September 17, 2025 • 29 mins
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Have you ever wondered what your expertise is truly worth? The answer might surprise you.
This episode explores seven eye-opening insights into why now is the perfect time to turn your knowledge into a thriving consulting business—whether as a side hustle earning an additional $50,000 or as a path to financial independence.
Traditionally, the industry operated on unwritten rules that excluded diverse voices. But the digital revolution has transformed everything, opening up unprecedented opportunities for women of color to build wealth on their own terms without waiting for gatekeepers' permission.
Whether you're dealing with student debt from degrees you haven't fully leveraged or tired of building someone else's business, this episode offers a fresh perspective on consulting as a way to build wealth.
Ready to recognize the gold mine you're sitting on?
Click the link to download the free guide How to Sell What You Know, and join the community that's rewriting the rules of success in consulting.
***********
Connect with me at Dr. Angelina Davis on Instagram or LinkedIn, and visit excelconsulting.com for resources to support your journey.
Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review. I would love for you to join our community of ambitious consultants breaking glass ceilings!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
They say, the odds are stacked against us as women,
especially women of color,trying to thrive in the
consulting world.
But rather than wait for a seatat the table that may never
come, what if we build our owntables?
What if we channeled ourtalents into guiding each other
towards the success we deserve?
Welcome to the Black GirlsConsulting Podcast.
I'm your host, dr AngelinaDavis, and I've walked the path
(00:25):
from healthcare consultant to amentor for women like you,
ambitious, unstoppable and readyto make waves in the consulting
world.
This podcast is your go-to spotfor all things entrepreneurial
consulting.
For us as women, especiallywomen of color, think of it as
your weekly coffee date with afriend who's here to dish out
real talk on building a solidbusiness, elevating your thought
(00:48):
leadership and mastering thatall important mindset.
And let's not forget, we'redoing all of this while
balancing day jobs, family lifeand running teams.
Yes, we can do it all.
So if you're ready to dive intohow you can grow a thriving
consultancy or get strategiesand insights that actually fit
your busy lifestyle, then you'rein the right place.
(01:09):
Grab your coffee, tea or, hey,even a glass of wine, I won't
judge and let's get started.
Hello, hello, hello.
Welcome to the Black GirlsConsulting Podcast.
I'm your host, dr AngelinaDavis, and today I am just doing
(01:32):
an audio podcast.
I feel like it's been a whilesince I've been able to have
more of a casual conversationwith you, because sometimes when
you turn on the camera and youare trying to film, I don't know
, I feel like it brings outalmost like a slightly
artificial side of yourself,maybe because you know this
(01:53):
camera is watching you, and itfeels different, it feels weird.
So I wanted to just take itback to how we normally would
have conversations and justrelax a little bit, just
catching you up on life.
On this end, things have beenjust flying by this year.
I cannot believe we're alreadyin the fall of 2025.
(02:15):
It's crazy to think that we areabout to enter into the fourth
quarter of the year, into thefourth quarter of the year, and
for me it's been a shift into anew part or phase of my year in
journey, especially in business,because my office buddy, my fur
baby, did pass away, and so youknow, for me it's been kind of
(02:41):
I don't know a little bit sadbeing back in the office and
probably another reason why Ididn't feel like hopping on
camera.
But I'm back at it.
I know that you know pets tendnot to be here for the totality
of our lives, but you know it'salways so hard when you lose
them, because they're such loyaland true fans and lovers of you
(03:07):
.
And not having them around, nothaving the excitement of their
pitter patter and little feetsometimes can really just change
your mood quite a bit.
But I'm doing fine, I'm doingbetter, and now I'm just focused
on really moving full steamahead into the end of this year.
(03:28):
I don't like to think about thisshift into the fourth quarter
as being something that meansbusiness just completely stops.
I think a lot of people thinkabout that because of the
holidays that are coming.
However, if you are in themidst of building your
consulting business, this is atime to truly, truly lean into
(03:48):
that building process.
If you are growing yourbusiness, remember that there
are some fiscal years that aregoing to start or have just
started, and also you want toget ready for the new year and
everything that it has to offerbeing able to get in front of
the right people, get your ideasand thoughts out there so that
(04:10):
people are more familiar withyour work, being able to network
, get referrals, market yourselfonline.
All those things still have tobe ongoing in the midst of us
celebrating, even going into theholiday season I can't believe
I'm talking about holiday seasonalready so I wanted to take
this opportunity and this timeto talk about seven troops,
(04:34):
about starting a consultingbusiness, and this is coming
from a carousel that I didonline for Instagram and
LinkedIn, but this is a carouselthat I often use because I
think it really breaks down whatI like to call a mini lesson
for women, especially women ofcolor, who are ready to build
(04:55):
wealth to live their future ontheir terms, because what I
found throughout my life is thatwhenever I ran into any type of
financial need or crisis, I wasrunning and trying to find a
job.
I have worked and taught at anight school before.
I've done all kinds of thingstrying to use my expertise in
(05:17):
order to generate more incomefor myself or for my family, and
one thing that I finallyrealized is that many times when
I was sharing my knowledge inthat way, I was doing it for a
fraction of what I could havebeen earning if I would have put
my expertise into the market onmy own accord.
(05:41):
So I don't want you to makethat mistake.
I don't want you working latehours and long shifts trying to
make money in order to buildwealth for your family.
