Institute of Management Consultants USA

07/29/2024

IT'S TIME FOR OUR "MONDAY" HAPPY HOUR! All IMC USA members are invited to attend, beginning at 4:00PM ET tomorrow! It's a great way to both, start the week and end the month, on a high!!!

Expand your professional network with fellow IMC members, hear what they've been up to this summer, maybe find a business alliance, and/or get some feedback on an idea from a fellow consultant!! Partnering and networking are foundational components of a successful consulting practice and are key to building sustainable relationships. New and existing members alike are welcome to join this monthly virtual event. The is a free, virtual member only event. Click here to register: https://imcusa.org/calendar/imc-usa-meet-the-member-virtual-happy-hour-5/

07/11/2024

One more day until Friday!! As you make plans for your Friday exit for a summer weekend, close out the work week by joining us for lunch tomorrow -- an easy way to stay productive yet get some relaxing in at the same time! Mary Grate-Pyos, MBA,CFBS will be speaking on "The Foundation of Effective Business Planning" at 1:00 PM ET. Very helpful as we turn the mid-year corner of 2024! Register here:
https://imcusa.org/calendar/imc-usa-lunch-learn-4/

Is this topic for you?

🔵 Have you built a solid foundation for your consulting practice?

🔵 Do you understand what drives valuation for your business?

Mary will be sharing valuable insights and practical tips to help you understand the operational and market drivers that determine your business valuation.

IMC USA’s Lunch and Learn series, also known as “brown bags”, are short, training-focused programs during the lunch hour. Participants learn from industry experts on tools, technologies, concepts and strategies to help them expand their consulting capabilities.

Whether you’re a seasoned consultant or just starting, this session is a must-attend. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to expand your knowledge. Register now and take the first step towards taking your consulting practice to another level.

Guest Speaker: Mary Grate-Pyos, MBA, considers herself a “Proud Geek in Pearls” and is determined to make a difference and have impact in the lives of others through financial literacy, simple wealth strategies and financial wellness discussion for peace of mind. As a MassMutual Financial Advisor for the past 18 years and as a Certified Family Business Specialist, her focus is assisting business owners and families in building a solid financial foundation and create strategies that protect assets, loved ones and build generational wealth. She has assisted business owners, entrepreneurs and families to position them for financial peace of mind and address the risks and threats to building a lasting legacy.

Mary is a trained mathematician, earning her B.A. degree from Newberry College, Newberry, South Carolina, and earned her MBA from Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York. She completed training in the Certified Leadership Development Program at The George Washington University, Washington, DC, and training in “Resilient Leadership” from

Babson College, Wellesley, Massachusetts. She is currently a mentor to business owners in the MassMutual Diverse Business Program at The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. Ms. Grate-Pyos is an author; a former newspaper Columnist, and a former Financial Expert on the syndicated radio show, “Serving Up Soul.” She serves on the Board of Trustees at Newberry College; and is a past board member of the Greater Washington Chapter of the National Association of Women’s Business Owners (NAWBO National) and Dress of Success – Washington, DC. She is located in Northern Virginia and is licensed and positioned to serve clients in 23 states.

Registration:
https://imcusa.org/calendar/imc-usa-lunch-learn-4/

07/09/2024

What are you doing this Friday for lunch? If you are open, come join us at our July Lunch & Learn! Our guest speaker, Mary Grate-Pyos, MBA,CFBS, would love to see you there for her discussion on "The Foundation of Effective Business Planning" .... Again, this Friday, July 12th, 1:00 PM ET. Register here: https://lnkd.in/eMyHSiyg

🔵 Have you built a solid foundation for your consulting practice?

🔵 Do you understand the factors that drive valuation for your business?

Mary will be sharing valuable insights and practical tips to help you understand the operational and market drivers that determine your business valuation.

IMC USA’s Lunch and Learn series, also known as “brown bags”, are short, training-focused programs during the lunch hour. Participants learn from industry experts on tools, technologies, concepts and strategies to help them expand their consulting capabilities.

Whether you’re a seasoned consultant or just starting, this session is a must-attend. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to expand your knowledge. Register now and take the first step towards taking your consulting practice to another level.

Guest Speaker: Mary Grate-Pyos, MBA, considers herself a “Proud Geek in Pearls” and is determined to make a difference and have impact in the lives of others through financial literacy, simple wealth strategies and financial wellness discussion for peace of mind. As a MassMutual Financial Advisor for the past 18 years and as a Certified Family Business Specialist, her focus is assisting business owners and families in building a solid financial foundation and create strategies that protect assets, loved ones and build generational wealth. She has assisted business owners, entrepreneurs and families to position them for financial peace of mind and address the risks and threats to building a lasting legacy.

