PICA Member Spotlights

Q&A with independent consultants who successfully “made the leap” and created the consulting career of their dreams

 

PICA: Please introduce yourself and your business, and tell us about your area of expertise.

A: My name is Ayonna Hammond. I am the founder and managing partner of Good Business People,  an organization design and talent strategy consulting firm. My specialty is growing companies by helping them design scalable operating models and org structures. We also help them through any transition that occurs as a result of their org design or their general talent strategy.

PICA: That’s an interesting business! How did you get into this line of work?

A: I got into this line of work over 20 years ago when I was an HRBP with UPS Supply Chain Solutions. That organization grew through acquisition, there were 27 acquisitions in the ten years I was there. I was on a number of special assignments where we had to design the org structure post integration. At that time, UPS rarely worked with external consultants. They would put together an internal team of people from different functions and we’d all work together to design the operating model for the new organization. I realized that I enjoyed that work tremendously and said, ‘Hey, I wish I could do this all the time.’ Not long after that I went into external consulting with Deloitte.

PICA: Why did you decide to leave the “comfort” of the big firm Deloitte to go independent?

A: The demand of my time is probably the primary reason. I remember being very, very late to my aunt's funeral because I was completing a performance evaluation that my project leader told me was the most important thing in the world. My being late really hurt my cousins and they were like, ‘Hey, you should have been here.’ There were a number of other times where I just wasn’t present and I was missing out. I just felt so exhausted and I really didn't have a lot left to give my family and friends and the people who love and support me. I just had to make a change.

PICA: On average, how many hours a week do you think you work now?

A:  On average I work about 30 hours a week, though I don’t do a great job at tracking my "non-billable” hours, so that number may be higher. I worked double that when I was with Deloitte. Working 70 hours a week was common. We had to track our time, so that's not a pretend 70 hours. It was really 70 hours, 60 at least. In fairness, in the last few years, they have implemented a number of initiatives to improve flexibility and work/life balance. I hear it has gotten a lot better. 

PICA: So you've been independent now for over five years. What are the one or two critical things that have really helped you succeed?

A: I’d say the willingness to keep learning. To learn my clients’ business model, what’s important to them, and how to speak their language. I think the other thing is having resources and working with other people. I can’t do this alone. PICA’s network has been helpful to get advice and feedback from other independent consultants who are in similar roles. I still have a number of contacts at Deloitte too, and I bounce ideas off of my colleagues-turned-friends; just iron sharpening iron. 

PICA: Thinking back to when you first decided to leave Deloitte and set up Good Business People, what did you do to gain momentum for your business?

A: Well, when I left Deloitte I didn’t know I was going to start my own consulting business. I looked for jobs, but then I read reviews about the poor work life balance and I said, ‘Okay, no thank you.’ That’s a tough question, but I think knowing that there is always going to be a level of discomfort no matter where you are in your entrepreneurial journey is important. I had to accept that feeling of discomfort that came with not having a steady paycheck. I had to be ok with the gaps. For me, prayer and trusting in God have helped me to be comfortable in the discomfort. Also, with the amount of transition occurring in the workplace, working for a company full-time does not guarantee that steady paycheck either. I’m not sure I really had momentum until the pandemic, that was when my clients called for projects back-to-back. I was fortunate.

PICA:  Did you set money aside to deal with those gaps? Did you find that you were stressing out, or did it just motivate you? Did you double down on outreach? 

A: I reduced my expenses to just the things I have to pay for every month regardless. So if I had a bad month, I just had to pay those minimal things. I think that was a big piece of it that helped. I also made sure that my rates were reflective of my experience. I think oftentimes entrepreneurs under charge, they think, ‘Hey, I made $150,000 a year in my old job, and I'm going to break that down, divide that by whatever 52 times 40 is, and that's going to be the hourly rate that I charge.’ I would say you're not always going to work full time and that there should be a premium on your expertise because it's your brain. Nobody else can do the work you're doing as a consultant. They may have the skill set, but there are no other people who have the exact same experience and expertise that you have.  

PICA: Yes, exactly. This is true for every solopreneur. Nobody has the unique combination of skills, experience, knowledge, and education that you do. And you should charge for it.

A: Yes. So I reduced my expenses and upped my rate. I don't feel like I'm overcharging. I never feel like I'm overcharging, especially when there is a link from my work to company growth and business value. I recommend really looking at your billing rate.

PICA: It's interesting; a lot of people's instincts would be to do the opposite. If there’s a gap in their work and they're not currently on an assignment with a client, I think their instinct would be to lower their rate to win more work. But here you're saying, no, I raised my rate.

A: Yes. Because I never want to operate out of fear, either. A lot of times you think, ‘Nobody’s going to buy my stuff so let me lower my rate.’ But I think that reduces the value of what you’re providing. It’s rare for me to not win work because my rates are too high. The advantage I have is that I know what larger firms charge because in my former role as a project leader, I was responsible for scoping and pricing projects.  

PICA: Even though you've been raising your rate pretty steadily over the last five years, you are still charging less than what Deloitte would be charging for you?

A:  For sure, a lot less, a whole lot less. And that's still okay with me. I don't have the infrastructure that Deloitte or another Big Four firm has, but I am still the brain that they would have charged for at Deloitte, and now my clients can hire me for a lot less. It's still sufficient income for me and enough to cover business expenses.

PICA: What advice do you have for somebody who finds themselves with gaps in project work? Aside from raising your rate, what other advice would you have?

A:  I would plan for the gaps and also reach out to other consultants. For example, right now I’m working on a project as a subcontractor for another solopreneur. I still get to use my expertise, support someone else and help the client. You don’t always have to find work directly, sometimes you can work with other independent consultants who found the work but maybe don’t have the capacity or skill set to deliver it. I think referring other people if something isn’t in your wheelhouse is important as well. Because when there is an opportunity that is in your wheelhouse people will think about you, too.

PICA: It's sometimes called paying it forward or just being in service to the client. If you want to help the client and it's not in your sweet spot the best way you can help them is to find the right person for that work.

A:  Absolutely and it always comes back around. I think sometimes there’s this scarcity mentality, but there really is enough work. Especially when we’re talking about advising and consulting with businesses to improve their effectiveness and prepare them for the future. Everyone needs that. There’s plenty of work to go around.

PICA:  So what's next for you and Good Business People?

A: Next is expanding responsibly. I'm trying to create these opportunities for other individuals who want to consult, may not necessarily be ready to have their own business, and who want to work with Good Business People full time. I want to figure out how to plan for the gaps between projects in a way that is not a lot of risk to them. As a solopreneur, I know how to take care of myself and it's just me. I can flex. I'm going to be okay. But when you're responsible for someone else, I don't want to take that decision to hire full-time lightly. So just growing responsibly and expanding, not necessarily the work that I do personally, but being able to spread the love so I can focus on advisory, the expertise around org design and developing others, not necessarily the details of project management or creating slide decks.

PICA: If someone was interested in learning more about you or possibly working with Good Business People, what would be the best way to get in touch with you?

A: I would say LinkedIn. Please send a note with your invite if we haven’t met. I really do take my LinkedIn network seriously. Also, the contact page of my business website is good, too.


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