Entrepreneurs, Follow Your Passions

Was it a smart decision to start my own business in 2020? Yes! I've been planning for this moment. I’ve built trusted business relationships, honed in on my unique offerings, and I have the support of my family and friends. It remains the right and smart decision for me! 

I’ve always known that, someday, I would start my own HR consulting practice. I anticipated the launch would be in 2024, after our three boys were independent. Interesting how plans get interrupted! Early in 2019, I became acutely aware that my passion and level of engagement as an internal HR executive was wavering, so I started soul searching. 

During this time, I read Nine Lies About Work by Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall. This book spoke to me, especially in the section entitled, “Lie # 8, Work-Life Balance Matters Most.” Marcus shares his perspectives on loving and loathing, and the importance of getting those two feelings into balance. He says, “Think of the activities that you love as your red threads.” He explains that one’s work is made up of many activities, many threads, but some of these threads feel as though they're made of particularly powerful material. This resonated with me and I  started to hone in on my own red threads. After I finished his book, I pulled the ripcord and launched Red Thread Consulting!

Some background: I’m often brought in as the first strategic human resources leader. This happens when the CEO decides it’s the right time to invest strategically in HR. When many companies reach 75-100 employees, they face an inflection point and experience gaps in HR and leadership. When I arrive at a new company, I spend my first days listening. I ask about how people work together and the challenges they face internally. Once complete, I share my learnings and observations with the executive team. 

One of my key activities is outlining what I call “people and culture debt.” What does this mean? When technology companies scale, they often incur technical debt. Technical debt happens when a company scales their product but, in order to deliver something quickly, they choose an easy solution rather than taking a better, longer-term approach. Eventually, that debt leads to rework and—in some cases—a complete product overhaul.

The same happens with people and culture. When companies grow quickly, management often gets distracted and takes their eyes off the HR ball. Eventually, they realize they don’t have the right leadership in place and/or leaders haven’t developed the muscles they need to lead people and build strong cultures. Because of this “debt,” companies end up with managers who aren’t prepared for their roles. Instead of focusing on scaling, they have to make human capital changes and rework the culture.  

After seeing this play out many times, I asked myself, “Wouldn’t these companies scale faster if they brought in a strategic people leader earlier in the game? Is there a way to do this cost-effectively?”

Enter Red Thread Consulting! 

When we come into an organization, we establish our relationship with the CEO and executives early in their business’ lifecycle—anywhere from year one to pre-IPO.  We offer interim and fractional strategic support on all things people and culture. We support the initial build of the function with the lens of “People First,” and therefore minimize the impact of future people and culture debt. 

Even though this year has had challenges, I feel I’ve made progress in defining my red threads and, of course, launching Red Thread Consulting. I'm re-energized and excited to do what I do best, all while making a larger impact in an area where I am passionate. If you’re at an inflection point in your career, I hope my story inspires you to think about making some changes as well.

Pro tips and key learnings:

Even in the early stages, don’t jump at every opportunity. Look for “product-market fit.” When the client relationship is right, it’s incredibly rewarding!

Set weekly goals for business development and build a thick skin, just like a salesperson. 

Share with your trusted network what you’re doing and why. They’ll help open doors.

Protect your time. It’s a limited resource that you need to manage well.

I also put aside time to write on a daily basis, developing thought leadership content.

I use my flexible schedule to give back in areas that are important to me and my surrounding community, and placing more attention on my “heart work” (supporting non-profits focused on education and providing pro bono mentorship to rising people leaders).

Character Building: Be curious, innovative, approachable, authentic, humble, and optimistic.

My Leadership Style: Be empathetic, respectful, and fair. Care deeply and challenge directly.  Give generously and, where I can, make a difference.

Books and Influencers: Nine Lies about Work, The Fearless Organization, Athena Alliance 

Operational Best Practices: Prepare yourself and family, if appropriate. Make sure you have resources to cover your ongoing expenses—personal and business. Recognize you incur setbacks.

Bottom Line: There will be growth, challenges, and WINS:-) Surround yourself with people who  lift you up, believe in you, and want to celebrate your successes.

As I close out this first blog series, I owe a deep gratitude to my dear friend, Sara Leslie. She has supported, encouraged and edited my pieces. Sara is an amazing person who knows how to bring stories to life. Thank you, Sara!

To my readers, I hope you’ve enjoyed this blog series about my career journey. I feel incredibly energized and grateful with my new venture, Red Thread Consulting. I’ll keep the conversation going because I have so much more to share and to learn!