It’s Independents Week at 10K and we’re celebrating by profiling successful Salesforce entrepreneurs from the 10K Expert Community. Follow along with us at #IndependentsWeek as we give a peek into each person’s journey to independence, lessons learned along the way, and advice for others who might be interested in joining the thriving Salesforce ecosystem.
Can you tell us a bit about your business?
Like a lot of other folks who work with 10K, EdgEffects is a small and passionate Salesforce consultancy that has years of experience working in the ecosystem. We wear a lot of hats, but most of our customers are in the non-profit sector.
We see Salesforce as an integral part of the modern non-profits’ success because it enables them to further their mission and do more good work.
When founding Edgeffects, we were most excited about elevating our customers’ Salesforce capabilities who weren’t necessarily aware of their ability to do more with less. We see Salesforce as an integral part of the modern non-profits’ success because it enables them to further their mission and do more good work. We help them use Salesforce to get the most out of their resources to gain more opportunities.
How did you know it was time to go independent?
I had spent a ton of time at every level and position within the traditional non-profit sector. When I eventually ended up in a director position I realized it was time to pivot. I wanted to focus full-time on implementing the platform and couldn’t do that as a director; that type of work simply wasn’t part of the job description.
My resume on paper didn’t convey the skills and experience I had gained over the years. I knew going independent would give me the freedom to put those skills to use and choose the work that was never an option for me in a traditional role. Continuing to learn and expand my Salesforce knowledge was also important to me.
My resume on paper didn’t convey the skills and experience I had gained over the years.
What is the best part about being your own boss in the Salesforce ecosystem?
The freedom to be selective of the projects we take on. I’m passionate about delivering value for my customers, and I appreciate the ability to turn down work if I can’t serve a customer’s goal or mission. Your work should motivate and get you excited to keep delivering value, and being an independent consultant makes that possible.
I’m passionate about delivering value for my customers, and I appreciate the ability to turn down work if I can’t serve a customer’s goal or mission.
Are there any lessons you can share with those who are starting their own Salesforce Consultancy?
Crawl, walk, then run. This may go against most popular entrepreneurial mantras but you need to bite off what you can chew. It’s important to learn how to be a consultant and define the terms for how you want to work before going all in.
The reality is most people have responsibilities, like a house and kids, so the big-bang approach isn’t feasible for everyone. Don’t feel like you need to cut off your main source of income from Day One, but instead build internal structures for your business with intention. You want to set yourself up for success and make being a full-time consultant a sustainable reality.
The reality is most people have responsibilities, like a house and kids, so the big-bang approach isn’t feasible for everyone.
What about the Salesforce ecosystem’s future gets you excited?
Growth of the ecosystem’s experts. I’m excited that Salesforce professionals continue to prioritize upskilling to help move the platform forward and customers gain more value. The reality is that you have to be a continual learner to keep up with the evolution of the platform and help customers expand their usage of it.
I’m excited that Salesforce professionals continue to prioritize upskilling to help move the platform forward and customers gain more value.
I also appreciate the ecosystem’s support for experts to pursue somewhat unconventional career pathways, like going from administrator to architect. Trailhead continues to prove itself as a robust resource to lean on and take your career to the next level.