Good Neighbor Podcast: Frisco

EP 281: Scaling Impact: How Dr. April Willis Helps Small Businesses Thrive

• Sophia Yvette

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What Makes April Willis with April Willis Consulting a Good Neighbor?

Ever wondered if the key to your business success might be hiding in plain sight? Dr. April Willis reveals exactly that as she shares her journey from education administrator to founder of a thriving business consulting firm. With a doctorate and three master's degrees, April discovered that her expertise in business operations could serve not just one organization, but many—allowing her to scale both her impact and income simultaneously.

From individuals to organizations, April Willis Consulting is a full-service consulting firm based in North Texas, serving clients nationwide. Their mission is to empower every client to maximize their potential and actualize their professional goals. With a team of experts, they provide the support necessary to action-plan, implement, and evaluate strategies that take big ideas and turn them into big accomplishments.

They help launch new businesses, plan the future with nonprofits, develop outstanding educational institutions, and coach the brightest leaders across industries. April Willis Consulting takes your amazing ideas and brilliant visions and turns them into reality. They fill in gaps, prepare you for unforeseen obstacles, and support your ambition as you create your next big adventure.

April Willis Consulting stands as a beacon for small businesses, startups, and nonprofits struggling with back-office operations. From HR and PR to grant writing and social media management, April's team of nine specialized consultants tackles everything except legal and accounting matters. What makes her approach unique is the philosophy that "you don't have to do it alone." Rather than forcing entrepreneurs to become experts in every aspect of business, April positions her team as an extension of yours, allowing you to focus on what you do best.

One of the most valuable takeaways from our conversation is April's myth-busting around revenue generation. She candidly explains how many well-intentioned nonprofit founders mistakenly believe grant money will automatically flow once they launch. Instead, she advocates for developing multiple revenue streams regardless of your business model. This practical wisdom comes from nearly seven years of consulting experience and the creation of the National Nonprofit Collaborative, designed specifically to support organizations that desperately need consulting but operate on tight budgets. April's community-centered marketing approach and genuine desire to empower others makes her story not just informative but truly inspiring.

Connect with April Willis Consulting through their website, social media channels, or at community events where they regularly exhibit their services.

To learn more about April Willis Consulting, go to: https://aprilwillisconsulting.com/

 April Willis Consulting

 817-996-8197

Speaker 1:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Sophia Yvette.

Speaker 2:

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a business consultant? Well, one might be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, dr April Willis, with April Willis Consulting LLC. Dr Willis, how are you today?

Speaker 3:

Hi, I'm so good. Thanks so much for having me on.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it's a pleasure and we're so excited to learn all about you and your business. Can you start off by telling our listeners a little bit about your company?

Speaker 3:

Absolutely so. April Willis Consulting supports small businesses, startups and nonprofits with all back office operations. This includes HR, pr, grant writing, board training, strategic planning, website content creation, social media management, even Spanish translation. The only things we don't do are legal and accounting. We say we're not lawyers and we're not CPAs, but anything else you need support in we can help you.

Speaker 2:

Now, how did you get into this business, april Sure?

Speaker 3:

So, my previous career used to all be in education. I actually worked at the campus, district and state levels of education throughout Texas and I have a lot of degrees so I have a doctorate and three master's degrees and I found myself at the top of that ladder in the education sector pretty quickly and I realized what I was doing with my last full-time job as a director of business operations for a school district in Austin, that I would be able to do that same type of work but for multiple companies, simultaneously allowing me to scale my impact and my income. So that's when I decided to start my own company and I haven't looked back since. We're about to hit seven years this October and it was the best move I could have made.

Speaker 2:

Wow, that's awesome April. Now what is the most common myth or misconception you come across in your industry?

Speaker 3:

Oh, that's such a good question.

Speaker 3:

So I feel like specifically with the nonprofit world, because we do a whole lot of support with nonprofits.

Speaker 3:

In fact, we launched the National Nonprofit Collaborative a year and a half ago in response to being able to support nonprofits that desperately need a consultant but can't afford one.

Speaker 3:

Unfortunately, we know, nonprofits are on super tight budgets, and so one of the biggest myths that I encounter with that nonprofit world are people who have these really big hearts. Oftentimes they want to solve problems, they want to give things away, they want to do really good things for their community, and they believe that if they just start a nonprofit, the money is going to start rolling in through grants, and that is simply not the case. You cannot count on grant-funded revenue if you're a new startup nonprofit, and so I feel like one of the biggest myths I'm having to bust is how to generate multiple streams of revenue, whether you're a startup, a nonprofit or a small business, because, as in the nonprofit world, it can't all come from grants, and in the small business world, you've got to get a little creative about what you're selling to the public and it might look different than what you initially thought you were going to be able to do so. I feel like tackling everything around revenue generation, which oftentimes include a lot of myths, is something that we're pretty good at.

