We recently connected with Monique Carter and have shared our conversation below.

Monique, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Alright, so we’d love to hear about how you got your first client or customer. What’s the story?

I will start by saying I had no intentions of becoming an entrepreneur. When I early retired from Georgia Power, I planned to find another corporate job with one of my dream companies. I figured I would take at least a month off and then begin my job search. While taking a break, after working almost 20 years for Georgia Power, several people reached out to me about collaborating with them on projects related to supplier diversity or supplier inclusion as it is now called. I brushed it off because I said to myself, I’m going to get a corporate job with my dream company. A company that I had spoken to during my time in supplier diversity at Georgia Power reached out to me through LinkedIn. He said he needed my advice on a meeting he was scheduled to have with a utility company. Sure. I gave him guidance on conducting the meeting. At that time, he said he would pay me to be his consultant. I shrugged it off because I’m still telling myself I’m going to work for one of my dream companies. A few days later, I received a phone call from the owner of the company telling me I should play the lottery because everything I told him was spot on! At that moment, I made the decision to start The Carter Group and told the owner he is my first client. Let’s do this! I went back to the other people who inquired about collaborating with me on projects to explore those opportunities as well. I knew that this could only be God lining everything up for me because as stated, I had no intentions to be an entrepreneur and here I am. We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. Receiving my first payment from my client was special. It was a small check but it will always be my first payment as an entrepreneur.

Monique, 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?

Prior to retiring at the end of 2023, I spent nearly 20 years with Georgia Power. I worked in several areas to include Human Resources, Sales & Marketing, Supplier Diversity, and Community Engagement. My last role in Community Engagement was my dream job. I enjoy interacting with people in the community while advocating and making an impact in their lives. This role allowed me to do just that. Prior to working at Georgia Power, I worked in Human Resources and Customer Service in a variety of industries in the Atlanta and Destin, Florida areas. I also served four years in the United States Air Force a very long time ago.
I enjoy traveling, reading, trying new restaurants, and live music events. I am a huge sports fan. I have season tickets for the Atlanta Falcons. I also am very proud to be an inaugural season ticket holder/Founding Fan for the Atlanta Dream. I have been around the game of golf for at least 15 years or more and have recently started playing golf. Retirement has allowed me to play quite a bit of golf and I am excited to attend my first golf retreat as part of Black Girls Golf Executive Retreat in Kohler, Wisconsin.
I am very active in my church where I serve as a Small Group Leader and now Small Group Coach in the Women’s Ministry. Being active in my community is very important to me. My civic and community involvement includes 2021 graduate of the United Way of Greater Atlanta’s VIP; United Way of Greater Atlanta African American Partnership where I currently serve as 2nd Vice Chair of the Cabinet; National Coalition of 100 Black Women-Metropolitan Atlanta Chapter; American Association of Black in Energy (AABE) Atlanta Chapter where I served on the board for 10 years; Women’s Energy Network (WEN) Greater Atlanta Chapter. I also serve on the Council of PGA HOPE – Georgia Section. PGA HOPE introduces and teaches golf to Veterans and Active Duty Military to enhance their physical, mental, social, and emotional well-being through a free 6-8 week program.
The Carter Group was founded in February of 2024 and is a consulting firm that empowers small and minority-owned businesses by providing strategic coaching and connections to corporate decision makers. Our goal is to help these businesses secure contracts, drive revenue growth, and build generational wealth. We accomplish this with one on one coaching and consulting, facilitating lunch and learns, speaking at conferences, and group trainings on how to do business with corporations.
The vision of The Carter Group is to become the leading consulting firm for small and minority-owned businesses, recognized as the go-to resource for securing corporate contracts and achieving sustained success.
What sets The Carter Group apart is they have corporate experience with the procurement process. As a supplier diversity consultant, I was responsible for recruiting, evaluating, and developing small and diverse businesses. My mission in community engagement was to work to enrich and empower diverse communities across Georgia through education, advocacy, leadership development, and meaningful connections. The role ultimately drove growth and change to diverse communities. My personal mission is to be a dedicated connector, bringing together individuals with shared values and like minds. I strive to create lasting and favorable impressions, fostering meaningful relationships that contribute to the positive growth and enrichment of communities. My roles in supplier diversity and community engagement, along with my personal mission all align to enable The Carter Group to impact the lives of the clients served for generations to come.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

My most recent pivot happened on November 10, 2023. That is the day I was told I was not selected for a role in the new organization after the community engagement department was eliminated. It was not a complete shock, since I knew this was a possibility since May of 2023, however, it was still somewhat shocking. I was in good spirits as I knew God would take care of me-I know, very cliche but I will address that a little later. I took this as a time to move on and work for my dream company. I had the opportunity to retire from Georgia Power as well as receive a severance.

I began having meetings with people at my dream companies to build relationships and learn more about the companies I desired to work for. I clearly remember meeting with someone and during our conversation they stated, you should start your own consulting business. You have all the tools and connections to do that. I replied that I was not interested in doing that at all.

My official last work day, December 31, 2023, arrived and it felt like any other day. I knew I would be taking some down time to decompress from working for the past 20+ years and then be ready to start my job search.

During the next two months, I was contacted by three people asking me to collaborate with them, be a consultant to them, or start a business with them. I’m thinking, what in the world? I’m working on securing a job with one of my dream companies; being an entrepreneur is not my thing. I have great admiration for entrepreneurs as it takes a special person to embark on that journey. Well in February, I realized I was that special person and felt I was being called to entrepreneurship. I knew I had the knowledge, skills, and connections to do it but never thought I would actually…do it. This was a major pivot for me as I was on one path and I felt God sent me on a totally different path; one that I had no desire to be on but fully embraced. Since I never set out to be an entrepreneur, I did not have time to put a plan together, seek funding, and all the other things that come with starting a business. It all happened rather quickly.

Since February, so many opportunities have opened up for me. I mentioned that I started golfing in 2022 and since retiring I have had the opportunity to golf more frequently. We always hear of business deals being made on the golf course and now I can attest to that. I got my second client at a golf tournament! I have also been invited to speak to organizations on how to do business with corporations. I had my first opportunity to speak at the AABE National Conference in Anaheim, California this past April discussing my journey from corporate to entrepreneurship. That was pretty surreal as I have been a long time member of AABE, serving on the Atlanta Chapter’s board for 10 years, and have attended the past nine national conferences. Thanks to the connections I’ve made over the years in corporate and through organizations I serve in, I have been given complimentary access to business summits for entrepreneurs and access to attend key networking events.

I’m so glad that I was able to pivot and not force my pursuit of working for my dream company. God has given me an opportunity to use my skills and talents to help other businesses secure contracts, drive revenue growth, and build generational wealth. I’m excited to see where The Carter Group goes.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

The biggest resource for me on this new entrepreneurial journey has been others who are successful entrepreneurs and are willing to share nuggets of wisdom and guidance with me. I have informal coaches. I am also a founding member of the BOLD Career Collective lead by Gala Jackson Dobbins who recently authored a book, Courage, Clarity & Confidence-Redefine Success And The Way You Work. She is amazing! This collective offers weekly check-ins, co-working sessions, weekly journaling prompts and affirmations, and monthly one on one coaching. The collective is comprised on professionals and entrepreneurs. I can’t say enough about how helpful this community has been on my journey.
My church and Small Group community has been super helpful, as well, as many are entrepreneurs and can share tips and their experiences with me. They are also there to pray with me and support me on my journey. I love my church and Small Group community!