“You can’t look at the competition and say you are going to do it better. You have to look at the competition and say you’re going to do it differently.” – Steve Jobs.
Accounting, finance and HR consulting firm Brillect, started by three seasoned industry professionals with years of combined experience on both the corporate and consulting side, set out to do just this. From the catalyst behind its inception to their relationship-centered approach to project management, we sat down with Brillect founders, Erica Eggers, Kelly Weight and Kristine Boedigheimer, to discuss their “why” for starting the company – and how they are changing up the industry. In our Q & A, they share smart advice for people who may be looking to make a career change along with insight into how they are upending an industry that has long relied on the status quo. Read on to find out more about the faces and the motivation behind Brillect.
A SHARED PASSION FOR HELPING PEOPLE AT WORK AND HOME
Q: You’ve long dreamed of starting a company like Brillect. What was the catalyst to take the leap of faith and make it a reality?
A: The catalyst was truly us coming together with a shared vision for Brillect. All three of us share a common passion for helping people at work and in life. We want to make a difference for people, and our work at Brillect has a big impact by helping put people on the career path that meets their goals both personally and professionally. We’re good at helping people find fulfilling work that meets them where they’re at in life and gives them a roadmap for where they want to be. We get to do what we love and help people in the process – it doesn’t get much better than that.
As finance and accounting professionals ourselves, we also saw a need for Brillect on the client side. Corporations want to tap into great talent to help them address challenges and opportunities, advance business outcomes or simply add bench strength to an existing team. Brillect provides access to talent where and when it’s needed. This includes interim, fractional and project-based solutions. Having worked in many of these roles, our team understands how to connect the right talent with the right opportunity so everyone benefits.
Q: How is Brillect changing up the playbook for accounting, finance and HR consulting and why is it important?
A: We want to transform the way people work in this industry. It’s all about Taking Care of People and enabling people to work in a way that aligns with their personal lives and goals.
Our name really says it all about our approach. Brillect is a hybrid between brilliant and connections, and that’s exactly what we’re doing – pairing really smart, experienced talent with rewarding, flexible and challenging work. The kind that checks all the boxes at work and on the home front. We’re bringing brilliant connections together in a win-win way to achieve successful outcomes for our clients and the talent doing this exciting work.
The relationships we have with our clients and talent play a huge and game-changing role in our business. We want to support our clients and talent in any situation and to be a key player on their path to success. When we first talked about starting a new company, we all agreed that relationships needed to be at the very foundation. We want to be all in with our clients and talent – to be the first call they make on their best and worst day – having such a close relationship that they really want to talk to us. We’ve set up the model to make this happen.
Q: Going into business with other people is a big decision. What drew the three of you to one another and how did you unite around the mission of Brillect?
A: You know great people when you meet them! We have known each other for years, as our paths crossed throughout our careers. We have a lot of respect for one another, but what really made us sync is the alignment in our value system. Specifically, we all gravitated toward our core value of Taking Care of People. We’re laser-focused on doing the right thing, putting people first, surrounding ourselves with the people we need to succeed and being innovative and results-oriented. That type of alignment really matters when operating a company.
We also value the diversity of our skill sets. We each bring something a little different to the table. If we were all the same, we would not be as successful in this endeavor.
Q: We’ve heard a lot about the new way of working in the post-COVID world. What are your insights on workplace trends?
A: COVID accelerated our vision to allow working professionals more flexibility – and the ability to do it all at home and at work! We want our clients to have access to all the talent they need to accomplish their goals, even if that means the consultants are working in a different zip code.
COVID has generated more confidence in people’s ability to work (very successfully, we might add) in a variety of settings (remote, in-person). Many people want to retain this flexibility. It’s also important to remember that COVID forced many people – particularly women – to leave the workforce to care for children and/or elderly parents. Our model provides a bridge to bring this talent pool back into the workforce in a way that aligns with their needs.
The ability to connect smart, driven and talented professionals with rewarding, flexible work that helps clients tackle all those issues keeping them up at night is a driving factor in our work model at Brillect.
Q: What advice do you have for finance, accounting and HR professionals who may be planning to make a career change after the pandemic?
A: Call us for a confidential conversation! Whether you’re contemplating an immediate exit strategy or are curious about a potential opportunity down the road, we’d love to connect.
We’ve been in your shoes – walking (and sometimes sprinting!) in the accounting, finance and HR world. Remember that your career can be fluid and you don’t have to be afraid of making changes. Nothing is permanent. Sometimes, making that next leap turns out to be the best thing you ever did.
Our business is built on relationships. We’d love to hear about your career journey and help you build a roadmap for what’s next. We always put people first and we thrive on helping you find engaging, rewarding work, whatever that means for you! Contact us today to start a conversation about how we can help you meet your goals.
