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I’ve been thinking about this for a while and I'm finally going to jump all in and tell you why I started LaTrenda Consulting. Also, to catalogue my reflections, I'm going to be doing blog posts. My goal is 3-4 times a month, but we will see.
Here is a bit about why I started LaTrenda Consulting....
When I graduated from college 10 years ago, I was unsure of what to do. Even though I worked my behind off at the University of Pittsburgh to graduate, when I did, I was unsure about what was next. I majored in something that I wasn’t passionate about and I did what I thought I was supposed to do: go to school so that I could get a job. However, that job path was unclear. Should I get a Master’s Degree next? What job could I even do now? Should I go and work? I had accrued thousands of dollars in debt and felt so unsure about where to turn.
So against my mother’s advice and against the advice of one of my closest advisors (my uncle), I said “forget all of this.” I’m putting the breaks on someone else’s path for me and I am going to start on my own personal journey. After graduating, I completed two terms of Americorps with Keys Service Corps and Public Allies Pittsburgh and honestly, the rest is now history.
I started getting back to my gut about what I wanted to do with my life and what gave me excitement. I left positions when I thought the time was right, I switched industries when I felt the reason was compelling enough.
And then, I took a step two years ago to go out on my own; starting my first company, consulting for some amazing organizations in Pittsburgh through coalition-building, strategy and project management. And while that business is still growing and I am continuing to get more causes to grow and build, I continue to get asked by other freelancers, and young professionals, what made you jump? What was that career transition like? How did you take the risk?
So today, I’m introducing my second endeavor. My first company will still be for organizations. But this one, I am gearing towards individuals- where my sole purpose will be to do what I have been doing all along, encourage the Americorps graduates, the gig-economy folks, and anyone else with an innate passion, to go with their gut. My hope is to create a space for those where the promise of the college degree has not been fulfilled. I want to encourage a community that pushes individuals to create their own version of success. Times are different and we need to create some new rules for this new time.