My professional career has had a lot of variety over the last 20 or so years. From SaaP, to retail, to dot.com startup, to high level staffing consultancy, to for-profit higher education...It has been a journey full of ups and downs and experience gained via mistakes and successes. Part of me has always had the dream to go out into the world and do something on my own, make my own mark and leave a positive footprint while collaborating with others. So, I finally am attempting to take that step out into the abyss and go at things on my own. I am both thrilled and panic-stricken at the same time.
Very recently, I formed The CoLab Group, LLC, a niche business development and brand ambassador consulting firm focused on serving small businesses and startups in Indiana (follow me on twitter @colabgroup2015). My goal is to help companies capture more revenue generating opportunities while improving their brand viability. Most small businesses must focus on daily operations and have limited resources when it comes to hiring a full-time biz dev person that can go out, represent their brand/product effectively and identify, qualify and close partnership opportunities. A recent article by George N. Root III entitled "What Are the Struggles of Small Business Owners?" highlights the issue of time management for small business owners and the difficulties associated with giving attention to every aspect of their business, including sales and marketing activities. It is my goal to be able to provide these services while also improving the overall small business/startup environment of the greater Indianapolis market.
I don't know where this adventure is going to lead me. But one thing I do know is that I wouldn't have been able to do it without the support of a fellow entrepreneur, my wife. Her confidence in me provided me with the spark that I needed to take that giant step into the unknown. Additionally, Launch Fishers provided me the opportunity to interact with dozens and dozens of other entrepreneurs in a collaborative environment with people all pursuing their own dreams. There is no lack of inspiration or effort with the people that I get to meet and interact with on a daily basis. By being around so many inspirational entrepreneurs, the abyss already seems a lot less scary.
