By Tricia Livermore

Looking back at my career I realized that I often sought out wise counsel in helping me to continuously grow as a person. There were periods where I had fabulous mentors and periods where I didn’t have support. There were times when I needed real therapy and although it took me a while, I find the right person to help me. There were also times I could have really used the expertise and knowledge of an entrepreneur when I started my first business with my then-husband.  

I didn’t know anything about starting and building a business, so I got my MBA in entrepreneurship and used that as my guidepost in building our business. I researched what I needed, made decisions as I went along and we built a successful company because my partner truly wanted to help his customers and give jobs to great people. We started the company in September 2001 and we bought a commercial building in 2007, right before the real estate crash. As the VP & CFO, I fought hard to do everything I could to keep it operational since we owned commercial property that had lost more than half it’s value, we would lose everything we built professionally and personally. We eventually turned it around, but only to the point where it just broke-even for many years after that. Looking back, I wish I had a trusted advisor to help me grow the business back to thriving. 

I built this business as my side hustle since I also worked full time in Corporate America for a fortune 100 company. As I was climbing the ladder, I also needed trusted advisors and sponsors. I made mistakes along the way.  I didn’t realize how important it was to build strategic relationships. I led a team for the last eight years of that career and I loved helping to grow other leaders and giving people opportunities to learn, grow and thrive. I created a three-year strategy to help upskill our organization that had been previously led by a leader who was never willing to change anything unless he was told to. 

I found that my strongest talent was adaptability and being the change-agent needed to take the organization to the next level. For the second time in that career I displaced myself when I created a tech team which eventually needed a technical leader. I knew this was my time to leave as the culture had shifted in a very negative way towards extreme competition and independent thought over collaboration.  

At the same time that my career came to an end, so did my marriage. I had started a spiritual transformation within the last couple years of that chapter in my life. I knew I was meant to serve people who were searching for the same thing – a purpose greater than ourselves. I wanted meaning in my life. I shed toxic people from my life and purposely looked for a new tribe. A tribe where people genuinely cared and supported each other. A tribe where we could be vulnerable and supported in our individual journeys to become something greater individually and collectively.  

I started taking steps towards a new career. I had a “knowing” that I needed to create my own business even though I had no idea what I wanted to do.  A good friend asked me, if I could wave a magic wand, what would I do. I said I wanted to coach other small business owners to help them grow their business because business founders take the greatest risk and have the most to lose… and I wanted to help them. I started with my doctor, who is a naturopath, and had a very small practice. I offered her pro-bono services so that I could test my abilities. I helped her clarify her own brand and her preferred target market as well as get clear on her specific niche.  

I also met another woman through a Meet-Up group who was thinking of starting a business. We met and instantly connected. I learned that over our business friendship (also pro-bono) that I really loved being an advisor and sounding board for others. I love to listen to the details but keep the bigger picture in mind, and I have a great ability to replay what I hear in a succinct summary that helps provide clarity to the other person. I also find that I love to share the experiences and knowledge I have gained from both my corporate leadership experience and from managing a small business at the same time. I love to ask questions to understand more about client’s concerns, identifying what’s underneath what they are saying. I also have a great ability to look at a business from an outside perspective and see what a potential client sees to give them constructive feedback in a way that they can easily take action on it. 

More than anything, I love to co-create insight for solutions.  I have always believed that when you bring two people together it can inspire new ideas when both people are looking for growth and change.  These are all the reasons that inspire and ignite my passion for wanting to help others learn and grow, as well as solving challenging issues together.  

These are all the reasons I started Soul Business Advisor, so that I can have a greater impact on the world by serving small business owners as a trusted advisor to provide guidance, support and insight in order for them to serve their customers in a conscious way. If you want more information, feel free to contact me at tricia@soulbusinessadvisor.com.

Bio: Tricia Livermore

I have a passion for small businesses and am the owner of Soul Business Advisor, co-founder and CFO of Hot Rods By Dean, and Member of One Lone Cactus LLC. I have a CPA license and MBA with a certificate in Entrepreneurship after successfully contributing to co-founding three small businesses. My newest company provides small business planning, coaching and consulting. 

The twenty plus years I spent in corporate America includes experience in strategic and financial leadership for global vendor management within the technology organizations of the financial services industry. I have an successful track record in financial management, organizational change, program management, and small business growth.

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