BL: The consulting field is clearly a very mature field with no significant barriers to entry.  Therefore, competition is fierce in this field.  Many of our competitors are much larger than we are and have been around for much longer, so their names carry a lot of power and are more readily recognizable.  Companies including SkillSoft, Dale Carnegie, Carl Vinson Institute of Government, and Georgia Piedmont College are examples of some of our larger competitors.  There are also numerous small companies and independent consultants that also compete especially in (but not limited to) the area of government contracting. But without giving away the recipe to the secret sauce (laughs) I would have to say my competitive advantage is definitely in my ability to bring teams of independent consultants together to form consortia in order to pursue larger projects, and also making myself available to the larger organizations for partnership and sub-contracting opportunities.  So far, I have been more successful with the latter in terms of winning actual contracts.  But we are still working on winning a contract through our consortium of small businesses and independent consultants!

SA: What was your key inspiration to becoming an entrepreneur?  

BL: I've always had a desire to be a business owner. Over the years, I've entertained the idea of owning a trucking company.  I was seriously interested in buying into a franchise (I used to crave owning a Mailboxes Etc.. now UPS Store).  I wanted to own a fleet of vending machines.  I wanted to start my own child care service.  I even considered the idea of a lawn care service. But money was always an issue, and being the mother of three (3), I listened to the external voices that told me these were all pipe dreams and that I should instead hang on to my day job.  Then, December 1st, 2009 came around, and that was the day I became unemployed. I knew almost immediately that this was my chance. I bravely embraced a new adventure and began exploring and charting a new course for my career.  Owning a business is an idea I always entertained yet never really took the steps to make it a reality… until that life changing event!  So I guess you could say that was one of my inspirational moments, if not just a plain old motivator!  I just knew I never wanted to be at the mercy of someone else like that again. But more than wanting to be my own boss, I'd have to say my biggest inspiration was and still is my commitment to making a difference in the lives of others.  Creating jobs for my employees and knowing I am helping them live better lives keeps me wanting to get better, and bigger, making more money knowing that as the business grows I will be able to do it again for others.  

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