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Author: Breandan hEaghra

Paul Smyth – Executive Recruiter & Executive Coach (ACC) – FinTech & Financial Services

I specialise in Maximising Potential for senior talent in FinTech & Financial Services for both Corporate and Private Clients. For FinTech and Financial Services firms, I help develop and retain diverse senior talent by supporting the development of truly high performing leaders, managers and individual contributors. For private clients, it is identifying and overcoming blocks to you realising your full potential in career and life.

Q1.  Did you always want to become a consultant or did you fall into the role?

I fell into recruitment straight out of college but it suited my personality and what I love – helping people in their careers. Coaching was a natural extension of that and was something I had informally done for years but pursuing the professional qualification and subsequent ACC accreditation through the International Coaching Federation was very deliberate. I am also completing certification in Positive Intelligence and plan to actively continue to educate myself so I am as equipped as possible to support clients. 

Q2.  What makes a good consultant?

For me, as a coach, I create an environment which balances safety and challenge allowing space to explore, create and take inspired action. I offer tools and knowledge to support insight and growth. I am flexible and adaptable but balanced with accountability toward agreed goals. Complete confidentiality is a cornerstone of my work.

I believe deeply that the clients I work with are creative, resourceful and whole and are their own best expert on themselves. I support you to shine a light on your own potential and use that as a platform for growth. 

Q3.  Do you feel you manage yourself well or is it a case of ‘the cobbler’s shoes’?

I try to priorities my own wellbeing because it helps me to be more effective for clients but I am human and full of flaws. Having worked on (and continuing to work on!) these, helps me to empathise with where my clients are and puts me in a better place to support. 

Q4.  Are there enough hours in your day?

Yes – all about how you use them, how you prioritise and say NO!  

Q5.  If you could magically stop your clients from making one mistake – what would that be?

Putting up limiting beliefs about themselves and their own potential – as a counterpoint, seeing and really recognising their own achievements. I typically work with senior leaders and it is always surprising how quickly we minimise what we have already done. 

Q6.  What do you find is the best way to market yourself?

Referrals but I do use LinkedIn extensively to present content and relevant information to my audience. 

Q7.  What do you do to unwind?

Walking, cooking and socialising (now that we can a little more!) 

Q8.  What advice would you give a starting consultant?

Have patience, it takes time, you will make mistakes but you will grow through these. When you are procrastinating, check in with yourself – there is a good chance that it is because you are trying to do something outside of your comfort zone – this is where we grow so feel the fear and do it anyway. 

Q9.  What’s your guilty pleasure?

Ha! I used to love Big Brother but it’s not on anymore….  

Q10.  What’s your goal for next year?

Continue to develop myself as a coach and build on the growth in the business I have seen so far in 2021

Mindy Gibbins-Klein – Thought Leadership Speaker

Great British Businesswoman of the Year Finalist 2021. Showing Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders how to Stand Out in a Crowded Market by Writing and Publishing Thought-Leading Books and Becoming THOUGHT/FUL LEADERS

Q1.  Did you always want to become a consultant or did you fall into the role?

Haha! I guess I fell into the role. I was looking for a way to be my own boss and to have the freedom to juggle my businesses with raising a family.

Q2.  What makes a good consultant?

Listening intently to the client, sharing your best and boldest ideas with confidence and staying humble enough to pivot or adjust when things change.

Q3.  Do you feel you manage yourself well or is it a case of ‘the cobbler’s shoes’?

I think I manage myself really well. I do have several mentors and accountability programs and groups, and I have developed strong habits over the years. That’s the key.

Q4.  Are there enough hours in your day?

Oh yes.

Q5.  If you could magically stop your clients from making one mistake – what would that be?

Jumping to conclusions and narrowing down their thinking without doing the due diligence and thoughtful consideration of all possible options.

Q6.  What do you find is the best way to market yourself?

Networking – online, offline, one-to-one, small groups, at events… just meet people and have conversations!

Q7.  What do you do to unwind? Go running, play Scrabble, stare into space (some might consider this ‘meditation’? 😊 )

Q8.  What advice would you give a starting consultant?

Know your numbers, love your numbers, stay close to your numbers. This means knowing what’s coming in and what’s going out, where you are, where you are heading and how you are going to get there.

Q9.  What’s your guilty pleasure? Can I have more than one?

Chocolate, good Netflix series, films and popcorn – sometimes all of the above at the same time!

Q10.  What’s your goal for next year?

