Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in consultancy but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Nikki Lanier, CEO of Harper Slade, LLC., located in Louisville, KY, USA.

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

Harper Slade Racial Equity Advisory-We advance equity for some and equality for all-We help organizations cultivate an environment where black and brown talent can thrive as an economic imperative. Our customers are any large organization (200+ employees) seeking greater maturity and sophistication with their DEI and Racial Equity priorities.

Tell us about yourself

I started my career as a labor and employment attorney, and I've spent the bulk of my time, however, practicing in the human resources space. I have worked for big companies and small companies on the East Coast and West Coast and with large and small organizations. I have been the chief human resources officer for three different companies, and I have seven years of experience as a management committee member...senior vice president with the Federal Reserve working in the area of macroeconomics. I am blending all of this work in furtherance of helping organizations understand the urgency around amplifying and activating black and brown talent as an imperative for the overall nation's economic well-being. I am motivated by the urgency of demography, but I am informed by my own lived experience as a black female navigating workspaces in often times very high levels of race-based toxicity. I am a child of two black Americans who were mired in very violent civil rights work. So I feel as though my assignment to work in the area of furthering racial equity has been passed to me in utero.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

With regard to my biggest accomplishment, there are several. I am proud to have launched my company just seven months ago and already have several full-time contractors and several contractors working on behalf of the organization. I am proud that we have our own intellectual property and have launched our first ever online DEI immersive experience called The Garden, a one-of-a-kind training program designed to help participants understand how to pace and sequence D, E, I work against the backdrop of a garden which is a very powerful metaphor... a very creative way to think about the beauty, not the burden of DEI principles in the workplace. We also have emerged as having quite a significant share a voice among what many would see as a very noisy DEI consulting ecosystem. Or offerings are unique. Our background, in furtherance of this work, is quite unique and our efficacy in engaging with clients toward meaningful outcomes is unmatched. All of this and just seven months of existence.

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

Scaling and building infrastructure in support of our business, in my view, has been the largest learning curve. Understanding how to build the business components of our organization, i.e., our accounting infrastructure, CRM, billing, and pricing discipline, has been the most difficult, far beyond our substantive content.

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

There are myriad free developmental resources to help new business owners understand the mechanics of running a business and spend time learning from them. You need a mentor/advisor, especially for your early years, to help serve as a thought partner and encourager on the days when your confidence may be a bit diminished.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.harperslade.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HarperSladeRacialEquity
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harpersladellc/
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3w60477

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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