ο»ΏRebecca Bauer β Full Interview Transcript
Thriving Through Podcast | Episode 98
Defining What It Means to Thrive
AJ: Today I am welcoming Rebecca Bauer to the podcast. Rebecca, I'm delighted to see you today.
Rebecca: It's great to see you, too.
AJ: Tell me β our podcast is called Thriving Through. What does thriving mean to you?
Rebecca: That's a good question. I think thriving, to me, especially in the context of work, really means having projects that excite you and energize you. Having a workload that makes a difference and is moving important issues forward, and being able to have the work-life balance that I want and need, at least most of the time.
AJ: And are you thriving?
Rebecca: I think most of the time, yes. I would never strive for 100%, because in life there are always easier and harder seasons. But about three years in now, I think it's safe to say I feel like I'm thriving.
The Path to Self-Employed Consulting
AJ: Tell me about your path to becoming a self-employed consultant.
Rebecca: It was a little bit roundabout. I had spent about a decade in the nonprofit sector, really loved the work I was doing. It was often at the intersections of communications and project management, in the education content areas.
I'd been in a role at National PTA for about four years. It was a fantastic position β I really liked my boss, it gave me a lot of opportunities to grow β and just more and more I felt ready for something new. I knew I wanted to become a consultant eventually, but I always thought, I've got to wait till I'm older, I've got to wait till my career is a little more established.
But as I was on the job market, I found very few jobs that were really interesting me, and the ones that did, I would make it to final round interviews and then not receive that final acceptance letter. I got tired of waiting. I was very lucky β my partner has a stable government job with insurance β so I said, I'm going to give it a year and see how it goes. Luckily, I've been able to make it work.
AJ: So you gave it the first year. Did you have a specific milestone you had to achieve?
Rebecca: I didn't have a very hard and fast goal or number. Some of the metrics I was loosely using were that I needed to feel like I was enjoying it and that the work was stable enough. It didn't have to be 40 hours every week β it's still not usually quite 40 hours a week β but it needed to feel good and productive. And I needed to be on a path to making what I'd made in my last role. There was no expectation I'd do that in year one, and I didn't. But I did in my second year, and that was very exciting.
The overall goal wasn't to create an empire. I'm just trying to make it feel sustainable, and I've been able to do that.
Why Consulting β The Pull Toward Independence and Variety
AJ: You said you'd been thinking about consulting for a while. What specifically about consulting interested you?
Rebecca: I definitely liked the idea of having something that was my own β that I got to control and run and manage. When I was in nonprofit positions, the work that let me interface directly with partners was always what I enjoyed most. Working for just one company always felt a little boring to me. I liked getting to know different people and seeing how different organizations collaborate to make a larger difference in the sector.
So I knew it would be appealing to get to work on a few different projects at once. That would help keep me from getting bored and would let me feel like I could make a bigger difference than just one position might allow.
Early Challenges: Learning to Manage Impatience
AJ: Tell me a story about an obstacle or challenge you ran up against in these first couple of years, and how you overcame it.
Rebecca: A big challenge for me is my impatience. I'm someone who likes to get a task and dive right in and just keep moving. What I found, especially early on in consulting, is that there's a lot of waiting β and you have to figure out the most productive ways to use your time during that waiting.
I knew from the start that there would be networking conversations that never amounted to anything. What surprised me was that I would have a really, really good networking conversation where somebody had a specific project in mind and really wanted me to take the lead β we'd worked together for years in a different capacity β and it could still take three months to get an initial proposal reviewed, and another three months for them to run it up the chain. Suddenly it could take a year to hear a yes, and then sometimes even the most excited conversations went absolutely nowhere.
A friend who had also started her own business let me know: even enthusiastic yeses are probably about one in three that actually end up as a contract. That really helped me.
And then just knowing it wasn't personal and reminding myself of that. Because I'm someone who sees an email and likes to reply right away, I was often afraid to do follow-up β worried that something was wrong with the proposal I crafted if it wasn't immediately responded to. The more I've done this, the more I've been able to understand that there are so many things going on behind the scenes β budget, approvals, someone being out on vacation β and the impatience has become easier to manage.
The Subcontracting Model: A Different Path to Stability
AJ: Your business model is really interesting, because about 75% of your work comes from subcontracting with other consulting firms rather than working directly with end clients. This is very different from what most consultants do. Walk us through how you discovered this model and what made you lean into it.
Rebecca: When I started doing outreach, I noticed that a lot of the contracts I could get as a newer consultant were smaller writing contracts, social media, editing β things I love, but not necessarily enough to fill my plate completely, and not the kind of work that gets me most excited.
I was very fortunate that very early on I connected with CoAction Collective. They're a small firm founded entirely by former educators, which was very much my wheelhouse. I'd worked with them when I was at PTA, and they were rapidly growing and needed additional support. I came on for one or two projects in the beginning, and that has just continued to grow.
One of the reasons I really leaned into it is that I like doing a lot of work on my own, but I don't want to do all of my work on my own. It's really nice to have a team β a second pair of eyes on things you write, thought partners in the work. And on a very logistical level, when you get sick, you can say, hey, can you help with this? And when they're sick, you can jump in on something, too.