Be even more discerning with my client base, which associations and groups I belong to and generally how I spend my time.

Ali Khatami – Business & Marketing Strategy Consultant

Q1. Did you always want to become a consultant or did you fall into the role?

I started my career as a Process Engineer in the oil and gas industry having studied Chemical Engineering in university. So, no I did not always want to become a consultant. As my career progressed I started asking questions about the way business was being conducted at the company I worked for and wanted to know how decisions were made. These curiosities coincided with my wish to do an MBA as a way to boost my career, once I graduated from the MBA program I found myself getting involved in some start-ups to provide advice and assist the founders here and there. I quickly realised that I liked what I was doing and I was getting requested to help out a lot. I got involved seriously with a start-up of some close friends and I just kept going. I did try and apply to major consulting firms but failed but I decided that was not going to stop me. So yes you could say I fell into it.

Q2. What makes a good consultant?

With my limited experience in consulting, I believe good communication and systematic problem-solving skills are essential skills to have. Maybe this comes from my engineering background. However, these traits are not enough. We learn about a whole lot of strategy and marketing tools and frameworks as consultants and the important thing is to keep an open mind and be able to understand their limitations and to understand the context under which they were developed. One must not fall into a trap of blindly using these tools. A consultant must be able to look beyond these limited sets of apparatus and be able to mix and match and to be creative and brave enough to learn new things or even develop new tools. Frameworks and tools that work for large multinationals are not useful for a new business. A start-up is not a smaller version of a large company so you cannot just take concepts and frameworks and apply them hoping they will work. The world of business is dynamic and ever-evolving and so your toolbox should be evolving too.

Q3. Do you feel you manage yourself well or is it a case of ‘the cobbler’s shoes’?

I am very conscious of work-life balance, this is due to my past negative experiences both as a child and during my early career days. I try my best but ultimately time management and project management are not always so easy to do. In my first project as a consultant, I believe I went too far in the other direction, fearing that I may neglect my family I ended up asking the client for more time in the end. This is an art or a balancing act that we can improve upon as we progress in our careers.

Q4. Are there enough hours in your day?
During projects no! I always say that I wish I had a few extra hours or even some extra days whenever I come close to a milestone. That’s is partly because of my love to explore and research new ways of looking at problems or solving them. I always feel like I could do more or go deeper. The important thing is to not let your emotions dictate your work plan or schedule.

Q5. If you could magically stop your clients from making one mistake – what would that be?
Working with start-ups I would say that the one thing I would insist on is trying to get the clients not to underestimate the road that lies ahead and to have a realistic timeframe for when they will go to market. Founders are eager to get their bright ideas to customers and open their doors but what they don’t understand sometimes is that there is a process of discovery and testing and understanding. Usually, they either underestimate these things or don’t understand that this is a process they will have to go through.

Q6. What do you find is the best way to market yourself?
The best way is through word of mouth I would say and encouraging clients to recommend or propose your services to others. If you do a great job and have a great relationship with clients then this happens automatically. The other way would be to create differentiated content. Differentiated content both in terms of how you communicate the topics and also the topics that you choose to talk about but I think most importantly the medium of content development such as vlogs over blogs or podcasts. etc… is extremely important in marketing yourself.

Q7. What do you do to unwind?
To unwind I like to change my scenery and do something different, so that means going out with a bunch of friends. Not just that, I would say attending to my spiritual side is also very important to me and provides me with mental stamina.

Q8. What advice would you give a starting consultant?
I guess this would apply to anyone starting out in any profession but I would say to remain patient and not to get discouraged. It’s a very steep learning curve at the start so be open to learning as much as you can and take every opportunity to learn more and more. The other thing I would say is that if you find a specific subject matter that you really enjoy then consider setting yourself up as a consultant in a niche area because business consulting is quite vast.

Q9. What’s your guilty pleasure?
Binge-watching shows.

Q10. What’s your goal for next year?
My goal for next year is to position myself as a consultant in the energy transition space because this is a topic that really interests me and it’s an issue that I have focused on before but was never able to add value in any way. My background in the Oil and Gas industry is an asset in my view, to help me have some level of impact no matter how minuscule in the energy transition revolution.

David Odier – Founder @ Launch Mappers

Q1.  Did you always want to become a consultant or did you fall into the role?

