As an entrepreneur, what motivates you the most to pursue your goals?
I am a faux entrepreneur - a freelancer, and here’s a look behind the curtain…. How I Did It. How I Resisted the Easy Money of Employment for The Hard Money of Consulting. A Look Behind The Curtain Each time I was tempted to convert to a full time employee, I looked at what I had to gain by being a consultant. Here’s what would pop into my mind. A long list of worthwhile things, which only consulting could give me… Getting to have a faux business - ever since I ran Purple Patch (my own creative shop), I knew I was never so productive, so prolific, so creative, as when I was my own boss Getting to work for different companies – I have worked directly (or indirectly, by working on implementations, or testing) for 14 different companies - wow, a corporate adventure, in itself Getting to meet so many people in Sales Compensation and Commissions – my network has expanded from a handful of people in Commissions and Sales Compensation to 50-100 people in Sales Compensation and Commissions, not to mention people in staffing agencies, and in implementation companies Getting to train on, and work with different Commission Tools - first it was Excel, then Centive, then Xactly, more recently, Varicent, and still more recently, Oracle Fusion (where I have just initial exposure, because we still haven't gone live at the company where it is being implemented); but given this background, I expect (hope) it’s a question of time, before I get to train on, and work with Callidus, Obero, Optymyze, and other commission tools of the present, and the future Getting to use different commission systems and models – every company has their own “master” file – their own Excel beast, which is used to calculate crediting and commissions, or to sanity check the results of the automated tool. I have had a front row seat to observing, or working on this Excel beast in different companies Getting exposure to a variety of sales compensation and commission system challenges - Oh the stories I can tell Getting to work with different commission software architects - Commission software is not plug and play; it has to be customized for each company. This is where the design architect has a big role to play. Each commission software architect has her or his own design approach. It has been fascinating and educative to work alongside some of the most experienced and savvy commission software architects Getting to test plan change logic - Plans change. When they do, the plan logic has to be changed. And new plan logic has to be unit tested and UAT tested. Unit testing and UAT testing are an art in themselves. I have seen that, based on the implementations I have worked on, and also because I had the privilege of testing plan change logic at Salesforce, 2 years in a row. The exposure was great Getting exposure to different ERP systems – I have been on assignments where they use Great Plains, where they use SAP, where they use Oracle, and one assignment where ERP was still in the future, and they were still using, wait for it, Quickbooks Getting exposure to different BI tools - This is important, only because it is where sales people track their orders. And if there are differences between their orders in the commission tool, and the BI tool, you will be sure to hear about it. So yes, as a commissions consultant, I have had to run BI reports out of different BI tools like Cognos, Birst, Tableau, and sometimes even proprietary BI tools Getting exposure to different Commissions Analyst job roles - The role and function of a Commissions Analyst is different in different companies. And since I typically go in as the 'transition commissions analyst', I do whatever is defined for that role in my different assignments. Getting exposure to different managing styles - I have worked with different managers. And I have enjoyed working with each one of them, and observing their similarities, as well as their differences. As a consultant, I have sometimes found myself, a sounding board to managers, which is a privilege in itself Getting to grow my skills – Before I became a consultant, I only knew Excel and Centive. After I became a consultant, I learned Xactly and Varicent. And I learned how to do implementations. I was able to flex my writing and communication skills on FRDs, User Guides, Prototype demos and more. My Excel proficiency also increased by leaps and bounds - to include Advanced Filters , Sumifs, formulas such as Match and Index and Indirect. I also learned and started using over 20 Excel macros Getting golden opportunities - After I started consulting, some unexpected golden opportunities came my way. Such as getting to work on White Papers. One of my clients sponsored me for an all expenses paid Varicent training program in Canada. And I got to work on implementations for some high-profile companies such as Splunk, FusionIo, Lynda, which was subsequently acquired by Linkedin, and Cyberonics Getting to deliver extra value – A consultant is in a unique position to deliver extra value. As a consultant, I have been able to deliver value outside of the scope of my client's expectations. For example, I routinely document the commission processes on every assignment. I do not believe I would have been able to do this as an employed Commissions Analyst. It would have been outside the scope of my job, and it would have appeared to team members, I was trying to make them look bad. Getting to coach, train, and mentor – There are those who like to do, and those who like to do and teach, and I am in the second group. I thrive every time I have the opportunity to transfer what is in my mind to someone else's mind. Whether it is teaching someone how to do their taxes on Turbotax. Or giving Money workshops to GATE students. In my role as a 'transition commissions analyst', I have to typically hand the baton to someone. My process has been to write a document, and teach from that document. I have done this at multiple companies. Some of my best friends are people who I have had to pass on my knowledge to (do KT as they say in India) in such a way There’s more. Whenever I feel sad an assignment is coming to an end, I have a further list of things I remind myself about…. I remind myself of the freedom, which is such a basic human need, we will risk our lives for it. I remind myself of the repetitiveness, boredom and burnout I have avoided. I remind myself of the footprint I have been able to leave at different companies; the documents and tools I have created, the bonds I have forged. I remind myself it’s more empowering to choose change than to have change imposed on me. I remind myself of the demand for what I do; when that demand stops, I will stop consulting. I remind myself being self-employed has only improved my competitiveness and my value proposition. I remind myself my services are ideal for companies with variable cost business models, or companies in a jam. I remind myself, I never have to feel threatened or vulnerable in any assignment, because of being, not an incumbent in danger of being dislodged, but a temporary contributor whose services have a definite end date. I remind myself of the autonomy. You have no idea how much I like automony. I remind myself how consulting saves me from office politics. I remind myself of other things I have been spared of: performance reviews, forms to fill, surveys to fill out, and so on, and so on. I remind myself, my work never costs me my life; if I feel overwhelmed on an assignment, I speak up. I say “This is all I can do (core commission work).”Typically, I will be given additional help. I like opportunities to find out the truth. I can quickly identify gaps I need to fill, or the company needs to fill. I remind myself, how I am able to increase my competitiveness without competing. If there is a team, I will cheerfully take on the tasks that are invisible, and the tasks that no one else wants to do, and then, see what I can do, to make those tasks less dreary, more manageable. I have learned to customize my skills and services to meet the customer’s need of the hour (and by customer, I mean not just the manager, but the whole team, if there is a team). I remind myself of how much more adaptable and agile consulting has made me. I enjoy being a hero (of sorts); jumping in to help out a company when they are in crisis. I enjoy opportunities to apply critical thinking and problem solving. By having to prove myself in a new environment, I have the opportunity to reaffirm my skills and value. I continuously tweak my value proposition. I arrived at the proposition of being “A transition commission consultant who helps companies who are in a transition between people, or tools” and the promise, “I will be here as long as you want me, and no longer than you want me” a few years ago. They have served me well. I like being extended at companies. Contract extensions are proof I am delivering value. I believe my continuously expanding profile on Linkedin will continue to bring me future consulting assignments. Time will tell if I am right. Meanwhile, I sincerely believe, being a consultant is better suited to the complexity, volatility, and uncertainty of today’s economic and business environment. Above all, I remind myself, safety, security and benefits (the promises of employment) are not what they are cracked up to be. In fact, I will even go as far as to call them fool’s gold, and say “Bah Humbug”. Confidence, competence, ever expanding skills and horizons, plus an ever expanding network of people in Commissions and Sales Compensation – What’s not to like? Yes, I’ve resisted the Easy Money of Employment for The Hard Money of Being a Consultant. And now you know all the reasons why.
