As Kris said in What Does a Consultant Look Like, the landscape for consulting has changed and as such, you would be hard-pressed to come up with one description of a consultant. That’s why we are excited to kick-off our Consulting Spotlight Series.
Kris and I believe that consulting as a career can work for people of all ages, with a wide variety of marketable skills, across geographies, and with various levels of experience.
We hope to show you this by sharing the stories of a variety of professionals who have chosen to provide their expertise in the market on their own terms.
For our first Consultant Spotlight blog, we are excited to feature Valory Myers, Founder of InAct. First, learn about Valory and her business, InAct. Then, read through our interview with her below to learn about her consulting journey, time with LEAP, and more!
Meet Valory Myers
At InAct, Valory helps clients attract and retain high-value customers using her skills in market research and her passion for building a framework for long-term growth. By leveraging a variety of research techniques – secondary desk research, in-depth interviews, focus groups, online surveys and more – she surfaces the key insights to address the urgent business questions. Clients are able to take action and focus the business for better results and outcomes through the clarity these insights provide.
Learn more about Valory and InAct by visiting her website or finding her on LinkedIn.
What prompted you to become a consultant?
I have been consulting for years as part of larger market research firms. I always enjoyed the variety and ability to help provide clients the insights they need to take action with confidence. However, I was a road warrior, serving Fortune 500 clients coast to coast and around the world. I wanted to become an independent consultant to have the opportunity to serve organizations in my own backyard. By being independent, more organizations can afford to invest in market research that would have been out of reach otherwise.
Why do you feel that consulting is the career path for you?
I enjoy learning about new and diverse industries and organizations and bringing my broad experience with a variety of fields to bear. As an independent consultant, I’m able to bring a fresh perspective and help clients find new ways forward to strengthen their brand and business results. It’s gratifying to have the opportunity to conduct research that helps provide clarity and renewed focus.
How has LEAP helped you?
I participated in LEAP about a year into my independent consulting business, and it was so valuable, I wish I had done it earlier! It really helped me to be more intentional about defining my business model, value proposition and process.
After participating in LEAP, I secured a much larger client engagement (2-3X larger than I had done before) and I was able to build a much stronger pipeline. Kris and Katie provided a lot of helpful tools and ideas, as well as a supportive network and confidence boost at just the right time to help set me up for success!
What advice would you give someone considering consulting?
Truly reflect and be honest with yourself before making the leap. While I love the perks of being an independent consultant – flexibility, income potential, ability to focus on work you love, etc. – consulting isn’t for everyone. It requires a high level of discipline, drive, and ability to wear different hats – you are responsible for marketing, sales, finance, IT, operations.
Even if you’re feeling pretty confident about entering the world of consulting, I would advise participating in the LEAP Launch Series to validate if it’s right for you, and to position yourself for a faster route to success.
Discover if consulting is right for you.
At LEAP, we have resources that can help you on your consulting journey.
First, we encourage you to explore our free consulting downloads and resources. Here you’ll find helpful information on Kris’s book Owning It: Take Control of Your Life, Work, And Career, and more. Click here to access the resources.
Then, when you know you want to start your own small consulting or freelancing business, we invite you to check out our Launch Series.
Here’s to a meaningful career,
Katie