It’s actually none of the two! I was always interested in consulting. In fact, I had applied (and got rejected) from Bain, BCG or McKinsey right after university. I’ve always enjoyed supporting founders and entrepreneurs when I could. When I left my previous role and a consulting opportunity came, I took it immediately to test myself on the market and see if I would like it.
I knew who I wanted to work with: early-stage businesses and where my previous experience was the most valuable: helping companies with their go-to-market. Very early on, I decided to specialise Launch Mappers as the consultancy to work with if you’re an early-stage company that needs a sustainable go-to-market approach. 
Two and half years later, it seems like it was the right decision!

Q2.  What makes a good consultant?

All consultants must have a given methodology or framework. However, what differentiates a good consultant from an excellent one is the ability to go outside your comfort zone, exiting what you know best if it’s in the clients’ best interest. Overall, I would say that a good consultant must act in his/her clients’ interests, be empathetic and find creative solutions. 
If you’re looking to do a couple of small projects this is more than enough to get started. If you want to professionalise your offering, coming up with your niche and associated methodology is what will help you reach the next step. 

Q3.  Do you feel you manage yourself well or is it a case of ‘the cobbler’s shoes’?

I try to be as rigorous as possible with myself. I always say I structure my day like high-school students: I block specific time slots for tasks I need to complete to make sure I can be as focused as possible on these exclusively in a given time period. 
Other than that, I have a working methodology that I apply with all my customers and that drives my weeks based on Design Sprints principles.

Q4.  Are there enough hours in your day?

Surely not! Running Launch Mappers is extremely exciting and it’s very rare that I work less than 10h per day. I would love need to find more time if that was possible. 

Q5.  If you could magically stop your clients from making one mistake – what would that be?

A lot of companies will hire you because they have a precise need to fill or an objective they want to reach. However, some will approach you by telling you how they think it must be approached. I’m tempted to say that if they knew what needed to be done, they might as well do it themselves.
If you’re a company hiring a consultant, make sure to listen to his/her ideas once they fully understand your business. You will be surprised by how valuable an external pair of eyes can be. Especially an expert that works on a given field you’re trying to improve

Q6.  What do you find is the best way to market yourself?

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel: develop your personal brand and your company’s brand if you have one. The best way to do that is to create content and to do so consistently (should it be a blog or linkedin posts) 
Consistency always pays off. 
If as a consultant, you have a unique point of view on a given topic: don’t be shy! Go and pitch some journalists with your idea. 

Finally, try to attend events or even better: be a speaker.

Q7.  What do you do to unwind?

Music and travel can heal any soul!

Q8.  What advice would you give a starting consultant?

Many of you will face an “imposter syndrome” when starting out. I know I had it. 
However, if you are confident that you can deliver value just go ahead and do it. 
It’s also important to bear in mind that you cannot control every outcome: you did not design the product, you did not create the associated business model. Failure can happen and it’s not necessarily on you. 
Finally, try to find a niche as soon as possible. If “any company” could be your customer, chances are no companies will hire your services. Once again, understand where you can drive the most value because of your previous experience, your passion, your education etc… 

Q9.  What’s your guilty pleasure?

I’ve got too many to share them here! 

Q10.  What’s your goal for next year?

Grow Launch Mappers at a point that in 2023 we can start rolling out our own products by investing some of the accumulated profits we’re making since our inception.

Elliott Berry – Business Owner at MARSURV Marine Surveyors & Consultants

Upon completion of a four year apprenticeship I was employed full time as a Marine Surveyor and Naval Architect for another four years carrying out structural and mechanical surveys, valuations,  design work and stability calculations as well as inclining experiments until my mentor retired in 2005 at which time I set up my own company and continue to conduct structural and mechanical surveys, valuations, stability calculations and inclining experiments as well as design work for both private and corporate clients.

Q1.  Did you always want to become a consultant or did you fall into the role?

I studied civil, mechanical and electrical engineering at college but then didn’t really want to take that on as a career, as it happened I secured an apprenticeship as a Naval Architect and marine surveyor and have never looked back, nearly 25 years later I still look forward to work everyday.

Q2.  What makes a good consultant?

Knowing your subject and your customer’s needs as well as being flexible in your approach but also to have the confidence to say what you think and feel.

Q3.  Do you feel you manage yourself well or is it a case of ‘the cobbler’s shoes’?

A little of both if I’m honest, generally I manage my time well but sometimes situations change and organisation isn’t really practical.

Q4.  Are there enough hours in your day?

No, especially with the digital age, work never really stops unless you force it to.

Q5.  If you could magically stop your clients from making one mistake – what would that be?

