We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nana Obeng. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nana below.

Nana, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s jump into the story of starting your own firm – what should we know?

Prior to starting my own business/establishing my own firm I was looking for a full-time role. As I carried on my search I struggled to find something that excited me. I was looking for a role that didn’t place me in a box, a role that had breadth, challenge and variety. I realized that what I was looking for might not be in the corporate space or at least difficult to find and obtain. I decided to open my own business after recognizing I had skills and experiences as an operations professional that could be used in a variety of businesses. I had to spend a substantial amount of time understanding who my target would be and what SPECIFICALLY I would be doing/selling. Finding a niche business that is also differentiated from other similar businesses takes time and thought. Clarity is developed as you speak with more people and have different clients. I am very much a generalist with high intellectual curiosity which can lead you down a path without specificity. The key challenge is selling! There is a lot of effort that goes into sales and marketing and sometimes you have to go outside of your comfort zone and listen to all the advice but not necessarily take all of the advice. My advice would be to spend a substantial amount of time understanding your sales and marketing strategy rather spending extensive amount of time on brand colours or other things that are not necessarily directly tied to revenue generation. I think would have spent more time meeting with and talking to other fractional leaders to learn a bit more about this space. I have worked in consulting so this wasn’t completely foreign but the world is different (i.e. economy, workforce, working environments, and industries) which influence the way you network, market, sell etc.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a fractional COO (a part-time operations professional) partnering with business owners to streamline their daily operations for efficiency. My approach does include standard and well known practices, tools and frameworks but my style is very intentionally focused on the people who do the work. An efficient process relates to HOW you do the work (tied to people) not solely on what you USE to do the work. I’m an engineering graduate which explains my appeal to structure and process but I am likely an unconventional engineer since I enjoy working with people in a manner that requires relationship building and management. Operations is a good blend of these traits and capabilities (e.g. analytical thinking, problem solving with the engagement, involvement and contributions from knowledgable individuals). I’m results driven and enjoy solving problems with direct communication and humour. In my business, I identify process challenges in the daily operation of a business, develop a plan to reduce or eliminate these challenges and oversee and sometimes support the execution. My fCOO style includes being an experienced leader, direct communicator, expert, sounding board and coach. Many business owners need supportive leadership and coaching. Because of my love for business and desire to support business owners I offer coaching (as part of my practice) to early stage entrepreneurs. I have founded 2 companies and have learned a lot that can be shared with early stage entrepreneurs as a form of encouragement, accountability and a method to avoid some obstacles. Based in Toronto, Canada and happy to take clients as a Fractional COO or coach for remote contracts in the US.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

The Hard Thing About Hard Things – Ben Horowitz

Love this book! It’s a reflection on Horowitz’s journey as an entrepreneur. My take aways were:
1. You don’t always have the answer even though you’re expected to have all the answers
2. You’re typically a good entrepreneur and leader after you’ve learned the hard lessons not while you’re going through them

This book was very real, authentic and left me knowing that there are many right answers there isn’t just one way to build business as we sometime think and try to replicate what other successful entrepreneurs have done.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

Maintaining a schedule for follow-up or casual coffee not just when you are doing active business development.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.highpointconsulting.online/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hipt_consulting/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nana-obeng/