Evaluate Creatively - Coco Canary Consulting

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Molly O'Connor, Founder & Creative Evaluator of Coco Canary Consulting LLC, located in Saint Paul, MN, USA.

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

Coco Canary Consulting is a Creative Evaluation firm. We use arts-based methods and community-centric practices to help evaluate organizations and coach individuals. Our customers are for-profit, non-profit, and public institutions that want to evaluate more creatively.

Tell us about yourself

Well, I have several identities I bring into spaces. The ones you can visually see are that I am an able-bodied white cis-woman with brown hair and blue eyes. The identities you can't see are that I am queer, of Irish-Norwegian-Finnish-Scottish descent, an artist, a trauma survivor, and a social introvert. :-)

As for my work, I started full-time as an independent evaluation consultant in the Spring of 2020, one month after my COVID-19 layoff from the natural history museum industry. I had burned out from the nonprofit industrial complex and a toxic work environment. I decided to go independent because I wanted to create a work environment that would make me happy and fuel my creative spirit, which is how Coco Canary was born.

It took about 1.5 years for me to find my voice and purpose (thanks to the amazing mentorship and friends of the Inspire to Change team - https://www.inspire-to-change.org/). Thanks to them, I call myself a Creative Evaluator, and I get to do fulfilling work. Such as working in the community, collaborating with artists in evaluation projects, and co-leading projects grounded in justice.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Finally, following my heart and putting it out to the universe that I am an evaluator who only uses arts-based methods and creative approaches. It felt hard not to offer more traditional evaluation services since my previous clients preferred them, but I had to make the leap and trust that their universe would catch me. And it did! I now have clients and collaborators that align more with my values and principles.

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

Working alone was the hardest thing for me. I now have the privilege and income to bring in subcontractors and hire administrative help, which makes me feel much more connected.

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

1. It's okay not to know what you want to do as an independent right away. Experiment, make mistakes, and learn what you like to do. If you can, take a business development cohort class (there are several you can do for cheap or free with the help of scholarships).
2. Find your people. If you know what you want to do, find someone doing it and reach out to them for an informational interview, and learn from them. If someone doesn't exist, try a find adjacent communities and businesses to connect with, learn from, and dream with.
3. Listen to your gut. Really take the time to sit with yourself and think about who you are, what you want to do, and where you want to be. Notice when you feel in alignment or in misalignment. Those are cues your body is telling you
   listen to them.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://cococanary.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mollycoconnor/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/molly-c-o-connor-m-s-002312b6/

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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