Los Angeles Traffic = A Twenty-Year Career (and counting!)

Yesterday, LinkedIn kindly informed me that I had been working at Lingo Consulting, Inc. for 20 years. Once I recovered from the shock, I started reflecting on how we started this journey and thought I'd share a little of the backstory with you today.

I launched Lingo Consulting, Inc. 20 years ago to help organizations and individuals learn and leverage their lingo, or at least that’s the story I tell most often. A little closer to the truth is that Los Angeles traffic made me assess how I was spending my life and re-calculate my course.

In 1997 I was happily contributing my time and talents as the marketing communications director at a nonprofit in Orange County, CA. The work was interesting and challenging and I was a mission-driven young woman. All was well until I joined the ranks of homeowners in the greater Los Angeles area. Suddenly my drive to work ran anywhere from an hour to three hours depending on traffic. Double that and you have my daily commute. It was untenable and as a newlywed hoping to start a family, I couldn’t see any good options. I was certain I’d have to find a new job and give up the work I loved to make my personal life work.

There were a lot of conversations at home and at work about how to move forward. One brilliant question changed everything. My manager asked if I would consider consulting. One resounding "YES" later, and I quit my job to start a company with a single contract to deliver marketing communications services to the nonprofit I loved. As soon as I let my network know I was available for hire, I was busy (and happy).

Since then I’ve written all kinds of material, provided marketing strategy, conducted qualitative research, produced videos, developed sales funnels, crafted taglines, composed positioning statements and counseled more clients than I can count on communication. I am so grateful to all of you who have invited us to be a part of your team.

Today, Lingo Consulting, Inc. has a virtual staff of three with the capability to bulk up to nine when a project requires that kind of attention. Together, we’ve worked with a multitude of wonderful clients including Transamerica, General Mills, Target, Kaiser Permanente, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, American Heart Association, The Society for Financial Service Professionals, Methodist Hospital, Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, American Marketing Association and so many more. It has been a privilege to contribute to these companies over the past two decades.

What have I learned from twenty years in the consulting world? Great communication makes everything easier. Whether you are negotiating a contract, writing ad copy or designing a research project, great communication requires knowing what you want, asking the right questions and having the flexibility of mind to reach your goals – even when you need to re-calculate your course.

Though I can’t say exactly what the next two decades will bring for Lingo Consulting, Inc., I do know that next week I’ll be teaching two workshops on “The Language of Leadership” at Idaho’s Women and Leadership conference. Then we’ll offer an online version of the course (registration starts in October). Of course we’ll continue to work with the amazing organizations and individuals like you that understand the value of great communication. Thanks for being a part of this grand adventure!