We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Irma Parone a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Irma, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

Have you ever thought about writing a book? I hesitated. Will people want to read it? What if it is a failure? How does one even get from start to finish? Well, I did it, and I am excited to say it launched July 5, 2022, and has already won an award.  But it was not as simple as sitting on a beach and writing. I have always wanted to change the world, just like many others. And as much as I believed that if I could figure out a way to articulate and lay out a book that could share my experiences and all I have learned and found success through, I would do just that.
But it’s not that simple. So “who am I”, that little voice in me said as I wrote my words. No one cares what I have done, regardless of my success. But the truth is they should because it works! So there you have it. Fear pushed to the wind -, full speed ahead, I did it. Yes, I am so proud of me! Writing, re-writing, storytelling, a ton of research, and a little (or more) help from my friends, I introduce WINX – The Problem Solving Model to Win Exponentially with Customers, Employees & Your Bottom Line. If you would like to help me change the world, one powerful decision at a time, read my book.  Then share it with someone or recommend it to many.  https://www.amazon.com/WINX-Problem-Solving-Exponentially-Customers-Employees-ebook/dp/B0B5JS4CZ8/

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 background and context?

My career in the service industry started long ago in the nuclear security industry. Servicing multi-million dollar clients across the US, I spent years learning the keys to providing high-value service levels through and with our employees. I eventually moved into the industrial security service area and finally left security during my mother’s illness. I loved and missed working, so I decided to start my own company and focus on the areas I loved most. Helping companies provide exceptional service through learning the intimate details of what their customers really want, and then supporting their internal team to focus on and meet those demands while growing at every level of their organization.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I was devastated when terminated from a company with no reasonable explanation. I took the branch from near bottom to near top of all indicators, yet I was released. One would think that removing a high performer is never a reasonable thing to do. But I learned soon after that the company was acquired. So yes, I was a high performer but with a very high salary. Although I was approached and accepted a very nice position a couple of months later, I had to navigate that void mentally. I simply was not accustomed to being unemployed, let alone being terminated. But, here is the great news: not only was this new role a bigger and better opportunity, but this story also landed me a contributing author opportunity in what became an international best-selling book. My chapter in the book Voices of the 21st Century was titled ‘Life Happens’! Now, I can share in my new book that I am an internationally best-selling author. How much better can that be!

Does your business have multiple or supplementary revenue streams (like a ATM machine at a barbershop, etc)?

Moving from a corporate structure to a small new business, I learned very quickly how business owners can get sucked into the details of the business, which can kill focus on the big picture. Because a lot of my work when I first start supporting new clients is learning what they need to focus on, I decided to find a bench of partners. Each of these partners is screened for highly-valued service levels in their particular area of expertise, and then I survey clients after they use their services to ensure I only keep the best partners on our team. For example, I have a Human Resource partner who can help customers with various requirements, such as proper hiring practices, forms, background screening etc. My bench of 15 partners in many areas businesses need is available if the client chooses. And there is no upcharge. In other words, if they hire these people through me or directly, their cost is the same, and they have me as value-added support.

Contact Info:

• Website: ParoneGroup.com (consulting) and IrmaParone.com (speaking)
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/irmaparone/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paronegroup
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paronegroup/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/paronegroup
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=irma+parone