Even if you have a great incomeand you're nine to five,
sometimes we're looking forextra work and working PRN jobs,
or trying to work and hustle onthe side.
(06:02):
You have a moneymaker in yourmind, and so that's why I want
to talk about this today,because I think we don't lean
into this enough, and especiallywith the holiday season coming
along.
This is another reason why Ithink this conversation is so
important, because you have theability to make far more than
you could ever imagine, and Idon't want you to think about
(06:25):
this as an all or none type ofsituation.
It doesn't mean that if youpursue a consulting business,
you need to go all in, leaveyour job and then rely totally
on that business for your income.
Yes, I think many of us havealways dreamt of getting to that
point.
However, it may mean that thisis something that you supplement
(06:48):
your income with.
Maybe adding 30, 40, $50,000 toyour base salary right now
could make a world of difference.
Or maybe you can get to a pointwhere you're able to double or
triple the amount that you'remaking.
I know that if you are a highincome generator, then it's
going to take quite a bit foryou to leave your nine to five,
(07:11):
especially when you're thinkingabout your salary, the benefits,
college tuition grants, allthese other types of things that
they give us in order to keepus locked into our nine to five,
and one of the reasons why theygive it to us is because your
knowledge and your expertise isso valuable.
I don't think that we thinkabout that enough.
We're always thinking abouteverything that a job can offer
(07:32):
us, but we're not realizing thatwe are giving them what they
need most, and so these seventruths are going to help to
break down all of that and getus thinking about starting
consulting and growing ourconsulting businesses in a
different way.
Have you ever thought about howmuch your expertise is worth in
(07:55):
your nine to five?
Without knowing anything aboutyour field, I can tell you that
it's likely much more than yourealize.
What I've found over time isthat many experts in their
industry undervalue theircontribution to the bottom line.
They sell themselves short andassume that their high-level
knowledge and valuableexperience are commonplace, but
(08:16):
that's not true.
In fact, most people aresitting on a gold mine, and you
are too.
Look, if you have been thinkingabout starting a consulting
business and figuring out howyou can sell what you know, then
you need my free guide.
It will walk you through theprocess of figuring out what you
(08:36):
can put into the market thatwill sell like hotcakes.
Trust me, you have tons tooffer.
It's time to uncover new waysto use what you already know to
create the life you truly desire.
Download your free guide now,all right.
So truth number one is that whatyou have already is enough when
(09:05):
I say that one of the mostcommon things that I see us as
women, especially as women ofcolor, doing is getting
additional degrees, and I thinka lot of this comes from the
fact that we have always beentaught that we need to be better
than our colleagues in order toget half as far better than our
(09:31):
colleagues in order to get halfas far, and that led to a lot
of education, a lot ofinvestment in getting degrees
and certifications and otherskill sets, and I'm guilty of
that too.
I'm sitting here with amaster's degree, a PharmD degree
, all kinds of certificationsthat I have to pay hundreds of
dollars every year to maintainall those things, just so that I
(09:56):
could stand out in the careerspace and get the job that I
wanted and grow and climb thecorporate ladder All those
things I felt like I needed.
One of the beautiful thingsabout entrepreneurship is that
there are no job requirements.
We're used to going onlinewhether it's on Indeed or some
other type of job platformlooking for a job that's posted,
(10:19):
trying to figure out whether ornot we meet the criteria to
apply.
That does not exist forentrepreneurship.
There is no universal standard.
The beautiful thing is that whenyou start your consulting
business, you determine what'sactually needed and while that
feels exciting and refreshing toeven think about, I think a lot
(10:39):
of times we don't necessarilybelieve it.
We tend to question whether ornot that's truly the case and
whether we can really get intothe rooms that we need to get
into in order to be mosteffective and to land the type
of contracts that we want toland.
Now, there are going to berequirements in different
industries, so I'm not sayingthat if you want to consult in
(11:03):
the medical space and you don'thave any type of
healthcare-related or medicalbackground that you're going
gonna easily be able to do thatyou still can.
There are ways, but there arescenarios where having the
baseline foundational knowledgeis going to work to your
advantage.
But I would say that would betrue with anything that you
wanna do.
In order to be considered anexpert, you have to have some
(11:26):
level of foundational knowledge.
But you determine where youwant to practice, who you want
to help, what you want yourbusiness to look like, and
rarely, very rarely, doesanother degree or another
certification help you do that.
All right.
Truth number two and I'm callingall of my women who have
massive student loan debt rightnow that you are paying off to
(11:49):
the front.
You've already invested time,money and energy.
You haven't even fullyleveraged what your existing
degree offers.
Have you thought about that?
Your degree wasn't designed foryou to land one position.
So the investment in youreducation whether it was through
you paying through cash orloans or scholarship that degree
(12:14):
, that education, was designedfor you to be open to
opportunity, and that includesopportunities that you build for
yourself.
You have not scratched thesurface as to what your
knowledge can do for you andthat job you work hard to get.
It was never your finaldestination.
(12:36):
Often, like I said before, weget into these jobs and into our
career and we begin to climbthe corporate ladder, and
there's nothing wrong with doingthat, as long as you're moving
ahead toward your goal and whatyou want to accomplish.
But if that's not bringing youjoy, if that's not bringing you
happiness, if that's notbringing you the revenue that
(12:58):
you need, there is absolutelynothing wrong with you expanding
beyond that.
And the great part is that youdon't have to always invest in
something new.
You've already invested time,money and energy.