Once I realized I didn't need to be the lead consultant on everything, I discovered another firm called Greater Good Strategy that works with nonprofits, and I do some digital strategy for them as well. With both of these groups, I'm able to work and interface directly with clients that, at this phase in my career, I would not have been able to land on my own. I work with Denver Public Schools on their family engagement work. I work with leaders in affordable housing work in the DC area. When it comes to the impact I care about, working with some of those bigger groups lets me have more reach and more stability.
AJ: For consultants who might be intrigued by this model β how do you find and vet potential firms to partner with?
Rebecca: Probably unsurprisingly, it's all very relational. I did not set out to find firms to work with β I set out to connect with good people doing good work, and from that came the work. In the first case, it was a colleague I already knew who had a firm, and I knew it would be a good fit. In the second case, I was on a networking call and someone said, you do nonprofit work β you should meet Emily Goodstein, she runs Greater Good Strategy. I chatted with her and submitted an application to be in their contractor pool, which is a more formal process.
The lesson I've learned throughout all of this is that it's all about developing strong relationships so that people really know you, know what you're capable of, and want to call on you when they need something.
AJ: Now that you have those two relationships with consulting firms β are you also looking to develop your own direct client base?
Rebecca: I have a few direct clients already, and it's definitely something I'd like to maintain. That direct work lets me do more writing and storytelling β a lot of it is blog writing or developing content and tools for educators. I'm always looking for more individual clients, but I'm also okay with the balance I have, knowing that will be a smaller subsection of my work.
I think if I didn't get to interface with clients through the other firms, I'd feel differently. But given that I've built trust with the firm leadership and they let me have a lot of independence on those projects, I find them just as fulfilling.
The Long Game: A Lead That Took a Year to Convert
AJ: You shared a powerful story about a lead that took almost a year from initial proposal to actually starting the work. Can you walk us through that entire journey β the emotional ups and downs, the relationship nurturing, and what you learned?
Rebecca: When I had left my full-time job, there was a contact at a partner organization who was already eager to potentially work together. I thought, wonderful β right off the bat I'm going to have another contract. I met with her several times. The first time, she had a social media project in mind β her group was looking to launch an Instagram account and wanted someone to do some research and build that out. I drafted that proposal and felt very discouraged when it was a no.
Because I was so early in my journey, it really stung. It felt more personal, and it felt like it should have been more of a sure thing because it was somebody I knew pretty well. So when it didn't work out, I thought, okay, this feels like a dead end.
Several months later, she reached back out: we just need some overall social media support drafting content for all of our channels β can you build out a proposal for that? That ended up being a big client for me in my first year or two, and it really paid off.
What I always like to say about that story is that I don't actually work with that client anymore right now. But when that woman left, she went to another nonprofit and called me up and said, we need writers for our blog β let me put you in touch with the editor there. That experience is really what shaped my belief that a lot of this is a long game. Those relationships might not serve in the short term, but if you nurture them, they will continue to pay off down the road.
Relationship Nurturing: How to Stay Connected Without Feeling Salesy
AJ: How do you nurture? What's your nurturing process?
Rebecca: I feel really strongly that the outreach needs to be genuine. It's not about a certain frequency β it's about checking in when you have something you genuinely want to say, or when you think, we haven't caught up in a while, let's find 30 minutes.
Having a list of people you want to make sure you're keeping up to date β learning about what they're doing, sharing what you've been up to β and really not going into it with the sale in mind. Just trying to maintain those relationships. In the nonprofit sector, it's easier for me because I genuinely want to know what good work is happening out there.
So making sure you have touchpoints a couple of times a year, and then gauging the level of interest. There are some people who don't have the capacity to stay in touch often but will reach out when they want or need something. And there are others who are similarly looking to connect more regularly. Reading the room is an important skill.
AJ: For consultants who naturally want to move quickly β who answer emails right away like you do β how do you handle the frustration of waiting?
Rebecca: I wish I had an easier answer, because sometimes it's just still frustrating. Having things you know you can control and get done while you wait is what makes it easier. Maintaining your own social media presence, writing your own blog on an issue, starting conversations with some new people β those are things you can do while you wait.
Beyond that, everybody is going to move at the pace they're comfortable with, and that's how they get their work done. Think about what is within your locus of control, and run with that when you're feeling frustrated.
Work-Life Balance: Consulting, Flexibility, and Parenthood
AJ: You had originally imagined becoming a consultant later in life β after having kids β for the flexibility and variety. Now that you're three years in, is the business delivering the lifestyle you hoped for?
Rebecca: I really appreciate having my business where it is now that I do have a child. I thought I'd wait until a kid was in school. But someone said to me, your business is going to be your baby β do it first when you don't have another baby. And I think that was actually really good advice.
That first year was an emotional rollercoaster with the business, and the first year with the baby was an emotional rollercoaster too. Having them be separate was really nice.
