PICA Member Spotlights
Q&A with independent consultants who successfully “made the leap” and created the consulting career of their dreams
Q: Could you please introduce yourself and tell us the name of your business and your consulting specialty?
A: My name is Julie Binter and I am the principal consultant and founder of Clear the Way Coaching and Consulting. Clear the Way helps leaders and teams get better at the people stuff. I use a blend of assessments, coaching, facilitation, and consulting to support the development of people skills needed in the workplace like communication, collaboration, trust, and conflict.
Q: How long have you been independent?
A: Since March 1st of this year, I'm newly independent.
Q: More importantly, how long have you wanted to be independent?
A: Since 2015! I was inspired by a training consultant I hired while working in-house. She had this amazing energy and was so good at engaging our leaders - I instantly thought "I want to be like her". We started talking and I asked her all kinds of questions about being independent. It turns out she wanted to retire and sell her company and asked if I was interested. We talked for several months and she was incredibly supportive and helpful on how everything would work. I really considered it, but in the end, there were too many things that didn't work for me and what I envisioned. But, it did plant a seed.
Q: So your colleague planted the idea in 2015, when do you think you first started moonlighting?
A: That same year. I would get one-off contracts through different connections and just go with it. I never did any type of outreach or marketing. The real side hustling came late in 2021. My boss at the time had an external client who wanted leadership development so she connected me with them. Over the next year, I designed and facilitated a program for them. All of this was in addition to my real, full-time job.
Q: How many hours do you think you were working per week? Or was it definitely peaks and valleys?
A: It was definitely peaks and valleys. I was working a lot of hours at my day job so it was overwhelming and it was hard. The main reason I kept the side hustle is because I wasn't doing the work I loved every day: facilitating leader development and coaching. The side hustle kept me motivated and connected to my superpowers so I didn't lose my edge. When we started coming back to work after COVID, I decided to pursue a full-time position where I could focus solely on leadership development. And that's what I did for two years before I went solo.
Q: So then you committed to doing PICA’s Solo Consulting Bootcamp in the Fall of 2022. What was that experience like?
A: I loved the bootcamp, but it was very sobering. I could do all the basic stuff like start the company, file for the EIN, and get my bank accounts. It took effort, but it wasn't scary. The bootcamp challenged me to hone in on what I was going to be doing and I did not know how to answer that question for a long time. There were tons of consultants and coaches doing what I wanted to do. I needed to know what my extra value or special sauce was. What was it specifically that people would hire me for?
Q: How did you actually make the leap?
A: In early 2023, the client that I'd been moonlighting with asked if I could help them expand their development programs and offered a generous contract with enough work that would require me to quit my day job. After much discussion and consideration, I decided to take the leap but when I submitted my resignation, my company asked me not to go because we were in the middle of a huge project. They offered 75% time so I’d still be able to work for the client and keep my benefits. I negotiated with the client and we were able to make it work. I ended up doing that for six months until my employer asked me to decide if I was coming back full time or cutting ties. Needless to say, I took the leap.
Q: I don’t know how many bootcamps I’ve led and how many hundreds of people I’ve coached, but I’ve never met someone with as much FUD as you. How did you finally overcome your fear, uncertainty, and doubt to make the leap?
A: The six months that I was doing the 75% schedule were so busy and so hard. I remember stopping one day and asking, “What am I doing this for?” Deep down I hoped that the day job would evolve into more facilitation and coaching but as time passed, I realized it wouldn't and I needed to make it happen on my own. It also helped immensely that the client said they wanted to negotiate a contract for 2024. I was able to see how much work I would have while developing other business.
Q: Going back to earlier, you mentioned something about a financial cushion. Because you're one of the most cautious, thoughtful people in terms of minimizing your risk as much as possible, what was your financial cushion for when you finally really did leave your full-time job?
A: When I first started exploring, the goal was to have $25,000 in the bank because that would cover a few months of expenses. COVID allowed me to save much more than that so the money wasn’t an excuse anymore. Then another PICA member suggested getting a home equity loan or a personal line of credit before quitting my full-time job. I ended up doing that as well because I live in an older home that might have unexpected expenses in the next few years. Just knowing I have that extra cushion helps.
Q: Let’s go back to a year and a half ago when you finished PICA’s Solo Consulting Bootcamp. What would you tell yourself then?
A: This is a hard question with a lot of possibilities. If I'm honest, I'd probably say “Quit your day job, go work for the client, build your business and move along.” I hope that if I had left in May of 2023, by now I would be reaping the rewards of that time and energy. Yet the flip side is that if I hadn't stayed at the day job like I did, I wouldn't have gained the experience and built the relationships I did and the opportunity to contract with another client would not have come along. All I can say now is that I have no regrets and that feels great!
Q: There's over a thousand people on PICA's mailing list who have not yet taken the leap. What's the message that you would tell somebody who's still in their corporate job and still has the dream of being self-employed?
A: I know we talked about this in the Bootcamp, but knowing your why is so important. Ask yourself how much longer you want to continue doing what you're doing and how fulfilling is it. Be realistic. If there's still some fulfillment that you're getting, then stay the course. But you've thought of doing your own thing for a reason. What is that reason? I tried to ignore it, but it kept coming back. Explore it and see what happens. And if you’re seriously thinking about goind independent, the Bootcamp will help you answer that question.
The other thing I will say is that if you don't have any friends or family who are solopreneurs, get connected to others in PICA and attend some of the sessions. You'll be introduced to a network of people who are all doing different things, in different ways, for different reasons. That really opened up my world to the possibilities. The energy and positivity in the PICA community is contagious and the support is amazing.
Q: How can people find out more about you and Clear the Way Coaching?
A: They can visit my personal LinkedIn page and or visit my website at clearthewaycoach.com.
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