Expecting miracles to be performed on ridiculous budgets and failing to listen to advice.

Q6.  What do you find is the best way to market yourself?

Most of my work is through word of mouth but I find social media beneficial in obtaining clients.

Q7.  What do you do to unwind?

I enjoy reading and spending time in the country

Q8.  What advice would you give a starting consultant?

Know your market and know your subject, reputation is everything.

Q9.  What’s your guilty pleasure?

Singing in the car, I do it all the time.

Q10.  What’s your goal for next year?

My aim for next year is to get a couple of new businesses off the ground and to delegate some of my workload.

Vicki McGowan – Business Owner at REVA

Business Consultant | Marketing Expert |Trainer | Mentor | Helping individuals & micro businesses to plan & implement workable systems to grow & thrive in business.

Vicki McGowan, with a career expanding close to 30years’ has worked within a range of professional sectors including tourism & hospitality, media, healthcare, construction, retail and finance as well as semi-state organisations. She has supported multiple start-ups through a hands-on approach in areas relation to administration, market research, brand design, marketing, sales and system implementations. In 2015 Vicki began to work with clients remotely through the use of technology and has directly supported clients through direct engagement in their business as well as providing a consultancy and mentoring service to clients in Ireland, Europe and the USA. In recent months she has registered as a Mentor with the world #1 Entrepreneur Education Platform GeniusU working towards becoming a registered certified Flow Consultant for Wealth & Talent Dynamics to help empower clients increase their performance, flow and sense of purpose in their business and personal lives.

Q1.  Did you always want to become a consultant or did you fall into the role?

Honestly no, the role has progressed as a result of the experience I have gained over the years. My earlier career started in the corporate world, and over time by taking every opportunity provided to learn as much as I could at that level, I was able to take that knowledge, skills and experience and dilute it to a level that helped establish early-stage start-ups. I love the challenge of having to learn new skills, create new systems and continuous learning. Having directly worked for 12+ start ups in a diverse range of businesses each providing another opportunity to expand on my knowledge and skills I have the ability to visual and understand what is preventing a new business from moving to
the next level.

Q2.  What makes a good consultant?

For me, a good consultant is one that listens first with the intention to clearly understand where a business or individual currently finds themselves. In that listening the consultant should have the ability to visualise and interpret the current problems, analyse the situation, offer advice based on their expertise and own experience that will quickly help to prevent a problem accelerating. From there they should provide constructive feedback on how to make improvements through the implementation of systems and use of technology and software with the aim to improve overall efficiency of a business.

Q3.  Do you feel you manage yourself well or is it a case of ‘the cobbler’s shoes’?

I have always been an organised individual with impeccable time management. I value time because it is the one commodity that once it’s gone, it’s gone and it can never be recovered. I rarely find myself working late into the evenings and if I am, its not actual work but time I’ve allocated to learning and that to me is never regarded as work.

Q4.  Are there enough hours in your day?

Yes, and that’s because I now have a structure to my day that I follow through on. I understand when I am productive and when I need some down time and because of that I plan my week to incorporate that to ensure that I don’t burn myself out. It’s important to have a balance to your day, without a healthy mind and body you cannot function effectively and something or someone will eventually suffer as a result.

Q5.  If you could magically stop your clients from making one mistake – what would that be?

Thinking they have to do it all themselves! It’s a lot of responsibility to carry and if I’ve learned anything over the years its that you can’t know everything and that’s OK. Focus on your strengths especially those you enjoy and look to outsource elements of the business that you keep putting off doing yourself. After all there are potentially 12 hats needed to run a business, you can’t possibly like all those hats and you certainly don’t want to be wearing them all at the same time. Find those people that love those hats and let them support you in building your business, we all need a team that will encourage and support us on our journeys.

Q6.  What do you find is the best way to market yourself?

Personally, recommendations have worked for me best. If you are authentic in your dealings with clients and show up to be of support and they benefit from that support that’s true marketing. Show up where you can in person and finally don’t feel you have to be on every social media platform, concentrate on those where you know your potential client can be found and give value where you can.

Q7.  What do you do to unwind?

To unwind, I love to get out in nature. I’m very fortunate to live near the sea and have some beautiful loop walks within a 30 mins drive from me. I enjoy walking while listening to calming music or podcasts or just sitting on the rocks and listening to the waves hit against the shoreline. There’s nothing more peaceful than feeling you are part of that energy.

