About twelve months ago, I took a leap of faith following the universe’s signs – resigning from a great job, moving to Europe, relentlessly investing in my personal development, and committing to building up two start-ups and helping expand a grocery store chain from one location to five. Although it might sound corny, everything up until this point happened for a reason, and although it was a rocky road, it has been something I have been thinking of doing for the last few years, and with a bit of support from some inspiring people around me, it came to life. I started my consultancy firm, The Seven Collective.
First, let’s start with the fiery question: why leave one of the world’s best airlines to create your consultancy firm? There are so many bigger, more experienced firms that it would be wild to compete with them. And the answer was simple. My firm would be different. And I don’t mean simply offering different services but thinking differently, tackling complex problems with speed and agility, using data creativity, staying at the forefront of technology and being far more disciplined in delivery with the highest attention to detail.
Having spent much of my time working alongside prominent consultants, sourcing consultants for large-scale projects and managing the budget, delivery and performance side, I knew there was a big market for what I could offer. With layers upon layers of costs, a general lack of creativity, and standardised approaches that often didn’t consider the client’s direction apart from showing clients where to cut costs, I knew there was an opportunity to create something unique – delivering value at every stage of development.
My second question was, what makes you different from them? And this one was a little harder to answer because I also help clients contextualise data, streamline their operations, analyse the voice of the customer to drive a customer-centric project roadmap and lead large-scale transformation programmes from ideation to implementation. But I do this in collaboration with the client at full speed, building their expertise along the way, with full transparency on workload, creative problem solving, and with the customer at the centre of development. Leaving them to take hold of their business and continue to innovate well after our firm’s project is complete.
The third question I asked myself was, why should people invest in The Seven Collective? This question was the easiest to answer because, apart from every other challenging aspect of creating your own business, I was much more equipped than many of the consultants I had worked with – I had more than 13 years working with three global airlines, worked across a broad-spectrum of large-scale projects and am relentless in delivering excellence in every large-scale project I am a part of. I get the job done.
The fourth question was probably the hardest, but one we can always come back to: why are you asking yourself so many questions? After some time, this answer became easier. Just go for it.
Reinventing my career journey has had a profound and transformative impact on my life, leading to personal growth, fulfilment, and exciting new opportunities. Embracing change and exploring different paths has enabled me to discover untapped potential, develop new skills, and align my work with my passions and values. This reinvention journey has helped me break through old limitations, practice patience, inspire creativity, and propel me towards a more meaningful and satisfying professional life, ultimately shaping a future filled with purpose.