You've already done that.
All I'm trying to convince youof is that now is a wonderful
(13:21):
time to capitalize on thatinvestment and get a return on
that investment.
And when we start thinking ofit in that way, it makes it a
lot easier for you to feelprepared and not feel like an
imposter when you're enteringinto this new space, because
you've already done the hardestwork.
(13:43):
So truth two you've alreadyinvested time, money and energy,
and now you just need a returnon that investment far greater
than what you've alreadyinvested time, money and energy.
And now you just need a returnon that investment far greater
than what you've already gotten.
Truth number three you're thereason their business exists.
Now we think about businessesand we think of the product that
(14:04):
they have in the market,whether that is looking at Nike
and tennis shoes and athleticclothing, if it's looking at
Apple and all of the electronicdevices that they're able to
market and sell, we see that asthe business, as the product, as
what is generating money andrevenue for them.
That's one piece of the puzzle,but most companies today
(14:29):
actually run on human capital,so the value of the business is
actually based on the experienceand the expertise of the people
.
It's the individuals that arecontributing their knowledge,
their insights, their skill setsto develop those products that
they then sell.
That truly is the most valuableaspect of that business.
(14:50):
You are an asset and we don'toften think about ourselves that
way.
We think about ourselves aslabor, as employees, as someone
who is working in the businessto help promote the product or
the service, but we're notthinking about the fact that our
knowledge, our expertise, whatwe bring to the table, is
(15:14):
actually the most valuablecomponent.
Because without that, thoseproducts that marketing, the
sell, the success of thatbusiness would not exist.
And when we understand thevalue of what we bring to the
table, then it makes it a loteasier for us to see how that
(15:36):
same knowledge, that same skillset is just as valuable to other
executives at the highestlevels, and that they do need
advice from consultants andadvisors to help them move
forward and get ahead.
And this leads directly intotruth number four you can easily
put your expertise to work foryou Whenever you transition to
(15:58):
another role.
So if you're going from one jobto another job, you're taking
your value with you.
The knowledge and the insightthat you have doesn't stay with
your previous organizationbecause you left.
So that means that you canactually take that same
expertise, that same skill setand build something entirely
(16:19):
your own, and you don't needanyone's permission to do that.
Once again, what you know, whatyou already have, is valuable.
It is an asset, and that samehuman capital that's working for
everyone else can work for youtoo.
So here's truth number fiveConsulting is no longer reserved
(16:42):
for those who have spentdecades in their field.
When we think about howconsulting looked, even just
when I started over a decade ago, typically a consultant was a
very seasoned, typically olderwhite male that had been in
(17:02):
their industry for a number ofyears.
They decided to branch out asthey got closer to retirement,
tap into their network innercircles and establish themselves
as a consultant and make moneytoward the end of their career
and kind of move on from thereinto retirement.
That typically had been thepicture toward the end of their
career and kind of move on fromthere into retirement.
That typically had been thepicture.
And, as you started to see,maybe some people enter into the
(17:24):
space that were a bit younger.
They had access to networksthat allowed them to navigate a
lot faster.
However, many of us, especiallyas women and women of color,
were blocked out of that spacebecause there were gatekeepers
there.
There was someone that couldtell you that you had not spent
enough time doing XYZ or youdidn't have the right
(17:48):
connections because you weren'tin that actual meeting or
boardroom or on that golf coursewhen that decision was made.
Those were things that kept uswatching from the sideline
instead of actively being in thegame.
But now we have a lot more onour side.
The digital economy hascompletely changed the way that
(18:10):
consulting contracts andbusiness is won.
You don't need decades ofexperience or to be the right
age to build wealth from yourexpertise.
One of the reasons why that wasso valuable before is because
you had to have a way toestablish credibility and your
career in totality.
(18:31):
The longevity of it and thethings that you had accomplished
over years and decades wasevidence that you did have a
certain level of knowledge andskill.
However, now you don't have tohave that long trajectory in
order to be able to demonstratethat you have other ways of
sharing your thoughts, yourideas in a space and gain more
(18:55):
visibility that highlights whatyou can do.
Because you have that accessnow, it makes it a lot easier to
move beyond those tight innercircles that had to crown you as
being worthy of being aconsultant.
That does not exist any longer,and I think many of us don't
appreciate that fact, especiallyif we weren't practicing in
(19:19):
those times where that was thecase.
Now it seems like everythinghas been fair game and people
can start consulting businessesat their whim and be successful.
That was not always true inthis space.
So now we have this digitaladvantage and, if we can put it
to use, we have greater marketaccess.
That honestly makes itextremely promising for any solo
(19:46):
consultant or even small firmto get out there and compete
with some of the biggest intheir industry.
So consulting is no longerreserved for those who have been
in this space for a long, longtime Now.
Truth six and this isdefinitely something I want to
highlight is that the fact thatthese things have changed is a
(20:09):
game changer for women, andespecially women of color.
What this means the greateraccess that we have to the
digital economy means that we nolonger, as women, have to be
stuck playing by rules that werenever meant to include us.
I want you to go and find yourfavorite consulting book.
(20:32):
I always like to give clientsthis exercise because I think it
really does highlight why theyneed to be in this space, why
it's so important for them topush through difficulties and to
really get their businessesgrowing and off the ground,
because we need you here.
