August 30, 2023 • 23 mins
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What if a business degree was not a prerequisite for success in consulting? Let's shatter that notion and navigate the consulting world from an entrepreneurial perspective.
It's time to set aside industry norms and explore how your unique skill set can make you the go-to consultant in any field. We're not just talking about the corporate world but about leveraging consulting to elevate your price point and revenue streams across industries.
In this episode, we'll take a deeper dive into the three primary reasons consultants are hired, guide you on identifying the unique transformations you can offer, and, more importantly, how to effectively position them. If you're building a "non-traditional" consulting business or are interested in one, you'll definitely want to tune in.
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If you want to learn more about The Consulting Code and are ready to grow your consulting business and take it to the next level, visit https://excelatconsulting.com/work-with-me/ for more information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
You know what I was reminded of this week?
That you actually may believethat in order to be successful
in consulting, you need to be inbusiness or management.
Oh, my goodness, I cannotbelieve we have not had this
conversation up until now.
So guess what?
We're going to have it todayand I'm going to tell you that
you may be undercutting yourrevenue simply by not
(00:25):
positioning yourself as theconsultant that everybody needs.
You're going to want to hearthis one.
Let's get started.
There's a misconception that wedon't exist, that somehow our
ability to excel at the highestlevel of our industry is limited
, that overcoming barriers as awoman of color would be
(00:46):
insurmountable.
But what would happen if wedecided to venture out on our
own, despite everything we're upagainst?
I'll tell you Welcome to theBlack Girls Consult 2 Podcast.
I'm your host, dr AngelinaDavis, a healthcare consultant,
consulting coach, highperformance fanatic wife and
proud girl mom.
(01:06):
I help transform femaleprofessionals into thriving solo
consultants and, just like you,I'm wearing all the hats and
doing all the things.
So this podcast is to empowerthe busy female professionals to
move past fear, to start andgrow a successful consulting
business, despite the obstaclesyou may encounter.
We'll dive deep into consultingpractice, business strategy,
(01:29):
mindset and more.
So grab your cup of coffee ortea, if that's your thing, and
let's get started.
Hello there, welcome to theBlack Girls Consult 2 Podcast.
I'm your host, dr Angelina Davis, and I am sitting in my office
(01:54):
on an early morning.
It's just me.
It's really, really quiet andpeaceful in here, which is why I
love it.
I used to have my office in ashared space and now I'm
actually in a office that'sdownstairs, so it's away from
everyone else's bedroom, and itis super quiet this time of day
(02:17):
and I love it.
I really do love it because Iget to have these conversations
with you in peace and quiet,without having to guard the door
and put up all kinds of signsabout not don't come in and let
me record in peace.
I don't have to do any of thatanymore.
It is pretty cool.
So it's just me and the littlebird outside my window that is
(02:38):
making a lot of noise early inthe morning, but I still love it
the same, because it soundslike music to me, so I really do
enjoy it.
I wanted to chat a little bittoday about what we think we
need to do, be have as degreesor certifications or knowledge
(03:01):
in order to be a consultant, andyou're probably wondering where
in the world this conversationis coming from.
It is stemming from aconversation I had recently.
I was so honored to share someinformation and training in a
group that I'm in, and that wasone of the things that I think a
(03:22):
lot of people had theimpression of.
They had the misconception thatin order to go into consulting
and be successful, you needed tobe in a business or management
space maybe informationtechnology but they really
didn't see as many opportunitiesfor creatives or those who may
(03:44):
have practices that are totallyremoved from the business world.
And I was amazed because Ireally thought that it was
common knowledge that you couldsucceed in consulting in any
industry.
But I think that there is stillthis misconception that's
largely driven by the fact thatwhen you look at consulting in a
more traditional, larger firmsuch as the McKinsey's or the
(04:07):
Baines or PWC, etc.
They do gravitate toward acertain element in terms of
background and knowledge thatthey're seeking out when they're
bringing on talent.
But that is also beginning tochange and expand, as these
organizations are reallyevolving to match the new
(04:27):
society that we're living in.
But, with all that being said,when you're going into
entrepreneurial consulting, it'sa totally different ball game
when you get back to the heartof the matter.
Consulting solely is helpingsomeone get from their point A
to their point B.
You're providing guidance andinsight that allows someone to
(04:50):
experience a transformation.