Mary is a trained mathematician, earning her B.A. degree from Newberry College, Newberry, South Carolina, and earned her MBA from Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York. She completed training in the Certified Leadership Development Program at The George Washington University, Washington, DC, and training in “Resilient Leadership” from Babson College, Wellesley, Massachusetts. She is currently a mentor to business owners in the MassMutual Diverse Business Program at The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. Ms. Grate-Pyos is an author; a former newspaper Columnist, and a former Financial Expert on the syndicated radio show, “Serving Up Soul.” She serves on the Board of Trustees at Newberry College; and is a past board member of the Greater Washington Chapter of the National Association of Women’s Business Owners (NAWBO) and Dress of Success – Washington, DC. She is located in Northern Virginia and is licensed and positioned to serve clients in 23 states.

Registration: https://imcusa.org/calendar/imc-usa-lunch-learn-4/

07/04/2024

07/02/2024

Taking it slow over the long July 4th weekend? Come join your fellow IMC members and the public at our monthly Lunch & Learn! This month's guest speaker, Mary Grate-Pyos, MBA,CFBS, will lead a discussion on "The Foundation of Effective Business Planning" ...again, this Friday, July 5th, 1:00 PM ET. Registration: https://imcusa.org/calendar/imc-usa-lunch-learn-4/

🔵 Have you built a solid foundation for your consulting practice?

🔵 Do you understand the factors that drive valuation for your business?

Mary will be sharing valuable insights and practical tips to help you understand the operational and market drivers that determine your business valuation.

IMC USA’s Lunch and Learn series, also known as “brown bags”, are short, training-focused programs during the lunch hour. Participants learn from industry experts on tools, technologies, concepts and strategies to help them expand their consulting capabilities.

Whether you’re a seasoned consultant or just starting, this session is a must-attend. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to expand your knowledge. Register now and take the first step towards taking your consulting practice to another level.

Guest Speaker: Mary Grate-Pyos, MBA, considers herself a “Proud Geek in Pearls” and is determined to make a difference and have impact in the lives of others through financial literacy, simple wealth strategies and financial wellness discussion for peace of mind. As a MassMutual Financial Advisor for the past 18 years and as a Certified Family Business Specialist, her focus is assisting business owners and families in building a solid financial foundation and create strategies that protect assets, loved ones and build generational wealth. She has assisted business owners, entrepreneurs and families to position them for financial peace of mind and address the risks and threats to building a lasting legacy.

Mary is a trained mathematician, earning her B.A. degree from Newberry College, Newberry, South Carolina, and earned her MBA from Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York. She completed training in the Certified Leadership Development Program at The George Washington University, Washington, DC, and training in “Resilient Leadership” from Babson College, Wellesley, Massachusetts. She is currently a mentor to business owners in the MassMutual Diverse Business Program at The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. Ms. Grate-Pyos is an author; a former newspaper Columnist, and a former Financial Expert on the syndicated radio show, “Serving Up Soul.” She serves on the Board of Trustees at Newberry College; and is a past board member of the Greater Washington Chapter of the National Association of Women’s Business Owners (NAWBO) and Dress of Success – Washington, DC. She is located in Northern Virginia and is licensed and positioned to serve clients in 23 states.

Registration: https://imcusa.org/calendar/imc-usa-lunch-learn-4/

07/01/2024

It's July 1st and the beginning of the second half of 2024! Found in our Management Consulting Connection Weekly Mailing is a great podcast with text from Betsy Jordyn, a Business Positioning Strategist, that will propel you to greater success throughout these last 6 months. It has a special message for those who ever .... in Betsy's words, "feel like fear and self-doubt have your consulting or coaching business dreams in a chokehold." "Like every time you want to take a step towards your goals, a little voice in your head whispers, “What if I fail? What if nobody will hire me? What if I wind up poor and losing everything?"

Betsy tells us what NOT to do. And you'll be surprised what that is! Listen/read now her podcast, "How to Overcome Your Fears & Build a Consulting or Coaching Business You Love." Access it here:

Discover how to overcome your fears and build a thriving consulting or coaching business you love. Real talk, real strategies, real success. Tune in now!