I really appreciate the flexibility of mostly setting my own work hours. There was a nice sunny day recently, and I picked up my kid early and took him to the playground. If I were tied to a 9-to-5, that would be a lot harder.
With my model of working with other people, I feel like I get the best of both worlds. One thing I'd worry about if I were entirely solo is that when I'm home with a sick baby and meeting with a client, it gets a lot harder to juggle all the balls in the air. But when you have partners who can help cover for you β and you can do the same for them β the work-life balance becomes more possible.
Current Challenges: Niche, Impact, and Strategic Direction
AJ: What's one thing you're currently struggling with or trying to figure out in your business?
Rebecca: I feel like I'm always grappling with two things. The first is: do I need a more narrow niche? In that first year, everyone was telling me I needed to know exactly what my niche was, and I pushed back on that pretty hard. For the most part, I feel okay with that choice. Once I get a foot in the door, a lot of the people I work with see that I have varied skills, and once I build some trust, they'll give me a few different kinds of projects. But it continues to make marketing for clients I get on my own more difficult.
So I'm in this internal debate: when I do solo work, should it entirely be writing and editing, rather than billing myself as a jack-of-all-trades for nonprofits? That's a strategic challenge I'm continuing to think through.
It intersects with the second challenge, which is: with the world being the way it is, am I making the kind of impact I want to make? The short answer is yes β I feel good about the work I'm doing. But there's always more I can do, and I'm trying to figure out how to branch out into new topic areas, new sectors, and potentially do more social justice-focused work professionally that I currently do in my free time.
Both of those questions center on: how do I decide what the next frontier is, and if I'm going to continue consulting in the long run, how do I build and grow, and in which direction?
AJ: It sounds like you're actually looking at two different things β narrowing your niche for your direct client business on one side, and expanding to other sectors for more impact on the other. Do you see those as compatible or mutually exclusive?
Rebecca: I see them as compatible. If I narrow the services I'm marketing, it's easier to market them to a wider audience. When I'm specifically saying, I'm really interested in doing blog writing and social media content, it's easier to say I can do that for reproductive justice, healthcare, and other areas β versus if I stay solely in the education content area where I've developed expertise, it's easier to make the sell of: this is my bread and butter, whether you need me to facilitate a focus group or write something. So I don't think they're mutually exclusive β it's a strategic question about what it makes sense to invest my time and energy in.
Looking Ahead: The Next Three to Five Years
AJ: Where do you see your practice in three to five years?
Rebecca: I hope that in three to five years I have a much quicker answer to this question. Strategic planning is a growth area for me. Right now I've really been getting the work I can get, and that feels good, but I haven't thought structurally about the long term.
Three to five years from now, I hope I've been able to build out my own independent practice a little more, or taken on more leadership roles in the firms I've been supporting, just to have that level of growth.
And I hope I've answered that question around impact β that I can say, three to five years ago I was wondering how to do more, and this is how I've done it. There isn't always one clear strategic path to X. But I hope I can still say I'm thriving. How about that?
AJ: That's a good goal.
AJ: How are you going to answer those questions?
Rebecca: It may be time in my business to talk to a coach. I've never done that, and I think it might be on the horizon. And if not, I think I need to block off some time to really put as much effort and thought into developing a more concrete plan β for what each avenue would look like β as I would for a client. It's so easy for us to devote that strategic thinking time to clients, and not as easy to devote it to ourselves and our own business. One or both of those next steps are what I plan to do.
Rapid-Fire Closing Questions
AJ: We're nearing the end of the podcast. I have a couple of rapid-fire closing questions. What's one book, podcast, or resource that's been invaluable to your consulting practice?
Rebecca: I spend a lot of time on LinkedIn, and I'll use that as my broad answer β because it's the resource I most rely on. If I'm listening to a podcast or reading an article, it's probably because someone I admire and trust posted it there. There's no single book I always come back to. Sticking with the theme of everything being relational, there are a lot of people who are older and wiser than me in this field, and the advice they share β either directly or through resources on that platform β is really my go-to.
AJ: What is one piece of advice you wish someone had given you when you started consulting?
Rebecca: I wish someone had told me to trust my instincts. I was flooded with so much concrete advice β different ways to track your time, structure payments, write contracts β and some of it didn't always feel like it fit the way I wanted to operate. But I was so nervous and ready to fit the template that I followed it anyway. As I've grown, I've learned more to trust my instincts, and I think it would have been okay to start doing that a little earlier.
AJ: Trust your gut.
Rebecca: Yeah, absolutely.
AJ: And the final question β how can listeners connect with you if they want to learn more about you and your work?
Rebecca: I have a website at www.rebeccabauerconsulting.com, and there you can find my LinkedIn if you can't find me by searching. I post there pretty regularly and would love to have a conversation with anyone who wants to talk consulting β because you never know where a relationship will take you. Always happy to make new connections.
AJ: Wonderful. For those of you listening or watching, we'll have the links to Rebecca's website and LinkedIn profile in the show notes. Rebecca, thank you. It has been delightful speaking with you today, and for those of you listening β keep thriving through.
Rebecca: Thank you.