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.

A: I’m Holly Benner and I’ve been the owner and founder of Metta Performance for just over a year. 

Q: Why did you decide to go independent?

A: I felt as though I wasn't able to make the impact that I truly wanted to make while working inside a large organization. It was a long series of events, but I felt a calling for many years and the timing was finally right for me to go out on my own. I decided that I was going to heed this calling and just try it. I had a backup plan; if it didn't work out, I would just pivot and go back to being an internal employee.

Q: You have a very unique background of experience. Professional athlete and coach, is that right?

A: Yes, I'm a former professional triathlete. I've been coaching athletes, from novice to professional for over a decade and have recently pivoted into coaching leaders for performance. 

Q: What is your specific area of expertise?

A: My niche is empowering people and developing organizations. Simply, I believe that my purpose is to help others find theirs. By developing people I’m able to help them strengthen the organizations that they work in and in turn, help those organizations meet their goals.

Q: Has your prior experience as a competitive athlete influenced how you approach being self-employed?

A: Absolutely. Being a former professional triathlete was full of challenges. You have to manage a dynamic landscape of training for three sports, plus recovery, racing, and a personal life. In an endurance race, your body can change, the environment can change, your competitors want to beat you, but  you ultimately want to get the best out of yourself on the day. In order for that to happen, it takes consistent management; attention to details. It also takes a healthy foundation - sleep, proper hydration and nutrition, and a resilient mindset. If you want to reach goals that you've never reached before, you have to have a healthy mind. Training athletes and being an athlete is about behavior change. It's about making small incremental changes day after day, week after week, year after year so that you can get from where you are to where you want to be. It’s not about snapping your fingers and getting there right away, it’s about creating a plan, working the plan, and before you know it, you’re at your goal. Then it’s time to set another one!

Q: How did you apply that directly to launching your business?

A: Like an athlete, I value a plan and I also value the opinion and expertise of people that have that lived experience. One of the reasons I reached out to PICA is because I knew that there was a body of experts that had been where I wanted to be, they had done what I wanted to do. So, why wouldn't I liaison with those people? Connecting with experts helped me build a plan for development, improvement, and goal attainment.

Q: You participated in the solo consulting bootcamp, didn’t you?

A: I did, yes. The bootcamp was a strategic, intentional decision because while I, like many adults, feel like I'm capable and I can be self-taught, I knew the 10-week group format structure would accelerate my progress. I can learn with others, I know exactly when the deadline is, I have homework, I know what's expected of me. That is how I can manage my time and manage everything else that I want to do.

Again, it was a part of my plan - knowing how I wanted to allocate my time and energy.

Q: Even though you did the bootcamp, what's been your biggest challenge in the last year?

A: The biggest challenge in the last year is recognizing my weaknesses and then choosing to not ignore them. As a business owner, I can't neglect what I'm not good at. I have to make sure I can strengthen my weaknesses. In an athletic context, I like to say, raise the floor. 

Q: Have you had any aha moments in the last year?

A: I think the biggest aha moment for me was to simply listen to my gut. I had a gut instinct that solopreneurship was something that I would truly enjoy - and I was right. If you really are measured and think critically, listen to your gut. 

Q: I always tell people when they’re starting out that FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt) can be larger than life. Now that you’ve been self-employed for a year, does FUD still pop up? 

A: Yes, of course. I would say my relationship to FUD is different though. For example, a few years ago, fear may have prevented me from becoming an entrepreneur. Now when I feel fear, I know that I'm on the brink of something amazing. Fear is now a space to sit with and explore. I don't run away anymore. I actually run to fear because I know that's where the growth opportunity is. 

Q:  In the near term, what are you working on to better solidify your business?

A: Currently, I'm focused on making sure that I am doing a great job everywhere. If it's related to a contract or not, I’m making sure that I show up, that I'm making a good impression, being authentic, that I'm communicating and connecting. Every interaction is an opportunity as a business owner. I am taking advantage of every opportunity I get. That doesn’t mean I'm pitching or selling every conversation I have, but I'm just wide open to everything. I say yes, I show up, I participate, I try to make sure that people get a chance to know who I am. That's what I'm really leaning into.

Q:  You mentioned not pitching or selling. What is your approach to business development? 

A: My approach to business development is to lean into my network and to create or participate in opportunities to connect with others: to network, to ask questions, to listen to pain points or struggles. No expectations. That has been my strategy so far and it feels very organic. 

Q:  What's next for your coaching and consulting business?

A: What's next is to continue to get in front of organizations that can benefit from my services. I really want to be able to leverage more of my expertise in a strategic manner. L&D or talent management doesn’t often get the love it deserves, especially when there's the potential of a looming recession. I really want to be able to get a seat at the table to leverage conversations around strategy and why employee development, human development, and person development is critical to an organization’s effectiveness and longevity.

Q:  If people want to connect with you what would be the best way to do that? 

A: The best way would be through my website (mettaperformance.com) or by email (holly@mettaperformance.com)


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