It’s said one shouldn’t forget to stop and smell the roses. For entrepreneurs and business leaders, however, the near-manic drive of new conquests can rob one of the opportunity to inhale the sweet scent of the petals.
During one afternoon strategy meeting in their chic Meridian office, the managing principals of Engaging Solutions (ES) LLC, a Black-owned management consultant firm based in Indianapolis, seemed to have found that life-work balance.
The jovial atmosphere in the conference room, complemented by warm laughter and homemade cookies sparked a trip down memory lane. The group, Tammy Butler Robinson (MURP), Charles Johnson III (CPA), Debra M. Simmons Wilson (MCRP), and Venita J. Moore (CPA, MPA), discussed their ambitious beginnings and plans for the future.
“It was one of those times when we were looking to make some dynamic changes,” said Simmons Wilson on the birth of ES. “We had all worked together previously and knew each other; we got together as friends and colleagues and started to talk about starting a business, whether it would make sense, who would hire us and so on.
” Their diverse backgrounds and skills sets are what Robinson believes gave ES the edge potential clients were seeking. “We wanted to be able to provide services in excellence,” she said. “You have a lot of firms that just do one thing, just accounting for example, but we’re unique in the fact that we are a one stop shop.” Today, their core competencies include; fiscal management and accountability, call center services, stakeholder engagement, program compliance monitoring, and diversity services.
Wilson shared that the group’s spiritual foundation has greatly influenced the company’s overall focus. “One thing is that we agreed that being scripturally based, that we would write the vision and make it plain,” she said. “Every year we have recanted that to ourselves, we have dedicated our office in the name of God and start our meetings off with prayer and remind ourselves of that on a regular basis.”
The initial goal of ES was to be able to answer questions for those who needed help. That goal inspired both their former and latest logo design which incorporates the letter Q. Today ES’s motto is simply this; “we answer to business”.
Being a source of information and strategy for other small businesses, community organizations, and multinational corporations has led to ES being rated best in class by clients Well Point, Intecare, and the Indiana Civil Rights Commission among others. They have received numerous honors as well from the Indiana Minority Supplier Development Council and the office of both the mayor and governor.
Moore said that the success that ES has experienced reminds her of their humble start and a word of advice given to her as a child.
“My father used to always say that if you work really hard and do the best you can ¬ you will reap the reward you are supposed to receive and I find that to be so true when I reflect back but what I think about a lot when I reflect back to our early years is how we would be working so hard and not really getting the salary we needed,” she said.
Although there was some anxiety over finances and “keeping the lights on at home”, Moore shared that there was enough work coming in to “have dinner every night”. The founding partners agreed in those early days that they would only pay themselves based on billable hours. A tough feat when there are no droves of clients knocking down the door. ES pressed on and began to work more consistently.
“I think about the time that Tammy (Robinson) and I were working on a project for a client. I had worked all day at IBM and Tammy had worked all day with Representative Bill Crawford,” said Moore. “My daughter reminds me of this often but she says that all she remembers is me and Tammy up at 5:00 in the morning laughing, I know she was laughing so loud because she was tired. I did take a nap after she left,” Moore said laughing. “We worked all night long and she had just enough time to go home, take a bath and get back to the representatives office by 7:00 a.m.” For Moore, that is just one example of the belief that business is built upon the fact that you have to work hard and do well, so that you can help others.
Johnson names the impact the group’s collective vision has had on the life of their employees as a shining accomplishment. “I’m not a visionary like my partners,” he joked. “But I did not see us growing past 10 employees – we were at nearly 10 when I first came in and I thought ‘Wow we’re doing great’ but to see where we are at now with 67, it’s been amazing to me. I was speaking with one of our early employees last week and she said that when she started, she and her husband were going through some troubling financial times and she was unsure of her job situation before we hired her. Since then they have been able to buy a house and they have a child. When I was speaking to her I was looking to promote her so it is amazing to me the opportunities that have come about for our staff members – you really get to see people grow in their profession, even those who have left ES were able to use this as a springboard.”
Wilson said that the experience has been both ‘fun and rewarding’. “Being in the position where we’ve been able to help other SBE’s, to be a voice to make sure that they got on major projects in this city that’s been very rewarding,” she said. “We don’t take that lightly at all because we can actually influence change, being able to use our voice to influence decision making that’s been pretty cool.”
Robinson considers their voice and influence to be a ‘footprint’. “When you’re driving around the city, even though our name isn’t on it Lucas Oil Stadium, for example, we know that we’ve been a part of that, the Wishard Faculty Office Building was also one of our projects. If you go down I-69 there’s Hoosier Park, we’ve also been highly involved in the development of the Northeast Corridor though the Quality of Life plans,” she said. Robinson shared that recently, ES has made significant investments in new technology and plans to invest in new top-tier talent. The firm is also scheduled to open an additional location.
“We are definitely a legacy organization so we intend to be here for years to come,” said Moore. ES has done work outside of the city of Indianapolis with expectations to expand outside the country, she said. “We are looking to grow to be a reputable mainstream organization.”
For more on Engaging Solutions, LLC visit engagingsolutions.net.
A Legacy of Service
Engaging Solutions LLC is certified as a minority/women enterprise in seven states and holds national 8 (a) certification with the Small Business Administration. Their clients span a variety of sectors and services cover a host of specialized areas, which include:
- Fiscal Reviews and Analysis
- Internal Audits
- Health Risk Assessments and Lifestyle Management Coaching
- Help Desk and Technical Support
- Staff Augmentation
- Surveys, Public Opinion Polls, Feedback calling
- Communication Strategies and Marketing
- Quantitative and Qualitative Research
- Supplier Diversity and Outreach
- Diversity, Inclusion, and Cultural Competency Training
