July 2006
Question
I have 2 years experience in HR, studying for HRCI exam and pursuing graduate degree in HR Management. What jobs would provide me the valuable experience needed which would propel me to me starting a business in this field.
Answer
When you say "in this field" I imagine that you mean becoming a consultant in the human resources management field. If that is correct, I suggest that you get a couple of years as a human resources manager inside an organization. As a consultant, new clients will want to know what you have accomplished. In truth fewer will be interested in your degree. But they will definitely want to know what experiences you have had and what your results have been. Therefore, once you apply for a management job, be sure that it is with an organization that is on the edge of implementing new efforts or starting new projects. It will not always be the largest companies that can give you this experience. Often it will be small ones where your job description will encompass a wide variety of experiences. If there is one particular area that you wish to focus on, such as work-life balance or working with the future workforce, then by all means, select an organization that will give you that experience. Before anyone becomes a consultant, it is incumbent upon the individual to determine what skills and knowledge are required and to write an Individualized Development Plan for how the skills and knowledge are to be attained. Get your experience before you go out on your own. Don't practice on your clients.
Question
I started my business on paper in 2001-2002 as "Metamorphous" while I was doing my Master's in change management. While the name was personally meaningful for me for a variety of reasons, it wasn't "corporate and professional sounding" enough to some. So, I changed the name to Change Solutions Advisors, LLC (sometimes abbreviated as CSA, LLC.) because it at least gave people "some" idea as to what the business is about, broadly speaking. Raising awareness about how change affects people and how "people problems" impact business is great and most people grasp it and acknowledge it. But some still do not. Basically, I'm attempting to promote and provide 4 primary services in my business:
1) Change management skills for leaders.
2) Communication and conflict resolutions skills training for the difficult times.
3) Change management process planning.
4) Strategic change management design.
Change Solution Advisors, LLC is currently focusing on items 1, 2, and 3. However, I made the critical mistake of trying to start my business with item 4 first, which resulted in people looking at me like I had three heads, frankly. Perhaps it is too broad or too advanced. Sadly, I think I wasted a lot of time and energy because I focused on #4 too quickly. Many things in 2005 set me back, so now I need to really hustle.
I started working with a marketing and branding consultant in my despair. He thought one of "the problems" might be the business name, when, retrospectively, it is/was likely my approach and eagerness to get people up to speed on thinking about #4, before taking baby steps.
However, because he advised it, I then spent time on creating a new, potentially more marketable "brand" name that speaks to what I desire to accomplish over time. I looked at Latin words that spoke to me about what it is that I've been attempting, and want, to do, which is: help interdependent people deal with change better in order to prevent costly and unnecessary mistakes while simultaneously transforming workplace relationships and organizational systems to improve business performance and results. As you can perhaps tell, I have a problem being brief, which is a perpetual "developmental opportunity" for me, so I'm still working on condensing this mission statement.
The new name (please do not publish) is a combination of Latin words that mean: bring together, grow out of problems, and creating anew. The tag line would be "changing the way you work." So the question is: shall I change to the new name since I have spent so much time and money on the change? Or keep Change Solution Advisors, LLC?
Answer
I like your new name--as long as the tag line always follows it. Otherwise I am not sure that many people would still know what you did anymore than when you were Metamorphous. You are a very creative person. But don't get too creative! The only reason I would change CSA, LLC is if the name limits explaining what you do--and I think it might. But if you lose clients because you changed your name again, that is not good. You could keep the current name for a year and then make the name change a big event when you get back on your feet for 2006--which I have no doubt in my mind that you will. Changing your name too often confuses clients. That is why you need to spend time early on deciding on exactly the name that you want and ensure that it matches your mission statement.