Q8.  What advice would you give a starting consultant?

Firstly, clarify your Why! Be very clear on why you want to start a business. Be honest with yourself, and write down how it will impact your life, your relationships, your lifestyle and financial stability. If you are still keen to start, talk to those that have been through it and learn from them, you’ll be surprised how much advise you can obtain that way. Finally, preparation is the key to success so plan, test and then implement and when you’re ready find your team that will do the jobs you keep putting off.

Q9.  What’s your guilty pleasure?

A glass of wine and some nibbles on a Friday night – my way of closing off the working week.

Q10.  What’s your goal for next year?

To support individuals set up virtual services through my online training program & group or 1:1 mentoring support where in turn I can connect with individual and micro business owners who are ready and willing to engage their help to grow their business further.

Howard Greenwood – Co-Founder and Director at Jump Advisory Group

Recruitment Advisor and Business Coach. Leadership development and mentoring

I help business owner grow and scale, we focus although we are not limited to the Recruitment market. I have clients spread across the globe and our mission is “To create a world of outstanding leaders who shape the future of modern recruitment.”

Q1. Did you always want to become a consultant or did you fall into the role?

Not sure I had “consultant” on my radar when I first moved into recruitment. However, once I moved into managing people, my natural style was to coach rather than manage. I found that the buzz of being the catalyst that ignites others, helping them achieve beyond their expectations, became a true calling for me.  

Q2. What makes a good consultant?

What a great question, and I am sure you will get numerous different answers. To me, it is not one thing but several combined. Listening, to me, is vital, and it is not listening to ask a question; it is truly listening to understand. Often I have found that the mentee knows 90% of the answer they are looking for but needs help going beyond. Encouraging them to open you is very important, so listening to understand is an art. I often say I don’t know all the answers, and I don’t; who does? Knowing the right questions to ask to get better answers comes from listening. To ask better questions, you need to listen to what is being said, and equally important, what is not. You need to see the mentee’s situation from many sides and make the mentee feel safe that you are there for them to help them move forward. Coaching, mentoring is all about consulting with the mentee using their knowledge and then providing your expertise and experience to get the mentee to come to the correct conclusions while building their confidence and skill base. 

Q3. Do you feel you manage yourself well or is it a case of ‘the cobbler’s shoes’?

I love that expression “the cobbler’s shoes”, if you had asked me before lockdown, I would have said, yes, I manage my time well. However, lockdown taught me several lessons, with the most important one, take plenty of breaks. In today’s world, you can often get swept away with work, and before you know it, the day is gone, and your participation in your own life has suffered.  Having defined boundaries between home life and work is essential. During the lockdown, there were times when I was not sure if I was working from home or living at work. My days are now compartmentalised, which means I can apply 100% of my focus to the task allocated to each part of my day to ensure I give myself the most significant chance of success while maintaining an outstanding work-life balance. 

Q4. Are there enough hours in your day?

I hear this constantly, and the answer is yes. What causes the issues is not prioritising your day, so if you say yes to something, what will you say no to! I do not write long to-do lists. I write myself a success list, which is short and sweet and focuses on what is the most significant successes I will achieve each day. That might be with a client, it might be about me, so I focus on important and urgent things. You will find if it is important to you and urgent, irrespective if it is work or home, you will find time to do it by saying no to the things that are not important or not urgent, making 24 hours plenty enough in each day. 

Q5. If you could magically stop your clients from making one mistake – what would that be?

Saying, “we have always done it that way”. The world moves on at an incredible pace, technology is moving even faster, so if you can get technology to do the mundane parts of the process, it will create more time for people to do forward-facing tasks.  You have to move with the times; otherwise, you are not even standing still, which means you are going backwards in business. Suppose you remove the mundane, allowing people to focus on the more exciting parts of their role. In that case, you will create a more productive workforce, a happier place to be, increase retention and create opportunity.

Q6. What do you find is the best way to market yourself?

Word of mouth. The world is changing, and people want more from you, so we present free webinars weekly to all our clientele to grow and scale their business. We have found that this has created a faithful following. You don’t have to grow a huge following, just the correct number of people to maintain constant growth. But, of course, not everyone will like you or your services so market to those that do.

Q7. What do you do to unwind?

Some years ago, my good lady and I bought a campervan. We love the freedom it has given us to escape our busy lives. One minute I could be with a client, the next I could be travelling to the Yorkshire Dales, the Lakes or the coast. The UK has some unbelievable scenery and places to visit, some great walks, and some great pubs.