If you pull any of these booksoff of a bookshelf and I'm
(20:54):
looking over at my bookcaseright now, every last one of
them whether you're looking atmillion dollar consulting or
flawless consulting, or thetrusted advisor, et cetera
they're all written by prettymuch the same person in many
cases, or the same type ofperson which, as I stated before
, a typically cisgendered, olderwhite male that, in essence,
(21:20):
had complete control of thisindustry for so long.
And that's just the truth.
That's just how it has been,but now the playing field has
finally shifted, and I thinkwhat makes me so excited and why
I have this podcast, why I dothe work that I do, why I work
with the women that I do, isbecause now there's real access
(21:40):
for those of us who were alwayskept on the outside of the old
boys club.
We have the ability to seizethis moment right now where we
can build wealth on our ownterms and begin to also rewrite
the rules for everyone else thatcomes behind us, also rewrite
the rules for everyone else thatcomes behind us.
(22:01):
Now we can set the stage forpeople to know that you can be
young, brilliant and highlyprofitable, selling your
expertise without having amiddleman, without having a job
or a company or organizationthat does that for you, a job or
(22:22):
a company or organization thatdoes that for you and so having
that ability to generate incomeand wealth by the use of the
things that you've already spenttime investing in is something
that just opens the door to somuch more when it comes to us
living the lives that we trulydesire.
Many of us may want to havemore of a lifestyle business
(22:43):
that helps us to enjoy ourfamilies and to travel and to
spend time with family.
Or maybe you're one of the onesthat wants to build a major
firm and to have a big exit planwhere you're able to kind of go
off into the sunset and enjoymillions upon millions of
dollars.
All of those things arepossible.
(23:03):
But all this starts with usbeing able to take advantage of
where we are right now in thisdigital economy to utilize all
of these tools that we have toour advantage to make it easier
to run a business, to marketourselves, to sell, to serve
clients.
There's so much that we haveaccess to that makes running a
(23:25):
business a lot easier.
That was very, very difficultto do in the past, so I want us
to lean into that and recognizethat this is a unique moment in
time.
And finally, truth number sevenyou're already making an impact
in building wealth using whatyou know, but it's just a
(23:47):
fraction of your potential.
Listen, if you are that personthat sits in your office, people
come to you all the time with aquote-unquote quick question
and that turns into this long30-minute strategy session
because you're the only one whocan untangle the mess, that's
(24:09):
something special.
Or if leadership is pulling youinto meetings to get your take
on decisions, even though it'squote-unquote technically not
your job.
Your take on decisions eventhough it's quote unquote
technically not your job.
That's not a coincidence.
This is all evidence and marketvalidation that you have
knowledge that is valuable andthat can sell.
You're already making an impactin your job.
(24:30):
You're already making an impactwith colleagues and within your
network.
You're already doing that.
The only difference is that theincome that you're generating
is only a fraction of what youcould generate.
If you're thinking about havinga business of your own or an
(24:51):
external revenue stream, thereis a way for you to earn more
from the same work that you'redoing already.
That's the beauty of all ofthis is that it doesn't take you
working harder.
It just literally takes youbeing able to market and sell
(25:12):
what you're already doing toindividuals that desperately
need it individuals thatdesperately need it.
There are consultants out therecharging $300 plus an hour,
landing strategy contracts for50k plus.
I mean doing all the thingswhile you're doing the same work
, but you're making a fixedsalary.
So I want you to think aboutthat.
(25:35):
Think about the fact thatyou're already doing what you
could be making money for, andlisten if you want to do
something different, which Ialways like to encourage clients
to do.
I believe in creating a businessthat you love, meaning that you
bring in other talents andskills that you have in order to
stand out in your space and todo things in a way that really
(25:59):
does honor your strengths andalso allows you to concentrate
and focus on those things thatyou enjoy most.
You are able to do that workwith more joy, and that more joy
leads to less stress, leads toless disease, leads to increased
wellness or greater wellness.
Disease leads to increasedwellness or greater wellness,
and all of those things areinvaluable if you try to put a
(26:26):
price tag on it.
So you're already doing thework.
You are just only capitalizingon a fraction of your potential.
Listen, I hope these truthshelp you to think about starting
or growing your consultingbusiness differently, because
these are truths, they're facts,this is the reality, and it's
(26:49):
often a reality that we don'tgive ourselves the opportunity
to consider and to think about,and so I just want to urge you
to give that more thought toconsider and to think about.
And so I just want to urge youto give that more thought as
you're leaning into the workthat you do.
Think about how that can growinto something bigger.
If you've already started yourbusiness, think about how you
(27:11):
can expand and grow that to thenext level.
There is so much that ispossible and so much opportunity
that lies ahead of you.
It just takes you looking at ita little bit differently and I
promise that once you do that,it's going to open doors that
you can't even imagine.
All right guys, I hope youenjoyed this episode.
(27:34):
Please, please, please, shareit with a friend.
If you know someone that's beenthinking about going into
consulting or someone who hasstarted their business and you
see bigger goals for them thanthey even see for themselves,
pass this episode along.
Number one it helps get theword out there.
It helps to grow the show.
But then also, I would love ifyou can leave your five-star
review on Apple Podcasts orSpotify.
(27:57):
All of your feedback is alwayswelcome and I just look forward
to seeing you out thereflourishing and growing as we
all begin to expand and growthis consulting industry into
the diverse ecosystem that ithas always been meant to be.
All right guys, talk to you soon, take care.
