We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Teresa Rand a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Teresa, appreciate you joining us today. Getting that first client is always an exciting milestone. Can you talk to us about how you got your first customer who wasn’t a friend, family, or acquaintance?
My very first dollar in my consulting business was from the company I quit to become an entrepreneur! I turned in my resignation to my boss and explained in full detail what my new business would consist of and who would be my ideal clients. Since I was the CEO of my organization, I offered a time frame of six months to one year before I would leave. The company took me up on the six months and then offered to pay me as a consultant for the remaining six months as the new CEO came in and got up to speed. It was the best of both worlds! I left happy and they were happy with my additional assistant through the transition.
Teresa, 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?
My business, Teresa Rand Consulting, provides speaking, coaching and consulting for businesses and individuals. In 20018, when I decided to leave my CEO position, I hired a coach to assist me in starting my own consulting business. This was the best decision I made as I embarked on this new journey.
For businesses, I focus on solving communication issues. As a former CEO of a large non-profit, I have managed budgets up to $33 million and employees numbering over one thousand. My focus is on empowering and appreciating your employees so that they are happier and more productive. I am a certified John Maxwell speaker, trainer, and coach. I also am certified in DISC and Strengths Assessments. I believe that by knowing oneself, you become a better communicator with others.
For individuals, I focus on career transition. Using personality assessments, people and environment exercises, as well as intensive face to face (or virtual) sessions, I help people identify why they might be unhappy in their current position and how to best find a job that fits you!
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
I have used several strategies for growing my clientele. The most effective being good old fashioned outreach; as in visits and phone calls. When I embarked on my new business, I made a list of 100 business people or friends I knew and set out to email or call each one of them. The purpose was to tell them about my new business and ask for their assistance in getting the word out to those that they knew might benefit from my offerings. I met face to face with each person, whether for breakfast, lunch, wine, dinner or a walk on the beach. (I live in Fl) I valued their time and their adice on my offerings. This proved to be instrumental on my initial business growth. I can proudly say, I have never had a lull in business using this strategy, even during Covid!
My other strategy has been social media. I did not attempt to do this alone. I hired someone to assist me in posting and setting up my business social media accounts. I was everywhere, FB, LinkedIn, Instagram, you name it, I was posting. I also started a weekly newsletter. The newsletter started out with 400 names, everyone in my contact list, and has now grown to almost 1000 people receiving it each week. My final outreach was starting a pocast. Yes, during Covid, I started a podcast which has had over 20,000 downloads. https://podcasters.spotify.
When I say I was everywhere, I mean I was everywhere! My goal was to stay top of mind of people who would see my post, read my newsletter, or listen to the podcast.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I have many stories in my business/career journey that illustrate resilience. Using the definition, “the ability to recover quickly from difficulties”, I can think of one in particular. My recovery was not quick but it was intentional. I did not have a college degree when I went into the workforce and had stayed at home with my children for ten years. When I went back to work and realized I wanted to go up the proverbial career ladder in my chosen field, I was told I must have a four year degree to become a Director or CEO in my organization. So…I went back to school part time. It took me seven years to complete my degree and I was 42 at graduation, but I did it and it paid off. I became a CEO by the age 0f 47!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.teresarandconsulting.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/C3iJI8qMKLM/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trandconsulting/
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/teresaarand