When business consultant Karyn Pettigrew, 44, left corporate America in 1992, she thought she would open a holistic wellness center. But after much soul-searching and discussion with her husband, she said she discovered her calling was to teach professionals, through coaching and consulting, how to apply intuition to traditional business practices
“I knew that I wanted to do something that helped people understand that things didn’t have to be the way that they were,” said Pettigrew. “I really wanted to revolutionize the way people work; your work is meant to be an expression of you.”
Pettigrew prides herself and her company, KPConsulting LLC, on an “Intuitive Business Strategy.” After working in several sectors of the corporate world for more than 15 years, she insisted her decision to leave the corporate side and start her business “was a conscious one and it’s allowed me to do what I really love while being present for my family.”
The 4-year-old River North business, primarily geared towards entrepreneurs, helps individuals and companies prioritize their work, by recognizing the connection between the personal and professional worlds, “intuitively.”
Julie Casserly, owner of JMC Wealth Management Inc. a financial planning firm in the West Loop, said, “Since working with Karyn, I have increased my revenues by 30 percent.”
Casserly, who met Pettigrew at a meeting with other entrepreneurs, began to consult with her on a personal basis shortly afterward because, she said, she felt there was something missing from her professional life. She admits, “I’ve used several different business coaches over the years, but Karyn taught me that running a business is a personal experience."
Pettigrew said that contrary to popular belief, people carry both personal and professional parts of their lives everywhere, so the connection should not be ignored.
President and CEO of her two-person corporation, Pettigrew said the most effective way to tackle business is to use a holistic approach, discovering what matters for the company and the individuals who make up the company “inside and out,” and using the personal-professional connection to their advantage.
Pettigrew received her bachelor of arts degree in economics from Wellesley College in Massachusetts and her master of business administration from Harvard University. At the start of her professional career, Pettigrew worked in banking, then with Quaker Oats Co., the Illinois Lottery and People’s Energy Corp. Her positions were in marketing, communications and corporate strategy, reflecting her “creative side,” she said.
While in the corporate world, Pettigrew said, she consistently held to one principle: “It was always about not just the analytical side, but the need to incorporate the creative side.”
After resigning from the Illinois Lottery, this thought pattern led her to write her first book, "I Quit." “At that time I was feeling like the cultures in organizations were deteriorating. It was often that people felt like, ‘I don’t’ have time to think,’” said Pettigrew.
Writing her book and the time off work, she said, helped put things into perspective and gave her time to explore how she could help entrepreneurs and corporate professionals.
“Karyn has assisted me in truly zoning in on my intuition, mission, vision and the most important part, actualizing it all,” said Casserly in a client testimony on Pettigrew’s Web site. “She helps me to get out of my own way.”
Michael Bolden, managing partner of South Chicago-based Chatham Consulting Group Inc. said, “She helped my company understand the nuances of business and where we wanted to go.” His company, which does marketing strategy and business intelligence consulting, recently landed two projects with Hilton Hotel. He credits Pettigrew’s intuitive and analytical business coaching “We would have never gotten it without her help.”
Pettigrew brings her combined experience to her business consulting enterprise as she markets KPConsulting’s platform and most recent programming approach, “The 360⁰ Intuitive Business Strategy.”
She said this strategy recognizes that “You can’t address just one piece. It’s important for people to look at all aspects of their lives and what it is that they’re ready to create in their lives so that that can be incorporated as opposed to excluded.”
According to Pettigrew, people are not able to fully disengage from an area of their lives to focus on another, as in “not bringing your work home” and “not bringing your personal matters to work.” She coaches people on identifying the different areas of their lives and using them to work in harmony.
“Instead of denying the areas of interconnectedness, my work is to take this philosophy, and with my team of referring practitioners, we know that the transformation begins from the inside out.” These practitioners are in a wide range of professions including marketing, psychology, finance, Web tech, new product development and sales.
Pettigrew said her “general operating philosophy” is a key reason why her business has not been affected negatively by the lagging economy. “In my opinion, if you understand the laws of attraction, then there’s always opportunity.”
KPConsulting’s operating philosophy, Pettigrew said, includes more than generating revenues, though her company grossed $150,000 in 2007. It’s about personal attitude, the quality of one’s work experience, satisfaction that one gets out of the work, recognizing the time for growth and the journey throughout.
Cheryl Wash, who directs Pettigrew’s programs, said the company has grown significantly over the past four years, from “working with small groups to small corporations and now traveling with different organizations in different cities.”
Recently, Pettigrew presented a workshop with the Women’s Leadership Exchange conference in Schaumburg. The New York-based organization is devoted to mentoring women in leadership positions as they continue in their profession.
Wash is also the president of Highest Good Publications Inc., the company that published Pettigrew’s book, ‘I Quit.’ She said, “I originally went to her because I was torn between how to keep my passion but to grow revenue and also understand that in the world of demand, there are certain books that you would not want to publish.”
Wash said that her struggle was whether or not she would compromise her integrity to make a few more bucks in a niche market, poetry and unknown writers.
According to Wash, Pettigrew showed her how she did not have to compromise to be successful in her profession. “Karyn has the ability to help people remain balanced at full capacity.”
Pettigrew said she believes people will always need her strategy to operate successfully in life. In the next nine months, she plans to turn the 360⁰ Intuitive Business Strategy into a traveling conference. To do so, she will take her own business advice and by collaborating with corporations and her referring practitioners, teach people “how to create from the inside out, what it is just what they want in business.”
[Via - Medill Reports]
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