(28:19):
Thank you for tuning in to theBlack Girls Console 2 podcast.
If you enjoyed today's episode,be sure to leave your review on
Apple Podcasts, subscribe andshare it with a friend.
We're on a mission to increasethe success and longevity of
women in consulting, and you canhelp us do just that.
Also, I'd love to hear from you, so let's connect at Dr
(28:41):
Angelina Davis on Instagram orLinkedIn, and don't forget to
visit excel at consultingcom formore information to support
your consulting journey.
Until next time, keep breakingglass ceiling.
All right, take care.
They say, the odds are stacked against us as women,
especially women of color,trying to thrive in the
consulting world.
But rather than wait for a seatat the table that may never
come, what if we build our owntables?
What if we channeled ourtalents into guiding each other
towards the success we deserve?
Welcome to the Black GirlsConsulting Podcast.
I'm your host, dr AngelinaDavis, and I've walked the path
(00:25):
from healthcare consultant to amentor for women like you,
ambitious, unstoppable and readyto make waves in the consulting
world.
This podcast is your go-to spotfor all things entrepreneurial
consulting.
For us as women, especiallywomen of color, think of it as
your weekly coffee date with afriend who's here to dish out
real talk on building a solidbusiness, elevating your thought
(00:48):
leadership and mastering thatall important mindset.
And let's not forget, we'redoing all of this while
balancing day jobs, family lifeand running teams.
Yes, we can do it all.
So if you're ready to dive intohow you can grow a thriving
consultancy or get strategiesand insights that actually fit
your busy lifestyle, then you'rein the right place.
(01:09):
Grab your coffee, tea or, hey,even a glass of wine, I won't
judge and let's get started.
Hello, hello, hello.
Welcome to the Black GirlsConsulting Podcast.
I'm your host, dr AngelinaDavis, and today I am just doing
(01:32):
an audio podcast.
I feel like it's been a whilesince I've been able to have
more of a casual conversationwith you, because sometimes when
you turn on the camera and youare trying to film, I don't know
, I feel like it brings outalmost like a slightly
artificial side of yourself,maybe because you know this
(01:53):
camera is watching you, and itfeels different, it feels weird.
So I wanted to just take itback to how we normally would
have conversations and justrelax a little bit, just
catching you up on life.
On this end, things have beenjust flying by this year.
I cannot believe we're alreadyin the fall of 2025.
(02:15):
It's crazy to think that we areabout to enter into the fourth
quarter of the year, into thefourth quarter of the year, and
for me it's been a shift into anew part or phase of my year in
journey, especially in business,because my office buddy, my fur
baby, did pass away, and so youknow, for me it's been kind of
(02:41):
I don't know a little bit sadbeing back in the office and
probably another reason why Ididn't feel like hopping on
camera.
But I'm back at it.
I know that you know pets tendnot to be here for the totality
of our lives, but you know it'salways so hard when you lose
them, because they're such loyaland true fans and lovers of you
(03:07):
.
And not having them around, nothaving the excitement of their
pitter patter and little feetsometimes can really just change
your mood quite a bit.
But I'm doing fine, I'm doingbetter, and now I'm just focused
on really moving full steamahead into the end of this year.
(03:28):
I don't like to think about thisshift into the fourth quarter
as being something that meansbusiness just completely stops.
I think a lot of people thinkabout that because of the
holidays that are coming.
However, if you are in themidst of building your
consulting business, this is atime to truly, truly lean into
(03:48):
that building process.
If you are growing yourbusiness, remember that there
are some fiscal years that aregoing to start or have just
started, and also you want toget ready for the new year and
everything that it has to offerbeing able to get in front of
the right people, get your ideasand thoughts out there so that
(04:10):
people are more familiar withyour work, being able to network
, get referrals, market yourselfonline.
All those things still have tobe ongoing in the midst of us
celebrating, even going into theholiday season I can't believe
I'm talking about holiday seasonalready so I wanted to take
this opportunity and this timeto talk about seven troops,
(04:34):
about starting a consultingbusiness, and this is coming
from a carousel that I didonline for Instagram and
LinkedIn, but this is a carouselthat I often use because I
think it really breaks down whatI like to call a mini lesson
for women, especially women ofcolor, who are ready to build
(04:55):
wealth to live their future ontheir terms, because what I
found throughout my life is thatwhenever I ran into any type of
financial need or crisis, I wasrunning and trying to find a
job.
I have worked and taught at anight school before.
I've done all kinds of thingstrying to use my expertise in
(05:17):
order to generate more incomefor myself or for my family, and
one thing that I finallyrealized is that many times when
I was sharing my knowledge inthat way, I was doing it for a
fraction of what I could havebeen earning if I would have put
my expertise into the market onmy own accord.
(05:41):
So I don't want you to makethat mistake.
I don't want you working latehours and long shifts trying to
make money in order to buildwealth for your family.
Even if you have a great incomeand you're nine to five,
sometimes we're looking forextra work and working PRN jobs,
or trying to work and hustle onthe side.
(06:02):
You have a moneymaker in yourmind, and so that's why I want
to talk about this today,because I think we don't lean
into this enough, and especiallywith the holiday season coming
along.
This is another reason why Ithink this conversation is so
important, because you have theability to make far more than
you could ever imagine, and Idon't want you to think about
(06:25):
this as an all or none type ofsituation.
It doesn't mean that if youpursue a consulting business,
you need to go all in, leaveyour job and then rely totally
on that business for your income.
