Consulting Services

Work with an Accredited Small Business Consultant®

Imagine if you had someone walking alongside you and your small business or nonprofit.

What new heights could your organization reach?

WHY DOES CONSULTING MATTER?

Small business owners and nonprofit leaders frequently lack two critical elements necessary to grow their organizations and become highly successful:

  1. A wide diversity of business knowledge, and

  2. The time to learn the critical operational areas of running a small business or nonprofit organization.

An Accredited Small Business Consultant® (ASBC®) can step into this gap to help small business owners and nonprofit leaders increase their knowledge while building a bridge between their current level of productivity and where they want to go.

HOW DOES A CONSULTING RELATIONSHIP WORK?

A consultant will come alongside you and key members of your team to learn about your organization, troubleshoot areas of weakness, develop and implement a plan of action, and measure the outcomes of that plan. It’s a collaborative effort that requires an investment of time, energy, and information-sharing from both sides. Though it might be nice for a consultant to be able to snap her fingers and make magic happen, the REAL magic is in the hard work… like, the up-to-your-elbows, dirt under your nails, and sweat on your brow kind of dirty work!

BUT ISN’T CONSULTING EXPENSIVE?

If you’re paying a consultant and not seeing results, then yes, consulting is an expense that you should not be paying. BUT, if you are paying a consultant who is providing value and results for your small business or nonprofit, then your expense line item just turned into a return on that investment, which means your organization profited from that investment and has something great to show for it! THAT IS ONE OF THE BENEFITS OF WORKING WITH A CONSULTANT!

AREN’T ALL CONSULTANTS EQUAL?

To answer a question with a question, do all designer handbags cost the same? Are all gluten-free baked goods tasty? Do all coffee shops have stellar WiFi? Are all chocolates mouth-watering, roll-your-eyes-in-the-back-of-your-head divine? NO, no they are not… (absolutely not speaking from experience here!)

And, are all humans the exact same? NO, no we are not.

So what makes one consultant different from another consultant? Experience, knowledge, and passion.

What makes me different from other small business or nonprofit consultants? My professional background and education in business, nonprofit management, marketing, design, and branding (check out my professional bio on LinkedIn). As a lifelong learner, I made the investment of time and money in 2023 to learn about how to better serve my clients through accreditation with the Association of Accredited Small Business Consultants®. Now as an Accredited Small Business Consultant®, I am excited to help you elevate your organization to another level!

THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN LOOKING FOR A CONSULTANT

If you’re thinking of hiring a consultant to help your organization level up, here are some things to consider:

  • Have you worked with a consultant before? If not, take some time to think about your expectations from this working relationship. Consider talking to others about their experience working with business consultants so you have a better idea of what to expect.

  • Do you have the time available to spend with the consultant to work on your business’ or nonprofit’s needs? Your consultant will need your attention and knowledge in order to learn how to best help your organization.

  • Do you feel rapport, or a connection, with a potential consultant? A good working relationship is crucial to reaching the goals of your consulting term.

  • Are you okay with choosing a small project to work on initially with the consultant? If so, don’t allow yourself to be talked into a huge, long-term contract with someone if you haven’t worked with before. Tackling projects in your organization one-by-one is completely acceptable, and a good consultant will understand that.

  • How important it is to you that your consultant have knowledge and skills in your specific industry? Are they bringing knowledge and skills to the table that will directly benefit your organization, especially for the industry you’re in? If not, or if it’s not obvious, could their lack of direct experience in your industry actually be an asset? Sometimes the eye of a third party can spot something you may not have noticed before.

  • How quickly do you want results? Be prepared to adjust your perspective on this because results often take time, especially if you are making major changes to achieve them. Beware of anyone who promises fast results.

Meet the Accredited Small Business Consultant® (ASBC®)

Photo of white woman with long, straight brown hair wearing a navy blue top under a cream color blazer standing with her arms crossed against a dark blue backdrop
Circular seal of accreditation from the Association of Accredited Small Business Consultants
 
 

Jaime Wright is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Embellished Brands LLC.

Here’s a quick overview of the experience she draws upon when working with clients:

  • Self-employed for over 10 years as a small business owner specializing in business, branding, and digital marketing services

  • Extensive experience working in, and with, nonprofit organizations in program management, fund development, and event management

  • Accredited Small Business Consultant® with the Association of Accredited Small Business Consultants®

  • Master of Business Administration

  • Bachelor of Science, Hotel Administration

  • Associate in Applied Technology, Web and Graphic Design

  • Professional Development Certificate in Digital and Social Media Marketing

  • Former chapter leader for The Rising Tide Society, a global community of empowered independent business owners

What It’s Like to Work with Embellished Brands

  • We’ll schedule a 30 minute call on the phone or Zoom to chat about your questions or concerns related to your small business or nonprofit. We’ll also identify whether an hourly or project-based fee or a long-term retainer would work best for your needs.

  • If you want to learn more after our call, you’ll receive a follow up email with more details about the consulting services as well as a proposal that specifically addresses your needs and desired outcomes.

    Once you’re ready to move forward, sign the contract and pay the deposit, and we’ll be ready to get to work!

  • Working with a consultant is a collaborative process, so prepare to be a hands-on participant in throughout the entire consulting engagement. Based on your organization’s needs and desired outcomes, a plan will be created to walk through troubleshooting the issues, strategizing solutions, implementing changes, and measuring outcomes.

  • You will be provided with a final report, verbal or written, at the conclusion of our consulting arrangement. At this point, you should have a newfound confidence to move forward and steward your organization well!

  • If one-and-done isn’t your style, we can always extend our working relationship to address other areas of concern within your business or nonprofit organization. A custom consulting agreement can be prepared for a long-term working relationship.