Speaker 2:

So, april, who are your target customers and, in terms of marketing, how do you currently attract them?

Speaker 3:

really involved in the community. So you can find me at the Chamber of Commerce. I'm in several women's groups, I'm in rotary clubs, I'm in anything and everything that allows me to stay active in the community, and I feel like that that helps generate word of mouth, referrals. But the other thing that we're also getting out of that is this brand awareness. So when our social media posts go out, for example, as part of our marketing strategy, there's some brand recognition involved with that. People are like oh, we've seen her, we've seen her at these events, we've seen her volunteer at these events, and so I think that really helps.

Speaker 2:

Now we know marketing is the heart of every business. Have you ever thought about doing your own podcast?

Speaker 3:

That's a fun question too. So I've been on a lot of podcasts and a lot of webinars, and I feel like I would love to leave it up to experts like you to host them. I don't think I'll ever host my own. I published a few books, though, and so I feel like getting my message out in written word worked out a little bit better for me. I think there's just so much work that goes on for behind the scenes podcast stuff that I really respect the work that you put into this.

Speaker 2:

Now, outside of work, what do you like to do for fun?

Speaker 3:

Oh gosh. So I think a lot of those community events take up a lot of my free time. So, for example, I'm going to be the president of the Rotary Club in my neighborhood starting July 1st and so there's going to be a lot of extra time commitment involved with that. But I would say outside of the community things also, I love to hang out with my husband, and we just got a dog four months ago, and so this dog is my world. We don't have children, so this little dog is my child, and so taking him on walks and just really showing him off to my neighbors has been a lot of fun. And then I like hanging out with friends going out to eat. You'll find us eating all of the time. Support a lot of local businesses that way.

Speaker 2:

So, april, can you please tell our listeners one thing they should remember about April? Willis Consulting LLC.

Speaker 3:

I would say the one thing you could remember about us is we don't want you to do it alone, so we have a team of nine really dedicated consultants who are all experts in their own field. So, for example, if you come to us needing HR support, I have two people on my team who offer that, and so we're going to evaluate your needs and delegate it to the right person, and so we want you to feel like you have an extension of your team and you don't have to reinvent the wheel. You don't have to figure this out, and you probably are really good at whatever it is that you do. You just need some behind the scenes support, and that's really where we shine.

Speaker 2:

So us doing the shining helps you shine also, and April, where does your motivation to keep going throughout the challenges of running your business come from?

Speaker 3:

Oh, my goodness, it might sound a little cheesy, but I really, really love empowering others to maximize their impact in the world. That has kind of been my slogan since before starting this company is I feel like I thankfully have been. I've had really good people in my life who have kind of shown me things that I could be doing to take myself to the next level professionally or even personally, and I know that not everybody gets to have that, and so I really love being able to be that for other people, to let them know that you're not at this, you're not doing it alone. You've got people who have gone before you and people who can show you the way, and I think if you are fully capable of maximizing your impact, then there's nothing stopping you, and if I can help show people like what they're capable of, I think that's really rewarding, and I do get a lot of gratification from seeing the results of the work that we're doing and how that's impacting our clients and their livelihood.

Speaker 2:

And for you, April, what does success look like in your life overall?

Speaker 3:

I am definitely an achiever. So I don't know if you're familiar with, like Enneagrams or Myers-Briggs or those personality tests, I always get the one that says I'm an achiever and it's interesting because that means I thrive on gold stars. Other people might like baking or gardening or skiing. I'm like I like achieving things and part of that looks like getting another award, getting another client, hitting another milestone in the business. So for me I feel like there isn't one set thing that equates to success. It's more of a robust feel of I'm making clients happy, I'm succeeding financially, I'm seeing the impact being recognized in the community. When I can hit all of those different metrics, it feels like I am definitely acquiring the success that I would hope.

Speaker 2:

And where can our listeners go to learn more about April Willis Consulting LLC.

Speaker 3:

Sure, april. Willis Consulting dot com is our websiteisConsultingcom is our website. We also have a social media presence on Facebook, linkedin and Instagram. We have a YouTube channel as well, so you can catch up on some of our coaching and consulting videos and hopefully, at some of the community events that we're at in person too. We'd love to meet you. We oftentimes exhibit at different events, and so if you see our table out there, come say hi.

Speaker 2:

Well, April, I really appreciate you being on the show. We wish you and your business the best moving forward.

Speaker 3:

Thanks so much, Sophie. It was a pleasure being on the show.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNPFriscocom. That's GNPFriscocom, or call 469-221-9345. Music.