Yes, I think many of us havealways dreamt of getting to that
point.
However, it may mean that thisis something that you supplement
(06:48):
your income with.
Maybe adding 30, 40, $50,000 toyour base salary right now
could make a world of difference.
Or maybe you can get to a pointwhere you're able to double or
triple the amount that you'remaking.
I know that if you are a highincome generator, then it's
going to take quite a bit foryou to leave your nine to five,
(07:11):
especially when you're thinkingabout your salary, the benefits,
college tuition grants, allthese other types of things that
they give us in order to keepus locked into our nine to five,
and one of the reasons why theygive it to us is because your
knowledge and your expertise isso valuable.
I don't think that we thinkabout that enough.
We're always thinking abouteverything that a job can offer
(07:32):
us, but we're not realizing thatwe are giving them what they
need most, and so these seventruths are going to help to
break down all of that and getus thinking about starting
consulting and growing ourconsulting businesses in a
different way.
Have you ever thought about howmuch your expertise is worth in
(07:55):
your nine to five?
Without knowing anything aboutyour field, I can tell you that
it's likely much more than yourealize.
What I've found over time isthat many experts in their
industry undervalue theircontribution to the bottom line.
They sell themselves short andassume that their high-level
knowledge and valuableexperience are commonplace, but
(08:16):
that's not true.
In fact, most people aresitting on a gold mine, and you
are too.
Look, if you have been thinkingabout starting a consulting
business and figuring out howyou can sell what you know, then
you need my free guide.
It will walk you through theprocess of figuring out what you
(08:36):
can put into the market thatwill sell like hotcakes.
Trust me, you have tons tooffer.
It's time to uncover new waysto use what you already know to
create the life you truly desire.
Download your free guide now,all right.
So truth number one is that whatyou have already is enough when
(09:05):
I say that one of the mostcommon things that I see us as
women, especially as women ofcolor, doing is getting
additional degrees, and I thinka lot of this comes from the
fact that we have always beentaught that we need to be better
than our colleagues in order toget half as far better than our
(09:31):
colleagues in order to get halfas far, and that led to a lot
of education, a lot ofinvestment in getting degrees
and certifications and otherskill sets, and I'm guilty of
that too.
I'm sitting here with amaster's degree, a PharmD degree
, all kinds of certificationsthat I have to pay hundreds of
dollars every year to maintainall those things, just so that I
(09:56):
could stand out in the careerspace and get the job that I
wanted and grow and climb thecorporate ladder All those
things I felt like I needed.
One of the beautiful thingsabout entrepreneurship is that
there are no job requirements.
We're used to going onlinewhether it's on Indeed or some
other type of job platformlooking for a job that's posted,
(10:19):
trying to figure out whether ornot we meet the criteria to
apply.
That does not exist forentrepreneurship.
There is no universal standard.
The beautiful thing is that whenyou start your consulting
business, you determine what'sactually needed and while that
feels exciting and refreshing toeven think about, I think a lot
(10:39):
of times we don't necessarilybelieve it.
We tend to question whether ornot that's truly the case and
whether we can really get intothe rooms that we need to get
into in order to be mosteffective and to land the type
of contracts that we want toland.
Now, there are going to berequirements in different
industries, so I'm not sayingthat if you want to consult in
(11:03):
the medical space and you don'thave any type of
healthcare-related or medicalbackground that you're going
gonna easily be able to do thatyou still can.
There are ways, but there arescenarios where having the
baseline foundational knowledgeis going to work to your
advantage.
But I would say that would betrue with anything that you
wanna do.
In order to be considered anexpert, you have to have some
(11:26):
level of foundational knowledge.
But you determine where youwant to practice, who you want
to help, what you want yourbusiness to look like, and
rarely, very rarely, doesanother degree or another
certification help you do that.
All right.
Truth number two and I'm callingall of my women who have
massive student loan debt rightnow that you are paying off to
(11:49):
the front.
You've already invested time,money and energy.
You haven't even fullyleveraged what your existing
degree offers.
Have you thought about that?
Your degree wasn't designed foryou to land one position.
So the investment in youreducation whether it was through
you paying through cash orloans or scholarship that degree
(12:14):
, that education, was designedfor you to be open to
opportunity, and that includesopportunities that you build for
yourself.
You have not scratched thesurface as to what your
knowledge can do for you andthat job you work hard to get.
It was never your finaldestination.
(12:36):
Often, like I said before, weget into these jobs and into our
career and we begin to climbthe corporate ladder, and
there's nothing wrong with doingthat, as long as you're moving
ahead toward your goal and whatyou want to accomplish.
But if that's not bringing youjoy, if that's not bringing you
happiness, if that's notbringing you the revenue that
(12:58):
you need, there is absolutelynothing wrong with you expanding
beyond that.
And the great part is that youdon't have to always invest in
something new.
You've already invested time,money and energy.
You've already done that.
All I'm trying to convince youof is that now is a wonderful
(13:21):
time to capitalize on thatinvestment and get a return on
that investment.
And when we start thinking ofit in that way, it makes it a
lot easier for you to feelprepared and not feel like an
imposter when you're enteringinto this new space, because
you've already done the hardestwork.
(13:43):
So truth two you've alreadyinvested time, money and energy,
and now you just need a returnon that investment far greater
than what you've alreadyinvested time, money and energy.
And now you just need a returnon that investment far greater
than what you've already gotten.
