Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Martha Caldwell, co-founder of iChange Collaborative, located in Atlanta, GA, USA.

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

iChange Collaborative is a group of high-level consultants and facilitators in the field of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our specialty is inclusivity because that's the secret sauce that produces synergistic teams, where innovation happens. Our clients are organizations looking five or ten years down the road. They understand that the landscape of the nation and the world is changing, and they want to prepare their organization to meet the challenges and reap the rewards of a diverse, multicultural business.

At iChange, we practice what we preach. We operate as a diverse and inclusive collaborative team. We understand that no one can do this work alone. We create the psychological safety necessary for us to intentionally leverage our different perspectives and share the knowledge of our lived experiences.

Tell us about yourself

I worked my way through college as a single parent. I lived below the poverty level for several years to get my degree. After that, I worked in sales and finance, and the culture was unbelievably toxic for me as a woman. My manager outright told me I'd have to work twice and long and twice as hard as a man to succeed. I pivoted into teaching because I needed a schedule that allowed me to spend more time with my kids. I really found my heart there. That's where I learned the levers of transformation and growth.

I taught autobiographical writing to 13-year-olds, and their stories sometimes broke my heart. Every year, students of color told stories about teachers questioning their intelligence, store clerks following them in stores, and classmates calling them racial slurs on the playground. Young women talked about their struggle to hold onto their confidence as they faced an onslaught of demeaning stereotypes. Young men talked about the pressure to hide their feelings to appear tough and in control. Gender nonconforming students grappled with blatant homophobia and transphobia from peers and adults alike. Every year, the faces changed, but the stories stayed the same. I needed to make a bigger impact.

In 2012, my colleagues, Dr. Danielle Stewart and Oman Frame, started iChange Collaborative to conduct professional development training in diversity, equity, and inclusion. We've conducted hundreds of interactive training with thousands of people. We absolutely love what we do!

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I love seeing positive and productive change happen in the individuals and organizations we work with. In one company, a Black woman told her manager that because of their investment in diversity and inclusion, she'd be proud to recommend their firm to her colleague of color. In another organization, an Asian American woman thanked us after a workshop. "I've never felt so seen with my colleagues," she said. The white CEO told us it was the best diversity training he'd ever attended. Those kinds of comments inspire me to keep on keeping on.

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

There are several highly challenging aspects to our particular business. The first is, like any business, it takes an enormous commitment of time and energy. The second challenge is that the work itself is always emotional. When you're dealing with systems of unfairness, and in the business of repairing relationships, you can struggle with compassion fatigue. The value of self-care in this particular line of work cannot be overstated, and on our team, we also take care of each other.

The third challenge is that DEI leadership is counter-cultural by its very nature. It's not top-down or commands and control leadership. The people most impacted by DEI problems are the most capable of solving them, but in today's world, those people rarely sit at the table where decisions are made. And often, the people with the power to make decisions don't understand the investment of time and energy required. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

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

  1. Build a team. Again, no one can do this alone. Cultivate relationships in which people feel free to give each other authentic feedback.
  2. Understand your WHY. Be clear about your motivations. The work is relentless and knowing why you are doing what you do sustains your passion. Danielle says, "When HOPE YIELDS, go back to your WHY.
  3. Have a plan but be flexible enough to pivot. Always know that you don't know what you don't know. Be open to new learning. Transformation is generative and, therefore, unpredictable. But have faith that generative solutions are always more intelligent.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Shoutout to my team – Danielle Stewart, Treava Milton, Oman Frame, Kelly Lyn, Chuck Cogliandro, and Wendy Rose. The authenticity we practice in our relationships with each other is a model of what we preach and teach.

Where can people find you and your business?

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheIChangeCollaborative
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ichangecollab/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ichange-collaborative/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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