Finding My Door and Opening It
the adventure of starting my own consulting business
After over 14 years of employment with three different higher education institutions, I made the bold decision to start my own consulting business. My motivation came from my sincere pleasure in the work I had done along with my desire to share knowledge with multiple institutions simultaneously. It is quite interesting to have full confidence in the work while at the same time learning how to be a small business owner. Learning is something I enjoy, but when it comes with making a living on my own, stresses exist as well. Life-long learning – I think I could write a book!
I have been blessed since beginning this adventure. Blessed with wonderful clients, blessed with having contracts at the right time, and blessed with guidance and a listening ear from colleagues. Some things I have learned so far will not be a surprise to anyone. For example, I’ve learned (although I knew this would be likely) that working independently and from home can be very isolating. I miss the comradery with co-workers on a daily basis. Conversely, when I need to really concentrate on my work, I don’t have to worry that interruptions will impede my progress. I’ve also learned that I finally know what I want to do when I grow up! I wondered that most of my life. But it wasn’t until I was working in regulatory affairs in higher education that I realized what a great fit it was for me, and I stopped wondering. Some people know this from the time they are children; it took me many years to have that realization. Yet, I believe that the experiences I had along with way prepared me for the work I currently enjoy. See, I am blessed.
This is probably a more personal blog that is typically on a business website, but I thought it important to share a little of my heart. Future blogs will deal with issues around state authorization, professional licensure, accreditation, regulatory compliance, etc. – you know, the work I’m supposed to do now that I’m grown up.
You have to come to your closed doors before you get to your open doors… What if you knew you had to go through 32 closed doors before you got to your open door? Well, then you’d come to closed door number eight and you’d think, ‘Great, I got another one out of the way’… Keep moving forward. – Joel Osteen