Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in leadership and team development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Laura E. Knights, Founder and CEO of Knights Consulting LLC., located in Dacula, GA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Knights Consulting is a leadership and team development company. Through training, coaching, and program development consulting, we help organizations create more competent, confident leaders and high-performing teams. Our clients are primarily mid-sized corporations.
Our core services:
- Designing, developing, and facilitating multi-tiered leadership training programs
- Team collaboration labs to improve cohesion and effectiveness
- Behavioral assessments to support individual and interpersonal awareness
- Leadership team strategy days
- Keynotes & workshops around topics related to leadership, mental wellness in the workplace, team collaboration, and other soft skill topics (communication, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, etc.)
- Talent development consulting and advisory
Additionally, we have a special initiative called Black Woman Leading®, which provides leadership development cohort programs, events, and a podcast to address the unique needs of Black women in corporate America.
Tell us about yourself
I've always had a passion for leadership and personal development. Over the last 18+ years, I've been developing personal and professional programs that teach others how to manage both the "head work" and "heart work" required to succeed at work and in life. This work has taken me down several paths. I've done everything from developing employee development programs at a university, teaching leadership skills to high school students, to developing economic empowerment programs for low-income adults in Chicago, to working as a family therapist as a licensed clinical worker, working as a small business advisor for women entrepreneurs, and to my work now as a leadership development consultant for organizations.
The work has been varied, but there has always been a unifying thread to all the work I have done. No matter what my title was, my work has still involved educating and empowering people so that they can uncover their full potential and make their unique contributions—to their families, to their workplaces, and to the world at large. This is my motivation for this work. I do believe that it's part of my life purpose.
After being in senior leadership at a university in a role where I had lots of staff development responsibilities, I became more and more passionate about creating empowered workplaces where leaders are inspired, and employees are engaged and motivated to meet organizational goals. Initially, I started doing stand-alone workshops and retreats for organizations on topics like collaborative communication, management skills, and coaching employees for success. After gaining some momentum, I launched Knights Consulting LLC in 2016. We launched the Black Woman Leading® initiative in 2020.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
We do a lot of work helping organizations develop people and helping leaders grow in their skills and self-awareness. It's rewarding to witness some of that transformation that's impacting people's personal and professional lives. It makes this work really meaningful.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
I'm currently in a scaling phase where I am growing the business and the team. We are in a transition season where I have one foot in being a primary employee and one foot in being the CEO with the strategic vision to grow the business. Playing both roles sometimes results in long days and nights, which is stretching me with all my other responsibilities and roles as a wife, mom, friend, etc. It's a temporary season but a challenging moment for me.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Do your market research. It's critical to know what's out there in your industry and to gather as much info as possible about your target market and ideal client.
- Look for help before you need it. If you prepare to scale, it will be easier to do it as opportunities emerge.
- Find a community of support. Entrepreneurship can be isolating and overwhelming at times. You need some people who understand this journey to help you get back centered when you experience those rough moments.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://knightsconsultinggroup.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauraeknights/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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