This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Women on The Run, PART I

Interview series featuring female entrepreneurs. Those spotlighted explain why the went into business, how they did it, and what challenges they have met along the way.

Eve Laments Blog offered its first installment in its series today on women who run their own businesses. Our first featured business owner is Jerilyn Willin, Founder and Principal of JWillin Consulting, Ltd. I had the pleasure of interviewing Jerilyn about her long-standing, successful consulting business.

CWF: It’s inspiring to talk with someone who had the courage to leave the security of an existing business to go out on her own. How frightening was that?

Jerilyn:  Not as frightening as it might have been. My department had fallen victim to an acquisition so I had a severance package that paid me for the better part of a year. I asked myself, “When will someone pay me to start my own business again?” What was scary was when I was within two weeks of my drop dead date for acquiring a client and I had not yet done so. Needless to say I signed someone before my deadline.

Find out what's happening in Peachtree Cornerswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

CWF: How long ago did you make the leap from employee to business owner?

Jerilyn: I’m proud to say JWillin Consulting celebrates its 15th birthday on June 1.

Find out what's happening in Peachtree Cornerswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

CWF: What field do you consult within?

Jerilyn: Organization development (OD) and performance consulting.

CWF: That’s an interesting, but large field. What services within that field do you provide to your clients?

Jerilyn: I help businesses and individuals enhance their performance by partnering with them to look at processes, behaviors, and relationships. Depending on the need, this can be done in a team setting, through individual coaching, or organization-wide.

CWF: Why did you go into business for yourself?

Jerilyn: I wanted to take a risk and see if I could indeed do so. I had had a boss who encouraged me to challenge myself. So glad I tried. I have learned so much about myself and what I can accomplish.

CWF: Job elimination is an all-too familiar situation these days, and I’m sure many readers are currently in the same boat and weighing their options. What credentials did you need to go into O D, and to start your own business within that field?

Jerilyn: To go into OD, I’d recommend a Master’s degree. Today you see a lot of PhDs as well. To start your own business, I tell people you need to be comfortable with uncertainty, belief in yourself and your product, discipline, and a passion for what you are doing. It is also a blessing to have a supportive significant other. If you are thinking about becoming a coach and you are not a master’s level therapist, go to a good program to get certified in coaching. Right now there are no standards. Anyone can hang out a shingle as a coach. Don’t be one of those who think anyone can do it. Go to a reputable program. Yes, it will cost thousands of dollars, but you (and your clients) will be glad you did.

CWF: What kind of problems might one encounter if not sufficiently prepared by a certified coaching program?

Jerilyn:  Being an effective coach means asking powerful questions, listening for patterns and themes, keeping your own biases out of the equation and knowing what assessments are out there and how to use and interpret them. Right now there is no regulation around the coaching industry. Being credentialed or certified says you have background and education; you aren’t just someone who thinks coaching is giving advice and is hanging out a shingle.

CWF: What skills and talents have been most useful to you in making your business viable?

Jerilyn: Listening, relationship building, perseverance, skill in asking questions, comfort in getting out and talking to people, flexibility.

CWF: What is the most challenging aspect of running your business?

Jerilyn: Without a doubt, marketing. After 15 years I still struggle with marketing.

CWF: I’ve talked with many people who give that same answer. I think that, except for the most “salesy” of us, we struggle with continuing to market every day even when we are in the thick of operations or service provision. How do you make time for the sales portion of your business?

Jerilyn: I make time for it because without it I will not have clients in the pipeline. Marketing is crucial. In my field cold calling doesn’t work (thank goodness). Clients don’t trust their employees to someone they don’t know or haven’t heard of. Building trust and relationships takes time. Truth be told, in some cases it has been a couple years between first meeting and first contract. I can honestly say however that I treasure everyone I work with. That is another joy of self-employment. You don’t have to work with people you don’t respect.

CWF: What is the most rewarding part of running your own business?

Jerilyn: The fact that I’m in charge of my own success and the lifestyle it allows.

CWF: How does your lifestyle differ from your days in corporate America?

Jerilyn:  How doesn’t it? There is so much face time in corporate America. When I am not with a client at their facility, I work from home. Working from home means I can accept a speaking engagement at the noon hour or put in some hours at the resale shop I co-manage, or be, as I was, with my mom during her final days and not feel guilty. I can check my voice mail and email from anywhere. It also means I often work nights and weekends, but I know it is temporary. In the summer I am on the road a lot for one of my biggest clients. Often this means flying home Friday night and out again Monday afternoon. There have been times when my husband has asked, “Remember me?”

CWF: What advice would you give to a woman who wants to start her own business?

Jerilyn: Be sure you have the desire and the support it takes to stick with it. Starting a business is not a part-time venture. Start building relationships and networking before you are looking for clients. Be interested in the people first before you want something from them. Have a good nest egg so that you are not desperate. Learn as much as you can about the business side of the business. You will wear all the hats for a while. Read two books: Do What You Love For The Rest of Your Life (Bob Griffiths) and The E Myth Revisited (Michael Gerber.) Both books can be found by clicking on the links beneath this post.

CWF: What advice can give to women who would like to start businesses in your field?

Jerilyn: Get a good foundation in the corporate world and build a strong reputation there. If you know you eventually want to have your own practice, keep your eyes on that prize and see all the things you do in the corporate world as learning opportunities. Take classes in marketing and sales. You will do almost as much of that as you will consulting and coaching.

CWF: How long did you work in the corporate world before going off on your own, and what industries did you work in?

Jerilyn: I was a psychotherapist for six years before I went corporate. I was in corporate life for 11 years. I was in retail (Walgreen Co) for two years, banking (Federal Reserve Bank Chicago) for two years, and manufacturing (Helene Curtis) for seven years.

CWF: I read somewhere that you’ve worked internationally as well as within the USA. Is that something you aspired to do, or did it fall into your lap?

Jerilyn: Two colleagues and I developed a performance management system for a company which we rolled out in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. International consulting sounds exotic, but although I am “passport ready”, it is not something I seek out.

CWF: You’re known for your great sense of humor both on and off the job. What is the funniest thing that ever happened to you while running your own show?

Jerilyn: Hmmm. What springs to mind is a presentation I gave to a group of small business owners. They had set up a platform from which I was to speak. I am not always the most graceful person, so I told them I preferred speaking from the ground. When the presentation was over, I turned to get the handouts I wanted to distribute. I had totally forgotten about the platform. I tripped on it and did one of those huge, cartoony pratfalls where you grasp frantically at the air before you fall. Splat! Only when they saw me laughing did these gentlemen allow themselves to guffaw. Stuff happens. It’s why I never wear stilettos.

CWF: It’s been a pleasure talking with you. Thank you for sharing your insights with Eve Laments’ readers. I’d like to talk with you soon about your fabulous book, Deep, Deeper, Deeper Still, which you coauthored with Wendy M. Warden.

 

Readers: Visit Eve Laments Blog @ colleenwalshfong.com to purchase Deep, Deeper, Deeper Still.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Peachtree Corners