We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Audrey Hutnick. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Audrey below.
Hi Audrey, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
Like many things, finding my purpose has evolved over time. I find myself focusing and prioritizing differently based on the stage of life I am in. In my late teens and early twenties, I believed my purpose in life was to lead and motivate younger females and help them embrace their full potential. I then noticed this shift in my late twenties to focus on promoting travel and cultural exchange experiences. Currently, I feel that my purpose is advocating for paid parental leave across the U.S.. Although my purpose has evolved, I have noticed that it has ultimately come down to finding something that I will continue to champion whether I am getting paid for it or not.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a parental leave consultant and founder of Smallwave Consulting. We address the pressing need for small business support when it comes to creating and taking paid parental leave. Our consulting services provide practical solutions to help owners and entrepreneurs successfully implement parental leave. A proper maternity or paternity leave will then allow for that precious, uninterrupted time with their new little loved one.
Smallwave Consulting morphed from my first business, Smallwave Marketing, which was founded in 2020. When I was building up my marketing agency with my business partner, we organically came across a common problem for many women business owners in their 20’s-40’s. There was virtually no support for taking a proper maternity leave as a U.S. small business owner, especially if it is located in a state without a family or medical leave program. With my marketing background, small business experience and personal journey to creating a maternity leave, I knew I had to take action.
I am now focused on spending time as a new mama and advocating for those that want to grow their business AND their family in the future.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1) Network, Network, Network It may feel uncomfortable at first, but the more you network, the easier it becomes. People open doors for those that they like, trust and know. You never know where a simple networking conversation can take you.
2) Fire Fast
Whenever you have a gut feeling that someone isn’t right for you and your business, let them go quickly. Whether this is an employee, contractor or client, remove them from your business and open the doors for someone that will support you properly.
3) Continue to read and learn
As cliche as the saying is, you don’t know what you don’t know. Read books, listen to podcasts, follow Instagram accounts, etc. Something that works for your business when you get started may not work for your business 3 years later. By continuing to learn you will continue to grow!
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
We believe that the entire pregnancy, adoption, and postpartum journey should be done with a supportive community. Business owners wear so many hats, take on so many solo challenges and constantly have to prove their worth. Smallwave Consulting was created to support just one element of that entrepreneurial journey. We are looking to partner and collaborate with the following professionals who can provide support in other very important areas: – Social Workers
– Pelvic Floor Therapists
– Lactation Consultants
– Sleep Consultants
– Doulas
– Maternity and Family Photographers
– Personal Trainers
– Financial Planners
– Insurance Brokers
– Estate Attorneys
– Etc.
If you are interested in having a conversation, feel free to reach out directly to Audrey at [email protected]
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.smallwaveconsulting.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smallwaveconsulting/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/audreyhutnick/
Image Credits
https://benlipowitzphoto.com/
