Lauren Reid
I work with people who want to grow their professional services businesses:
- Solo practitioners and boutique consultants, lawyers, and accountants providing services to businesses
- People who want to move up the ranks in professional services firm
- Firm leaders who want to equip the next generation of leaders with the tools to thrive
Qualifications
Section titled “Qualifications”Things I have done in my 20 year career:
- Built a successful boutique consulting firm The Privacy Pro, starting as a freelancer, then a subcontractor, and eventually a firm that made millions of dollars, employed several people, and made significant contributions to our professional community.
- Won multiple competitive bids against Big 4 firms as well as lower priced peers and multi-service (law + consulting) firms.
- Worked with high profile clients like Unilever, Meta, TELUS, Tim Hortons, Cirque du Soleil, Mozilla Foundation, Sidewalk Labs (Alphabet), and Vingroup…all of which were based on referrals.
- Mentored and developed my own team, as well as industry peers on how to do Business Development in an authentic way. I also successfully talked a few people out of starting their own consulting business with the goal of having more freedom and money! This is the origin story of the Clarity Session
- Led Business Development at a software startup, resulting in a global client base that included GE, BP, Unilever, ADP, Oracle, Airbus, Sherwin Williams, Johnson Controls, Intuit,Staples, Marriott, and other major companies. I did it by being authentic, focusing on knowledge sharing, and making actual friends.
- Climbed the ranks at a Big 4 Consulting firm, eventually developing and leading a new service line (Canadian Privacy Advisory Services), after having been part of the founding teams for the privacy practice in San Francisco and Amsterdam.
Things I have never done:
- Made a cold call or email
- Gave a pitch I wasn’t explicitly asked to make
- Sold a product or service that someone didn’t need
- Asked my personal network for work or referrals
- Haggled over fees
Coaching style
Section titled “Coaching style”I will meet you where you are, but we won’t stay there.
I could get out my thesaurus and list all of my best generic qualities: thoughtful, compassionate, supportive, open, curious, resilient, creative…but later when I advise you not to do that, it will be awkward. Instead, let me tell you what to expect when you work with me:
- Direct, candid feedback. My style has been described as “big sister vibes” in that I’ll spill all of the unfiltered, juicy details about how things are…and also dish out some tough love when it’s needed.
- Specific, actionable advice. I will help you choose a conference to attend; I will not help you do a personal strengths & weaknesses assessment. I will copy edit your webinar description; I will not tell you to shoot for the moon.
- Real world insights. I’m not a “certified coach”—I’m a person who’s actually done this work. I left the secure job, built the business, made the mistakes, and learned the lessons. You won’t get a script or a surface-level framework here. You’ll get sharp questions, real talk, and a partner who gets it.
I specialize in working with people who don’t fit the typical business development mold—those who are neurodivergent, from non-traditional backgrounds, or who’ve been taught to make themselves smaller to make others comfortable. There’s a reason I call myself the Business Development Coach for People Who Hate Sales: that tends to select for a certain type of thoughtful, values-driven professional who doesn’t buy in to the status quo.
I enforce a strict ‘no assholes’ policy. If your values are fundamentally incompatible with treating all people with dignity and respect, we’re not a fit - regardless of how much you’re willing to pay.
Before you invest in a coaching program, let’s have an Introductory Call to make sure we’re a good match.