In this edition of the Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur Spotlight, we’re diving into the world of Petra Mayer. Armed with a keen eye for detail and an unyielding resolve, her company specializes in upgrading and implementing learning management systems for a diverse clientele, including mid-size corporations, non-profits, and government agencies across North America. Discover how her strategic pivots and targeted focus have not only reshaped her business model but have also significantly enhanced the operational capabilities of her clients.
Hi, Petra! Thanks for joining us today. Tell us about your business. Who do you serve, how do you serve them, and what's the impact that your business and work makes?
As a boutique Learning & Development Consultancy based in British Columbia, Canada, we work with mid-size companies, non-profits, government agencies, and associations based in North America who seek to implement a new learning management system and develop engaging online or hybrid training for staff, customers, and partners. Typically, a client might contact us as they are seeking to replace their learning platform. We help them to clarify and document their requirements and source the most suitable vendor for the organization. Often, the project expands to develop training content to be placed on the system or to train their internal staff in their training development.
By understanding the requirements clearly, we help the organization gain clarity and find the vendor that is going to achieve their business objectives.
Tell us about the moment you finally felt like you went from wantrepreneur to entrepreneur.
I had always felt a desire to be an entrepreneur, however, I have to admit, I didn't have the guts to go through with it early in my career and what I needed was a change in my occupation. When my employer decided to move the office from Vancouver, where I was living at the time, to New York, it gave me the push to go out and start my own business. During the first years of being a solo proprietor, I was hunting for contract opportunities and I was searching for new ways of doing business. It was a period of exploration and learning that set me up for the next phase in my career.
Describe the moment or period in your life/career that motivated you to make the entrepreneurial leap.
Following this path of seeking opportunities was lined with many challenges. I was trying things that were not necessarily suitable for me and I had to find out the hard way. But at any time I was learning and exploring. At one stage, when I felt really down about my business and was close to giving up, I recruited the help of a business coach. In conversations and after much consideration, I decided to transition my target audience and refocus on the Business to Business sector. This shifted how I looked at my business. I restructured to incorporate my business, rebranded, and relaunched my website, and business started to come in almost by itself. Well, not immediately as we were just at the beginning of Covid. The last years have been interesting and rewarding.
Describe a tool, service, or software that has been a game-changer for your business. How does it contribute to your success?
A tool that has been helping me to run my business with minimal resources is my Project Management software Monday.com. It has much flexibility so I can use it to run client projects, manage my sales leads, collaborate with my team members and track my activities in and outside of client projects. I even managed the tasks of my move when I decided to move from the city to the lovely Sunshine Coast. I highly recommend a tool that is versatile to manage business activities.
We know that success is very often a non-linear path. Tell us about a failure, pivot point, or lesson that changed your course or direction and helped to get you where you are today.
At the time that my business was struggling, I had been following a number of mentors who provided guidance to work with end users rather than corporate clients. This was never a good fit for me and it took me a while to find out that I was following a path not suitable for me. At this time I was using marketing techniques such as public speaking and even running my own three-day events. It was after such an event that I realized that all my efforts were in vain. This was a pivotal period in my business when I switched direction in my business strategy that created a successful consultancy business and made my work enjoyable again.
What unconventional strategy did you employ that significantly impacted your business?
It's probably not as unconventional as you may want to hear about. As a matter of fact, it is hyper-focused on a limited number of strategies that are creating success. I removed myself from most social media strategies, discontinued public speaking strategies and workshops, and all those things I had spent a fortune on learning to do, and simplified my business. I focus on my website, Search Engine Optimization, and LinkedIn. That's it!
What’s something you wish you knew sooner that you’d give as advice for aspiring or newer entrepreneurs?
That it is best to follow my inner mentor rather than all those external voices when it comes to deciding who I want to serve and what service I want to provide. During those times when I struggled in my business, I was following the external voices, ignoring that my inner mentor knew it was not the right fit.
Want to go deeper into Petra's work? Find out more about it using the links below
- Visit Petra Mayer Associates & Consulting's Website: petramayerconsulting.com
- Follow Petra Mayer Associates & Consulting on LinkedIn
- Connect with Petra on LinkedIn: Petra Mayer
- Download the whitepaper Navigating the Maze of Learning Management Systems
- Download the guide How to Create an Online Program
