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 Liz Vales Damron, owner and principal of Liz Vales Consulting, LLC. My purpose is to be a catalyst for organizations and people to shine. The work I focus on runs the gamut from strategic org design and transformation to developing high performing leaders and leadership teams.

Q: How long have you been independent?

A: It will be a year this coming January.

Q:  You’ve accomplished a lot in the last 11 months. Can you tell us about two things you did to really kick off your business? 

A: Well, there were actually three things. Before I left my corporate job, I worked with an executive coach. I knew I wanted to go on this independent path, so we worked together to refine my purpose, values, and the focus of my business. This included getting input from peers and leaders on my strengths and what it was like to work with me. The second thing was taking almost four months off. While I thought it was going to be this period of great creativity and activity, it ended up being more of a dormant period to rest and recharge. Then, the third thing was the PICA bootcamp, which was the catalyst to get me into action, and hold my hand through each step of getting the business off the ground and landing my first client.   

Q: You've had a successful career in corporate America, why did you decide to make the leap to self-employment?

A: It had always been in the back of my mind as a way to work across multiple companies and industries and expand my impact. I actually wanted to do it 10 years earlier but then Nike called, and it was this amazing opportunity to do meaningful work for a brand that I’d always been inspired by. In the fall of 2021, I was finally ready to make the leap and go out on my own. 

Q: How did you go about getting your first client or two?

A: My first clients came through my network. They were leaders I worked with that had gone to other companies.

Q: How did they know that you were available?

A: One of my first clients was a leader who had left a year or so before me. We had coffee not long after I hung out my shingle and that immediately led to work. The other one found out from another former colleague that I was available, and it was just a great alignment for the work.

Q: What are you liking the most so far about being a solopreneur?

A: It's either flexibility or learning. I like the flexibility in my life and ability to really spend my time in the way that aligns to who I am. Equally, I'd say learning. I love that I'm constantly learning. Some of the things I was never excited to learn about like billing and procurement - but it’s been rewarding to learn all aspects of the business as well as try different partnerships and work across different industries.

Q: What's been one of the biggest challenges you had to overcome?

A: Being able to say no to work or partnerships that just didn't feel like they were aligned with the focus of my practice or my values. The second thing I’m still trying to figure out is that sweet spot in pricing. I'm growing and learning so much, but it’s constantly a challenge.

Q: Do you feel like you're pricing your work fairly? And if so, how did you figure that out?

A: Yes, I do feel that I am now. A couple months into running my practice, one of the independent consultants I’d previously worked with proactively shared several of her contracts with me. That was extremely helpful because I’d made some mistakes where I don't think I priced myself correctly. It's hard to ask other consultants for pricing information so I was grateful for her willingness to share. I also quickly learned that fixed pricing has been much more successful for me than an hourly rate.  I still do hourly sometimes, but for the most part I've moved away from that and it's working. 

Q: What’s surprised you the most about being self-employed?

A: Having to learn through the experience. I thought that with my prior external and internal consulting experience and having been on the client side - that I had seen all aspects of consulting.  I underestimated how much I had to learn as an independent and I didn’t think I'd have as many stumbles and learnings as I did. Consulting with a big firm is totally different than being independent, and then it's totally different being on the client side. I learned great tips that helped me, but I definitely had to learn through experiencing it.

Q:  Recently, I read that 70% of Americans in the last year have thought about being self-employed (probably because of COVID) but fewer than 6% of Americans are. So, there are a lot of people out there thinking about it, but for whatever reason, they’re too scared or paralyzed by FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt). What advice would you give to somebody in that situation?

A: For someone that's in the 70% but not in the 6%, I recommend getting clear on what's motivating you to be self-employed and then getting grounded in your purpose and values. I think you've got to be really clear on that first, and then financially, you have to have a plan. Having some cushion so that you're not being driven by financial pressure is ideal.  

Q: What's next for your business heading into next year?

A: This year was all about getting my feet under me and finding the right clients where to make an impact aligned with my values. Next year, my focus will be expanding the impact and partnering with others. 

Q: If people want to learn more about you or Liz Vales Consulting, how would they do that?

A: My website or they can reach out on my LinkedIn page.


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