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 area of specialty?
A: I'm Kathleen Hustad, and I'm the founder and CEO of Bloom44. We're a specialized marketing company that focuses on using our 13 plus years of expertise honed at a Fortune 5 healthcare company. Bloom44 is a B2B2C specialized marketing firm. We are the Rosetta Stone that helps small to midsize companies translate what their value proposition is convince executives at larger companies to purchase my client’s services. I really love helping human centered companies get more sales and reach more healthcare consumers, which benefits wellbeing.
Q: Do you emphasize healthcare, or do you serve other industries?
A: Bloom44 focuses solely on healthcare.
Q: How did you name your business and/or why did you name it Bloom44SM?
A: It was an evolution that mirrors my lived experience. Initially, I named my company Minnesota Mama Innovations (MMI) because I wanted a name to be really close to my identity and my belief in innovating for a better world. Then, thankfully, I got a lot of feedback MMI was not resonating, and people were not sure what I did.
At that time, the logo was a butterfly because it represented how I help clients transform and in parallel my personal journey as I shifted out of my comfort zone in corporate America to being self-employed. But that still wasn’t doing it for me, so I meditated on it for some time. Then, I thought of having a blooming flower as my logo. It symbolizes the process of developing a value proposition story. It takes time to grow and bloom a client’s value proposition story. The number 44 symbolizes ascension and how I help my clients achieve new levels of growth.
Q: How long have you been independent?
A: Since December 2020, so right in the depth of the pandemic.
Q: Why did you decide to go independent? Did the pandemic have something to do with it?
A: The pandemic had everything to do with it! At the time, my seven-year-old son was in first grade, and we were facing another year of remote learning. I could tell a reorganization was being planned where I worked. Honestly, the writing was on the wall. There were a lot of job reductions and even though I was always a top performer, I never in a million years thought I would raise my hand for a lay off package. But it was a very unprecedented time, and I knew I could not work full time until my son could be back in school at a dependable level. So, I raised my hand for a layout package that gave me the springboard to really step back and launch my independent consulting business. I am very grateful for the experience that my former employer provided for the opportunity during those unprecedented times.
Q: It must have been a little scary anyway since we were in a pandemic. What was your biggest fear, uncertainty, or doubt (FUD) about making the leap to self-employment?
A: I think it’s probably the same that most people would say - how am I going to make a sustainable income doing this independently?
Q: Other than raising your hand to get the layoff package, how did you go about starting your own business?
A: It was definitely a quest! It makes me think of Odysseus in The Odyssey. When I volunteered for the layoff package, I did not have any plans. I dove in feet first. I started the process of shaping the company in late November of 2020. By late spring of 2021, I was seeing early success from some initial consulting gigs from people in my network provided. I made the choice to focus solely on health care consulting, which is pretty broad. Yet, I was not sure how to start and run a consulting business. Thankfully, I found PICA in July 2021. I went to several of PICA’s workshops and that really helped me focus and use best practices that I did not have to create on my own. Joining PICA also gave me access to a lot of templates and information that helped me better understand what it was really going to take to be an independent consultant. PICA helped me with things like how to get my website done, marketing, and end to end business ownership.
I would say things really started taking off when I joined the Solo Consulting Bootcamp and had Liz guiding me. It had been a challenge to narrow down my niche and develop my marketing. The collaborative, interactive sessions truly helped me leapfrog from where I was and took so much of the struggle out of it. I do not even know how many years it took off of my learning curve! The emotional support of Liz and the colleagues in my cohort, and the office hours helped so much, too. I keep in regular touch with those colleagues, and we support each other in our business, so the network is invaluable. That was the first time that I felt like “These are my people, my tribe of professionals.” [Editor’s Note: PICA’s 8-week Solo Consulting Bootcamp is currently mid-stream. Send us a note if you would like to be notified when the next one is scheduled.]
Q: What's one thing you know now that you wish you had known in December of 2020 or earlier?
A: How much fun it can be! In corporate, you are only working within your own company, but as an independent consultant you are working with so many interesting clients. It is fun to go into these different companies and sharing valuable expertise I have gleaned over the years. To see that make an impact was something I never imagined was possible. It has just been an exceptional journey! Once I was able to let go of the fear and the doubt it has just been so much fun.
Q: What has been the biggest challenge or struggle?
A: my biggest challenge was honing in on my niche. The bootcamp really helped me iterate that and I then took it to my trusted advisors, mentors, and potential clients. Someone like me with years of experience has so many skills, but I had to whittle down that process. I am actually still working on that.
Q: What was one of your big breakthroughs in terms of getting your first client? How did that happen?
A: My first two projects were a turning point for me because I was focusing on other innovative pillars where I would commercialize the service or product. After a while I realized that was like a needle in a haystack. Then in March 2021 I took on my first true consulting client, a contact from my former network. They just cold called me and said, “We have these projects, we think you’d be good at it.” It was just very humbling that out of the blue they would reach out to me. [Editor’s note: Undoubtedly, Kathleen did something to trigger this!]
Then in a month later I landed my first big client, and I was able to bill my internal hourly rate from my old company and I thought, “That’s really high.” But that is when I started to see the value in the thought leadership I brought to the table. I think that is when I realized that this was very feasible for me to have an income once I had that sustainable process built. That is when I knew this was a good path to the flexible life that I wanted to have and also allow me to serve a variety of clients and make an even bigger difference in the healthcare system.
Q: What is next for you and Bloom44?
A: I am looking to scale. I have a lot of systems and processes in place, and it is just a matter of time and the right opportunity to start that process. I have seen several mentors successfully scale and build a diverse, talented team that delivers excellent client service while getting meaningful work life balance. So that is my goal.
My business is a social enterprise that gives back 10% of profits to the community so the other benefit is as Bloom44 grows, my community impact increases. I find that rewarding.
Q: How can someone find out more about you or Bloom44?
A: The best place to find me is to look me up on LinkedIn under my personal page. You can also find Bloom44 on LinkedIn or you can search #Bloom44 on LinkedIn. I also have a ton of information on my website and encourage anyone interested in partnering on consulting projects to reach out.
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