This is what a mission-based consulting firm looks like

I have been leading and consulting on projects for more than a decade now. I have worn many hats, from software engineer, musician, dancer, director, choreographer, organizer and more. This year, I wanted a shift but didn’t know where to start. I hadn't been charging for consulting people though. I didn’t even see it for myself but I wanted a shift and didn’t know where to go or where to start.

That's actually me 10 years ago climbing Mt. Washington with a storm coming.

My Journey

I started my journey out by hiring a career coach named Ellen Guggenheim out of Chicago, (she assured me that she has no relations to the famous family line), I had found her on Thumbtack and her reviews were top notch so I said why not. I told her I wanted to insert myself into another industry. The issue was that I wore so many hats, I didn't know where I would fit. I found myself a role as a project manager and wanted Ellen to do her best to shove me in there. She voiced her opinion that it wasn’t the right choice for me and that I should make use of my experience as a consultant. I was immediately against the idea because I know how much work it takes.

As the process went on, I was asked to help out an organization as a consultant. I have helped many people out before but It was the first time I figured, hey let’s try this consultant thing out. I reached out to my good friend Joseph who is a well established marketing consultant out of Chicago and was like…HELP! Him and I also have a nice working relationship since he does the marketing for the events I throw with my non profit, Lakaï Arts Inc. I have learned a lot from him over the years and he walked me through the meticulous process. I drafted a proposal and went at it like I was a full-time consultant. One of the best decisions I had made because I quickly realized that I got to apply every hat I had ever worn in this position. Research is the glue that ties everything I do. I love research and I love to learn. I went back to my career coach and told her to stop all the work she was doing and to now focus on helping me become a consultant full time. She happily obliged, and had it not been for her pushback, I would have been narrowing myself into a role I only wanted out of convenience.

Starting McKersin Consulting

Part of starting the firm was to then think about, now what? I am in a lot of fields with many different people. I then decided to focus on mission-based work. I didn’t want to be a consultant for just anybody. My mission is to always help people, and what better way to help people than to help those whose mission it is to do the same. Essentially, helping people help people. I had grown up in less than desirable circumstances and as I started to come up in the world I had vowed to always reach out a hand to help others up because I know exactly what it feels like to be on the bottom rung of society and to feel helpless. 

Cool, you got the idea of why you want to do it, now what. What came after was a lot of late nights on my self built PC researching and researching. I was doing the tasks that Ellen had given to me for homework and even after her services had ended, there was so much to learn about the world of consulting. Had it not been for the 2 Chicagoans I would be lost. To the mission of what I am all about, I would have never done it had it not been for support and community. It is hard to move in the industry of trying to bring about change alone. Which brings us to our next part.

Crafting Our Mission

“Our mission is to empower organizations through innovative consulting solutions that promote inclusivity, efficiency, and growth. We foster an environment where every voice is heard, every effort is recognized, and every goal is achievable. By empowering individuals and communities through the organizations we partner with, we strive to help our clients achieve their goals by providing expert guidance and support. Our collective efforts ensure a lasting impact.”

What a mission right! I wanted to avoid too much jargon because my goal isn’t to shut out anybody and want to be able to work with people within my community and my peers in the arts scene. I have worked in roles where you sit in a room and all you hear is people throwing a bunch of big words around in order to flex their education and degrees only to then use some of that same jargon to communicate with the people they serve. Don’t do that! 

I want to play a support role for the people who are on the ground doing the work. I want to empower them to be able to do their jobs easier. When writing this mission I thought to myself that I want to be a part of the society I wish to see us become in the future. I can’t see this vision alone, and in doing this work, I can help others achieve a similar vision.

Is it good to be a Jack of all trades?

One of the hardest parts for me in starting this was trying to narrow down my expertise. How do I put into words what I am actually good at? Being a victim of imposter syndrome, I would always think that maybe I dabbled around too much and didn’t actually know what I was talking about. To this day, I still grapple with that. I sometimes stare into the mirror while brushing my teeth, thinking eventually the jig will be up. It is a dangerous black hole to go down, and once you find yourself there, it is best to hire others to help you out. If it's crippling, I suggest a therapist. If it's blocking you professionally, get a career coach like Ellen, which is what I did.

The process was really affirming and gentle. Through our conversations and my resume, Ellen extracted all the skills and expertise I have and wrote them all down for me to see. I looked at the paper and was like, "Who is this person?!" I thought she had given me another client’s work, but she assured me it was mine. I was speechless; it didn’t feel like the person I thought to be me. It looked better than my perception of myself. But it wasn’t time to wallow in that idea because if I can’t overcome my own insecurities, how could I provide confidence in the work I do as a consultant? Your insecurities will always show up in the work you do. I spent quite some time being an insecure leader, and it affected the confidence of the people I was leading. You have to own who you are in order to be a leader. As your confidence wavers, so will the confidence of those who follow you.

After I had gone through the process with Ellen I had seen that being in this industry, it truly helps to have been in many circles because you can offer a fresh set of ideas in an echo chamber. Through my life experiences I have met a lot of people that are now within my circle that I can connect with others. My diverse experiences have become a strength rather than a weakness. Through my life experiences, I have met a lot of people who are now within my circle that I can connect with others. Being a "Jack of all trades" has allowed me to bring a unique perspective to the table.

Having a broad skill set means I can draw from different fields to find creative solutions to problems. It means I can speak multiple "languages" and bridge gaps between diverse groups of people. To me that is fun, I get to go in and out of different circles to do one job. A valuable asset in the world of consulting.

What services can I offer!?

The whole process was hard because there are so many cool things I love to do. I love to build cars and vehicles for people. I love to help people start their for-profit businesses. I love to give people ideas in tech and more. All these things, I realized, no longer fit with the mission I had written above. This focus helped me determine what services I could offer. Starting with a mission statement in anything definitely helps you focus. It doesn’t mean I can’t do those things anymore; it just means that there is a time and place for everything, as I have heard all my life. All the services the firm offers are based on things I have done in the communities I serve. All the services speak to a different side and piece of me. From my time as an educator, to my time throwing festivals, and putting on my own events and productions. I added services that I saw lacking in many projects and organizations in my city of Boston. Things that I saw could propel my favorite city, the city of championships, Boston, into being the best it can be.

A better world for most?

I want to be a part of the society I envision for the future, one where we all support each other in achieving our goals. Through McKersin Consulting, I can help others achieve a similar vision, and together, we can create a better world. I am not one to think that the world will be all rainbows with this work, you have to set realistic goals. Examples like working with an organization that provides food resources and knowing that 25 more families can afford food in the city of Boston is a huge step in that envisioned world. It is about the steps that lead to your dream that matter in this work. Sometimes that small win is somebody's life goal.  All the things I have spent my years doing and all the seats I have been in, all the different conversations in different dialects, languages in the different parts of the world I have been in have all led to this.

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I leave you with this question: What do you feel like is your calling in the world? No calling is too small or too large. Leave a comment below, I want to hear everybody’s thoughts!