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Meet Trailblazer Alecia Huck

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Alecia Huck.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Starting my company, MAVERICK, was a terrible idea. Epically stupid.

I knew I could do the work.

In college, I was recruited into an intensive summer work program, I became a door-to-door salesperson. I ran my own business selling for the summer educational books for kids. It was a crazy intense experience. 80+ hours a week. Straight commission. I finished as a top salesperson and they invited me to come back as a manager, which I did all through school.

Before I graduated, I racked up a ton of sales experience and interviewed, trained and managed large teams of salespeople. I worked with amazing leaders and we built an incredible organization. I literally learned from the best. It was an amazing opportunity. I loved the performance side of the business. And it turns out, I’m good at people and organizations. I understand how they work and how to get them to work better.

So, when I started MAVERICK, I knew I could do the work, but I had no experience, no contacts, no plan, no clients, and no savings. I’d never been to a professional networking event. Most people have industry experience or a consulting background as a launchpad. I had neither. I didn’t even know how to write a contract.

It was a really stupid way to start a business and probably the best dumb thing I ever did.

This fall, I’ll celebrate 15 years in business. Which is pretty amazing.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I don’t actually think there is such a thing as a smooth road. For anyone. One of my clients, a woman named Isisara Bey, said this incredible thing that I’ve never forgotten; “Life. It ain’t for sissies.”

For a long time, I struggled financially. It was scary and it was hard. I remember running into a friend at the grocery store once during the early years. He was on his way to his corporate job and I told him I was basically already done for the day. He went on a long rant about how great I had it as an entrepreneur, how I could do whatever I wanted while he was stuck working these long hours. What he didn’t realize is that I was there cashing in my jar of change so I’d have gas money for the week. To save money I used to order soup and just drink water when I’d go out to dinner with friends. Freedom isn’t as glamorous as people sometimes want to make it.

Finances were challenging but for me, it was even harder trying to keep my confidence up while I was figuring it all out. It’s not easy to feel great while the scoreboard says you suck. You have to actively manage your confidence when you can’t depend on getting it from your results. I kept a jar in my office with all the notes from people thanking me for the difference I’d made in their lives. I made myself read them when my confidence got low.

I bought a beautiful ring to celebrate my surviving to my second anniversary and to remind me that it takes time to build a business. It has three square red stones that match my MAVERICK logo. One is for the first year, one is for the second and one is for the future. I still wear it every day.

It is so worth it to spend time thinking about how you think, working on training your brain. Your brain doesn’t automatically have the most useful perspective on life. Books are a great tool to train your brain. In 2017, I had a tough year in a bunch of categories. I read a single chapter on process in The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday twice a day, 5 days a week, for 7 straight months. It’s only a few short pages. But it helped focus my brain on something useful at a time when circumstances made it hard to focus at all.

I don’t think anyone gets a smooth path. But you can train yourself to be better on rough roads. That’s what I’ve tried to do.

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I’m a business consultant. My specialty is helping fast-growing companies fix growth problems without “going corporate.” The businesses I work with don’t necessarily set out to get big. But they succeed and grow and then one day find that growth has broken them. Suddenly efficiency and profit drop, they have people problems they’ve never had, and quality becomes an issue. It’s frustrating, confusing, and exhausting. And no matter how hard they work, they can’t ever get caught up, let alone fix the core problems.

What’s missing is infrastructure, the systems and processes and tools, and management skills that make it possible to run a business at the size they are now. The transition they have to make is to go from flying planes to building and running air traffic control. I help them do that while staying true to the things that make them special.

It’s a lot of hard work. And they’re already maxed out when I meet them. But every time, I see them be really brave and really humble. They work really hard and they don’t just fix the problems, they become more of the company they were trying to be and bigger versions of themselves. It’s wildly inspiring to see and be a part of their stories.

Technically I’m known for having expertise in human behavior and process science. It’s a unique combination. More importantly, I have the truth be told. I know how to make hard conversations easier to have. I’m about half bull-dog and half cheerleader. I have a big heart, a well-developed sense of humor and I’m simply more stubborn than the problems.

And, at the end of the day, I’m smart enough to trust and listen to and serve the people I work for and their vision. They’ve been doing all the work long before I show up and they’ll be doing it long after I leave. It’s their team, their money, and their legacy at stake. Part of why I’m good at my job is that I never forget that the win belongs to THEM.

Finding a mentor and building a network are often cited in studies as a major factor impacting one’s success. Do you have any advice or lessons to share regarding finding a mentor or networking in general?
Ask. Be specific. Give the person reasonable options and give them a gracious way to say no. A random guy from Texas reached out on LinkedIn a few months ago and asked for even 30 minutes of coaching to help him in a new position. I gave him an hour and invited him to training I had scheduled in Dallas later that month.

Be thoughtful and strategic about what you need to keep growing. I recently took a hard look at myself and my own business. I realized I’d been overcorrecting. In an effort not to mindlessly grind away, I’ve taken my foot a little too far off the gas. I needed to increase my drive but in a healthy way. So, I thought about who in my network would naturally invite that and called them.

It’s a big deal to create a clear vision and make a powerful invitation. That doesn’t happen every day. Everyone I called was a “HELL YES!” We put together a group of 5 amazing women. We call it the Global Domination Social Club. Which is funny and awesome and not entirely a joke. I’m really lucky to have them. We were intentional about what we wanted to bring and get, what we’re up to and how we can support each other. It’s been an amazing resource for all of us.

Some of your network will be formal, some informal. Invest, invest, invest. It all comes back. People help you today, you help someone else tomorrow, they help someone else one day down the road. I like being part of a chain like that. It feels great to contribute and it’s never a bad idea to hear yourself say smart things to someone else.

I also have a policy to give 10% of my expertise to good causes and organizations each year. What’s the point of developing ninja-level skills if you don’t share them? Being around awesome people makes your life awesome. As long as you’re investing in great people and causes, you’re on the right track.

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Image Credit:
Katie Lucas, Fernanda Downing

Getting in touch: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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