that state is not really all that bad, and that's one of the reasons why we can get stuck there.
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: Because if you are, for instance, still in your nine to five, making a good salary, or even if your consulting business has begun to take off and you have some stable income going, although you have these bigger dreams, although there's so much more that you want to do, and you have your vision of being on some mega stage with Oprah Winfrey or whoever is considered to be your favorite PR guru.
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: I would say, although we have those dreams, we can allow ourselves to get comfortable in the space that we're in because we have been successful in the past.
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: I always like to say that it can be such a difficult journey and challenge for ambitious women who have been successful to really step into this new space Because you've been doing things well for a long time, you have been excelling for a long time and you've reached success that has allowed you to live comfortably and really just have this opportunity to branch out further.
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: So, in order for us not to get trapped by that comfort, we have to start thinking bigger and bolder.
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: And in order to get to this point of longevity and this higher level success that I know we can achieve in the things that we envision because once again, this is where many of us as women, especially women of color, get stuck, because there are a lot of hurdles in order to get there and that's why we see our white, cisgender male counterparts kind of catapult to this next level, because they have a lot of help and support to help them get there we have to begin to be that support system for one another.
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: We have to begin to help each other get to that next level, and I want this podcast to be part of that.
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: So that's one of the reasons why I've decided to focus on five critical areas this year, and those areas include business foundations, mindset, client acquisition, expert messaging and thought leadership and lean systems, and so I want to break all of these down, because part of success requires, of course, was to have a steady revenue stream, and to have clients that were being able to predictably serve and serve to our greatest capacity requires that piece, but it also requires us to have some solid business systems and processes in place in order to improve our just overall flow in transactions as a business and increase our profitability, so that we're not spending more money than we're bringing in or we're not wasting money on things that really are either unnecessary or are preventable.
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: So I want to get us into this mindset of thinking not just about more and more and more, but also how to optimize, how to iterate, how to improve and just establish something that is able to last over an extended period of time.
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: So that's our conversation this year.
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: So let's talk about the first thing, business foundations.
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: Now, many times we start our businesses myself included and we have a little bit of knowledge when it comes to just some of the basics.
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: But, if we're honest, often we don't have a solid foundation to stand on.
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: And because having this solid foundation is key to us being able to make better choices when it comes to our business over the long term, to be able to follow the numbers, have the right metrics and keep performance indicators that we're following, to take the time out for us to have business development that's ongoing in the background, to be able to market Continuously and consistently and sell more effectively all of those business foundations are important for us to be able to get to the next level.
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: We have to Be able to function as a business and not just a hobby, not just something that we're doing on the side.
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: We are here to build something that is real and lasting.
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: So that's going to require having this business foundation and having the essentials in place so that we're able to navigate those difficult times when the economy Kind of was taking this as possible.
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: Turn toward the words here recently, I would say the last couple of years Then many people were kind of thrown off culture, didn't know exactly what to do or how to navigate or what to change, and that nervousness and anxiety came from the fact that, most often, people did not have a solid business foundation.
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: So some of the tactics and various strategies that were being used In their businesses in order to find clients, in order to generate revenue, then they were not strategies or they were not processes that have stood the test of time, and I believe that in order for us to be successful, we have to get back to the basics, the basics.
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: So why we want to be innovative, why we want to be creative, why we want to Capture and utilize these new ideas and new means of growing in this, this new era in space, we still have to have some things that are just foundational and business principles.
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: Business foundations are a key part of us being able to do that, and that's going to also allow us, especially as women and women of color, to be able to withstand Some of the unpredictability of the market, because we have certain systems in place that are going to carry us, whether or not we go through periods of time where we may have A slower influx of clients or maybe there are issues with regards to being able to provide our services on a consistent basis, whether that is a plan, leave for having a baby, or maternity issues or or just any change in life, or just want to have a break and go on a sabbatical all those types of things we want to be able to prepare for.