So it's that individual ortheir business actually
receiving your expertise as thatmissing piece or link that gets
them to the next level or thenext step, and that can occur in
any industry.
So I wanted us to talk aboutthis, because this right here is
(05:12):
actually what may be holdingyou back from increasing your
overall price point, generatingmore revenue and even adding
consulting services to yourexisting offers, so that you can
create a level of, I would say,foundational revenue or cash
flow in your business that is alittle bit more stable, because
it may be kind of managed bylonger contracts and longer
(05:36):
terms than you would for otherclients that you may serve.
You may want to serve aparticular audience that cannot
play a very high price point, soyou can make up the difference
during more corporate work sothat you're able to balance that
out.
Those opportunities areavailable to you.
So I want to talk a little bitabout what you have to have in
(06:01):
order to create a consultingbusiness in any industry, and
it's going to get down to justthe basic nuts and bolts, and I
hope that this conversation ishelpful, because if this
misconception is the only thingholding you back from starting
your consulting business, thenwe got to fix that right away.
(06:24):
I want to take a little breakfrom our conversation just to
say that if you have been tuningin to the Black Girls Consult 2
podcast, then I want to thankyou from the bottom of my heart.
It really is my way ofspreading the message about
women of color in consulting andwomen in general just
succeeding and thriving in thisfield.
But in order for this messageto reach more people, I really
(06:47):
do need your help.
If you have enjoyed any of theepisodes on this podcast,
including this one you'relistening to, then I want you to
leave a five star rating onSpotify or a five star rating
and review on Apple Podcasts.
By doing that, it helps thepodcast grow and reach more and
more people so that we canchange the landscape of this
(07:09):
industry, and I thank you fromthe bottom of my heart for
listening.
All right, let's get back to theepisode.
You may be wondering if you areworking in one of these
different areas, how can youpractice beyond where you're
practicing now, especially ifyou're in the business and
consumer space?
You may be thinking about howdo you move into corporate, how
(07:32):
do you land larger contracts?
How are your services useful tothose who may be in the C-suite
at a large company ororganization?
All right, so first, in orderfor us to understand this, we
have to dive a little bit deeperinto what consultants are
expected to do in most instances, and this is important because
(07:55):
I think it will open your eyesto how you can easily shift into
that space, because I know youalready have this expertise.
It's just a matter of youthinking about how you can
package it differently.
There are really three commonreasons why most people hire
consultants.
So one is that they often lackknowledge and expertise.
There is some type of gap thatexists.
(08:18):
I always like to remind peoplethat most often, everyone has
Googled already, they've alreadysought out advice from people
that they know, they've alreadyacts around, they've already
gone to maybe conferences orattended webinars and other
training and they still don'thave the answer, because what
they need is the application ofthat solution specifically to
(08:42):
their business or to theircircumstance and that takes
someone who is not onlyknowledgeable in terms of the
textbook answer but can alsospeak from a point of view that
is very knowledgeable from theirlived experience.
It is the combination of allthose things that makes
(09:05):
expertise so valuable.
It really is someone who haswalked the walk in, is able to
talk the talk, so to speak.
So that is one of the gaps thatmay exist and instead of
bringing someone on full time,where you have to also pay for
things such as onboarding andtraining and benefits, it's much
easier to hire someone who canprovide that expert advice and
(09:29):
guidance without the additionaloverhead and drag.
So that's one of the reasons.
The second is they may belooking for speed as well as
efficiency.
How can they get this projectaccomplished faster?
Because in the business world,especially then, time equals
money.
The slower things take, thelonger things take, the more
(09:51):
drawn out they are, the moreobstacles they face, the more
mistakes that are made.
That all translates into dollarbills.
Just picture all of the ching,ching, ching I'm kind of going
off in the background in theirmind.
So they want to avoid that.
They don't want to have thoseextra expenses, so they want to
increase their efficiency,effectiveness as well as their
(10:11):
speed to accomplish the end goal.
And if you're able to do thatbecause you know the process so
well like the back of your handyou can do with your eyes closed
then you're the person thatthey are going to be looking for
.
And one of the other commonscenarios is the desire to
conserve resources.
So maybe they have been doingthings in their organization or
(10:34):
in their business or in theirpersonal life one particular way
and they've been getting by,but they're tired of using all
of these roundabout, long drawnout strategies.
