Whilst there are lots of things we do to support our consultants, and plenty of tangible resources we provide them, actually one of the absolute best and most valuable benefits they get from working with us is each other. That support and collaboration shows in many forms – our conferences, drop in video chats, and training/get togethers, and, perhaps most strongly, in our WhatsApp group.
The group is active every day, and is a wonderful blend of support, encouragement, knowledge, and resource sharing. Sometimes it’s a practical query, about whether someone has experience of a certain sector, or has encountered a specific situation before. Sometimes it’s technical knowledge – those queries you just need to bounce off someone in a ‘safe space’.
If someone has signed up a new client, or put in their first exciting proposal, or renewed a retainer, they can share it on the group and celebrate their success with colleagues. And if someone’s had a bit of a bad day, they can have a bit of a vent to people who’ve often been-there-done-that and can pick them up.
It’s also great for general bonding, and plenty of personal chat and funny anecdotes are shared too. It’s wonderful having a supportive group of people who are doing the same thing as you, have the same values and approach, access to the same resources and offering the same products and services. It’s valuable for everyone, but especially for newer consultants, who are often making a big leap from a corporate role with a team around them, and who could otherwise feel pretty isolated, particularly during the early months.
If you’d like to benefit from that sort of support as you embark on your self-employed journey, do get in touch for a chat about whether working with face2faceHR would work for you.