Employee to consultant

Two years ago, Debbie Lane was ready to trade in her 9-to-5 for golf and relaxation. So after 23 years at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia, Lane retired as the company's vice president of human resources.

Then her former employer asked Lane to provide her services as a consultant.

She agreed, but the request planted a bigger idea in her mind.

"I decided to turn it into a business," Lane said. "I decided to not retire after all."

Now, Lane runs her own consulting company, the Leadership Edge. And much of what she provides to clients -- leadership development and executive coaching services -- are things she did as a human resources executive at Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Lane is just one of a number of former executives who use their expertise to become independent consultants in the field.

About 60 percent of new business owners come from management or executive backgrounds, according to a May survey conducted by Guidant Financial Group, a provider of self-directed IRAs and small business financing solutions.

The survey, which polled 325 new business owners, also found one of the most popular businesses being launched was within the business services and consulting industry.

"I don't think it's surprising that people with the drive and ambition to reach management or executive positions are the same people who take initiative to go into business for themselves," said David Nilssen, chief executive officer and co-founder of Bellevue, Wash.-based Guidant Financial Group.

Going into consulting, specifically, may be an easier transition if the aspiring entrepreneur is really comfortable with what they've learned on the job, he added.

"These are people who have worked long enough and who are comfortable with their skills and abilities," Nilssen said. "These people have executive backgrounds, stability and expertise, and they want to consider turning it into their own venture."

Executive coaching

While she was vice president of human resources at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia, Lane helped top management find the best way to use employees to reach company goals. She'd handle all leadership development programs and coach high potential employees. She'd also hold focus groups with employees to find out what kind of leaders worked well with them.

As an independent consultant, Lane decided to hone in on one of her favorite aspects of her former job: executive coaching. "It was an easy transition for me because I did it for 23 years," Lane said. "It was a matter of carving out the part of my job I loved and focusing on that."

Her clientele is made up of company directors, presidents, managers and other mid- and high-level executives -- anyone who wants to improve their effectiveness at work.

"I think one of the biggest challenges is they get so caught up and in a reaction mode," Lane said. "The sense of urgency is so great they don't think about what's going on. They're just reacting."

Lane said executive coaching allows them to stop, think and recognize the bigger picture.

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Business Financial Services

Employee to consultant