06/29/2024

GOT SOME HOLIDAY DOWNTIME COMING UP THIS NEXT WEEK?
HAS ACQUIRING YOUR CMC® BEEN CALLING YOUR NAME?
This could be a great time to get serious about going for your CMC® --
all you might want/need to know along with the steps to get started can be found via the links listed below:

⚫ How To Become A Certified Management Consultant (CMC)
https://imcusa.org/certified-management-consultant/

⚫ CMC Frequently Asked Questions
https://imcusa.org/certified-management-consultant/certification-faqs/

⚫ CMC Recertification
https://imcusa.org/certified-management-consultant/cmc-renewal/

⚫ Why CMC's Are Hired!
https://imcusa.org/certified-management-consultant/why-hire-a-cmc/

The CMC® credential gives you a competitive edge, a community of fellow consultants who share the same values as you, and a structure for keeping you on top of your game in the present and as the years go by!

Can't wait to add CMC® after your name!!!

06/26/2024

WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR BECOMING AN IMC CMC CERTIFIED MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT? Our CMC® certification process confirms proof of your education, continuing professional development and commitment to the highest ethical standards of consulting.

IMC USA’s examiners rigorously assess consulting engagement case studies you submit to us and evaluate your competency in applying the knowledge and skills defined in IMC USA’s Competency Framework and Certification Scheme for Certified Management Consultants®(CMC®). This framework was recently revised to adopt the global standards for consulting crafted by the International Council of Management Consulting Institutes (ICMCI).

If you wish to review more detail and/or if you are ready to begin your certification process now? Click here:

https://imcusa.org/certified-management-consultant/how-to-become-certified/

06/25/2024

WHY 0BTAIN YOUR CMC & BE A CERTIFIED MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT? Jon Seidel, CMC MBA shares his WHY below! A member of IMC since 1979 and CMC certified since 1998, Jon points out 2 major reasons the IMC CMC certification is significant to him:

1) Having access to a group of business professionals that he can trust due to everyone sharing the same values and ethics.

2) The recertification every 3 years requires education in various forms that always delivers nuggets of improvement for his success.

Watch the full interview below with Joyce Gioia, MBA, CSP, CMC, FIMC, a CMC consultant herself and our IMC volunteer videographer.

06/24/2024

OUR JUNE HAPPY HOUR IS TODAY! Forget about any Monday blues and plan on meeting with your fellow IMC members today, June 24th, at 4:00 PM, ET. Come expand your network within IMC, receive answers to questions you might have, find some synergies for future alliances ... our happy hours are a great way to expand your professional network.

Partnering and networking are foundational components of a successful consulting practice and are key to building sustainable relationships. New and existing members alike are welcome to join this monthly virtual event. The is a free, virtual member only event. Click Here to Register Today! https://imcusa.org/calendar/imc-usa-meet-the-member-virtual-happy-hour-3/

06/18/2024

THIS WEDNESDAY, TOMORROW, be sure to attend IMC USA's June CONSULTANT'S STUDIO at1:00 PM (EST) when Julia Demkowski, MBA, CMC®, founder and CEO of Stanford Management Consulting, will be speaking. Those of you who know Julia, know she is a powerhouse of energy with a passion for helping small and medium size businesses excel. Those of you who don't know Julia (yet) have a treat in store for yourselves this Wednesday. Julia will be sharing her methodology which is based on the conviction that every business can achieve profitability when the focus is on strategic planning and performance management.

Julia is a distinguished business expert, and creator of the “Boot Camp Series: Fitness for Your Business,” the original foundation for her current “Fiscal Fitness” program. She educates business owners and executives on developing and executing strategies for enhanced performance, growth, and profitability. With over 3 decades of experience, she is a trusted advisor to companies seeking efficient strategies for streamlining operations, cost control, waste elimination, and objective-based management.

Julia excels in strategic planning, financial and business analysis, organizational development, and executive coaching. Her ability to swiftly identify change and improvement opportunities enables business leaders to make decisions that boost productivity, efficiency, and profitability.

Julia holds an MBA from the Keller Graduate School of Management and a BS in Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Administration from the University of South Carolina, where she is originally from. She has relocated 19 times between 1984 and 1996, working as a troubleshooter and operational specialist in various businesses throughout the southeastern United States. She currently resides in Fredericksburg, VA.

We look forward to having you join us. The event is free and open to members and the public. Click here to register: https://lnkd.in/e2fUvSzq

06/15/2024

WHAT SHOULD MY PRICING BE? Consulting pricing models: which one should you choose, and why? Choosing the right pricing model for your consulting business is one of the most important decisions you’ll make as a consultant. Receive some guidance from Tsavo Neal's article in Consulting Success, found in the IMC USA's Management Consulting Connection newsletter! Click here:

Consulting pricing models: which one should you choose, and why? Choosing the right pricing model for your consulting business is one of the most important decisions you’ll make as a consultant. Your pricing model determines how you charge clients for your services. The right model will maximize y...