They want a way to conservetheir resources, if it's
energetic or financial.
They're trying to figure outhow can I accomplish the same
goal but do that withoutexpending so much energy in so
(11:00):
many of my resources?
I need to conserve that.
I need a better way, a moreeffective and a more efficient
way of accomplishing this goal.
That is another scenario.
So when you understand a levelof practice to a certain death,
where no one else has thatunderstanding or very few people
(11:22):
have that understanding, it'sgoing to be much easier for you
to pinpoint all of the gaps, theholes, the things that they're
doing that are less effective,that are not positioned well,
you can easily identify that,and that's where they need your
eyes, that's where they needyour help, and this occurs, I
want to remind you, in everyindustry.
(11:44):
I actually have a colleague ofmine who is a consultant in the
Feng Shui space.
So when you think aboutsomething as creative and unique
as Feng Shui, she has built amassive business and is super
successful working with clientsand doing consultations with
(12:06):
businesses and corporations tohelp them create a space that is
more balanced and that actuallyis more Feng Shui.
So that is something that mostpeople don't think about.
You're probably wondering whowould hire that person.
Why would they have that need?
Well, they value this aspect ofdesign and because they value
(12:29):
it so much, they want toincorporate it and include it in
their businesses, because it isgoing to generate a certain
level of productivity and energythat will allow the company to
perform better.
That's one example.
Another example I like to shareis one of a local theater group
(12:50):
that's here in my area and theyoffer speaking lessons, and
these are speaking lessons thatthey offer to corporate
executives.
They do also corporatetrainings surrounding improv.
So being able to improv is awonderful way of improving your
public speaking skills.
(13:11):
That is a skill that mostpeople in business don't have.
Right, you have to go outsideof the traditional realm in
order to gain these other skillsets, and it's the skills that
are missing that equate to youstanding out in in your industry
(13:31):
and being able to be thatcompany or that business that is
creating its own blue ocean.
That is where the value lies.
So, even if you're in one ofthese unique areas, you have the
potential to still help in avery tremendous capacity at one
(13:53):
of these organizations.
You can do that, and you canalso keep in mind consult on the
business consumer level.
So you don't have to block outconsulting because you don't
have an MBA from Harvard.
Right, I don't have that, andvery few people do.
And even if they do, thatdoesn't mean that they're the
(14:14):
best person for the job.
Depending upon what industryyou're in and what organization
is looking for help and whattype of help that they're
looking for.
Maybe they have that person asan employee that's hired and
part of their C suite, and theystill have these gaps that exist
.
That's what I want you to see.
So I want you to understandfirst what the expectation is
(14:36):
when someone is looking for aconsultant and the type of help
that they need, but then torealize that those gaps also
exist for every industry.
You will find that these gapsare present.
So now we talked about theoptions that are available to
you and some of the ideas thathopefully you're able to
generate around a possibleservice that you can offer.
(14:58):
Now I want to just focus in on acouple of tips when you're
thinking about possibly creatinga consulting offer in a unique
space or area.
One is that it's important tofocus heavily on specialization
rather than being a generalistand I say this because it is
(15:20):
much easier number one, just interms of starting a business and
getting it off the ground to bemore specialized, kind of being
the big fish in a little pondthinking about how you're
niching down.
But then also thespecialization piece is going to
be key, especially when you aremoving away from just the
general practice of business orwhatever your industry is.
(15:42):
If you're moving away from thatgeneral practice and you're
focusing in on one keyimprovement or transformation
that you can offer, that's goingto be highly beneficial in a
separate arena.
One of the reasons why I like touse the theater example is
because I think that's a veryclear one, where someone can say
(16:04):
, oh, this is an actress oractor and they are performing on
a stage.
How does this equate to acorporate consulting service?
Well, as we stated before,who's better on stage?
Is it that corporate executiveor is it the actress that has
been doing it for a decade?
I think you're going to putyour money on the actress.
(16:26):
So that is a level of talentand skill that's been developed
and honed and mastered and thatperson can provide so much
guidance to the other individualwho is just trying to learn
that skill.
That's where you can figure outhow can you fit your lived
(16:48):
experience, your practice, yourknowledge, your expertise into
these like unique areas.
And they were able to figure outwell who in a corporation has
to speak all the time.
