This is a common dilemma we all go through when starting out on our own as a consultant, auditor, contractor, trainer, coach! You are not alone!
I get it. It can be confusing! When you are starting out – what is it that you will focus on? You could be an auditor, consultant, trainer, coach, or a contractor OR all of these things! I’ve been through this confusion myself.
When I first started out, I focused on being a consultant because that’s what I wanted to do. Through different experiences, my path took a different turn and I ended up becoming a certification auditor. This is what I discovered that I loved doing more. I would never have discovered this if I didn’t start at all. I had to make a
start to experience and learn what else was out there.
On a similar note, I was listening to a podcast this morning and the guy that was being interviewed was a Writer.
He was saying that when he was first discovering what it was that he wanted to do (while he worked in a bookstore, did some editing, and wrote some magazine articles), he didn’t want to pigeonhole himself into saying he was a Writer. He was afraid that this would exclude him from all the other things that come along with being a writer. He discovered that as a writer, he could still edit and write magazine articles AND work in a bookstore!
We may have one core focus however this does come along with all of the secondary options as well.
I'm going through a very similar thing at the moment with kicking off my new website www.jackiestapleton.com. I have changed my services, what they are called and what I do about 3 or 4 times already. I keep changing my mind or changing how I want to introduce it to the world! I have to take my own advice and just get started and see what it turns into. I need to pick a core service and take it from there. It will surely grow and change as I and my client base grow and change too. Don’t overcomplicate things!
Another work colleague of mine is an IMS Consultant. She loves systems and processes, however soon found that working with some clients and auditors is definitely NOT what she wants. Through this experience, though she has found building clients systems in a specific software program IS what she wants. So that is what she's focusing on in her business now. So, she had to experience the frustration that went along with consulting to then find what she actually enjoys doing and actually does really well.
It's sort of like when your kids leave school, isn't it? And you tell them that they need to experience the world and find out what it is that they love. They can then go and study or follow that path with a bit more experience behind them.
For me, that process took about 25 years! I'm still discovering new things too, so it probably never really stops.
So, remember, I think the key takeaway for this is just to get started. You can see it on your backside, you can keep changing your mind over and over and over again, but you just need to get started and you'll find your path naturally.
If you need any help with getting started or career advice, just let me know or comment below, and I'm only too happy to help!
Note – this is an excerpt from the Auditor Training Online Facebook Live, view the video here.