We recently connected with Lindsey Paulson and have shared our conversation below.

Lindsey, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

Starting a consulting business wasn’t originally in the cards. I have always loved operations, systems, and processes and was able to channel that love into my career for Marriott International for years. Hotel operations, business operations, and property management operations are all a love of mine. I was able to pivot my role during Covid to construction operations and work as the Chief Operations Officer for a local construction company. For this industry, I was able to learn so much about scaling a company, creating company policies, streamlining CRM softwares and implementing systems for a company that didn’t have a large corporate financial backing. As a mom of three, working for a family owned company was phenomenal to pivot into as hotel operations can be extremely demanding. I think that I was able to pivot into my own CEO role at the perfect timing. I’ve been blessed to be a part of a corporate team, franchise team, locally owned and operated team– all of which can come with its own unique individual challenges. I believe that gaining insights into each of their financials, processes, and organizational structures has allowed me to gain a unique perspective as to what can assist other companies grow, scale, and reach their own individual successes.

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.

I’m a business owner, mother of three, and the wife of a firefighter who also owns and operates his own company. To say that we have a full cup of life, is an understatement. I’ve been incredibly blessed to work alongside my husband– as well as many local incredible companies that are looking to take their company growth to the next standard. I enjoy public speaking, reading, and being with our kids!

The most commonly asked question I receive is, “What exactly does an operational consultant do?”. I work with businesses to help identify pain points they are experiencing and create a pathway to help them resolve that pain point. This can include, but not limited to, standard operating procedures, policies, setting up technology systems to streamline leads, marketing, bookkeeping, and so much more. I discovered my love for operations while working for Marriott International and have been able to bring my knowledge of corporate success tactics to small businesses in my area.

I also host a podcast called “Mess to Mission” where I talk with local business owners and citizens about their stories of creating Missions out of Messes they have experienced. Similarly, this is also how I operate my operations consulting. I am heavily involved in a handful of non-profit organizations because I strongly believe in giving back to your community and helping to bring something positive out of something that was originally chaotic! The non-profit sector is something that I believe sets me apart in this industry as I love assisting in these areas. I proudly sit on the St. Jude Children’s Hospital Associate Council– as well as work alongside 2 additional local non-profits in Kentucky.

I’m the most proud of the method that I’ve created in order to help businesses get on track: A.D.E. This is an “aid” to work alongside your normal business model and helps to automate, delegate, and elevate your company growth to the next level. I’ve been blessed to work alongside some phenomenal entrepreneurs and truly love and thrive in being a master connector.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

I truly believe the most effective strategy for growing your clientele is brand awareness, consistency, and networking. 90% of my clientele comes from the consistent effort to attend networking groups, foster relationships with those that I meet, and creating follow-up in those relationships. A “hack” I’ve learned over the years involved utilizing Boomerang on Google. This software is free and can help you track follow-ups from future leads, clientele, and prompt reminders for you whenever you haven’t heard from someone by a particular deadline. This operational efficiency holds me accountable to my clientele and continues to assist with organic referrals.

The message in your branding plays a large part in allowing people to get to know who you are and what you believe in, stand for, and can assist with in your services. Accompanying this with showing up, consistency in your day to day workflow, and creating genuine relationships (not everything is always about sales!) has proven to be my most effective strategy with growing clientele. Sales are great– but growing businesses that are looking to set out to make an impact is exceptionally more rewarding. Naturally, the sales can continue to fall in alignment afterwards.

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

A lesson I had to unlearn is that managing people, and working with clients, is not a one size fit all. Some clients are auditory learners and some are visual learners. Some business owners are extremely tech savvy, while others are not. Learning to get to know other business owners and how they thrive in their learning and communication styles is huge for success. I have continued to learn about communication styles and personality styles to help ensure that what I’ve trying to convey can truly come across in the most effective manner.

A particular story I’m always drawn to tell is about a client that I work alongside who is revamping her marketing. She’s incredibly brilliant but I always say, “You don’t know what you don’t know”. As we worked through her marketing campaign, she was sent a checklist advising her to set up her domain hosting and web hosting. Although this checklist would have been sufficient for some– the lack of clarity in instructions caused frustration. Getting to know who you are serving can help provide clarity for any business owner and such a crucial part of providing a service.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lindspaulson.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/linds.paulson/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556719651801
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsey-paulson-73a76752/

Image Credits

Headshots: Christina Stallard Photography