It's going to be a corporateexecutive.
They have to talk to employees.
They have to talk to theoutside public when it comes to
public relations.
They need to constantly bebuilding their personal brand.
(17:11):
They are talking all of thetime, so they have to learn how
to communicate effectively.
So being able to specialize inthat is going to be more
desirable to the potentialclient than just being a
generalist and someone who kindof likes, talking sometimes
maybe on social media.
(17:32):
You want to be the specialistand the most knowledgeable in
that area.
The next thing is that you wantto solve the right problem, and
solving the right problem meansthat you don't have to solve all
of the problems.
That's one huge mistake that alot of people make.
They have difficulty figuringout what type of offer they can
create because they're trying tosolve too many problems.
(17:55):
Instead, focus in on what isgoing to be most important, the
biggest impact in allowing thetransformation to occur.
Going back to the example ofthe acting in public speaking,
the biggest transformation isgoing to come from being able to
more effectively communicate ona platform, on stage.
(18:17):
So if that individual is ableto master that one particular
specialized skill set, theiroverall ability to communicate
is going to improve.
So being able to solve theright problem is key in order
for that person to reach theirnext level.
And in addition to that, youwant to also make sure that you
(18:38):
are providing a must havesolution instead of something
that's nice to have.
So that same business, thatsame theater, could go into a
corporate environment and theycould promote doing acting
lessons for employees to helpthem improve their self care or
(19:00):
maybe have an outlet outside ofthe job so that they can have a
creative release that is goingto lead to, maybe, increased
productivity and satisfactionwith their jobs.
That is actually somethingthat's valid.
Many people need this creativeoutlet in order for them to work
better and to be happier, but Iwill argue that that is more of
(19:22):
a nice to have.
When the economy is well, themoney is flowing, you may be
able to get a couple of takerson that, but in most instances,
people are going to pay forthings that are must haves, and
so if I had to figure out a waywhether or not investing in my
corporate executives being ableto speak more effectively and
(19:45):
employees being able to have acreative outlet, I'm going to
lean on the corporate executivepiece every time, because, in my
mind, the creative release cancome outside of the job.
So that is the differencebetween having a must-have and a
nice to have.
It's important for you to focusyour efforts on creating that
(20:06):
must-have solution, and that'sjust a matter of positioning.
You saw just from thatconversation and that outline
right there that it all stemsback to how you are positioning
your expertise.
That drives the sale in the end.
So it's more than just havingthe skill set, but it's also
(20:27):
figuring out how do you positionthat skill set.
Doing those things is going tohelp you find an offer that can
sell in these other environmentsand, like I said, it can be a
consulting offer that you haveas part of your current package.
If you're working in some otherindustry or some of the capacity
Right now, maybe you are aservice provider listening to
(20:49):
this podcast, or you may even besomeone who's coaching right
now, listening to this podcastand thinking about consulting.
That's the way that you can getstarted and do that and then
add it in and still do whatyou're doing now.
And if you're in the consultingspace or you want to be in the
consulting space and you've beentoying around with this idea,
I'm hoping that this episode isgiving you more ideas and
(21:10):
insights into how you can dothat.
The bottom line is, consultingis not limited to just people in
business and management ormaybe even IT.
You can consult in any industry.
I have yet to find an industrywhere this doesn't work.
I have yet to find it.
So I hope this has allowed youto kind of spark a few ideas in
(21:32):
your head and get you like upand going and excited about
building your business and notbeing afraid and being
unapologetic, stepping out intoyour space, because I hope you
know that what you have learnedand all the expertise you've
gained, that's super valuableand you deserve to be paid for
that appropriately.
So that's my two cents on that.
(21:55):
As always, I love our chats.
It was so great chatting withyou today.
Don't forget, if you arelistening to this podcast and
you want to continue thisconversation, just reach out to
me on LinkedIn or Instagram.
I absolutely love when you guysdo that.
Number one, it makes me feelgood that I'm not just talking
into a microphone, that we'reactually having this
conversation, because that'swhat I wanted to be, that's what
(22:16):
I wanted to feel like and Ijust want to learn more about
you and what's going on in yourlife and your business.
So reach out, definitely, anddon't forget, share the episode
with a friend, if you don't mind, share it on social media,
share it in email, however, youcan share it.