Truth number three you're thereason their business exists.
Now we think about businessesand we think of the product that
(14:04):
they have in the market,whether that is looking at Nike
and tennis shoes and athleticclothing, if it's looking at
Apple and all of the electronicdevices that they're able to
market and sell, we see that asthe business, as the product, as
what is generating money andrevenue for them.
That's one piece of the puzzle,but most companies today
(14:29):
actually run on human capital,so the value of the business is
actually based on the experienceand the expertise of the people
.
It's the individuals that arecontributing their knowledge,
their insights, their skill setsto develop those products that
they then sell.
That truly is the most valuableaspect of that business.
(14:50):
You are an asset and we don'toften think about ourselves that
way.
We think about ourselves aslabor, as employees, as someone
who is working in the businessto help promote the product or
the service, but we're notthinking about the fact that our
knowledge, our expertise, whatwe bring to the table, is
(15:14):
actually the most valuablecomponent.
Because without that, thoseproducts that marketing, the
sell, the success of thatbusiness would not exist.
And when we understand thevalue of what we bring to the
table, then it makes it a loteasier for us to see how that
(15:36):
same knowledge, that same skillset is just as valuable to other
executives at the highestlevels, and that they do need
advice from consultants andadvisors to help them move
forward and get ahead.
And this leads directly intotruth number four you can easily
put your expertise to work foryou Whenever you transition to
(15:58):
another role.
So if you're going from one jobto another job, you're taking
your value with you.
The knowledge and the insightthat you have doesn't stay with
your previous organizationbecause you left.
So that means that you canactually take that same
expertise, that same skill setand build something entirely
(16:19):
your own, and you don't needanyone's permission to do that.
Once again, what you know, whatyou already have, is valuable.
It is an asset, and that samehuman capital that's working for
everyone else can work for youtoo.
So here's truth number fiveConsulting is no longer reserved
(16:42):
for those who have spentdecades in their field.
When we think about howconsulting looked, even just
when I started over a decade ago, typically a consultant was a
very seasoned, typically olderwhite male that had been in
(17:02):
their industry for a number ofyears.
They decided to branch out asthey got closer to retirement,
tap into their network innercircles and establish themselves
as a consultant and make moneytoward the end of their career
and kind of move on from thereinto retirement.
That typically had been thepicture toward the end of their
career and kind of move on fromthere into retirement.
That typically had been thepicture.
And, as you started to see,maybe some people enter into the
(17:24):
space that were a bit younger.
They had access to networksthat allowed them to navigate a
lot faster.
However, many of us, especiallyas women and women of color,
were blocked out of that spacebecause there were gatekeepers
there.
There was someone that couldtell you that you had not spent
enough time doing XYZ or youdidn't have the right
(17:48):
connections because you weren'tin that actual meeting or
boardroom or on that golf coursewhen that decision was made.
Those were things that kept uswatching from the sideline
instead of actively being in thegame.
But now we have a lot more onour side.
The digital economy hascompletely changed the way that
(18:10):
consulting contracts andbusiness is won.
You don't need decades ofexperience or to be the right
age to build wealth from yourexpertise.
One of the reasons why that wasso valuable before is because
you had to have a way toestablish credibility and your
career in totality.
(18:31):
The longevity of it and thethings that you had accomplished
over years and decades wasevidence that you did have a
certain level of knowledge andskill.
However, now you don't have tohave that long trajectory in
order to be able to demonstratethat you have other ways of
sharing your thoughts, yourideas in a space and gain more
(18:55):
visibility that highlights whatyou can do.
Because you have that accessnow, it makes it a lot easier to
move beyond those tight innercircles that had to crown you as
being worthy of being aconsultant.
That does not exist any longer,and I think many of us don't
appreciate that fact, especiallyif we weren't practicing in
(19:19):
those times where that was thecase.
Now it seems like everythinghas been fair game and people
can start consulting businessesat their whim and be successful.
That was not always true inthis space.
So now we have this digitaladvantage and, if we can put it
to use, we have greater marketaccess.
That honestly makes itextremely promising for any solo
(19:46):
consultant or even small firmto get out there and compete
with some of the biggest intheir industry.
So consulting is no longerreserved for those who have been
in this space for a long, longtime Now.
Truth six and this isdefinitely something I want to
highlight is that the fact thatthese things have changed is a
(20:09):
game changer for women, andespecially women of color.
What this means the greateraccess that we have to the
digital economy means that we nolonger, as women, have to be
stuck playing by rules that werenever meant to include us.
I want you to go and find yourfavorite consulting book.
(20:32):
I always like to give clientsthis exercise because I think it
really does highlight why theyneed to be in this space, why
it's so important for them topush through difficulties and to
really get their businessesgrowing and off the ground,
because we need you here.
If you pull any of these booksoff of a bookshelf and I'm
(20:54):
looking over at my bookcaseright now, every last one of
them whether you're looking atmillion dollar consulting or
flawless consulting, or thetrusted advisor, et cetera
they're all written by prettymuch the same person in many
cases, or the same type ofperson which, as I stated before
, a typically cisgendered, olderwhite male that, in essence,
(21:20):
had complete control of thisindustry for so long.
And that's just the truth.
That's just how it has been,but now the playing field has
finally shifted, and I thinkwhat makes me so excited and why
I have this podcast, why I dothe work that I do, why I work
with the women that I do, isbecause now there's real access
(21:40):
for those of us who were alwayskept on the outside of the old
boys club.
