Ready to Launch

An update and learnings from the past six months of building a business

It’s been over six months since I decided to skip rejoining the job market and start a consulting business. It feels like much longer, yet the six months have flown by. It's a strange paradox when you’re embarking on something new and challenging: the days are long, but the weeks are short.

For those new to my newsletter, let me update you on what’s been happening.

I’ve spent 10 years in tech startups, constantly riding the waves of excitement and chaos. After a decade, I needed a break. So, what did I do? I started my own consulting business. From scratch. Alone. Bootstrapped.

Yes, I know—taking a break from startups by starting another one sounds contradictory. Why do I always choose the harder road? The slight chaos, the need to learn beyond my expertise, and the slim chance of boredom get me up in the morning. I seem to thrive on challenge of solving hard problems with smart people.

But why step out of startups to start my own? Simply put, it was time to be my own boss. If I was going to endure the chaos and emotional rollercoaster of startups, I wanted it to be for my dream, not someone else’s. Building my thing, fleshing out my dream somehow has always been at the back of my mind. Knocking, knocking.

So, I launched Strive Consulting. In the past six months, I’ve focused on networking, sharing valuable content, and attracting clients. It’s been a humbling experience. I’ve learned much about myself and what it takes to start a business from scratch. None of it has been easy. While I’ve done some things well, I’ve also faced many failures.

I set a goal to have a handful of clients in six months—not enough to hit my desired income, but enough to pay the bills. I didn’t hit my sales targets. But, I excelled at networking - a skill that should not be underestimated.

Early in this journey, a connection introduced me to Kat. The introduction was removed from my direct network three times. Showing the power of networking. We hit it off immediately, and our first walk-and-talk meeting left me energised. I knew I wanted to work with her. We spent many months getting to know each other and doing bits of work together.

A few weeks ago, Kat and I launched Bear Venture Group.

Our vision is to build something different and disrupt an industry desperate for change. The world is changing; fractional executives and outsourcing chunks of important work are becoming more popular. Business leaders can now access top talent and strategy to speed up their growth. BVG will be at the forefront of that wave.

With our strategy as a service model, we are making hands-on management consulting available for companies of all sizes. And, we're not building a full tech stack in the background to support our clients. This, again, makes us different in that most consulting firms are human capital only.

Before I leave you to dive into the beautiful, clear waters in front of our villa, I want to share a few lessons from the past six months...

To continue reading my article and see what I have learned, click the link below.

Read More.

Thanks for reading.

Peace, love and growth.

Jarren Pinchuck