I just want to get the word outmore and more so we can
continue to grow and the podcastcan continue to evolve.
(22:38):
But with that being said, Iguess we are going to end our
conversation for today and Iwill see you again next week.
All right, take care.
Thanks, angelina Davis, onInstagram or LinkedIn, and don't
(23:15):
forget to visitexcelatconsultingcom for more
information to support yourconsulting journey.
Until next time, take care.
You know what I was reminded of this week?
That you actually may believethat in order to be successful
in consulting, you need to be inbusiness or management.
Oh, my goodness, I cannotbelieve we have not had this
conversation up until now.
So guess what?
We're going to have it todayand I'm going to tell you that
you may be undercutting yourrevenue simply by not
(00:25):
positioning yourself as theconsultant that everybody needs.
You're going to want to hearthis one.
Let's get started.
There's a misconception that wedon't exist, that somehow our
ability to excel at the highestlevel of our industry is limited
, that overcoming barriers as awoman of color would be
(00:46):
insurmountable.
But what would happen if wedecided to venture out on our
own, despite everything we're upagainst?
I'll tell you Welcome to theBlack Girls Consult 2 Podcast.
I'm your host, dr AngelinaDavis, a healthcare consultant,
consulting coach, highperformance fanatic wife and
proud girl mom.
(01:06):
I help transform femaleprofessionals into thriving solo
consultants and, just like you,I'm wearing all the hats and
doing all the things.
So this podcast is to empowerthe busy female professionals to
move past fear, to start andgrow a successful consulting
business, despite the obstaclesyou may encounter.
We'll dive deep into consultingpractice, business strategy,
(01:29):
mindset and more.
So grab your cup of coffee ortea, if that's your thing, and
let's get started.
Hello there, welcome to theBlack Girls Consult 2 Podcast.
I'm your host, dr Angelina Davis, and I am sitting in my office
(01:54):
on an early morning.
It's just me.
It's really, really quiet andpeaceful in here, which is why I
love it.
I used to have my office in ashared space and now I'm
actually in a office that'sdownstairs, so it's away from
everyone else's bedroom, and itis super quiet this time of day
(02:17):
and I love it.
I really do love it because Iget to have these conversations
with you in peace and quiet,without having to guard the door
and put up all kinds of signsabout not don't come in and let
me record in peace.
I don't have to do any of thatanymore.
It is pretty cool.
So it's just me and the littlebird outside my window that is
(02:38):
making a lot of noise early inthe morning, but I still love it
the same, because it soundslike music to me, so I really do
enjoy it.
I wanted to chat a little bittoday about what we think we
need to do, be have as degreesor certifications or knowledge
(03:01):
in order to be a consultant, andyou're probably wondering where
in the world this conversationis coming from.
It is stemming from aconversation I had recently.
I was so honored to share someinformation and training in a
group that I'm in, and that wasone of the things that I think a
(03:22):
lot of people had theimpression of.
They had the misconception thatin order to go into consulting
and be successful, you needed tobe in a business or management
space maybe informationtechnology but they really
didn't see as many opportunitiesfor creatives or those who may
(03:44):
have practices that are totallyremoved from the business world.
And I was amazed because Ireally thought that it was
common knowledge that you couldsucceed in consulting in any
industry.
But I think that there is stillthis misconception that's
largely driven by the fact thatwhen you look at consulting in a
more traditional, larger firmsuch as the McKinsey's or the
(04:07):
Baines or PWC, etc.
They do gravitate toward acertain element in terms of
background and knowledge thatthey're seeking out when they're
bringing on talent.
But that is also beginning tochange and expand, as these
organizations are reallyevolving to match the new
(04:27):
society that we're living in.
But, with all that being said,when you're going into
entrepreneurial consulting, it'sa totally different ball game
when you get back to the heartof the matter.
Consulting solely is helpingsomeone get from their point A
to their point B.
You're providing guidance andinsight that allows someone to
(04:50):
experience a transformation.
So it's that individual ortheir business actually
receiving your expertise as thatmissing piece or link that gets
them to the next level or thenext step, and that can occur in
any industry.
So I wanted us to talk aboutthis, because this right here is
(05:12):
actually what may be holdingyou back from increasing your
overall price point, generatingmore revenue and even adding
consulting services to yourexisting offers, so that you can
create a level of, I would say,foundational revenue or cash
flow in your business that is alittle bit more stable, because
it may be kind of managed bylonger contracts and longer
(05:36):
terms than you would for otherclients that you may serve.
