Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Oscar Gonzalez, Co-Founder and CEO of Sigma Lab Consulting LLC., located in Ayer, MA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Sigma Lab Consulting LLC takes a deep look into how life science businesses operate to uncover key challenges that prevent these businesses from being their best version. Sigma partners with biotech and pharmaceutical companies to understand, develop, and execute process improvement, implementation, or enhancement through Lean Six Sigma and design thinking principles.
Tell us about yourself
My time in life sciences began in academic laboratories in various lab management roles. I began to notice process inconsistencies or lack of record keeping that led to waste in the form of resources or time. As my career evolved, I experienced these and other forms of waste in biotech and pharma.
In many cases, patients were reliant on the work that was going on in these organizations. Whether to bring a new medicine into a population with an unmet need or patients that are coming off of their 5th treatment, waiting for the next development, the work that was done in those organizations was important for the health of current and future patients.
It was at this point that I felt we (the life sciences industry) had a duty to optimize our processes and resources to expedite workflows, decrease costs, decrease errors in production, and remove other forms of waste in the life cycle.
I initially believed my career in life sciences would be to play a role in scientific discovery. Continuing in higher education at Boston University, I found that my strategic mindset could play a much larger role as a specific field of science could be limiting. This timing coincides with the moment I met my co-founder and business partner. Every day we strive to build up companies to become more efficient and productive in order to provide the best opportunities to deliver medicines and devices to patients who are counting on us.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Being in our first year of business, we have faced a number of challenges that have driven our accomplishments. Our biggest accomplishment, as a business owner, has been taking the leap from a 6-figure salary with bonus and benefits into a private entity with none of the structure of a typical life science setup. We have been fortunate enough to identify clients early on to pave the way for a successful first year.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Despite having an MBA from a fantastic graduate school, there are so many nuances and situations that you cannot necessarily prepare for. Every moment, each initiative, and any hurdle in the path of a business owner is, and will always be, a learning opportunity despite how painful that learning opportunity may be. Similar to moving from an apartment with a landlord to becoming a homeowner, as a business owner, it is up to you to decide how you want to operate. It is up to you to determine the direction of the company. It is up to you to become a beacon of your new organization and wear a hat that branches all functions of an early company.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Know your “why?”. Why should anyone care about this product or service? The stronger your recognition of what your business brings and why people should care, the more genuine the message for potential customers and clients to relate to.
- There are different levels of adoption regarding products and services. Focus on getting to the majority. Every initiative will have early adopters, which may not indicate long-run sustainability. Your company will gain stability when it hits the majority repeatedly.
- Find a coach or mentor. There are many organizations that provide free consultations with individuals that have successfully gone through an entrepreneurship journey. These folks have key insights that could guide you and avoid preventable hiccups.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: http://www.sigmalabconsulting.com/
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/sigmalabconsulting
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sigma-lab-consulting/
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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