Jennifer Tomes

I really attribute my success to genuinely enjoying talking to people and building relationships with them. That's just kind of my specialty - I like talking to people, learning about people, helping them, and building relationships. I found something that pays my bills and I enjoy doing it. I've been in sales for 25 years because I really enjoy that aspect of connecting with people. When we decided to go out on our own with Black Diamond Consulting, it was because we saw the opportunity to grow and meet new people and do things we wouldn't have been able to do working for someone else. We had so many of our own personal contacts outside of the firm we were working with, and we were getting so busy that we knew we had to branch out. One of our biggest accomplishments so far has been getting a giant contract for a commercial building supply client on a national distributor when we went into channel distribution for them. They were ready to outsource and get out of retail to do more wholesale, and they were starting from the ground up. We brought them in and probably about 4 or 5 months in, we got them a huge contract. That's probably the biggest thing we've accomplished so far with what we're doing.

Just be ready to work all the time. My biggest thing is time blocking when you're so busy, it's easy to get flustered because you don't know where to start. So I write everything down and I time block. If I have things that have a deadline, I'm like, okay, this has to be the majority of my day this week because this is the deadline for that. Time blocking and managing your time well, that would be the biggest piece of advice. And then honestly, I would always tell somebody that's ready to go into business for themselves to don't forget to take care of yourself. It's easy to get lost in constantly working 24-7, but don't forget to take care of yourself because burnout is real. Even if it's just taking a couple hours a day or a week, don't forget to do that, because if you don't, you'll go nuts. I know a lot of my business colleagues have mentors, I do not, but I would not recommend that. It's nice to have somebody to fall back on and ask questions, or somebody that's been in that position before to ask what's next. Don't be afraid to ask for help or utilize any resource you can.

The biggest challenges and opportunities in my field right now center around navigating rapid market change while helping organizations build sustainable, scalable growth strategies. Businesses today are under pressure to grow faster with fewer internal resources, which creates tremendous opportunity for outsourced business development, strategic consulting, and revenue operations support. At the same time, industries are adapting to emerging technologies such as AI and data-driven sales systems, making it essential to stay ahead of innovation while maintaining strong relationship-based business practices. I also strongly believe in the importance of protecting personal well-being despite running a demanding business. Burnout is very real in high-performance environments, and I encourage professionals and business leaders to intentionally set aside a few hours each day or dedicate time each week to recharge, reset, and focus on personal priorities. Maintaining balance is critical to sustaining long-term success, creativity, and effective leadership while continuing to serve clients at the highest level.

I would say respect, integrity, following through on your word, and doing as you say you're gonna do those are big things for me in both my personal and business life. I'm really big on making sure that you don't over-promise and under-deliver. Always just, you know, if you say you're gonna do something, then you need to do it. These values guide how I work with clients and manage my team, and they're fundamental to how I build and maintain the relationships that are so important in my field.