We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Amanda “Jo” Erven. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Amanda “Jo” below.

Alright, Amanda “Jo” thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” – Charles Swindoll

This is one of my favorite quotes to share, because it paints the picture that hard situations – situations where you may have to take a risk – can turn out to be an opportunity to improve, gain knowledge, and perhaps even thrive.

This is exactly how I would describe the “risk” I took having a preventative full hysterectomy and double mastectomy after receiving my positive BRCA genetic testing results. For those of you that don’t know, a positive test result means that you have a mutation in one of the breast cancer genes, BRCA1 or BRCA2, and therefore a much higher risk of developing breast cancer or ovarian cancer compared with someone who doesn’t have the mutation.

To some, this result may have meant wallowing in the “what may be” and waiting to see if you would eventually get ovarian or breast cancer. But, to me, this meant it was time to take charge of my health. It was time to take a risk – take two years to have all the preventative surgeries needed to lower my risk of cancer – regardless of the impact in my personal or professional life.

And I will tell you – it DID have an impact on BOTH my personal and professional life! But it was an “impossible situation” that turned into a “brilliant opportunity.”

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

In early 2018, after my last of 6 surgeries was complete, I realized that my job in “corporate America” was no longer what mattered most in my life. It was a cause of stress, anxiety, and most importantly, it wasn’t allowing me to make the impact I knew I could in my profession. I didn’t have the time (or support) I needed to take care of my health, volunteer, or write the book I had been saying I was going to write for years.

So, in May of 2018, I decided to take another risk and start my own business. Audit. Consulting. Education. LLC was born out of my desire to provide better “audit” strategies to companies in different industries, provide “consulting” on special projects, processes, and controls to improve company operations, and to start “educating” students, professionals, associations, and companies on topics such as audit, ethics, and personal development.

The education part of my business is, by far, the most important to me, because it truly is my passion. I have been writing and teaching all my life, but to be able to author books that have been used in several colleges and universities and to teach countless associations and companies, I finally feel as if my passion is my career.

If you have multiple revenue streams in your business, would you mind opening up about what those streams are and how they fit together?

Yes! While I say “education” is my favorite piece of my business, I have been very strategic in making sure the audit and consulting wings of my business are also thriving. It was also always important to me to make sure I wasn’t JUST teaching… but that I was also always DOING the work. I have clients in several industries that I perform audit services for, as well as consulting on things like control design and implementation, testing, and/or review.

The most important thing a business owner needs to remember is not to put “all your eggs in one basket.” You need to diversify your business, just like you would your investments. I mean, your business is, after all, an investment too!

My business brings in revenue from consulting work with clients, from teaching in higher education, from trainings for associations and private/public companies, from keynote speaking at events, and from book sales – just to name a few.

When the pandemic started in 2020, obviously trainings and keynote speeches took a hit (at least until the shift to virtual was made), but I was lucky enough to have the income from my consulting and book sales to help me power through those first months.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think what I mentioned earlier, about still being a practitioner in my field, really helped build my reputation in my market. I am not just someone that “talks” – I make sure to “walk the talk.” I am constantly learning new techniques, how to use new systems and tools, and am attending just as many trainings as I am giving!

I also believe that being 100% authentic at all times has been a game changer in my business. Too often I see people taking on business ventures or even new tasks within their business that are NOT in their wheelhouse or that they do not have the expertise for.

For instance, I speak on topics related to audit and ethics, but when recently asked to provide a training on interviewing techniques – while I probably COULD teach on this – there are so many individuals that train specifically on this topic that were better suited for the event. I immediately provided the names of two of my favorite “colleagues” in the speaking world to that client.

Examples like this – and “paying it forward” as much as I can – is a big part of my business, and I think it has also helped me build a positive reputation in my profession.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.auditconsultingeducation.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-jo-erven-ace/

Image Credits
Elissa Woog Photography