• 9:56
  Speaker 1: In order for us to prepare for that, we have to have those solid business foundations in place, so, as women and women of color especially, we have to begin to prioritize this one piece If we really want to be in this for the long haul.
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: Now, if you're just doing this as like a side hustle to make money here and there To find the next vacation, that type of thing, there's nothing wrong with that.
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: But you know you can probably get away with not having these foundations In place, in these foundations to be a solid.
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: But if you're really thinking about this as your real deal next move into the higher level that you know that you can excel and exceed at and deserve Then this needs to be a part of the puzzle.
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: So we're going to add in the whole element of business foundations in this season.
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: Now the next thing is our mindset.
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: Now mindset I know this is very big in general term, everything we want to talk about is all about mindset, but, in particular, one thing that I want to dive deeper into is a lot of the baggage that we carry as being women, and especially women of color, in the corporate space, you know, in the academic and our professional environments.
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: Because Because most often, what I found is that we are used to doing a lot of People pleasing and even cold switching and things of that nature that have become commonplace to us, so much so that we feel very uncomfortable when we're getting into the entrepreneurial world.
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: And we begin to feel uncomfortable standing out and being different because we've been taught in condition for so long that that's a taboo, that's a no, no, and what happens is that when we're avoiding standing out, we're avoiding doing those things that are going to make us look different, be different, sound different, be innovative, be creative.
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: That keeps us from achieving the level of success that we truly desire, especially an entrepreneurship, and so we have to begin to dismantle and break down some of those walls so that we can show up fully as ourselves and bring all of our unique ideas and perspective and insights to the table.
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: Those are the things that are most valuable for us, especially as women of color, and so in order for us to do that, we have to wrap our mind around the whole disbelief system that we have the ability to build our business and run our business however we see fit and that our differences deserve a rightful place in our industry.
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: And I think that having a stronger mindset allows us to also be more confident in the expertise that we're providing, so that we're able to articulate our value and the value of our ideas and our thoughts and our work At a higher level, in a way that is going to allow others to perceive that higher level of value that we can bring.
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: All of that, I feel, is tied to our mindset.
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: Mindset is not just about vision boards or trying to manifest the next thing.
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: It truly is about overcoming barriers Right, embracing our identity, building resilience that is necessary in order to navigate the entrepreneurial world successfully and establishing ourselves as being a powerful entity that deserves to be rightfully compensated.
• 13:39
  Speaker 1: So, when it comes to mindset, we're going to talk about that this season.
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: We're going to get all into that this season is some shape form of fashion, because I have found, from working with clients over and over again, this is just one point of which we all have struggled with, or they all have struggled with, and I have myself as well, so I'm including myself in that.
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: It's just a constant, it's a constant journey, it's a constant process.
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: So mindset is definitely one of the things that we're going to be adding Now.
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: The third thing is client acquisition.
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: So the third thing is client acquisition.
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: One of the reasons why I want to focus on client acquisition is, I think a lot of programs and a lot of coaches, a lot of other offers out there, focus heavily on how to build a business.
• 14:32
  Speaker 1: It may even focus on how to scale a business, and in scaling, this business has much more to do with things such as funnels or, maybe you know, getting the best team in place and really thinking about all of these other elements outside of the core I would say, most important things about client acquisition that many of us overlook or have not optimized and therefore, when we move into many of these strategies whether it's paid ads or using funnels or hiring a team to help us do some disappointment setting and scheduling whenever we jump into those things without mastering the core elements of client acquisition, we do ourselves a disservice and that eats into our profitability, because then we're spending money but not getting the return on investment that we need.
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: We're not getting the clients that we need, at least not the clients that are aligned with our offers and our services to the greatest degree that we desire, and so we have to focus on the, the core of client acquisition, which is really focusing on your messaging, focusing on the return of an investment that you're going to provide to your clients and focusing on your ability to embrace the various ways that you can reach your client, such as through various digital platforms, email, all these other other waves of being able to make those connections, because when you think about client acquisition in general, you can really just think of it as this streamline process.
