We were lucky to catch up with Julianna Fricchione recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Julianna, thanks for joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
My first entrepreneur venture was selling rocks at the Jersey shore when I was 4 years old. No one bought my product. My grandmother, who I was staying with for the week at her bungalow, taught me about supply and demand that day. The next morning, I ventured into a new business-selling lemonade. I made $3.10 by waving to those passing by and shouting “you-who” to folks walking to the beach. A successful business woman was born! I didn’t know that “entrepreneur” could be a career goal. I grew up in a middle-class family, both my parents being the first generation to attend college. My father, a dentist, and technically and entrepreneur, never spoke of his life owning and running his own practice. My mother, a schoolteacher for the city, had a stable job that provided great benefits for the family. Somehow, when I got to college, I had still had no idea that life could be lived as an entrepreneur. My alma mater, Baruch college, which is the number 1 public institution for business, even has a major for entrepreneurs! Looking back, the signs were there that I was meant for this life, including announcing at 6 years old that I was “Open for Business!” The business you might ask? “I’ll solve your problem, any problem, for $1!”. My parents were always supportive of my creative ideas. They played into my next “big idea”, and would (lovingly) outsmart me when they knew it was potentially harmful. When I think about life as a business owner and building a brand, I can’t help but think “Thank you mom for always humoring me. For indulging in my creative aspects. For letting me believe I could and can and would. For listening to me cry when I doubted myself.” You see, I would tell my mom I have to make costumes for 100 high school girls on a budget of $100. She would not bat an eye. A heavy sigh, maybe, but always followed by encouragement. My dad on the other hand, I owe him a “thank you” for challenging me. When he found out I was majoring in liberal arts, he asked me what was my plan for a job? That was the fuel that has kept me going as I jumped from company to company and eventually started my own companies. My father is my sounding board. He is the person who keeps me balanced. Sometimes I take a risk that makes him question my sanity, but his support is why I can take those. My parents never tried to change me. If I wasn’t the best softball player or I didn’t enjoy the sport, they let me stop playing after the season was done. They let me be my own person and put aside their specific desires for my life. The only thing they required was I live a life of good values- honestly, integrity, grit, smarts, creativity, strength. Focusing on those values is the reason I find success today.
Julianna, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
For a long time, I didn’t know exactly where I was headed with my career. I didn’t have a five-year plan or a neat little ladder to climb. What I did have was a gut instinct: follow what feels right. For me, what felt right was helping people solve problems and doing it on my own terms. That instinct has guided me at every crossroads, even when the path looked nothing like the “traditional” one.
I started in retail, hated it, and quit without a plan. That very weekend, I happened to meet someone at a birthday dinner who worked in HR at a nonprofit. By Monday, I was helping with a short-term database project, which quickly turned into a full-time job. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was meaningful. A year earlier I’d helped an artist organize and digitize her archive—suddenly, those random database skills came back around. That job was my first taste of work that connected people, data, and purpose.
When a LinkedIn recruiter later reached out about a payroll and HRIS role, I almost ignored it—my best friend thought it was a scam. But as the recruiter listed the responsibilities, I thought, “I can do this. Actually…I’m perfect for this.” That moment launched me into HR technology and payroll consulting.
Leaving the nonprofit company was hard. My executive director hugged me and whispered, “I hope you know how special you are.” The HR director told me, “I expect you to be making six figures within a year.” Those words lit a fire in me.
The years that followed were full of growth—and plenty of trial by fire. I navigated corporate politics, learned to juggle KPIs and client demands, and pushed myself to figure out not only who I was professionally, but who I wanted to be as a person. When COVID-19 forced us all remote, I went found myself in Florida to regroup. By the time the return-to-office notice came, I knew New York City (my home and my comfort zone) wasn’t where I needed to be anymore. So I leapt again, this time to a Miami startup where—for the first time in years—I felt valued.
