We were lucky to catch up with Dr. Rajanique Modeste recently and have shared our conversation below.

Dr. Rajanique, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think it takes to be successful?

Success should be defined on your own terms and what that looks like for you and not what others believe it should look like. Their business might be different than yours, their story of how they got started might be different. You can can’t apply the same methods that worked for them. Sure, some of the framework to the house can be the same but the furniture and fixtures are different. What I think it takes to be successful is believing in yourself and pushing through the self-doubt when you don’t have anyone in your corner that is encouraging you.

Dr. Rajanique, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am in Industrial and Organizational Psychologist. I tell people that I am a work doctor, because I study human behavior in the work setting. I have always loved business and psychology before I knew that it was I-O Psychology. When I first started college I told myself I would be running someone’s business. or running my own. I thought I would be making a ton of money out of school and reality quickly set in that isn’t how it works. I held a a couple of different positions but it was when I landed in HR that I my passion for I-O came calling again. I decided to get my doctorate in I-O Psychology and have been enjoying where my passion for business and psychology have taken me as a result.

I provide a number of services that clients can benefit from such as: DEI training, Strategy Planning, Culture & Performance Analysis and Solutions. One of the problems that I solve is understanding barriers to performance and leadership effectiveness for organizational success. I do this with evidence-based best practices and solutions.

I am most proud of my perseverance through the adversity and challenges that I overcame to get me where I am today. I persisted through the peaks and valleys of life and know that I am where I am meant to be, living my dream as a business owner and using my passion for I-O to help people and organizations thrive.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I attempted to start my business in 2013 and had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I sought help from programs like SBA and others that provided me some guidance on what to do and how to market myself. Unfortunately, due to some extenuating circumstances I made the decision to go back to corporate but with the understanding I would re-establish my business. In 2020, that opportunity came again and aligned myself with people who could help me get to where I wanted to go in terms of getting clients, writing proposals etc. I was able to get a few clients by networking as well as winning work on my own.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

For a long time, I would hear that you need to have a certain number of years of experience in corporate to run a business before people would think that you are credible enough to work with. That information coupled with fear crippled me for a long time. Through this entrepreneurial journey, I learned that it isn’t the case. You just need a compelling story of how you plan on doing the work and the cost you are charging the client needs to be reasonable for what they are asking for. It is the risk takers who keep trying and eventually succeed at being entrepreneurs. I tell myself if I fail, I will just get back up and try again. But if I keep getting back up, I will succeed.

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