Brandy Mills Consulting, led by Brandy Mills herself, specializes in business, leadership, and growth coaching. The firm offers various services tailored to the needs of corporations, businesses, organizations, and individuals. Services range from one-on-one coaching for business owners and leaders to partnerships with companies for leadership development, strategic planning, and team engagement.
Brandy’s journey into the world of leadership began unexpectedly. Initially resisting a management role despite her evident leadership skills, Brandy ultimately embraced the opportunity, sparking a profound passion for leadership principles and business acumen. Reflecting on the start of her leadership career, Brandy shares, “I was talked into taking the position, and it was one of the greatest growth periods of my life. Through my work in that role, I fell in love with leadership principles and how I showed up as a leader.”
This experience led her to launch Brandy Mills Consulting, combining her love for leadership and business with a commitment to innovative and effective coaching. Over the years, Brandy Mills Consulting has expanded from a part-time endeavor to a fully operational entity with a growing presence beyond its local roots in Asheville.
Read our full Q&A with Brandy below…
Tell us about your business and the role you play in it.
Brandy Mills Consulting is a company run by Executive Coach, Brandy Mills that focuses on Business, Leadership, & Growth coaching. Brandy Mills Consulting is here to help corporations, businesses, organizations, and individuals get to the Business of Leading themselves into their next level of Growth. Brandy Mills Consulting provides a variety of services, individualized to the client’s needs. Services includes:
Where did your career find its start? How did you get involved with your company?
Funny you should ask…my leadership career actually started with a NO! I was asked to apply for a new manager role because of the leadership ability that I naturally demonstrated. My response to my director at that time was “just because one has leadership ability does not mean they should go into leadership.” I will never forget it AND I still believe those words wholeheartedly. Nonetheless, I was talked into taking the position and it was one of the greatest growth periods of my life. It was through my work in that role where I fell in love with leadership principles, how I showed up as a leader, and the importance of the term “leader” being more than a title, it is character traits that a person embodies long before a title is attached to it. Matter of fact, in my experience, the most effective and influential leaders have been those of us who could care less about the title and focused on the work to be done and how we partner with our teams to get it done. I later took those leadership skills and business acumen that was developed in that role that I said “no” to and advanced into a Director role in an organization and opening up my first business, a bakery. Brandy Mills Consulting was eventually birthed out of a combination of a love of leadership and business principles, seeing an opportunity for how things can be done differently, wanting to see people develop into their best selves, and the desire to pay it forward in a that can prevent others from tripping over the same hurdles that stumbled over. A large portion of the small business community are really good at “doing” the skill or craft in their business, but not so good at “running” the business. I began voluntarily working with anyone who reached out for guidance and over the years, I realized that what I was doing was actually producing good outcomes and positive people experiences. From there, I decided to officially tap into the coaching arena on a small scale, which led to where I am today.
How has your company grown over the years?
Brandy Mills Consulting has grown from being run on a part-time basis with the majority of the work coming through contracting with local agencies that support our business community to a fully operational company with both independent and partnership contracts that are extending outside of the immediate Asheville area.
What was the biggest hurdle you had to overcome?
Truthfully, I am the biggest hurdle that I have had to overcome!! Not unlike many other business owners, I have had the doubts, insecurities, and imposter syndrome thoughts. I had to place what I know to be true about me, my abilities, the need in the community, and where I’ve been called to, over any of that other stuff. It took and is taking a heap of courage and faith to get here, but HERE I AM!!
What’s a little-known fact or trivia about your business?
A little known fact about Brandy Mills Consulting, better yet, a myth about us is that we only serve small business clients who are start ups. Truth is we serve any company or individual who feel that we can partner to meet their needs.
Was there ever a time you felt like you had to completely start over?
How has your/your company’s idea of success transformed?
When I first entered the business community years ago, I used quantifiable metrics to define measures of success. While that is still necessary to in operations, for sure, my overarching view of success now, being able to have the feeling of fulfillment in the work that I do. Fulfillment, which looks different for everyone, is the driver of success that I use in my personal life and in business.
What’s the greatest business advice you’ve been given?
As you know, there is no shortage of advice that business owners get. Heck, the heart of Brandy Mills Consulting offers advice to the business clients that we serve. If summarized the advice that I have received over the years I would say it would be the importance of knowing that you cannot do it all, tap into the resources available to assist you, know the ins and outs of your business, and that doubts will be ever-present, trust your instincts anyway.
What is most important to you/your company now?
The most important thing to me and Brandy Mills Consulting is our reputation for the quality of services we provide. This involves genuinely connecting with and demonstrating a level of integrity that fosters a trusting relationship with clients. In every interaction I listen to client needs and honestly assess if my services would be a good fit for them as opposed to forcing my services to fit just to acquire their business. As big as I aspire for Brandy Mills Consulting to grow, I never want to lose the small town heart of being a good neighbor. Good neighbors do good business.
What’s on the horizon?
Growth!!!
What is your company’s relationship with the community?
Being an Asheville native who wants to see our community grow and thrive, I work to serve of community boards focused on offering services that meet community needs. Brandy Mills Consulting does lots of work in Women Empowerment arena, volunteer work with youth in the community, and offering services free or discounted to those who need it.
What experiences do you strive to create for your customers?
I strive to create an experience where my clients get the feeling that they are the only one. I love it when my clients share that they feel that I am just as invested in their goal execution as they are, if not more. At the end of our working relationships, I want my clients to trust that they have it in them to do the work on their own, but chose to continue to work with me because of the positive working relationship formed.
Which person or establishment inspires you the most?
I find inspiration in many places. Honestly, I choose to seek out something or someone to inspire me daily. There are so many people in our area doing great work and display character traits that I admire. Doing this give me the push I need to keep striving towards my next level of growth.
What do you enjoy most about working in your industry?
This is going to sound cheesy, but I really enjoy the people most. Many businesses and individuals are coming to me with similar pain points, but they way they view them and interpret their impact is uniquely different. I love seeing how they process and take the work that we do together to transform their thinking, actions, and ways of working.
Through your experiences, what have you learned about customer service?
I can’t say that I learned this, but it has been confirm, in my experience, that a quality level of customer service matters. It is important to define what that means for you personally and what it means for your business, and then invest in whatever it takes to offer that to your clients. I know that personally, I will not do business or will stop doing business with a company that I feel is lacking in good customer service. Maintaining a personal touch and the ability to “see” customers will go a long way in not only a one-time interaction, but for fostering long term customer loyalty.
What makes your business unique in its field?
Brandy Mills Consulting is owned by a black female Asheville native, with a background in healthcare business and leadership as well as small business and leadership. We are able to relate to the small business owner who is working to run and grow their business while also working a full-time job. We offer a boots on the ground perspective that allows larger companies and organizations to have a broad range view in strategy and decision making. Lastly, we have the skillset to relate to and connect with the everyday individual who feels stuck and unsure of what is next, because we have been there and worked through that personally and professionally.
Why did you decide to join the Chamber?
I decided to join the Chamber because I believe in the work they do to support the business community. They are intentional in the ways they work to connect businesses to one another in the community, and they do the work to partner with businesses in the increase of their brand awareness.
What is your favorite part about doing business in the Asheville area?
My favorite part of doing business in the Asheville area is seeing that it is possible. The business community finds ways to support one another through purchases of goods and services, referrals, or sharing their growth opportunities to help you in the future.
Is there anything else you’d like to share about your business?
Brandy Mills Consulting is looking forward to continuing to expand their business footprint across the community. We are accepting new clients, contracts, and speaking engagements, and there is no charge for a consult call. If nothing else, spread the word about us.
For more information on Brandy Mills Consulting, visit Brandy Mills Consulting and follow along on Instagram and Facebook @brandymillsconsulting for updates and insights.