Startups are risky, and eventually mine went through layoffs. But instead of spiraling, I acted. The same day I was let go, I launched Accelerate HCM Consulting. No backup plan, no waiting—just a belief that I could build something of my own.
Through Accelerate HCM, I began flying around the country helping organizations implement HR and payroll systems. But the more I worked, the more I realized the core challenge wasn’t the technology—it was the people. Change fails when humans aren’t ready. That’s when empathy became my edge. Accelerate HCM became known not just for technical expertise, but for preparing leaders and employees to embrace change with confidence.
When I eventually landed in Nashville, I found myself surrounded by brilliant entrepreneurs and small business owners. Their eyes lit up when I explained what I did for big companies, and I thought: why shouldn’t they have access to these tools too? That’s how Accelerate with Julianna was born. Today, I offer small business owners courses like Automate to Accelerate, community learning through Accelerate Academy, and VIP Days for those who want focused strategy. I also host the podcast Accelerating Humans, where I explore how to thrive at the intersection of technology and humanity.
Looking back, my path has never been straight. But it’s always been true. I’ve followed what felt right: solving problems, lifting others up, and doing it all on my own terms.
My proudest moment? It wasn’t a stage or a big client deal—it was cashing my first check as an entrepreneur. It was proof that I could bet on myself and win.
If you take one message from my story, let it be this: You don’t have to have it all figured out. If it feels right, follow it. The dots connect later.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
When I first started consulting, my niche was very small. I was consulting on the one tech platform for a HRIS/Payroll company I previously worked for. My connections were with that company as was my confidence in that product. I was the only consultant at the time that I was aware of who knew the product. However, as time went on, more and more consulting firms entered the market, meaning more competition. At that moment I knew I could go full steam ahead, or I had to differentiate. That is when I zoomed out and looked at tech problems holistically. I was able to recognize that people were the key! This was a “well, duh!” moment for me, because I’ve always been about people. I started offering leadership and wellness workshops as buy ups in implementation services. Then I started requiring them. My biggest shift, however, has been with focusing my time and energy on small businesses. While I love impacting and sheparding change for thousands of employees, nothing feels as good as helping a small business or soloprenuer build an effective tech stack so they can reclaim their time and life back! A different humans first approach, but dare I say, the most important one?
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Before I became a consultant and speaker, I’d done some impressive things. I’d TA’d graduate-level classes. I’d swum around Manhattan Island. I’d backpacked around the world. I thought I was destined for something big. It was a kick to the teeth when I entered a career that I didn’t succeed in. Retail was snuffing out my spark. My friends saw the life drained from me, as I was never available to hang out. On my days off, I preferred sleeping all day in the dark. My performance review, barely meeting expectations. We think about resilience being some sort of external force or factor we have to overcome. For me, it was the internal. I needed to come face to face with my pride, my self worth, and my identity. Who was I if I decided to quit? I wish this story was about me asking for help and rising to the occasion. Its not. I decided the best thing for me was to quit. But with that decision, I then had to make another choice. Would I let this define me? Could I keep going with my head held up high or would I let this story take over my life? I put aside my pride. I vowed to myself and my parents, that I would find something, even if it meant waiting tables and teaching swim lessons 50 hours a week. I thankfully landed a part time and temporary opportunity the next day. However, in my decision to quit, I also decided to embrace my failure which meant to always share the story about how I quit a job before I was fired. I acknowledge the fact that coincidentally timing changed the outcome of the story, but in my mind the story is this: I took a job with an enticing salary, which was not aligned with my values, my skills, or my passions. And I failed. I failed hard. To the point that my manager was going to put me on a warning. So I decided to quit.
“Quitting” is part of my story but so is the resilience to prove to myself I am more than a quitter and to chase after the things that so align.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Acceleratewithjulianna.com
- Instagram: @acceleratewithjulianna
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianna-fricchione/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AcceleratingHumans
- Other: https://www.acceleratinghumans.com
Image Credits
Kathy Thomas Photography