• 16:05
  Speaker 1: It's a process of being able to meet your client wherever they are be able to connect with them with a message that's going to resonate with them.
• 16:15
  Speaker 1: In.
• 16:16
  Speaker 1: That message we're going to talk about has a lot of different, a lot of different facets to it, but you want that message to resonate and then you need to build a meaningful connection that leads to further conversation.
• 16:28
  Speaker 1: That's really going to be the process of client acquisition, whether you're in the business consumer or the business to business space and it's all about how you navigate those opportunities for connection, how you navigate creating the messages and the narratives around the offer that you have and the services that you provide, and then the the quality of the connections that you're building that are going to lead to that, that end goal of being able to acquire them as a client.
• 16:54
  Speaker 1: So this process, I think, needs more focus.
• 16:57
  Speaker 1: It needs more focus and so much so that I've even created a new offer that is more sprint-based, that's going to dive into just this process of client acquisition, so that we can get off of this feast or famine cycle and begin to create a system to be able to bring clients into, attract clients more easily.
• 17:20
  Speaker 1: And I want us to talk more about that also this season, because this is a big part of how we win the longevity game, because this client acquisition piece is what's going to help lead to increased profits and, eventually, the increased profitability once we begin to tweak some other elements.
• 17:38
  Speaker 1: So that is going to be our focus now.
• 17:41
  Speaker 1: Part of that client acquisition process involves you being able to communicate effectively, and that's why this next core focus and pillar of what I want to talk about this season involves expert messaging and thought leadership.
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: It's not just about selling your services and talking about the wins that you can provide and how you can help.
• 18:04
  Speaker 1: It really is creating a message that helps to build an establishment movement.
• 18:16
  Speaker 1: You want your work, your message and your thought leadership to be a way of standing out in your field and in your industry and for so long we as women, especially women of color have pretty much been comfortable playing in the background.
• 18:36
  Speaker 1: We are not always used to speaking out and taking a stance and having a very distinct and different perspective and sharing our lived experiences and explaining why our lived experience is different from everyone else and why it should be valued and how it can help.
• 18:53
  Speaker 1: And just all the different I would say innovative ways of approaching problem solving in our space comes from how we've experienced the world, and very rarely are we able to communicate that most effectively because many times we don't feel comfortable doing it.
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: That goes back to the mindset piece we don't feel comfortable doing it.
• 19:13
  Speaker 1: And then two sometimes we don't even realize is value ourselves, and what I think is key to client acquisition is being able to stand out from your competition through your thought leadership and through your expert messaging, because you are selling your expertise.
• 19:34
  Speaker 1: You are in the business of expertise, meaning that your intellectual property, your thoughts, your strategies, the way that you do things, is what people are investing in, and so we need to think about how we can elevate our expert messaging and thoughts leadership to a point where this is going to be an asset to us, and there are a lot of ways that I want us to kind of build on that this season.
• 20:00
  Speaker 1: Once again, it's also another focus just of mine in terms of offers that I provide.
• 20:06
  Speaker 1: I have an amplified messaging workshop that has been in the process of being built and will be rolling out also this year that is focused on establishing this message, this messaging, and establishing these elements of thought leadership work.
• 20:22
  Speaker 1: So I want us to get very, very serious about what we're doing and what we're communicating, because we're not just trying to land business for the moment.
• 20:32
  Speaker 1: We're trying to establish and build an expert brand that's going to carry us for a lifetime, and so that takes a balance of trying to meet the needs that we all have financially day-to-day and land clients, but then also building a system that eventually will be self-sustaining.
• 20:53
  Speaker 1: You're not meant to work in your business forever and ever and ever.
• 20:58
  Speaker 1: At some point in time, as you scale, you're going to branch out and it's going to grow beyond you.
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: In order for it to do that, you have to build a recognizable expert brand, something that's built on something more than just what's trending or what's working right now or following someone else's methods.
• 21:19
  Speaker 1: And lastly, to kind of tie all this together, I want to focus more on lean systems Now.