Q8. What advice would you give a starting consultant?

Hang on to your hat. It will be a wild ride. Plan for busy periods and barren ones.  Have a sense of purpose, your “why” will be necessary, I use mine daily, every day, my “why” is challenged, and every day my “why” revs me up to succeed. My “why” is to help people succeed beyond their dreams. I love that look on their face when they do succeed. That is what motivates me, but trust me, it will be a challenge every single day.

Q9. What’s your guilty pleasure?

I am not sure I have a guilty pleasure, I think, without doubt, sat in the open air not connected to the outside world, putting the world to rights with my good lady, with the odd interruption from the dog while putting another log as the stars come out is as good as it gets.

Q10. What’s your goal for next year?

To grow, both personally and professionally. Yes, as a business, we set targets to achieve the milestone on our infinite journey. We all have business and personal goals at Jump Advisory; this year, it is to prove our concept to move into phase 3 of building our business. On a personal front, it is about staying connected to my why, being authentic, and ensuring I have a proper work-life balance that benefits both work and home.

Raquel Noboa – Founder and CEO Fifty Shades Greener

I am the founder and CEO of Fifty Shades Greener, educating people on how to change their own behaviour around the use of energy & water and production of waste, so they can measure, manage, and reduce their use of utilities to achieve a lower carbon footprint lifestyle or workplace environment. We give people the knowledge and skills to manage their own carbon emissions in order to create a society that is more aware of their own environmental impact.
Fifty Shades Greener’s aims to ensure that education contributes to sustainable development by equipping learners with the relevant knowledge (the ‘what’), the key dispositions and skills (the ‘how’) and the values (the ‘why’) that will motivate and empower them throughout their lives to become informed active citizens who take action for a more sustainable future. Our suite of developed programmes responds to education and skills gaps in primary, post primary,
professional development, and Hospitality further education.

Q1.  Did you always want to become a consultant or did you fall into the role?

I fell into the role. I have worked in Hospitality all my live, I went to college 20 years ago by nobody told me what environmental sustainability meant within the Hospitality sector. When I learned about it back in the 2012/2013, I had a light bulb moment when I thought “Why isn’t everyone doing this?” and from that point on I decided I needed to show as many people as possible what I had learned to reduce carbon emissions and costs in the industry.

Q2.  What makes a good consultant?

A good consultant will guide you to find the solutions that work for you, without judgement.

Q3.  Do you feel you manage yourself well or is it a case of ‘the cobbler’s shoes’?

I have had my moments over the past few years. I advocate for social sustainability, the care of our people. My team work a 4 day week on a 5 day week salary. I offer them total flexibility with their hours so they can fit work around their life’s schedules, but I have not always been able to operate that way myself. I strive to do so, but there are times when the demand of running an international company caught up with me and I end up working too much. They hey for me is to identify those times and be aware I am doing the wrong thing, so I can find a way to fix it before it gets out of
hand.

Q4.  Are there enough hours in your day?

I do not know any business owner that would say yes to that question! There could always be more, life is short and is we had longer days we would have more time to enjoy it.

Q5.  If you could magically stop your clients from making one mistake – what would that be?

To put sustainability in the long finger, everyone knows there is something they need to do about it, but many still feel they don’t have time to do it.

Q6.  What do you find is the best way to market yourself?

Always speaking from personal experience. I have built my company around the things I experience myself, how feel and what I think about individual issues. While not everyone will agree with me on everything, if you speak from a place of honesty people will understand you.

Q7.  What do you do to unwind?

Pilates, during the week, sailing or canoeing at weekend and spend as much time as possible with my husband and animals.

Q8.  What advice would you give a starting consultant?

Don’t give up and be kind to yourself. I spent many years giving myself a hard time, impostor syndrome has followed me most of my adult years, and I now know it is the same for many people, particularly women. If I was to start all over again, I wouldn’t change anything I have done, but I would change how I felt along the way.

Q9.  What’s your guilty pleasure?

Rubbish television programmes! My husband hates them, I find them highly entertaining.

Q10.  What’s your goal for next year?

Continue the fight to ensure environmental education is free and accessible to all age groups so we can build a carbon conscious society in the future.

Gareth Spencer – Procurement Consultant/Director/Business Owner at Provictis Limited

Q1.  Did you always want to become a consultant or did you fall into the role?

