Avy-loren cohen
Founder & CEO of ALC Business Consulting Services
Carpe Diem Interview Series
Toronto Business Success Stories
About Me
What inspired you to pursue a career in your industry?
My path to consulting began in childhood. From the age of five, I was fascinated by business, thanks to my father. He included me in his work life, taking me to the office on school holidays, on business trips, and into meetings. These experiences provided invaluable exposure and a level of business acumen far beyond my years.
Later in my career, I met Michael Haberman, former CEO of Consumers Distributing, who became a mentor. After leading a US-based CPG company as Country Manager and President, he encouraged me to explore consulting and invited me to join his firm. This new direction resonated deeply. It allowed me to combine my business experience with my background in psychology, enabling me to help companies by helping their people, one individual at a time.
For me, business consulting is fundamentally about people. They are the driving force behind a company's success or failure. My passion lies in empowering individuals to thrive, knowing that their success ultimately contributes to the company's growth and positively impacts their own lives as well.
How did you overcome the biggest challenge you faced in building your business/advancing your career?
Time is the cornerstone of professional growth. It's the investment required to cultivate meaningful relationships and build a strong network. It's also essential for acquiring knowledge across diverse business landscapes, industries, and fundamental principles. Furthermore, time contributes to personal development, shaping character and often lending an air of experience and wisdom (though not always perfectly correlated with actual knowledge). Time, our most precious resource, must be carefully managed and protected to maximize its value and yield the greatest returns. Wise individuals understand this and prioritize its use accordingly.
What is one key factor behind your company’s success?
Integrity, honesty, and genuine care for our clients are the cornerstones of our practice. We rely solely on word-of-mouth referrals, which drives us to exceed the typical scope of strategic business consulting. As a boutique firm, we prioritize quality over quantity, focusing on building deep relationships with our clients. This allows us to truly understand the root causes of their challenges and develop effective, lasting solutions. Our clients consistently see significant results within a few months, whether in change management, executive training and development, corporate strategy, profitability, sales, or other key areas. A core element of our approach is empowering our clients through education and knowledge transfer, enabling them to manage future challenges independently. We believe in equipping our clients for long-term success, even if it means they may not require our services indefinitely.
How do you stay motivated and focused on your goals?
I stay motivated and focused on my goals through a combination of mindful awareness, consistent prioritization, and effective time management tools. Daily mindfulness helps me stay grounded and connected to my purpose. I use tools like iCal and Calendly to schedule and manage my time efficiently, and I rely on a good assistant to handle administrative tasks, freeing me to focus on high-impact activities. Critically, I regularly evaluate my priorities to ensure I'm working on what truly matters. While the art of time management is a continuous work in progress, this approach helps me maintain momentum and stay aligned with my objectives.
What advice would you give to young professionals starting out in their careers or entrepreneurial endeavors?
My advice for young professionals and entrepreneurs boils down to these key points:
Seek Mentorship: Actively seek out mentors who can provide guidance, support, and valuable insights based on their own experiences. Their wisdom can be invaluable as you navigate your career or entrepreneurial journey.
Maintain Open-Mindedness with Focused Vision: Be open to new ideas, opportunities, and perspectives, but always stay grounded in your core mission and vision. This balance will allow you to adapt and grow without losing sight of your ultimate goals.
Embrace Self-Promotion: Develop your ability to sell, present, interact, and socialize effectively. These skills are essential for building relationships, securing funding, and promoting your ideas or business. Getting comfortable putting yourself out there is crucial.
Safeguard Your Foundations: Prioritize and protect your three F's: friends, family, and personal finances. These are the pillars of your support system and well-being, and neglecting them can have detrimental consequences.
Prepare for the Long Haul: Building a successful career or startup is a marathon, not a sprint. Be prepared for challenges, setbacks, and a long, often arduous journey. Remember, if it were easy, everyone would do it. Persistence and resilience are key.