We have the ability to seizethis moment right now where we
can build wealth on our ownterms and begin to also rewrite
the rules for everyone else thatcomes behind us, also rewrite
the rules for everyone else thatcomes behind us.
(22:01):
Now we can set the stage forpeople to know that you can be
young, brilliant and highlyprofitable, selling your
expertise without having amiddleman, without having a job
or a company or organizationthat does that for you, a job or
(22:22):
a company or organization thatdoes that for you and so having
that ability to generate incomeand wealth by the use of the
things that you've already spenttime investing in is something
that just opens the door to somuch more when it comes to us
living the lives that we trulydesire.
Many of us may want to havemore of a lifestyle business
(22:43):
that helps us to enjoy ourfamilies and to travel and to
spend time with family.
Or maybe you're one of the onesthat wants to build a major
firm and to have a big exit planwhere you're able to kind of go
off into the sunset and enjoymillions upon millions of
dollars.
All of those things arepossible.
(23:03):
But all this starts with usbeing able to take advantage of
where we are right now in thisdigital economy to utilize all
of these tools that we have toour advantage to make it easier
to run a business, to marketourselves, to sell, to serve
clients.
There's so much that we haveaccess to that makes running a
(23:25):
business a lot easier.
That was very, very difficultto do in the past, so I want us
to lean into that and recognizethat this is a unique moment in
time.
And finally, truth number sevenyou're already making an impact
in building wealth using whatyou know, but it's just a
(23:47):
fraction of your potential.
Listen, if you are that personthat sits in your office, people
come to you all the time with aquote-unquote quick question
and that turns into this long30-minute strategy session
because you're the only one whocan untangle the mess, that's
(24:09):
something special.
Or if leadership is pulling youinto meetings to get your take
on decisions, even though it'squote-unquote technically not
your job.
Your take on decisions eventhough it's quote unquote
technically not your job.
That's not a coincidence.
This is all evidence and marketvalidation that you have
knowledge that is valuable andthat can sell.
You're already making an impactin your job.
(24:30):
You're already making an impactwith colleagues and within your
network.
You're already doing that.
The only difference is that theincome that you're generating
is only a fraction of what youcould generate.
If you're thinking about havinga business of your own or an
(24:51):
external revenue stream, thereis a way for you to earn more
from the same work that you'redoing already.
That's the beauty of all ofthis is that it doesn't take you
working harder.
It just literally takes youbeing able to market and sell
(25:12):
what you're already doing toindividuals that desperately
need it individuals thatdesperately need it.
There are consultants out therecharging $300 plus an hour,
landing strategy contracts for50k plus.
I mean doing all the thingswhile you're doing the same work
, but you're making a fixedsalary.
So I want you to think aboutthat.
(25:35):
Think about the fact thatyou're already doing what you
could be making money for, andlisten if you want to do
something different, which Ialways like to encourage clients
to do.
I believe in creating a businessthat you love, meaning that you
bring in other talents andskills that you have in order to
stand out in your space and todo things in a way that really
(25:59):
does honor your strengths andalso allows you to concentrate
and focus on those things thatyou enjoy most.
You are able to do that workwith more joy, and that more joy
leads to less stress, leads toless disease, leads to increased
wellness or greater wellness.
Disease leads to increasedwellness or greater wellness,
and all of those things areinvaluable if you try to put a
(26:26):
price tag on it.
So you're already doing thework.
You are just only capitalizingon a fraction of your potential.
Listen, I hope these truthshelp you to think about starting
or growing your consultingbusiness differently, because
these are truths, they're facts,this is the reality, and it's
(26:49):
often a reality that we don'tgive ourselves the opportunity
to consider and to think about,and so I just want to urge you
to give that more thought toconsider and to think about.
And so I just want to urge youto give that more thought as
you're leaning into the workthat you do.
Think about how that can growinto something bigger.
If you've already started yourbusiness, think about how you
(27:11):
can expand and grow that to thenext level.
There is so much that ispossible and so much opportunity
that lies ahead of you.
It just takes you looking at ita little bit differently and I
promise that once you do that,it's going to open doors that
you can't even imagine.
All right guys, I hope youenjoyed this episode.
(27:34):
Please, please, please, shareit with a friend.
If you know someone that's beenthinking about going into
consulting or someone who hasstarted their business and you
see bigger goals for them thanthey even see for themselves,
pass this episode along.
Number one it helps get theword out there.
It helps to grow the show.
But then also, I would love ifyou can leave your five-star
review on Apple Podcasts orSpotify.
(27:57):
All of your feedback is alwayswelcome and I just look forward
to seeing you out thereflourishing and growing as we
all begin to expand and growthis consulting industry into
the diverse ecosystem that ithas always been meant to be.
All right guys, talk to you soon, take care.
(28:19):
Thank you for tuning in to theBlack Girls Console 2 podcast.
If you enjoyed today's episode,be sure to leave your review on
Apple Podcasts, subscribe andshare it with a friend.
We're on a mission to increasethe success and longevity of
women in consulting, and you canhelp us do just that.
Also, I'd love to hear from you, so let's connect at Dr
(28:41):
Angelina Davis on Instagram orLinkedIn, and don't forget to
visit excel at consultingcom formore information to support
your consulting journey.
Until next time, keep breakingglass ceiling.
All right, take care.
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