You may want to serve aparticular audience that cannot
play a very high price point, soyou can make up the difference
during more corporate work sothat you're able to balance that
out.
Those opportunities areavailable to you.
So I want to talk a little bitabout what you have to have in
(06:01):
order to create a consultingbusiness in any industry, and
it's going to get down to justthe basic nuts and bolts, and I
hope that this conversation ishelpful, because if this
misconception is the only thingholding you back from starting
your consulting business, thenwe got to fix that right away.
(06:24):
I want to take a little breakfrom our conversation just to
say that if you have been tuningin to the Black Girls Consult 2
podcast, then I want to thankyou from the bottom of my heart.
It really is my way ofspreading the message about
women of color in consulting andwomen in general just
succeeding and thriving in thisfield.
But in order for this messageto reach more people, I really
(06:47):
do need your help.
If you have enjoyed any of theepisodes on this podcast,
including this one you'relistening to, then I want you to
leave a five star rating onSpotify or a five star rating
and review on Apple Podcasts.
By doing that, it helps thepodcast grow and reach more and
more people so that we canchange the landscape of this
(07:09):
industry, and I thank you fromthe bottom of my heart for
listening.
All right, let's get back to theepisode.
You may be wondering if you areworking in one of these
different areas, how can youpractice beyond where you're
practicing now, especially ifyou're in the business and
consumer space?
You may be thinking about howdo you move into corporate, how
(07:32):
do you land larger contracts?
How are your services useful tothose who may be in the C-suite
at a large company ororganization?
All right, so first, in orderfor us to understand this, we
have to dive a little bit deeperinto what consultants are
expected to do in most instances, and this is important because
(07:55):
I think it will open your eyesto how you can easily shift into
that space, because I know youalready have this expertise.
It's just a matter of youthinking about how you can
package it differently.
There are really three commonreasons why most people hire
consultants.
So one is that they often lackknowledge and expertise.
There is some type of gap thatexists.
(08:18):
I always like to remind peoplethat most often, everyone has
Googled already, they've alreadysought out advice from people
that they know, they've alreadyacts around, they've already
gone to maybe conferences orattended webinars and other
training and they still don'thave the answer, because what
they need is the application ofthat solution specifically to
(08:42):
their business or to theircircumstance and that takes
someone who is not onlyknowledgeable in terms of the
textbook answer but can alsospeak from a point of view that
is very knowledgeable from theirlived experience.
It is the combination of allthose things that makes
(09:05):
expertise so valuable.
It really is someone who haswalked the walk in, is able to
talk the talk, so to speak.
So that is one of the gaps thatmay exist and instead of
bringing someone on full time,where you have to also pay for
things such as onboarding andtraining and benefits, it's much
easier to hire someone who canprovide that expert advice and
(09:29):
guidance without the additionaloverhead and drag.
So that's one of the reasons.
The second is they may belooking for speed as well as
efficiency.
How can they get this projectaccomplished faster?
Because in the business world,especially then, time equals
money.
The slower things take, thelonger things take, the more
(09:51):
drawn out they are, the moreobstacles they face, the more
mistakes that are made.
That all translates into dollarbills.
Just picture all of the ching,ching, ching I'm kind of going
off in the background in theirmind.
So they want to avoid that.
They don't want to have thoseextra expenses, so they want to
increase their efficiency,effectiveness as well as their
(10:11):
speed to accomplish the end goal.
And if you're able to do thatbecause you know the process so
well like the back of your handyou can do with your eyes closed
then you're the person thatthey are going to be looking for
.
And one of the other commonscenarios is the desire to
conserve resources.
So maybe they have been doingthings in their organization or
(10:34):
in their business or in theirpersonal life one particular way
and they've been getting by,but they're tired of using all
of these roundabout, long drawnout strategies.
They want a way to conservetheir resources, if it's
energetic or financial.
They're trying to figure outhow can I accomplish the same
goal but do that withoutexpending so much energy in so
(11:00):
many of my resources?
I need to conserve that.
I need a better way, a moreeffective and a more efficient
way of accomplishing this goal.
That is another scenario.
