VanPutten Consulting, LLC

I am extremely grateful for receiving a diverse business enterprise certification from the Grand Rapids Chamber. As a woman-owned business, this certification gives a competitive advantage and provides additional opportunities to be selected by companies looking to diversify their spending. The Chamber provides certifications in four areas of ownership; veterans, women, minorities, and LGBTQ+. "Certifications are provided to increase transparency and create procurement opportunities with supplier diversity programs with the area’s largest companies." I am excited to have been chosen by the GR Chamber for this certification program. I look forward to providing services to companies in Grand Rapids and throughout West Michigan.

What is fractional staffing? Fractional staffing is an option for filling open positions in your organization with experts, but only for a fraction of their time. It means that you get the expertise you need but don't have to worry about adding responsibilities to get to a 20 or 40-hour-per-week job. AND it's a great solution for today's nonprofit organizations. Partnering with a consultant on fractional staffing is a great option. I offer fractional work in areas such as accounting, business management, human resources, event planning, and more. You can read more about fractional staffing here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesnonprofitcouncil/2022/10/14/leveraging-fractional-staff-to-confront-common-nonprofit-challenges/?sh=15163009640d

Contact me directly if you have fractional staffing needs that fit my areas of expertise!

Today on the blog, I covered the topic of Employee Engagement. From quiet quitting to loud quitting, we know our organizations have a problem. But what are the solutions? How can we work to increase employee engagement and see more positive results in our companies?

Head over to the blog to read more! https://vanputtenconsultingllc.wordpress.com/2023/07/12/employee-engagement/

I attended a conference recently where the keynote speaker talked about the stress curve. We often think of stress as a negative reaction when threatened or under pressure. However, stress can be positive too. Stress (healthy stress) can get us out of our comfort zone and into an optimal work zone where we feel realistically challenged and motivated to learn and grow. As leaders, we need to learn to manage stress with our employees so that they leave the boredom-comfort levels but aren't pushed into the strain-burnout level. If you are looking for strategies to proactively lead your organization forward in a way that is innovative without creating burnout and losing good employees, I would love to help! Contact me today!

https://vanputtenconsultingllc.com

It's World Chocolate Day! We love chocolate and can't think of a better way to sweeten up a business relationship! Contact me today to book an appointment to talk about your business needs and I'll supply cookies for the meeting!

https://tinyurl.com/mr49xuum

Happy Independence Day! We hope you have a safe and relaxing holiday. Our office is closed today and will remain closed for the rest of the week.

Thank you to all who have supported me and my business during this past year. It has been quite the journey! I am looking forward to many more years of serving leaders and the nonprofit community in West Michigan!

Today on the blog, I'm reviewing four recent reads and sending a shout-out to my book club! I'd love to hear what you have been reading and how it resonates with you!

Read the blog post here: https://wordpress.com/post/vanputtenconsultingllc.wordpress.com/769

Hats off to another client, One Day Niche, for receiving a one-by-one grant from 4imprint so that they could provide hats to all of the individuals who attend their programs. I am thankful to be on their board and love working with the founder as she continues to grow the program. We are looking for more board members if you are interested!

Having fun and being included with help from hat giveaways One Day Niche provides life skills development and outdoor activities for people with cognitive disabilities. Hat giveaways play a small role.

People often ask me what my day looks like as a consultant, so here are some examples of daily tasks:

📧 Checking and responding to emails
🖇 Quick review of LinkedIn major happenings and respond to messages
☎ Make any necessary phone calls
🗄 Look for networking opportunities - I join other organizations, attend lunches, schedule coffee or lunch meetings - anything I can do to network with other people
📅 I have a calendar that I use to plan and manage my social media posts
📣 So, once a week, I create and schedule my social media posts using Canva
🎧 Client work: Depending on what client projects I am working on, I may be working on accounting documents, filling out schedules, doing research, preparing for a presentation, and having meetings - my work changes from day to day!
🏆 I like to look for professional certifications that benefit my business. I am Enneagram certified. I am currently working on the Quickbooks certification.
📖 I'm always reading something! It might be fiction, but often books and articles that are relevant to my clients, personal development, or leadership. My current topic of interest is navigating change and transitions in life!
✍ I also spend a little time each day writing. I am writing my dissertation, so it is a priority. I also write blog posts, have recently written a devotional, and write in my journal. I am a huge fan of sending handwritten notes of encouragement, so I do that too!

I hope this gives you an idea of what I work on each day! If you're a consultant or entrepreneur, tell us some other tasks that frequently land on your desk!

Today, I'll be presenting a workshop with my friend, Rodney Birch, about Communication in Leadership at the Association of Christian Librarians' annual conference in Cedarville, Ohio!

Working with the Association of Christian Librarians board of directors and being able to present a workshop at their conference has been a great start to the summer. I love working with my clients in creative and meaningful ways.