BLOG: Making the shift from corporate to consulting

OWL conducts a Q&A with Candy Simerson, president and CEO of iCandy Consulting.

What inspired you to leave your corporate job and start consulting?

Candy: I was making a geographic move, and I wanted to shift from a top executive position in a large practice that rewardingly consumed 7 days per week to one that occupied perhaps 4 days per week. I had always enjoyed working in ophthalmology — it’s a fun business that I wasn’t ready to give up. I developed so many friendships and relationships over the years, and added to my experience and knowledge, I felt I could bring value to clients in ophthalmology. I opened iCandy Consulting, which provides consulting services to ophthalmologists and eye care industry partners related to business operations, strategy, organizational restructuring, provider recruitment and compensation models along with other project work.

What was the biggest challenge with consulting work?

Candy: It was challenging to balance client needs and allocate time in an organized fashion. Most clients expect that you will have time to immediately respond and remedy issues quickly, so it’s important to manage expectations, communicate effectively and manage your own time appropriately. It’s also very different from being employed. I always have to generate my own leads and be able to identify opportunities. With clients, I must be sure to demonstrate value by helping to identify issues and resolutions. I have to build trust as well because people can be suspicious of your motivations with offering certain opinions or solutions. The friendships and networks I’ve developed over the years have helped me build immediate trust with my potential clients, and my past relationships have given me opportunities to make new connections and stay in touch.

As an employee, I also didn’t have to think about project scope so much. If a project evolved into a broader scope, it wasn’t a problem. With consulting, it’s important to be specific about the scope of a project and be sure to communicate if it evolves into something else, which most likely involves more of my time and more expense to the client. Presenting a budget is also important, and then I must be sure to manage to the expectations or absorb the discrepancy.
’s also very different having to account and bill for your time, which takes some discipline and commitment. I used to manage a large group of people who reported to me, and now I am managing myself, reporting to myself and conducting self-evaluation on a consistent basis.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of working as an independent consultant?

Candy: Advantages: It provides freedom to choose projects and people I feel I can work with effectively. It’s another opportunity to strengthen new and existing relationships and build new skills. I also enjoy helping people, and consulting lets me do that.

Disadvantages: There isn’t anybody to cover for me when I’m traveling or on assignment. It can be a challenge to balance the workload, particularly as the scope of the product isn’t always predictable and multiple projects often compete for my attention. It also can be challenging to communicate negative observations if they don’t match up with the client’s current perception.

What advice would you give someone preparing to transition from a corporate job to consulting?

Candy: Volunteer and participate in programs you’re passionate about. Continue to build your network and explore new relationships and opportunities. Most of the close friendships I’ve developed over the years have been the result of networking in ophthalmology. Ophthalmic World Leaders is a strong and diversifying organization that can help ease the transition from corporate to consulting. People are willing to support one another, which I think helps make ophthalmology so unique.

Candy Simerson is the president and CEO of iCandy Consulting, LLC. She can be reached at email: candysimerson@gmail.com.