I started a business in early 2015 and by the end of 2016, I had to shut it down. Prior to starting my own business, I amassed a ton of experience with process improvement and change management. You can read more about me gaining that experience in the first post here. In post two, I’ll get into why I started my own business.

In 2014

the large insurance company I worked for since 2003 underwent some management changes. While I wasn’t laid off or demoted, I did get a bit of a wake up call. At that point in my career, I had a choice to make. The choice was to become a lifer at my current company – the one I “grew up” with OR spread my wings, test my knowledge, and move on to something new. After some thought and seeing people that had spent 30+ years with one company getting let go, I decided my best choice was to gain more experience with another company.

It only took

me two months to land a new job. The new job was in Chicago with a very, very large and very, very well known company across the globe. I took a job managing projects utilizing my process improvement background. In this new role, along with the one I had recently departed, I acted as an internal consultant. I met new people in different departments and my job was to figure out what gave them headaches and then fix it. That’s when the idea for my own business hit me.

Being a bit

of an internal consultant myself, I spent a lot of time building resources. From PowerPoint presentations to Excel workbooks to week long training curriculums, I did it all. On a regular basis, colleagues from across the globe would reach out and ask for advice and or templates to use on their projects. The problem was, I couldn’t always share what I had because it was confidential to the company I was working for. The solution – create my own company and utilize my knowledge to build an online community of experts and resources for those experts to use in their projects.

Within months, my business was born. I spent many hours researching how to set up a business. Was it better to set up an LLC or a Corporation? Did I need an Operating Agreement or Bylaws? Could I do my own taxes for the business? How much money was it going to take to get it up and running and could I afford it?

After completing

my homework, nailing down a doable budget, and getting the appropriate paperwork filed with the state, it was time for me to start building the business I was immensely excited about. In post three, I’ll take you through building process. From websites to partnering with an artist half a world away, bringing my business to life was an adventure all its own. Post three to follow soon! In the meantime, check out additional posts here.