Risk-Averse to Revenue Diverse: Kate Kompelien's Escapee Journey in Customer Experience Consulting

Kate Kompelien, founder of The Insight, shares her journey as a customer experience consultant and qualitative researcher. She helps companies understand key moments that matter to their customers and identifies pain points that hinder a better customer experience. Kate started her own business after realizing she wanted to focus on smaller projects and provide a more personalized experience for her clients. She emphasizes the importance of networking and building relationships, both with people she knows and with new connections. Kate also highlights the value of face-to-face meetings and taking a genuine interest in others' businesses and lives. Kate Kompelien shares her journey of starting her own customer experience consulting business. She discusses her core offerings, the industries she works with, and the size of companies she targets. Kate also talks about her three-pronged approach to acquiring clients: direct, subcontracting, and referrals. She emphasizes the importance of diversifying revenue streams and being open to different opportunities. Kate encourages listeners to believe in themselves, take risks, and have fun in their entrepreneurial journey. Kate’s Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katekompelien/ Website: https://www.theinsightshopllc.com/ Takeaways Focus on your sweet spots and provide a personalized experience for your clients. Networking and building relationships are crucial for finding new opportunities. Take a genuine interest in others' businesses and lives during networking meetings. Face-to-face meetings can be valuable for establishing connections and building trust. Identify your core offerings and consider peripheral offerings to round out your total offering. Industry is less important in customer experience and qualitative research work. Target companies with a billion dollars or less in revenue, as they often lack a full customer experience team. Diversify your revenue streams by working directly with clients, subcontracting, and forming referral partnerships. Believe in yourself, take risks, and have fun in your entrepreneurial journey. Titles Finding Success as a Customer Experience Consultant The Importance of Face-to-Face Meetings in Networking Believing in Yourself and Taking Risks Diversifying Revenue Streams in Consulting Sound Bites "I'm really trying to help companies understand those key moments that matter to their customers and what are those pain points that are getting in the way that they need to solve to provide a better experience, higher customer retention." "It's been a combination of getting customers on my own, working with some research companies for fill-in work, and then having some partners where I can be their customer experience resource on projects." "Most people are happy to have conversations and hear what you're up to. And I love to hear what other people are doing because you kind of shared some space. Maybe they're doing something you can help with." "I really wanted to focus in on those two spaces as my core and looking for work around the core." "I'm working in very different industries. I like to call them the manly industries of the trades." "My focus is a billion dollars or less, because generally those industries and those companies don't have a full customer experience team." Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Overview of Kate's Work 06:27 Building Relationships and Networking 10:24 The Importance of Following Up 12:52 Sales and Running Your Own Business 14:47 Finding Opportunities in a Competitive Market 17:48 Focusing on Your Sweet Spots 21:38 Building a Consulting Business: Finding Your Niche 22:39 Targeting Industries and Company Size 24:33 The Three-Pronged Approach to Acquiring Clients