Allow me to introduce you to Lawson James

Monday: MicroBusiness and Marketing Marvels FROM THE DESK OF MILES EVERSON: Today, I’m pleased to share with you an inspiring note from Lawson James. Lawson is a finance transformation leader and solution architect at Horizon Projects Consulting Corp. Lawson combines his experiences as a former Big 4 consultant and entrepreneur to solve complex technology and business process problems. His expertise enables him to lead cross-functional teams and support clients in understanding how to interpret and create strategies from data. Read Lawson’s interview with John Kimani below to know more about how he is going beyond automating corporate back office functions in the industry. CEO, MBO Partners Chairman of the Advisory Board, The I Institute

Allow me to introduce you to Lawson James Lawson James: Horizon Projects Consulting Corp. John Kimani: Can you give us a brief background demographics for your introduction like your name, age, title (if applicable), industries served, and years of experience as an independent contractor? Lawson James: I’m Lawson James and I have been an independent contractor for 10 to 11 years now. My specialization includes working on ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems, finance transformation, lease accounting systems, and project management. John: Why independence? What makes being independent better for you than a traditional career path? Lawson: I like having the autonomy that I’m experiencing as an independent. John: What, to you, is a common misconception about being independent? What do people (on either the talent side or client side) get wrong? Lawson: So far, I haven’t had any misconceptions about myself as an independent. I know I have to either sink or swim in this industry, and I am prepared for it. I just think that sometimes, people tend to have the misconception that it is difficult for us to find projects and we end up going months without work. This has not been my experience. John: What’s your most memorable experience working as an independent? Lawson: I have 2 highly memorable experiences. The first one was when I worked on a project in China for a year. There, I learned how to expand myself, communicate and connect with people and cultures, and effectively deliver that project. The second one was working on a USD 10 million project with a team of 300+ people. The size and scale of the project was truly big and yet I was able to deliver it on time. That project required both personal commitment and the commitment of the entire team. John: What was the biggest challenge you faced as an independent and how did you overcome it? Lawson: For me, it was building trust with new clients (as a smaller independent, you have to work to become your client’s trusted advisor) and meeting client expectations. John: How do you typically find new projects? Lawson: I usually find projects through referrals and by responding to RFPs (Request for Proposal). John: Do you find that there’s a difference in the skills you need as an independent versus working in the house? Lawson: Based on my experience, as an independent, you’re often doing everything yourself―from legal stuff to HR to sales to project delivery. John: How do you keep your knowledge and skills up to date? Lawson: I constantly take new courses and register in school to get certifications and keep up with the changes in technology. John: How do you typically divide your time among project delivery, pipeline development, and admin? Lawson: It’s 70-30 in my case―70% for project delivery stuff and 30% for admin and pipeline development-related stuff. John: What advice would you give to people who are considering a career as an independent? Lawson: One piece of advice I would give is you have to manage your work pipeline well and ensure that you’re actively building and maintaining that pipeline. This could be as simple as maintaining your current network or sharing information with other independents. You also have to keep in mind to put in place whatever structures work for you. Learn more about Lawson and Horizon Projects Consulting Corp. here. Hope you’ve found this week’s insights interesting and helpful. Follow us on LinkedIn. Stay tuned for next Monday’s MicroBusiness Marvels! Gordon considers himself as a “people connector” with over 30 years of experience in solving business challenges with creative and practical solutions. Learn more about H. Gordon Langford and GL Performance Consulting on next week’s MicroBusiness and Marketing Marvels!