PICA Member Spotlights

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

 

Q: Could you please introduce yourself and tell us your consulting specialty?

A: My name is Enid Rivera, and I'm the Principal Consultant at Enid Rivera Consulting.  I specialize in transforming complex business challenges into holistic people solutions.  During my 20+ years in Human Resources, I have led, designed, and implemented organizational initiatives and partnered with leaders and teams to drive transformative change.  My services include co-creating organizational effectiveness solutions, developing/refining HR strategies, and implementing business and HR strategies.

 

Q: How long have you been independent?

A: In spirit I’ve been independent since 2018, because that's when I officially formed my business. But my mind had not yet caught up with my spirit, so it wasn't until 2022 that I took the leap and launched my own business. 

 

Q: What caused the delay between your mind and actions catching up with your spirit?

A: Fear. I've since learned the acronym FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) and I had a strong case of FUD.  It's difficult to walk away from a regular paycheck, cohesive team, and set career in which you've invested decades of your time.  I love being a part of a team and supporting organizations as they navigate change, so it was difficult to contemplate walking away from the work as I knew it.  I spent time reflecting on what I wanted the next half of my life to look like.  I kept coming back to being a solopreneur, but my analytical brain kept coming up with reasons why I shouldn’t. Ultimately, I was at a point where I asked myself; “Do you really mean it when you say you want to follow your heart and create a life that brings you joy?”  

 

Q: What ultimately switched your thinking and made you say now is the time?

A: I spent a few years preparing for change, whatever it might be.  I knew I wanted more flexibility and balance, the ability to have more of a say in the type of work I engaged in, and an opportunity to experience a more direct link between work and impact.  By nature, I am a hard worker with high standards for my own work product.  When working in-house this consistently translated into working 7 days a week.  After years of reflection, I understood that the best way for me to achieve flexibility and balance was to start my own business.  Ultimately, I came back to the fact that I love the work I do, I just want to do it differently. I am fortunate to have loved ones and advocates who have helped me see myself as they do - a seasoned business consultant with a wealth of experience.  It took that small push from those around me saying, “you can do this” for me to take that final step.

 

Q: How did you make the leap and get started?

A: I started networking and connecting with friends and former colleagues who had already successfully launched their businesses.  I asked them each about their experiences, insights, and recommendations.  My conversations led me to speak to a consultant from ProKo who introduced me to PICA.  This was just as PICA was launching a bootcamp and I jumped right in.  The investment of time in the bootcamp has been invaluable.  It has been an absolute game changer for me.

 

Q: What’s one thing you’ve learned since you launched that you wished you had known before?

A: That business development doesn’t have to be as scary as it sounds.  I am not comfortable with the idea of selling.  After I attended a PICA workshop, I learned that business development basically starts with talking to people you know.  Connecting with people inspires me and brings me joy.  I have been so busy working that I had not always taken the time to connect with co-workers, friends, or new individuals I'd met, because I was too busy.  It has been one of the unexpected joys of launching my own business. It’s an absolute highlight that “business development” is something I now see as authentically connecting with people.

 

Q: How did you actually land your first client?

A: I landed my first clients through former co-workers and existing business contacts.  It has been amazing!

 

Q: What is something that many aspiring solopreneurs think they need but they actually don’t? 

A: Based on my experience so far, I would say formal marketing services.  On LinkedIn, I receive sales emails all the time, people offering to generate leads for me, or do marketing, or branding. I’ve found that what I developed and designed through the PICA Bootcamp has served me well.  Conversations with other more experienced solopreneurs have taught me that my website, marketing, services, and overall approach will continue to evolve, and that this evolution is normal.

 

Q: If people want to emulate what you’re doing, how would they do that?

A: I would recommend joining PICA and enrolling in the Bootcamp if they have recently launched their business or are about to.  For anyone thinking about whether this is the right path, PICA has a course that helps explore all the questions you should ask before deciding if being a solopreneur is right for you. I found the exploration extremely helpful because this path is not for everyone. It is ever-changing, dynamic, and unpredictable. There are many challenges, there are highs and lows, both financially, emotionally, and professionally.  Personally, I enjoy the challenges because it's kind of how I'm wired.  I embrace the complexity, the change, and the unpredictability.  But if you're someone who values consistency and predictability and/or your financial situation makes solopreneurship risky, you should thoroughly evaluate all aspects of this decision.

Q: How can people find out more about you or connect with you?

A: They can reach out to me through my website or on LinkedIn.

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