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: The reason I'm focusing on this is because efficiency, effectiveness and efficiency is paramount.
• 21:34
  Speaker 1: It is paramount to building a profitable business.
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: One of the things is we often forget that you can make a lot of money, but you can just as easily spend a lot of money, and we focus often on revenue generation, on gaining more clients, on making more money, so much so that we can overspend when it comes to contracting with other consultants, contracting with other service providers, spending money on ads, spending money on you name it just money going out the door, and we don't take the time to actually streamline our processes, to embrace technology and automations and to implement systems that work for us and not against us, so that we're not just pouring money back out the door and in order for us to get to that goal of profitability, which is really what's going to matter in the end.
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: It's not just all about the amount of money that you bring in.
• 22:36
  Speaker 1: You can actually bring in less money and then also spend less money or have less money going out and be a more profitable business in the end.
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: So I want us to focus on profitability and not just revenue generation, and this conversation about lean systems will help us do that, because our goal is to be empowered to know where we can begin to optimize our spending, to use the tools and the knowledge and the instructor our business in a way that we don't have to spend so much money.
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: You know, the most profitable and successful business owners in any industry, if you look very closely, are also ones that focus on optimization, effectiveness and efficiency, and so they're not only financially successful because they're generating greater revenue, but they're also successful because they understand that it's not about just the money that you're bringing in, but you also have to be keenly aware of the money that you're spending and pouring out.
• 23:46
  Speaker 1: So I know that was a lot, and it sounds like how in the world are you going to cover all that in one season?
• 23:55
  Speaker 1: Look, we got a year, guys, and I am excited about this and so, as we get into this season, just know that you're going to see a lot of evolution.
• 24:04
  Speaker 1: You will going to see more interviews that are going to be coming your way.
• 24:09
  Speaker 1: We started more of those last year and you'll see more of those that are coming.
• 24:12
  Speaker 1: Our goal is to move into YouTube, so you're going to see the podcast evolve into YouTube and kind of what that'll look like.
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: It's still in the works, but I hope to have that more ironed out as we move forward and be sharing more with you about that.
• 24:28
  Speaker 1: I'm sharing it right now to hold myself accountable.
• 24:30
  Speaker 1: You continue to hold me accountable and we're going to definitely be bringing that to you and I want to also bring back a lot of the mini-sos.
• 24:40
  Speaker 1: We started that on last season and I want to lean further into that for this new year.
• 24:46
  Speaker 1: So, all in all, we got a lot going on, guys.
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: We got a lot going on and, at the end of the day, this journey, if you stay with me, is hopefully going to be one that truly empowers you, that helps you to become more successful and creates a community that allows us to connect with one another, to support one another and to move together to a point where we are going to be the ones that are creating these bigger tables for us all to be around and to celebrate.
• 25:24
  Speaker 1: So, yeah, that is going to be season three.
• 25:28
  Speaker 1: I'm excited, I'm super excited about this new season.
• 25:31
  Speaker 1: I can't wait to get started with you.
• 25:34
  Speaker 1: We're all going to do some really big things this year and I can't wait to see it all unfold and celebrate with you.
• 25:43
  Speaker 1: So until next time, guys, take care.
• 25:48
  Speaker 1: Thank you for tuning in to the Black Girls Console 2 podcast.
• 25:50
  Speaker 1: I hope you enjoyed today's episode.
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: If you did, please be sure to leave your review or rating on Apple Pie Cards and Spotify.
• 25:59
  Speaker 1: Subscribe and share with the friends.
• 26:01
  Speaker 1: We're on a mission to increase the success and longevity of women in consulting, and you can help us do just that.
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: Also, I like to hear from you, so let's do next.
• 26:12
  Speaker 1: Reach out to me on Instagram or LinkedIn and let's keep this conversation going.
• 26:18
  Speaker 1: And don't forget to visit extremaconsoltingcom for more information to support your consulting journey.
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: Until next time, take care.