So when you understand a levelof practice to a certain death,
where no one else has thatunderstanding or very few people
(11:22):
have that understanding, it'sgoing to be much easier for you
to pinpoint all of the gaps, theholes, the things that they're
doing that are less effective,that are not positioned well,
you can easily identify that,and that's where they need your
eyes, that's where they needyour help, and this occurs, I
want to remind you, in everyindustry.
(11:44):
I actually have a colleague ofmine who is a consultant in the
Feng Shui space.
So when you think aboutsomething as creative and unique
as Feng Shui, she has built amassive business and is super
successful working with clientsand doing consultations with
(12:06):
businesses and corporations tohelp them create a space that is
more balanced and that actuallyis more Feng Shui.
So that is something that mostpeople don't think about.
You're probably wondering whowould hire that person.
Why would they have that need?
Well, they value this aspect ofdesign and because they value
(12:29):
it so much, they want toincorporate it and include it in
their businesses, because it isgoing to generate a certain
level of productivity and energythat will allow the company to
perform better.
That's one example.
Another example I like to shareis one of a local theater group
(12:50):
that's here in my area and theyoffer speaking lessons, and
these are speaking lessons thatthey offer to corporate
executives.
They do also corporatetrainings surrounding improv.
So being able to improv is awonderful way of improving your
public speaking skills.
(13:11):
That is a skill that mostpeople in business don't have.
Right, you have to go outsideof the traditional realm in
order to gain these other skillsets, and it's the skills that
are missing that equate to youstanding out in in your industry
(13:31):
and being able to be thatcompany or that business that is
creating its own blue ocean.
That is where the value lies.
So, even if you're in one ofthese unique areas, you have the
potential to still help in avery tremendous capacity at one
(13:53):
of these organizations.
You can do that, and you canalso keep in mind consult on the
business consumer level.
So you don't have to block outconsulting because you don't
have an MBA from Harvard.
Right, I don't have that, andvery few people do.
And even if they do, thatdoesn't mean that they're the
(14:14):
best person for the job.
Depending upon what industryyou're in and what organization
is looking for help and whattype of help that they're
looking for.
Maybe they have that person asan employee that's hired and
part of their C suite, and theystill have these gaps that exist
.
That's what I want you to see.
So I want you to understandfirst what the expectation is
(14:36):
when someone is looking for aconsultant and the type of help
that they need, but then torealize that those gaps also
exist for every industry.
You will find that these gapsare present.
So now we talked about theoptions that are available to
you and some of the ideas thathopefully you're able to
generate around a possibleservice that you can offer.
(14:58):
Now I want to just focus in on acouple of tips when you're
thinking about possibly creatinga consulting offer in a unique
space or area.
One is that it's important tofocus heavily on specialization
rather than being a generalistand I say this because it is
(15:20):
much easier number one, just interms of starting a business and
getting it off the ground to bemore specialized, kind of being
the big fish in a little pondthinking about how you're
niching down.
But then also thespecialization piece is going to
be key, especially when you aremoving away from just the
general practice of business orwhatever your industry is.
(15:42):
If you're moving away from thatgeneral practice and you're
focusing in on one keyimprovement or transformation
that you can offer, that's goingto be highly beneficial in a
separate arena.
One of the reasons why I like touse the theater example is
because I think that's a veryclear one, where someone can say
(16:04):
, oh, this is an actress oractor and they are performing on
a stage.
How does this equate to acorporate consulting service?
Well, as we stated before,who's better on stage?
Is it that corporate executiveor is it the actress that has
been doing it for a decade?
I think you're going to putyour money on the actress.
(16:26):
So that is a level of talentand skill that's been developed
and honed and mastered and thatperson can provide so much
guidance to the other individualwho is just trying to learn
that skill.
That's where you can figure outhow can you fit your lived
(16:48):
experience, your practice, yourknowledge, your expertise into
these like unique areas.
And they were able to figure outwell who in a corporation has
to speak all the time.
It's going to be a corporateexecutive.
They have to talk to employees.
They have to talk to theoutside public when it comes to
public relations.
They need to constantly bebuilding their personal brand.
(17:11):
They are talking all of thetime, so they have to learn how
to communicate effectively.
So being able to specialize inthat is going to be more
desirable to the potentialclient than just being a
generalist and someone who kindof likes, talking sometimes
maybe on social media.
