PICA Member Spotlights

Q&A with independent consultants who successfully “made the leap” and created the consulting career of their dreams

 

Q: Please introduce yourself and tell us about your business.

A: My name is Anne Marie Fayen and I help clients create and implement learning experiences for their audiences.  I specialize in helping solopreneurs and small businesses build effective and engaging online courses so they can better serve their clients through flexible learning options. I also partner with science organizations such as documentary production teams and nonprofits to create teaching and learning resources that engage learners in nature-based content and amplify each organization’s message.

Q: Why did you choose to focus on this particular niche?

A: I love the process of teaching and learning. I also enjoy the challenge of designing effective learning experiences outside of traditional school settings. This curiosity has given me the opportunity to design and lead learning experiences for people of all ages in museums, at an arboretum, with an executive coach, and with other consulting businesses.

I have found an alignment between my love of teaching and learning and two current trends: an increased demand for online learning, and an increased focus on understanding our environment and how we can best coexist within the ecosystems we are a part of. So, I decided to focus on these two areas.

Q: There seems to be a growing interest in “on-demand” courses. What one or two things do “content owners” underestimate or overlook?

A: Choosing a platform for your specific needs is key. With the growth of online courses, there are now a lot of course platforms to choose from. Getting clear about details such as the flow of your course, the type of content you will share, how you’d like to interact with customers, and if you’d like the course users to interact with each other can help you narrow down which platforms will work best for you.

It’s also important to think through what additional tools you will need to market, sell, and manage your course. Choosing a platform with multiple capabilities, such as course creation, email marketing, and website creation, can simplify management and cut down on expenses.   

Q: Congratulations on being independent for over two years! Why did you decide to go out on your own? and how did you “make the leap”?

A: The pandemic fueled this change for me and I’m so glad it did! In 2020 I was managing education programming at the Dallas Arboretum. The pandemic put my work on hold at the Arboretum and at the same time, my husband got a new job which meant moving to Denver.

That left me trying to figure out what was next for me. Through the transition, I worked as a management consultant for the Dallas Arboretum as they got their education programs back up and running. I was also offered a contract to write science activities to complement Deep in the Heart, a documentary about Texas wildlife. Soon after, two contacts in my network asked me to help them create online learning options for their clients.

I really enjoyed the challenge of designing learning solutions to meet the needs of different audiences and the creativity needed to build something new with the resources available. I also loved partnering with solopreneurs and small businesses who are passionate about the work they do and committed to serving their customers. I also of course enjoyed the flexibility of deciding when and where I worked.

After that first year, I realized that my services were needed by my clients and resulted in effective products for their audiences. I also saw that being independent not only gave me flexibility, it also gave my clients the opportunity to budget for my work on a project-to-project basis, giving them the flexibility they needed.

As I started my second year working independently, my friend Sylvia Atsalis (another PICA member) recommended PICA, so I joined and used the resources to formally set up my business.

Q: What’s one thing you know now that you wish you’d known then?

A: Coming from working in midsize to large organizations, I didn’t put much thought into how I was backing up my files. Previously, all those details were taken care of for me by an IT team. When I started out, I stored everything on an eternal hard drive. Things went south quickly when that hard drive stopped working! I paid a good amount of money to get most of those files recovered and now store everything on a cloud storage service. That painful memory still comes up every once in a while when I realize it would be helpful to have one of those files that was not recovered.

Q: What’s been your biggest challenge, or, what have you had to figure out and how did you do it?

A: Early on, I underestimated the amount of time and energy it takes to get started with a new client. I have learned that after getting the contract details finalized, there is a period when my new partner and I need to figure out how we want to work together. We need to establish and build our working relationship.

With my first few clients, I was sometimes unsure about when and how to check in and what things I needed to get feedback on versus when to decide myself and plow ahead. If there were multiple people involved, there were times I was unsure about whom to talk with about different topics. Now I ask questions so we can iron out these details as the project gets started. I also periodically check in to make sure the collaboration is going well on their end. At the end of projects, I set up a meeting to debrief so we can talk through what went well and any sticking points to improve for future projects.

Having these conversations directly takes a bit of extra time as we get started but takes away a lot of guesswork on my end and results in more efficient work for the rest of the project.

Q: What’s next for you and your consulting business?

A: I’m working on becoming a certified coach and I’ve already done some training. One of my clients is a career coach and I often help her clients create cover letters and resumés and prepare for interviews. As I take on more coaching clients, I’d like to support people who are going through a career transition, figuring out what’s next for them.

I started my career as a classroom teacher. For a variety of reasons, I did not stay on that path, but I do miss the role of serving as a coach/mentor/guide that comes along with teaching. I’m looking forward to connecting with more people in this way in the future. My plan is to add this service to my business, in addition to my current offerings.

Q: How can people find out more about you or your business?

A: Please visit my LinkedIn profile to learn more. Feel free to send me a connection request and/or a message – I’d love to connect!  


~ ~ ~ Additional PICA Resources ~ ~ ~

Check out PICA’s new on-demand course that Anne Marie helped to create: