Being a Passionate Entrepreneur

Being a Passionate Entrepreneur

Every book on entrepreneurship and every instructor at a business incubator will tell wanna-be business owners to follow their passion.  They say we should only start a business doing something about which we’re passionate.

I own a human resources consulting business. Am I passionate about HR? No.

When I decided to start my own business, I knew I didn’t want to hang out my shingle as a lawyer.  I spent over twenty years giving legal advice and I knew I wanted to do something different.   I thought HR consulting would allow me to help businesses grow rather than just trying to fix a mess, like I did as an in-house lawyer.

But HR consulting has its downside too. Mention HR consulting at a networking event and you’ll clear the room faster than a self-admitted government regulator.  I know this for a fact because I’ve also worked for federal and state regulatory authorities.

For HR professionals, the only people who want to talk to you are disgruntled employees who are convinced they’ve got a $1 million case against their current or a former employer for abusing them.  Each one will begin their tale of woe by assuring you that their story is unique, but which any experienced HR professional will recognize immediately from the last few thousand complaints they’ve heard.  I used to stay close to the bar so I could refuel while pretending to listen.

Don’t get me wrong.  The disgruntled employee probably had a rough time even if none of the details will satisfy the legal definition for violating an employment law.  These stories are evidence of HR problems, from a rotten corporate culture to a lack of training of employees at all levels.

HR is about fixing those problems.  It’s about process and policies.   It’s about managing human interactions in the workplace.

People don’t outgrow their childhood social training and personality traits; they just get older.  The schoolyard bully grows up to be a bullying coworker or boss.  The conscientious kid who helped others will become the “team player” who is the indispensable worker bee on every committee or project but who rarely receives credit for what she or he does.  The narcissistic kids in the popular clique self-promote themselves into promotions and awards where they can continue being condescending and rude to the not-so-popular kids who are now coworkers.

A psychologist probably finds it fascinating because companies are lab experiments reflecting the prevailing social standards and group dynamics.  Anthropologists love studying workplace rituals and hierarchies to see how far we’ve come since our hunting and gathering days. (Short answer: Not too far because people are people.)

But for the rest of us, HR veers from hilarious to maddening to tedious.  Sure, some of the issues involve sex, such as sleazy bosses seducing subordinates, or dishonesty with sticky-fingered employees stealing company property, or the fact that what happens in Vegas does not stay in Vegas so long as at least one person at the party has a smart phone and a Facebook page.

That begs the question of why I started an HR consulting business if I’m not passionate about HR and employment law.   HR consulting is the vehicle I chose to satisfy what I am passionate about.

I’m passionate about helping others and leveling up the playing field to ensure equality of opportunity.  I want to help the underdog.  I grew up poor and was the first person in my family to earn a college degree. I’m the only one with an advanced degree. (I earned a JD and I’m licensed to practice law in three states.) In high school I didn’t know about things like college prep classes or other services that help students boost their grades and therefore their opportunities. I couldn’t have afforded them anyway, so I slogged alone toward my goals.

When I look at small businesses, I see other underdogs who slog on toward their goals.  Small companies often lack the financial resources of their larger competitors. They may struggle to pay for everything from marketing to employee benefits.  That makes it harder to recruit and retain employees.

Frankly, none of my company’s clients could afford to have someone like me on their payroll full-time.  But my consulting business allows them to tap into my corporate expertise while keeping their costs manageable.  I’m using my years of service as a government attorney and corporate lawyer to help small companies compete more effectively against their rivals.  It’s immensely satisfying when I can offer small businesses the same expertise that their larger competitors take for granted.

Being an entrepreneur requires being passionate about something related to your business.  For me, the passion comes from helping small companies level the playing field against their larger competitors.  I chose to fulfill that passion through HR consulting because HR is about process and policies. A clear process makes it easier to recruit and train employees.  Good policies help the business and its workers to succeed.  It becomes a virtuous cycle and that’s immensely satisfying.

About Norma Shirk, Esq.

CEO/Founder

Corporate Compliance Risk Advisor, LLC

Norma Shirk is an attorney licensed in Tennessee, Texas, and Colorado.  She transitioned from giving legal advice to giving business advice when she founded Corporate Compliance Risk Advisor.  She helps small to mid-sized companies create employee practices and human resources policies that are appropriate to the employer’s size and budget so that they can grow smoothly and profitably.

She is a frequent public speaker on employment issues, as well as historical events.  She also has two blogs, HR Compliance Jungle (www.hrcompliancejungle.com) and History by Norma (available at www.normashirk.com) which reflect her personal and professional interests.   She also contributed to the Her Savvy (www.hersavvy.com) blog for many years.