What I’ve Learned from 10 Years in Consulting
This month marks 10 years in consulting and therefore the 10th birthday of ClearVision Consulting. I count myself one of the fortunate few who get to make a living doing what they love. A giant thank you to dozens of clients who have invited me into their businesses and trusted me to help them build the business they’ve always wanted.
I can’t cram all the things I’ve learned into the few short words of this post, but I’ve got to try and hit the high spots.
Business owners and their teams are some of the finest people I’ve ever met. There’s something different about the person who foregoes a weekly paycheck and risks everything to run their own business. The passion and purpose they bring to their work is inspiring and humbling.
There’s a fine line between running a business and being run by a business. I’ve had the opportunity to see both. The demands of running a business are off the charts. Without a deliberate approach, the right team and defined processes, there are plenty of things to keep you up at night. On the flip side, there are business owners who, by employing the right tools and methodologies, are having the time of their life.
There’s a lot of confusion about what it means to engage a consultant. It’s a bit daunting to think about exposing any or all or your business to a stranger – especially if you think the end result is going to be a list of problems you already knew you had and a bunch of expensive-to-implement recommendations – all written in consultant-speak and accompanied by a large bill. If that was the experience, I’d also run screaming.
Velocity is daunting. The rate of change in competitive landscape, employee expectations, technology, distribution channels, communication channels and more is dizzying. Pile that on top of every day operational demands and it seems like there’s no way to stay current and really no way to pay for it. Business owners without a true North Star feel constantly behind existing competitors and aggressive new entrants.
The privilege of consulting and coaching has provided a front row seat for watching some wonderful business transformations. I’ve been able to witness owners and managers overcome some initial reluctance to bring in a trusted advisor and experience the change that comes by making deliberate choices and employing proven tools. Unless you can be Batman, it’s probably the best job ever. I’m pretty pumped about the next 10 years.