Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with M S AtKisson, Founder & President of AtKisson Training Group, LLC, located in Millis, MA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

ATG basically does two things: We help university faculty members win research funding, and we help them spend it more effectively. We have a suite of offerings that come under that umbrella. Our clients are institutions of higher education who bring us in to do training with their faculty or to work on specific large grant proposals and the individual professors we work with directly to enhance their proposal writing and leadership skills. We also work with university divisions and teams to do strategic planning and support for team science.

Tell us about yourself

I started over 20 years ago as a contract grant writer. I had clients throughout the northeast and Atlantic regions, but my major client, Tufts University, eventually created a position for me. That brought me into contact with a consulting firm that I eventually joined. That company focused exclusively on training in grant writing for professors seeking research funding. Through my experience at Tufts and my interactions with faculty clients, I knew that success in research required more than just funding. I saw a need for practical skills in leadership and management--especially leadership. The training that creates a great individual researcher only rarely includes any training in leading and managing a group. I wanted to expand my work with professors to bring in training that would help them not only obtain grants but be able to more effectively lead the teams that would do the research.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Like many solopreneurs, ATG started out as an assistant and me. I had a vision, though, to create a "pride of lions," a group of other consultants with the same vision of supporting research through supporting researchers. I feel like we have that team now, along with excellent infrastructure support. As part of the team-based approach, I worked with four other consultants to create a unique leadership program focused on leading in research. Creating LEAD-in3 for intentional, inclusive, and integrated leadership has been the accomplishment I'm most proud of.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

At about 5 years into a successful business, many owners find themselves stressed. Did things grow too much too fast and are now hard to get your arms around? Did you gamble on a product or service that didn't play out? Getting through that "awkward adolescence" phase can be tough.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Tend to the relationships! When I left my previous firm, two key clients came with me, in part because we had built a relationship based on our mutual interest--success for their faculty members.
  2. Experiment and know when to say no. When I first started out on my own, people would ask for unique services, and I would often say yes, then go on the learning curve. I love learning new things and some core services grew from those yeses. But you cannot spread yourself too thin.
  3. Build in rest and recharge time. Even as a solopreneur, you will suffer if you don't give yourself recovery time after big projects. You also need to give yourself time to think and dream about what you want things to look like in 5 years. It's hard to pursue a vision if you don't have one!
  4. Can I add a fourth? I really benefited from having a good coach.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.atkissontraininggroup.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/atkisson-training-group/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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