We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Amber Austin-Briggs. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Amber below.

Amber, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

I began AC Briggs Consulting as a passion project. Folks continuously asked me to do their resumes, guide them through their cover letters, and facilitate mock interviews. These consultations turned into coaching sessions, then becoming an organization for professional development. I realized not many people looked like me in my line of work, and that a lot of my clients – mainly Black professionals – didn’t have adequate professional development opportunities or access. The mission evolved into: To increase the number of Black professionals in upper management and executive leadership positions through special programming, coaching, and strategic consulting .

Then I began to think, “How could I use my skill set to get more mid-level Black professionals into C-Suites?” I began to imagine what that kind of representation would look like — for our young people, for marketing + media, and for the culture. I know I excel at designing strategy and executing plans. I know that I love organizing and hosting events. From there, I just piloted services. I tracked specific data metrics: I saw what worked, what didn’t and adjusted. I studied every website, article, reel, etc., that I could get my hands on to learn about the market. Carefully, I built a business around my skills and the changes I wanted to see.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Amber C. Austin-Briggs. I began in this industry by wanting to see more people who look like me in leadership positions.

A few notes about me:
I am the youngest and the only girl among my siblings
I was born and raised in Los Angeles, and I am now living in Baltimore
I am a proud Slug, Blue Jay, + Eagle (graduates of University of California, Santa Cruz + Johns Hopkins, and Coppin State University, respectively)
I love putting pieces together in situations and meeting new people
I’m a strong believer that people should do what their passionate about

All my life, I was often the only Black person in the space. Even more so, I was the only woman. The longer I spent in the professional world, the more aware I became of the statistics around diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. I followed the initiatives, because being the only Black person in professional spaces, leadership positions, networking events – didn’t sit right with me. I wanted to see that someone was doing something. I didn’t feel like I belonged. Yet I wasn’t seeing any change, just baseless promises backed by billions.

So, I stepped into thought and partnership with many of my Sorors (I’m a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.), with my family, other coaches – and I got to work on building my own solution. At the time of AC Briggs Consulting’s inception, there were four Black CEOs that led Fortune 500 companies. That motivated me to not only be on that list one day, but to increase that number holistically by elevating my peers alongside my success. I sat down one day and began a stream of consciousness document of what that would look like, how I could become that change: to make our voices, Black professionals, be truly included and amplified — and it grew from there.

Immediately, I realized there was a holistic divide. Many of my peers and colleagues that are Black professionals were trying to elevate blindly. On the flip side, many organizations are designing strategies with no lived experience or comprehension of a foundational shift towards genuine diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and accessibility. So, I designed AC Briggs Consulting, LLC to target both sides. Connect mid to senior level Black professionals to organizations with executive openings and coach them to succeed in those positions. I’m most proud of my mission and knowing I’m making a difference in Corporate America for young Black girls that come after me.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

(1) Get to know your team. Like truly knowing them – their areas of growth, their strengths, their families, their goals, etc. It shows that you, as a leader, care and their presence isn’t just transactional. As a leader, it’s important for me to be a transformational leader who considers the individual needs of my team members, and I manage my team by those values.

(2) Hire a team that not only sees the vision, but believes in it. It’s imperative that you have a team that will support you. You won’t be supported by folks that don’t like you or loathe their role in the big picture. Being an entrepreneur is a paramount task. Following a vision is never linear and managing a team is a skill in and of itself. Your team has to have the same vision and drive as you. They have to genuinely believe in your purpose, product or service. Simultaneously, you have to believe in them and grow them into leaders for the succession of your company.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn self-doubt. Growing up, I didn’t have very high self-esteem or confidence. I attest that to the lack of representation and microaggressions I faced. I was always told I was too loud, or my ideas were too big. As I got older, I just started doing what I wanted. The worst that could happen was a no. Yet, I knew that a no was actually a go, and what table didn’t have chairs activated my capability and grit in building my own chairs.

There are undoubtedly bumps in the road as an entrepreneur. And anyone who says entrepreneurship is easy has never done it. Leaps of faith have never let me down. Nonetheless, if I were a betting woman, I’d always bet on me and my success.

Contact Info:

• Website: acbriggsconsulting.com
• Instagram: acbriggsconsultingllc
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/acbriggsconsulting/
• Other: Email: [email protected]