From Burnout to Breakthrough: Julie Collison's Journey from Special Education to Self-Made Consultant in Neurodiversity
In this episode, host AJ Riedel talks to Julie Collison, a special education expert who transitioned from a steady job to launching her own consulting business, Ingenuity Unlimited.
We talk about Julie's journey from being unhappy in traditional employment to creating a business that allows her to be present for her family while pursuing her passion for helping those with special needs. Julie shares candid insights about the challenges of focusing on two different target markets—families and businesses—and why she's working to shift toward the corporate world despite it being outside her comfort zone. We also discuss practical strategies for building a consulting business through referrals and in-person connections rather than traditional advertising (10:16-11:45).
What You'll Learn in This Episode:
- How to navigate the challenging transition from a steady government job to consulting while managing mental health and family priorities
- Why traditional marketing methods like Facebook advertising and Chamber of Commerce memberships may not work for service-based consultants in specialized fields
- The importance of choosing between multiple target markets rather than trying to serve everyone - and how to make that difficult decision
- Strategies for positioning yourself as a collaborative partner rather than a competitor to existing services and organizations
- How to overcome the mindset shift from nonprofit work to charging for your expertise and standing by your pricing
- The power of referrals and in-person networking over digital marketing for trust-based consulting services
- Why saying "no to very little" is valuable in your first year to help define what you really want to focus on
Why You Should Listen to This Episode:
Self-employed consultants will find Julie's honest account of her first year both relatable and instructive, especially if you're struggling with the common challenge of having expertise in one area while wanting to break into a more lucrative market. Her story demonstrates the real-world difficulties of transitioning from employee to entrepreneur, including the mental health impacts, financial pressures, and the ongoing challenge of learning to sell your services effectively.
Listen to These Key Moments:
04:24 The Breaking Point That Led to Entrepreneurship Julie shares her struggle with mental health while working full-time and only seeing her children at their worst times of day, leading to a leave of absence and eventual transition to consulting.
08:10 Why Chambers of Commerce Didn't Work Learn why joining multiple Chambers of Commerce provided great networking but failed to bring in actual clients, and the expensive lesson about choosing the right marketing channels.
09:25 Learning to Charge for Your Expertise Discover the common struggle nonprofit veterans face when transitioning to private consulting and learning to value their services appropriately.
10:17 What Actually Works for Client Acquisition Julie reveals that referrals and in-person connections have been far more effective than expensive Facebook advertising and other digital marketing efforts.
12:16 The Two-Market Dilemma Julie discusses being torn between working with families (her comfort zone) and breaking into the business market (her growth opportunity), and why this split focus is problematic.
13:33 Managing Seasonal Business Fluctuations Learn about the slow periods Julie experienced in December and January and strategies for planning ahead for seasonal dips in consulting work.
17:10 The Collaboration Advantage Understand how positioning yourself as a collaborative partner rather than a replacement for existing services can differentiate your consulting practice.
27:03 Advice for Fellow Consultants Julie's key advice: "Keep fighting. Keep working through. If you went out on your own because you were unhappy... remind yourself - is this unhappy better or worse than that unhappy?"