Ruby Groves

I think the biggest thing that's driven my success is just tenacity, the ability to keep going even when you might have a bad week or when you might not see what the prospects look like down the road three months from now. It's about having that faith and that wherewithal to keep going, knowing that those little wins are gonna pile up over time. As long as you don't stop, you're never gonna lose that race. I've also learned that having curiosity has been one of my biggest strengths. I just always wanted to know more, learn more, do more, and that showed throughout my professional career. Even when I don't know the answer to something, I stay open-minded but honest, telling clients I'm not sure but I can look into it for them. Starting this business and being successful, being able to continue that same income from my full-time job and having the strength to keep moving forward despite not always having a solid outlook, that takes real faith to keep going. And I think it's been working because I've maintained that persistence and never given up.

One of the most practical pieces of advice I received came from a consultant at Boston Consulting Group who I reached out to early on when I was looking at going into acquisition work and consulting. He told me to try not to overwork myself right off the gate, because I would feel it. That advice has stuck with me as I've built my own business, helping me pace myself and avoid burnout while still maintaining the tenacity to keep going.

Just be ready to be a jack-of-all-trades. You never know what somebody's going to ask or need help with when you're going in. I know people have a lot of ideas about wanting to do exactly one thing if they're consulting, or specializing in just one area, but you're going to get asked questions that you might not know the answers to. For me, it's very helpful to stay open-minded, but still also be very honest. If you don't know something, say so, tell them you're really not sure but you can look into it for them, and maybe you're not the right person for that particular thing. It's just about being open, being honest, and having that personal touch. I know we're in the age of AI right now, and I do a lot of stuff with AI, but when you're working with very small businesses, especially owner-run businesses, they want to know who they're talking to and why they're talking to them. They want to have a connection, and in technology today, it's very easy to be robotic, but you have to realize it's so much more beneficial to put an emphasis on having a connection with people.

I think money's tight right now for everybody, so sometimes people are a little hesitant to pull the trigger on investing in consulting or process improvements, even though any kind of process work could really help them in the long run. Getting people to see that vision for the long run and convincing them to invest in systems that may not deliver immediate results is probably one of my biggest hurdles. Being a salesperson in addition to actually being able to do the work is challenging for me, because I like to just get in and do the work, so sometimes those sales skills aren't as refined as they probably could be. Another challenge is that people want to know about AI, but they also don't know anything about it, and there's always that spooky, unknown element to it. So navigating that uncertainty and helping clients understand new technology while maintaining the human connection is an ongoing balancing act in this field.

Curiosity and continuous learning have been absolutely critical throughout both my corporate career and my entrepreneurial journey. I've always wanted to know more, learn more, and do more, and that drive has shown throughout my professional life. My time at Boston Consulting Group early in my career really shaped this mindset, teaching me to value strong work ethics and high expectations. I've learned that it's not about knowing everything, but about having the curiosity to keep learning and knowing where to find more experience and knowledge. Tenacity and persistence have also become essential values for me. Running my own business requires having the faith and wherewithal to keep going, even when some months are good and others are unpredictable, even when you might have a bad week or can't see what the prospects look like three months down the road. I believe that as long as you don't stop and you keep that tenacity, those little wins will pile up over time and you'll never lose the race. Honesty and personal connection are also core to how I work. I stay open-minded but very honest with clients. If I don't know something, I'll say so and offer to look into it rather than pretending to have all the answers. In this age of AI and technology, I think it's more important than ever to maintain that personal touch and human connection, especially when working with small, owner-run businesses where people want to know who they're talking to and why.