Secure Buy-In from Loved Ones: If you have a significant other, ensure they understand and support your endeavors. Their support can be transformative, while a lack of it can be incredibly damaging.
Value Experience and Humility: Recognize that life experience, gained over time, provides invaluable knowledge that complements intellect and academic achievements. Value the wisdom of those who have lived longer and learned from their experiences. Be open to learning from seasoned business professionals, entrepreneurs, or executives – their insights can be surprisingly impactful. Know your limitations and be willing to learn from others.
“onsulting is more than strategy; it’s about guiding individuals toward their greatest potential. Businesses don’t succeed in isolation—it’s the people behind them that make the difference. Helping people grow is the key to long-term business success.”
How do you handle setbacks or failures in business?
To begin, I I view setbacks and failures as valuable learning opportunities. They provide crucial insights that allow us to recognize warning signs and avoid repeating past mistakes. As the saying goes, if you're not failing, you're probably not trying hard enough. I've always believed in the philosophy of doing your best, preparing for the worst, and hoping for the best outcome. This approach minimizes stress by focusing on what you can control and accepting what you can't. Setbacks are simply part of the journey – life, especially in the business world, is rarely easy. It's more like a roller coaster, with its ups and downs. A mature and realistic perspective is essential. In the startup world, I even coach young CEOs on the art of "making the best of the worst decisions," a skill that's critical for navigating challenging situations and avoiding even more damaging consequences.
What do you think makes a great leader?
Many qualities contribute to great leadership, but for me, honesty and integrity are paramount. I envision leadership as guiding people into battle. While a leader must articulate a compelling vision and mission with passion and conviction, inspiring others to follow, these qualities are insufficient without trust. If followers don't trust their leader's intentions and believe they are acting in the best interests of the company and its team, their commitment will waver, impacting performance and results. Ultimately, trust is the foundation upon which effective leadership is built.
How do you maintain a work-life balance while leading a company or team?
I learned the importance of work-life balance early in my career from a mentor. It's about recognizing and prioritizing what matters to you, both personally and professionally. Nurturing your human side – through time with friends and family, personal time, and social connections – is crucial. While there are exceptions, particularly in the intense early stages of a startup, even then, fostering a company culture that values individual well-being is essential. A refreshed and balanced individual is a more productive professional. For me, this means establishing clear boundaries and respecting my priorities, especially family. I dedicate specific times each week to family and adhere to my own guidelines about what I will and won't do. Ultimately, the philosophy is simple: a successful career and wealth are far less enjoyable if you lack meaningful relationships with the people you care about.
How has your industry changed since you started, and how have you adapted?
My industry has undergone significant transformations due to a confluence of factors, including economic shifts, political landscapes, fluctuating interest rates, rapid technological advancements, and recent disruptions like the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of remote work. These changes demand agility and a deep understanding of global events, as our consulting work spans diverse industries and geographies. Staying informed about these numerous and interconnected changes requires constant analysis to assess their potential impact on our clients' goals and objectives. Consequently, we've integrated contingency planning into our strategic packages, accounting for a wide range of potential disruptions, from natural disasters (like the fires in California and British Columbia) and geopolitical conflicts (such as the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine) to the possibility of future pandemics. The technological landscape is equally complex, requiring continuous learning and awareness of evolving technologies like AI and machine learning. We must also understand how these technologies and software solutions can affect a company's bottom line, including revenue, cybersecurity and privacy, market share, and other critical business functions.
What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve ever received?
The most valuable career advice I've received is that even the most meticulously crafted plans can be disrupted by unforeseen circumstances. This isn't just about being adaptable; it's about actively cultivating an open mindset and recognizing that your initial vision might evolve, sometimes dramatically. It's about understanding that career paths aren't always linear and that embracing detours can lead to unexpected and even greater success. It's easy to get fixated on a specific trajectory, but the world often has other plans, and clinging too tightly to a rigid plan can cause you to miss out on incredible opportunities.
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