It’s a series of life changing events that eventually brought me to where I am today.  Starting out in my first role, back in 1983, as a teenager I became very confused by the business owners and skilled professionals that were mentoring me.  They had conflicting views about value and cost.  Since then the universe has taken me through many twists and turns, as I looked to understand as much as possible about the ‘real’ meaning of value, in business communities and our own personal life.  

Q2.  What makes a good consultant?

Awareness of the real issues, in both space and time, and having the means that provides the solutions to these.  Doing this in a way that enables the solution to transfer into real time practical application and support.  Giving real results ahead of providing a road map that they may or may not be able to read and use.

Q3.  Do you feel you manage yourself well or is it a case of ‘the cobbler’s shoes’?

I’m always looking to grow, in all areas of life.  As individuals we are capable of so much yet we have declining awareness of our own capabilities in these rapidly changing times. 

Q4.  Are there enough hours in your day?

Yes.  Time is invented and we all share the same space and time whilst we are here.  I set clear purpose, that enables me to use my time where it’s of most importance to me.  You should always keep in touch with your values and your purpose.  And these should never be divorced from value,  or from and what’s important to you. 

Q5.  If you could magically stop your clients from making one mistake – what would that be?

To stop monetising in the wrong way

Q6.  What do you find is the best way to market yourself?

It’s a mixed economy.  Social media.  Presenting.  Clients etc.

Q7.  What do you do to unwind?

Travel, Gym, Sorts, Body Boarding/Surfing, Art, Theatre/Cinema

Q8.  What advice would you give a starting consultant?

Build an understand of what is actually involved and then 100x that to see what it takes to succeed.  With that find the right support structure for you to personally invest in and stick with that.   

Q9.  What’s your guilty pleasure?

Crisps, Chocolate, full fat coca cola and a good movie all at the same time

Q10.  What’s your goal for next year?

I’ve started that journey, by looking to further grow my skills for delivering my message.  So that I can become even more visible, and help change the way we are able to enjoy and regard value.  Helping us to better Valuetise as Procureist for more powerful change.

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Erica Hargaden – Certified Child Sleep Consultant with Babogue

Q1.  Did you always want to become a consultant or did you fall into the role?

No! It wasn’t something that was part of my career plan at all! When I graduated from University I joined the family business and then progressed into a role in Hospitality & Event Management. It was my experience as a parent that brought me to Child Sleep Consultancy and a light bulb moment that changed my life and career path.

Q2.  What makes a good consultant?

Compassion, understanding and empathy. I feel you have to have walked in the shoes of the person that you are coaching. An understanding of what they are living and what way is best to lead them is crucial. Remembering that one size does not fit all in any situation. Understanding the personality of the individual or individuals involved is important.  

Q3.  Do you feel you manage yourself well or is it a case of ‘the cobbler’s shoes’?

Some months are better than others! When I am organised and following a plan I am very much practising what i preach. But, if i don’t do that it is a case of flying by the seat of my pants and invariably things start to slide. A plan of action works really well for me when it comes to work and personal life. When I am following a plan then I thrive, so do my clients and my family. 

Q4.  Are there enough hours in your day?

No. Never enough hours. But, i’ve accepted that so that I don’t burn the candle at every end. I am no good to my clients if i am burnt out and tired. So, i put boundaries around my work schedule so that i avoid that as much as possible.  

Q5.  If you could magically stop your clients from making one mistake – what would that be?

Believing that change is not possible. It is possible.

Q6.  What do you find is the best way to market yourself?

Instagram has been by far the best channel I have used from a marketing perspective.  

Q7.  What do you do to unwind?

I run! I took up running in my early 20s and 20 years on it is still my go to for exercise and stress management.

Q8.  What advice would you give a starting consultant?

Put boundaries around your work time. If you are working all the time you will reach burn out and unable to support your clients in the way that you would like. 

Q9.  What’s your guilty pleasure?

Dark mint chocolate! Yum…. 

Q10.  What’s your goal for next year?

Growing globally is the key focus for Babogue. At the moment we are trading in 30 countries. Increasing this and our client base to become a recognised global brand is what we strive for each day.

Rory Stewart-Richardson – Founder & CEO at Connexi Partnerships

Q1.  Did you always want to become a consultant or did you fall into the role? 

Consultancy actually came out of our core offering at Connexi, which is a data driven solution allowing Brands and Rights Holders. Our consultancy arm, allows us to get even closer and gain more of an understanding of our clients needs. We combine the understanding of our clients needs, the breadth of the industry that our platform has site of as well as our data driven approach to ensure those needs are met. 

