Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chi-Chi Egbo. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Chi-Chi, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about serving the underserved.
With that top of mind, I designed Workthrough’s services with a genuine intention to create impactful change. I work with organizations to build inclusive employee development strategies, deliver leadership development, and facilitate skills-building training in effective communication, self-advocacy, adaptability, confidence, career planning, and other core skills areas. For example, I am in the process of delivering an internal career development and coaching program for Black employees at a multinational engineering professional services firm. I also provide compassionate career support and one-on-one coaching to underrepresented professionals to help them navigate the workplace and advocate for their professional goals.
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?
I’m a Certified Career Strategist, People Development Consultant and the founder of Workthrough. Before starting Workthrough, I was the Director of Career Outcomes at a private tech college. My intrapreneurial mindset and drive to build something impactful from scratch contributed significantly to my professional success, so I always knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur. After taking several months off to recover from burnout and prioritize my mental health, I knew it was time to build my business. I want everyone to feel good about their careers, which motivates me daily. Many barriers exist to accessing equitable and inclusive career support in workplaces, many of which I experienced myself. I want to make it easier for people to have meaningful career growth and develop their skills.
Workthrough is a career engagement and HR consultancy at the intersection of employee experience and professional development. I work with companies and talent accelerators on career development initiatives and training that will positively impact their employees and community. We offer Career Engagement Strategy and Planning, Employee Development Program Design, Coaching, Training and People Development Resources. You can think of Workthrough as a partner to your people development goals. I help organizations integrate my services to address employee retention, engagement, business innovation, and growth challenges.
I always want our approaches to be intentional, compassionate, human-centred, and business-forward. To that end, I created Workthrough’s signature 4Ps approach: Pulse, Purpose, Practice, and Policy. It’s a four-step process that centres assessment, zoning in on the right priorities, co-designing solutions, and increasing accountability for upholding the end result I deliver. Even when booking a workshop, I have an engagement process that is anything but a one-and-done experience. From the first discovery meeting to a post-event strategy session with key stakeholders, my goal is to ensure whatever is learned in my training is actioned on and has an impact. My clients often use words such as “powerful, insightful, engaging, practical and inspiring” to describe Workthrough’s programs and workshops.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I learned that having a website doesn’t mean customers will come flocking to you. I started my business by taking on a few small projects; I didn’t have a website then. When my website was finally ready, I thought that as soon as I shared it publicly with a big announcement, new customers would flood my inbox with inquiries. I eventually learned that wasn’t the case. Sure, having a website makes communicating my services and highlighting testimonials easier. Still, attracting customers takes work, especially in an economy where people spend less and organizations cut budgets. I’ve been reading up on marketing strategy and conversing with other entrepreneurs. It takes at least 8 to 10 touchpoints before someone decides to make a purchase. I realize that showing up on my target customers’ online feeds through sharing advice and stories of success and constantly making myself and Workthrough present is critical to business growth.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
Referrals have been a great source of new clients for Workthrough. Whether it’s someone I’ve worked with through previous professional endeavours, an industry peer who recommends me to their organization or a client who raves about my work, referrals have been a strong pipeline. I love referrals because they validate that my experience, knowledge, and human-centred approaches are impactful, and as a solo entrepreneur, validation matters.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://workthrough.ca/
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/weareworkthrough/
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/workthrough/
- Other: My personal LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chichiegbo/