Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Dr. Jill Goldenziel, Founder of Jill Goldenziel Strategy, located in Arlington, VA, USA.

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

I teach and advise business, government, and military leaders on law, leadership, security, and strategy. As a professor, I teach law and strategy to senior military and civilian leaders from the U.S. and partner and allied nations. As a speaker and consultant, I leverage my security expertise to help businesses manage legal and security risks. I am a Defense & National Security Contributor for Forbes.com. NATO's Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe/Allied Command Operations Legal Office awarded me the 2022 Serge Lazareff Prize for my research and strategic advising on legal operations (lawfare). I have presented my groundbreaking research at the United Nations, the Pentagon, TEDx, and around the world.

I help companies understand and solve complex legal and security problems, manage threats, and build resilience. My expertise in international and constitutional law, information and cyber warfare, threats from a rising China, political risk, business, human rights, migration, and climate change help my clients identify business vulnerabilities and opportunities. As customers increasingly demand that businesses lead on social issues, I also coach executives to develop and publish thought leadership.

Tell us about yourself

For my Ph.D. program at Harvard, I studied Middle East politics and needed to do fieldwork abroad. The fellowship office at Harvard told me that the only way to do this was to get a Fulbright and leave my family for a year. I refused. I scrambled to cobble together funding from many sources who would let me do my research my way. A friend suggested that a think tank could fund my research if I wrote a paper for them. I reached out to her contact and got funding to spend a month in Jordan and a publication to boot. Eventually, I raised $30K to fund my award-winning research. I realized there was a demand for my expertise. Jill Goldenziel Strategy was born.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My research has affected policy at the national and international levels. I have briefed senior military leaders and the United Nations member states. I participated in the negotiation process. I have spoken alongside Angela Merkel and other world leaders. In 2022, NATO Allied Command Operations/Supreme Headquarters Allied Command Europe Legal Office gave me the Serge Lazareff Prize for my work as a scholar and practitioner of Legal Operations.

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

Juggling commitments. It's hard to serve my clients, market, screen new clients, develop products, keep learning, and keep on top of all aspects of one's business without a team.

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

  1. Get comfortable with uncertainty.
  2. Know your numbers. How much time and money are you willing to invest? How will you measure when you're ready to move on to the next stage?
  3. Invest in your team.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://jillgoldenziel.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JillGoldenziel/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jillgoldenziel/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JillGoldenziel
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillgoldenziel/

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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