A year ago, I made a significant leap—leaving my comfortable position as a charity CEO to embark on a solo consultancy journey. 🌍 For anyone contemplating a change—whether that’s going for a promotion, switching firms, or starting your own (ad)venture—I hope my experience can provide some encouragement.
Here are some reflections from my first year on my own:
✨ Change is Invigorating: Embracing the unfamiliar has been an energising experience. The initial discomfort of doing something new has been followed by incredible learning and growth.
🤝 Surrogate Work Colleagues are Key: Even if you thrive in solitude like me, having a network of like-minded professionals is invaluable. Working as an associate on projects with the brilliant teams at Atkinson HR Consulting and Counterculture LLP has balanced out my less sociable solopreneur work.
💡 Finding Accountability: The Key to Progress! Most-times, I need a stick rather than a carrot! Maintaining membership of my action learning set has provided support, insight and accountability throughout the year. (if you are not already a member of an action learning set, then you are missing out)
🌱 You can choose to work with GOAT’s*: Imagine being able to pick your own boss. I'm grateful to have worked with fantastic clients this year, and the freedom to select who I collaborate with has made the work even more enjoyable.
💪 Operate from Your Strengths: Bidding for projects that align with my skills means I genuinely enjoy all the work I get. Choosing not to bid for stuff that doesn’t quite align may seem daft from a financial perspective, but it means people can be sure I want to work with them, and I can be confident I can add real value.
🚀 The Balance of Planning and Action! 🚀For me, planning my transition for a year gave me the confidence to resign, and having time to build a financial buffer made the leap less daunting. If I had known just how enjoyable this experience would be, I might have made the move sooner!
🤔 Awareness of Shortcomings: My challenges with self-promotion and social media have been eye-opening! It’s just not my thing. But I promise I will try harder to hassle you more this year.
As I sketch out my first year, I feel gratefully on track: A good balance of Students’ Union, Not-For-Profit and For-Profit clients; two thirds of my work delivered digitally; the variety I was craving; and a ton of learning and personal growth.
If you are contemplating your own change this year, be confident that stepping out of your comfort zone will almost definitely unlock a world of positive possibilities. Here’s to the journey ahead!🚀
#CareerTransition #GrowthMindset #Networking #ActionLearning *Greatest Of All Time