Q2.  What makes a good consultant?

​The key thing for me is transparency, gaining a decent understanding of the clients needs but most importantly providing a commercially relevant solution to answer their business challenges. 

Q3.  Do you feel you manage yourself well or is it a case of ‘the cobbler’s shoes’?

We have over 400 clients on the platform, but we do our best to ensure we are in regular comms with all of them.​

Q4.  Are there enough hours in your day?

​Haha there are never enough hours in the day, but planning your time, taking regular breaks to ensure you stay focused and on top of our clients needs. 

Q5.  If you could magically stop your clients from making one mistake – what would that be?

Looking at things emotionally. Data used to be a dark word, due to the unreliability of it, but with the improved tech and also reliability of data there has never been as important time to analyse your target audience and their behavior to ensure you deliver an ROI, which is exactly what we do at Connexi. 

​Q6.  What do you find is the best way to market yourself? 

​We do a huge amount of marketing wither through PR or digital marketing. 

Q7.  What do you do to unwind? 

​Play sport or chill with my new puppy – Boris. 

Q8.  What advice would you give a starting consultant?

​Believe in yourself, be transparent and reliable, don’t be scared to ask questions, build strong relationships, attenion to detail, create a reputable brand as a “go to” for whatever you are offering.

Q9.  What’s your guilty pleasure?

​Love Island

Q10.  What’s your goal for next year?

​We are looking to grow quickly having recently completed an investment round, and we are looking to focus on breaking into the UK and Asian markets. 

Alan Hunte – Director of Innovation and Sustainability – Creating A Sustainable Future – Blockchain

Our goal is to help the UK construction sector embrace Technology and Sustainability.

Thoth London are committed to introducing Innovation, Renewable Energy, Clean-Technologies, Cyber security and utilising a green blockchain to support the UK construction industry and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in tackling climate change and provide a more sustainable future.

Q1.  Did you always want to become a consultant or did you fall into the role?

No not at all, I wanted to be an Engineer.

I was lucky enough to get an apprenticeship with a local manufacturer as an apprentice Mechanical Electrical Design Engineer. Over the 8 years I had to learn every stage of production from RnD to Accounts it was a real eye opener to the real world of business.

Q2.  What makes a good consultant?

Having an understanding of processes twined with a great personality, people buy off people so your clients will need to feel comfortable working side by side with you.

Q3.  Do you feel you manage yourself well or is it a case of ‘the cobbler’s shoes’?

I love what I do and my time is managed closely. This is due to my amazing Executive Assistants they like to keep me on my toes.

Q4.  Are there enough hours in your day?

There are never enough hours of the day, I am often working at midnight. Not because I have to but because I get so engrossed in what I’m doing at the time.

Q5.  If you could magically stop your clients from making one mistake – what would that be?

Procrastinating!

Q6.  What do you find is the best way to market yourself?

Just to be yourself, all my business is based on trust and upmost good faith.

Q7.  What do you do to unwind?

I escape through painting, my art helps me focus. 

Q8.  What advice would you give a starting consultant?

Make sure you have an engaging digital twin, show your personality and networking with the right people is key to be an successful consultant.

Q9.  What’s your guilty pleasure?

Billions and hedge fund kingpin Bobby ‘Axe’ Axelrod lol

Q10.  What’s your goal for next year?

To build my sustainable head office.

Colly Graham FISM FSII – salesxcellence

Helping CEOs, Sales Directors and Sales Leaders upscale their sales team, helping businesses generate more sales

Q1.  Did you always want to become a consultant or did you fall into the role?

When I became a sales manager I realised how much I enjoyed training and coaching my sales team and decided that one day I would start my own consultancy

Q2.  What makes a good consultant?

Empathy and the ability to build good rapport

Q3.  Do you feel you manage yourself well or is it a case of ‘the cobbler’s shoes’?

I have a pretty good life, although would have the imposter syndrome now and then

Q4.  Are there enough hours in your day?

no, never enough hours

Q5.  If you could magically stop your clients from making one mistake – what would that be?

Taking themselves too seriously

Q6.  What do you find is the best way to market yourself?

Word of mouth

Q7.  What do you do to unwind?

Watercolor painting, read, meditate

Q8.  What advice would you give a starting consultant?

If you’re in it for the money forget it

Q9.  What’s your guilty pleasure?

Good food

Q10.  What’s your goal for next year?
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