BBB #2: Gardening and Building A Consulting Business From Scratch

I fell in love with planting last year 2020.

What else is there to do when you have lockdowns every now and then and imminent threats of the pandemic? So, I devoted a portion of my self-care time to tending my own urban garden from scratch.

I found myself getting amazed by the "miracle" of how plants grow from helpless seeds. Since then, I planted from what I had at the time: kitchen scraps, seeds from fruits, vegetable cuttings.

What started with just 5 insulin plants I bought for my father's diabetic medical supplement, ended with these tiny inventory of plants located in my home's 1st and 2nd floor balcony: 20 papaya mini trees, 1 eggplant, 19 insulin plants, 12 bell pepper plants, 15 squash plants, 13 calamansi plants, 1 pineapple, 2 peanuts, 2 onions

I transitioned to fully working from home in 2020. Tending to my fragile plants and seeing life blossom right in front of me every single day, I cannot help but see the vivid comparison with the consulting business I built from scratch the same year.

Preparing the soil

A quick backstory on how I started: Last June 2019, I left my 7-year directorship posts in a local accounting firm: Assurance and Advisory, Corporate Communications and Professional Training & Development.

I was looking for a new kind of challenge and a job that's closer to home.

Luckily, I landed a role as Finance Head and CFO-in-charge for the then leaving CFO of a startup renewable energy integrator on October 2019.

In both jobs, I intentionally learned what I had to learn. Developing skills and experiences that will help me with my long-term plan of being an entrepreneur myself required stretching of my own capabilities and limitations.

Then the pandemic hit and the Philippines was in lockdown in March 2020. The already long hours spent in my role went to drag on longer as the lines between personal and work time blurred.

I faced burn out, add to it the daily stresses of worker layoffs and threats of the COVID-19 virus.

Like a stroke of grace, a friend who was pushing me to pursue my zone of genius gave me a copy of the book called "The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level" by Gay Hendricks. I guess that book clearly changed my life perspective and reminded me to go back to my experiences and dreams to discover my zone of genius.

Like magic, I figured the path I knew I'm going to take: consulting. I like talking to people, solving problems and building businesses.

To make the longer story short, I left my CFO role on July 17, 2020 and did not apply for new jobs. Instead, I laid the groundwork and the soil of my career path, leading me to uncover what my strengths and weaknesses are.

Extending this personal SWOT analysis also led me to discover also the opportunities I have at hand. I also had to arrange my affairs with my previous job, making sure I have no unfinished activities.

July 18, 2020 - My first day of being self-employed and by another stroke of grace, an inbound prospect came knocking on my inbox for my accounting services. I closed that special short project on the spot. This came in the time when I was not yet intentionally spreading the word about what I do.

Call it luck or coincidence, but I figured that since I have been actively giving value in my network long before I jumped ship, both online and offline, some opportunities were actually low-hanging fruits on the tree.

Planting good seeds

Despite the good start, I refused to be complacent. Figuring that I am doing this all-in, no Plan B in place for my source of income, I set out to taking big, bold, slow but strategic moves. These 5 good seeds I planted have no assurance of how massive the results will be but I trusted the process.

Became clear on who I want to serve.

Before even trying to package my services, I had to be clear about the client segment I want to serve. In this way, I will not waste precious time and energy trying to cater to everyone.

Remember: if you serve everyone, you serve no one.

Became clear on who I am not and what I will not do

I went the opposite end of the pole by identifying who I am not and what I will not do. Working this out was easier since I made a personal inventory of myself, my experiences, skills and goals. With this, I became more intentional with every action I take for my consulting business.

The clock was ticking for me and I don't want my little savings to dwindle as I bootstrap my ventures.

Optimized my accounts

I worked on developing the controllable half of my personal brand by optimizing my social media accounts. Decided on the platforms to use and the voice and messaging I will use, I let my network know about what I do and who I serve. Check how I do it on LinkedIn.

The other uncontrollable half of my personal brand was a result of what my audience is talking about me and that is precious in helping me gain momentum.

Sought out industry leaders and my ideal clients

Knowing that the best way for me to learn is to get my hands dirty and crawl in the mud trenches of my chosen client segment, I sought out industry leaders and some of my ideal clients.

My goal was not to pitch anything of what I do, but to simply get on quality and meaningful conversations with them.

I got so immersed in these conversations that I quickly learned the ropes and identified "gaps" where I can help. Without even pitching, these first few conversations led to referrals and a richer network a few weeks later.

Documented my progress

To hold myself accountable for the progress, I documented my journey. This also kept my feet on the ground and align my vision whenever the cloud of "impostor's syndrome" overshadows my best intentions.

I documented things like calls, connects, closed deals and financial metrics. In this way, I have an objective way of evaluating my business.

When we plant, we don't bury the seed and unearth it from time to time to check if something grows. We trust the growth process to take its time.

I also took this cultivation time to become clear on my services and the gaps that I am trying to fill for my clients.

Cultivating relationships

Meanwhile, my most favorite part of the process is cultivating relationships. Like cultivating the soil to prepare the land for plant growth, it takes a certain level of commitment and authenticity to build meaningful connections.

Loosening the soil was tantamount to following the concept of "Know, Like and Trust".

I became genuinely interested in people. I try to see the human behind the business.

Networking became a planting ordeal rather than a hunting escapade.

Nurturing conversations

The greatest asset I have in my consulting business is in the depth of conversations I have with my network.

Like water, sunlight and fertilizer to my plants, conversations seasoned with best intentions and value nurtured the cultivated connections I built.

I discovered and learned a lot just by talking to people. These conversations are worth a gem than textbook concepts out there.

Harvesting fruits

As a natural result of consistent cultivation and nurturing, flowers bloom and fruits grow. It may have taken time for some but the wait is definitely worth it. Being able to work with some of my dream clients in a span of months validates the process I used.

Now, I found a lucrative and strategic livelihood that has VALUE and IMPACT at its forefronts.

Now, I am focusing on rinsing and repeating this process over and over again. Welcoming the years to come with a clear career path, greener home and more plants and clients is a prize I will gladly embrace.

Today, this consulting practice eventually grew into what is THRIVE Global CFO now. As of this writing, we are 10 people strong in the team.

Here is a fast recap:

1. Preparing the soil

2. Planting good seeds

3. Cultivating relationships

4. Nurturing conversations

5. Harvesting fruits