Create Inclusive Workplaces - MT Consulting Group

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in organizational development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Sherilyn Trompetter, Co-Founder and Principal of MT Consulting Group, located in Edmonton, AB, Canada.

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

We are a diversity and inclusion consulting firm that helps organizations and companies move equity and inclusion from vision into reality. We work with our clients to create an environment where people are seen and heard and where their inputs are valued. We work with organizations to create inclusive workplaces where employees are treated equitably and with respect.

Our strategies help organizations attract employees from diverse backgrounds and then work to ensure that those employees stay longer and are happier and more productive in their roles. We make DEI accessible for all. Our customers range from government agencies and municipalities to healthcare agencies, professional associations, not-for-profit theatre companies, and individual leaders and executives.

Tell us about yourself

I have been looking for a career change for some time, and I was very active in volunteering with charitable organizations and even co-founding a not-for-profit charity, the Action Coalition on Human Trafficking Alberta. While I had toyed with the idea of entrepreneurism (dabbling with an MLM or two), I couldn't wrap around the idea of making money for myself while contributing something worthwhile to society was a good thing. I always believed (and was rewarded) for giving away my talents for free or a deep discount.

I felt driven during the pandemic to take a chance on me - and my business partner, as I believed that we had skills that were in demand but undervalued elsewhere. So in December 2020, we launched our business. I am motivated each day by the opportunity to solve problems for others, bring more understanding into conversations, and the ability to flex my creative muscles.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

So far, it was being asked to give a workshop on diversity, equity, and inclusion at a national conference to former colleagues in November 2022. The whole thing came together within three weeks, and we received some incredible feedback. This has now launched into a series of events we will be conducting with this organization in 2023.

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

Earlier on, it was dealing with my own self-doubt and limiting beliefs. I still deal with this from time to time, but for the first almost year of business, this was launched on the side of my full-time employment. In my business' second year, my full-time position was eliminated, and this "side hustle" became my full-time job. But even then, I was looking and applying for full-time jobs, probably for the first 6-8 months of our second full year of business.

It wasn't until I came across a full-time job description that I really wanted that I came to a 'lightbulb moment.' The job itself was working for a not-for-profit, doing excellent work for the community as the Executive Director - reporting to a Board. One of the major tasks of this work was 'Business Development' - and it was the major obstacle to me diving deep into entrepreneurship. I thought if I could jump so easily to raise money for other organizations, what is the difference in developing relationships for my own business? And since that realization, I've never applied for a full-time position elsewhere.

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

If you don't want to quit your day job just yet, don't. Everyone has bills to pay, and if you need to do something to keep yourself afloat while you start your business, do it. But be aware of your time, energy, and life goals.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://mtconsultinggroup.ca/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherilyntrompetter/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/mtconsultinggroup/
https://www.instagram.com/sherilynt_coach/

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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