Name:
Tameka L. Taylor, Ph.D
Company Name: Compass Consulting Services, LLC
Web Site Address:
www.compassconsultingservices.com
Member Since: 2008
What was your “Ah Ha” moment that prompted the launch of your home business? After working for an organization for almost 14 years, it was time for a change. While looking for a job to work for someone else, I had several interviews and didn’t feel like I was finding a good match in terms of environment, mission, or money; I kept coming back to the concept of consulting but kept saying it was not an option with me being a single mother of a teenage son, Andre’. I kept coming back to the concept of consulting then I began to pray about it and said, “Lord, do you want me to do consulting? I need to know this is what you want me to do and I will step out on faith as long as I know that this is what you want and not what I want just for a change of environment.” Soon after I prayed that prayer, the answers started coming at me. Then I said, “Ok Lord, I get it and will step out because this is what you want me to do right now.”
Meanwhile, my business partner (Ruth Ramos), whom I had worked with in the past and we continued to be in contact with each other, called and asked me if I was serious about starting my own business. I told her yes, and that we should meet and discuss if we are interested in going in the same direction. We had a couple meetings, and then Compass Consulting Services, LLC was born.
Best thing you have done for your home business? This is a hard question to answer because we have done so many important things for the business that have contributed to our success thus far. I think one of the best things that we have done for our business is using a variety of means to market and publicize our business. We have used traditional networking opportunities at events. We have placed advertisements in books and listings in directories. We have moderated panel discussions and conducted presentations at conferences. Initially we sent out about 1,100 postcards announcing our new business. With there being an age difference between Ruth and me, we have used both LinkedIn (more me) and Facebook (more her) in terms of utilizing social media. I have a twitter account that I have an idea of how I want to use it more but haven’t been able to implement it. Additionally, we had an Open House at the downtown COSE office to introduce ourselves to the community. Not to mention our website, brochures, and packets that we distribute as well. We have also spent countless number of hours meeting with people in the community to introduce ourselves and our services which has led to our going National within this first year. Both of us blog or write as experts for different organizations. We are firm believers that one size doesn’t fit all and that all of these methodologies are important tools to use to make Compass Consulting Services a household name. We had our first anniversary celebration in October.
What is something that is truly unique about how you run your business and care for clients? As an organization that focuses on diversity and inclusion, we believe in building relationships with our clients and getting to know our clients. We work with our clients so they feel like they are special and only the only client that we have. We customize all of our workshops specifically to meet the individual needs of each our clients. We do not use a “cookie cutter” model that takes a program “off the shelf” that we use with all clients. We view our clients as our partners and collaborators, not just our clients.
What is your secret to striking work/life balance? I don’t always have the work/life balance under control and often the work outweighs the life, especially the social part of the life. Although, it sometimes means being creative and often working during non-traditional hours once Andre’ is in bed or finished bonding with me for the evening. For example, I stopped working the other day at 3:00 to go to my son’s first high school football game, and then I got back working about 8:30 that evening. I often have work with me in the car so as I play chauffeur for my son and wait for him after practices and games, I can be managing my time well and taking advantage of every moment.
One thing that does help me is taking advantage of working at the COSE space particularly at Corporate College East. When I leave there, I can stop working for awhile, sometimes for several hours and other times for the rest of the day. Just the action of stopping work forces me to shut it down. Although, as a business owner, I feel like I never shut it all the way down, making the work/life balance a challenge.
What is your biggest challenge in running a home business? The biggest challenge is capacity. As a business owner, I along with Ruth has so many roles that we must be in such as the President & CEO, CFO, IT Department, Sales, Marketing, HR, Support Staff, Curriculum Designer, Presenter, etc. There is always so much to do and not enough hours to do it while doing it well. Therefore, making it hard to stop working during reasonable hours and not keeping so many late nights.
What advice would you have for those looking to start a home business? Be prepared to work harder than you probably have ever worked in the past. I remember when telling my Grandmother that I was going to start my own business, her saying to me, “Starting your own business is hard work,” and I told her, “that I have worked hard for other people for over the last twenty years. And that at least my hard work would be for me.” While I had worked hard for others for years, I didn’t know what hard work was until I started working for myself. Knowing that what I put into it determines what I will get out of it. However, it doesn’t matter because of the passion that I have for the business and the work that Ruth and I are doing, I don’t mind the hard work and long hours. I can see the blossoms occurring from seeds that I have planted and sometimes it was from months before, but the flowers still look beautiful once they bloom.
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