Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in organizational development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Michael Baran, Founder and CEO of Iris Inclusion, located in Middletown, MD, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Iris inclusion provides inspiration, training, and consulting to support organizations of all types in their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts.
Our approach is grounded in social science, providing a deep understanding and evidence-based solutions to help your organization live its DEI values. When everyone thrives, teams collaborate better, and organizations perform at their highest levels. Our keynotes, workshops, leadership training, and eLearning offerings are designed not only to build awareness but also to create behavior and system change.
Tell us about yourself
I first got pulled into the field of diversity, equity, and inclusion by seeing the real injustice and inequity that people were facing. I got passionate about the topic and then had so many questions about how it all worked that I spent eight years getting my doctorate in cultural anthropology and cognitive psychology. Now I take the insights from all that research, as well as the lessons learned from 20 years in the field, to make work (and therefore life) better for all people.
That's what motivates me every day - to improve people's lives and the way they are treated at work, but then on a broader scale, to increase awareness and improve behavior so that it spills over into the world outside of work as well. In order to create true equity and inclusion in our world, we need to work on these issues in a new way and get everyone involved, even those who might think it's not really about them. I want to inspire those people to get invested, committed, and even excited about making a difference.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Right now, my biggest accomplishment feels like reframing and renaming the concept of microaggressions, which is an incredibly important topic but one with an unfortunate name that tends to alienate so many people and imply to them that they are not very important. Along with Tiffany Jana, I wrote a book called Subtle Acts of Exclusion that coined that phrase to talk about microaggressions in a new way. We are so thrilled and humbled with the impact that this book has already had in unsticking something which has been stuck for a long time now.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
One of the hardest things so far is devoting time to run the business rather than delivering the content through speaking and workshops. As someone passionate about spreading ideas and as someone who enjoys that connection immensely, it is hard to make sure I am thinking about running and growing the business as well.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- It's cliche, but follow your passion and patiently put in the work to become an expert. It may take a decade, like it took me eight years to get my doctorate and then several more teaching at Harvard to really work on developing my ideas.
- Write a book. While I could have potentially written the ideas from my book in a series of blog posts, it was a tremendous career boost to have done it in book form. It will help in ways you can't even realize yet.
- Keep your goals clear. Starting my business, I wasn't focused on the bottom line but rather on sustainability, flexibility, happiness, and family. That will probably lead to more money, but keeping focused on the real goals is important for happiness, even when things get tough.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: http://www.irisinclusion.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MichaelDBaran
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-baran-phd/
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.
Turn your craft into recurring revenue with Subkit. Start your subscription offering in minutes and supercharge it with growth levers. Get early access here.