(17:32):
You want to be the specialistand the most knowledgeable in
that area.
The next thing is that you wantto solve the right problem, and
solving the right problem meansthat you don't have to solve all
of the problems.
That's one huge mistake that alot of people make.
They have difficulty figuringout what type of offer they can
create because they're trying tosolve too many problems.
(17:55):
Instead, focus in on what isgoing to be most important, the
biggest impact in allowing thetransformation to occur.
Going back to the example ofthe acting in public speaking,
the biggest transformation isgoing to come from being able to
more effectively communicate ona platform, on stage.
(18:17):
So if that individual is ableto master that one particular
specialized skill set, theiroverall ability to communicate
is going to improve.
So being able to solve theright problem is key in order
for that person to reach theirnext level.
And in addition to that, youwant to also make sure that you
(18:38):
are providing a must havesolution instead of something
that's nice to have.
So that same business, thatsame theater, could go into a
corporate environment and theycould promote doing acting
lessons for employees to helpthem improve their self care or
(19:00):
maybe have an outlet outside ofthe job so that they can have a
creative release that is goingto lead to, maybe, increased
productivity and satisfactionwith their jobs.
That is actually somethingthat's valid.
Many people need this creativeoutlet in order for them to work
better and to be happier, but Iwill argue that that is more of
(19:22):
a nice to have.
When the economy is well, themoney is flowing, you may be
able to get a couple of takerson that, but in most instances,
people are going to pay forthings that are must haves, and
so if I had to figure out a waywhether or not investing in my
corporate executives being ableto speak more effectively and
(19:45):
employees being able to have acreative outlet, I'm going to
lean on the corporate executivepiece every time, because, in my
mind, the creative release cancome outside of the job.
So that is the differencebetween having a must-have and a
nice to have.
It's important for you to focusyour efforts on creating that
(20:06):
must-have solution, and that'sjust a matter of positioning.
You saw just from thatconversation and that outline
right there that it all stemsback to how you are positioning
your expertise.
That drives the sale in the end.
So it's more than just havingthe skill set, but it's also
(20:27):
figuring out how do you positionthat skill set.
Doing those things is going tohelp you find an offer that can
sell in these other environmentsand, like I said, it can be a
consulting offer that you haveas part of your current package.
If you're working in some otherindustry or some of the capacity
Right now, maybe you are aservice provider listening to
(20:49):
this podcast, or you may even besomeone who's coaching right
now, listening to this podcastand thinking about consulting.
That's the way that you can getstarted and do that and then
add it in and still do whatyou're doing now.
And if you're in the consultingspace or you want to be in the
consulting space and you've beentoying around with this idea,
I'm hoping that this episode isgiving you more ideas and
(21:10):
insights into how you can dothat.
The bottom line is, consultingis not limited to just people in
business and management ormaybe even IT.
You can consult in any industry.
I have yet to find an industrywhere this doesn't work.
I have yet to find it.
So I hope this has allowed youto kind of spark a few ideas in
(21:32):
your head and get you like upand going and excited about
building your business and notbeing afraid and being
unapologetic, stepping out intoyour space, because I hope you
know that what you have learnedand all the expertise you've
gained, that's super valuableand you deserve to be paid for
that appropriately.
So that's my two cents on that.
(21:55):
As always, I love our chats.
It was so great chatting withyou today.
Don't forget, if you arelistening to this podcast and
you want to continue thisconversation, just reach out to
me on LinkedIn or Instagram.
I absolutely love when you guysdo that.
Number one, it makes me feelgood that I'm not just talking
into a microphone, that we'reactually having this
conversation, because that'swhat I wanted to be, that's what
(22:16):
I wanted to feel like and Ijust want to learn more about
you and what's going on in yourlife and your business.
So reach out, definitely, anddon't forget, share the episode
with a friend, if you don't mind, share it on social media,
share it in email, however, youcan share it.
I just want to get the word outmore and more so we can
continue to grow and the podcastcan continue to evolve.
(22:38):
But with that being said, Iguess we are going to end our
conversation for today and Iwill see you again next week.
All right, take care.
Thanks, angelina Davis, onInstagram or LinkedIn, and don't
(23:15):
forget to visitexcelatconsultingcom for more
information to support yourconsulting journey.
Until next time, take care.
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