When I started my consulting business a little over a year ago, the first thing one of my good friends said was, “You have to meet Andrea Fuller”. You see, because of my corporate background I had come to regard it as myth that the flexible workplace truly existed for experienced professionals. After meeting her for coffee a few weeks later at SOVA, I walked away feeling so happy there was an entrepreneur out there that proved me wrong. As CEO of Mindfarm, Fuller has tapped into an underutilized resource: smart, high-level professionals that, for whatever reason, have decided to leave the 9 am – 5 pm, three weeks of vacation and five sick days grind but still want to do meaningful work in their field. Her company engages individuals or brings together teams of independent consultants to serve client needs. (Full disclosure: I am signed on as a consultant with Mindfarm but am not working on any projects with them.) A resident of Northeast, she also happens to be a huge cheerleader for the Hill and has a somewhat surprising second career.
How long have you lived on the Hill?
I moved here 10 years ago from Dupont Circle. A coworker raved about it –said it was the most fabulous place in the world.
What about your career led you to found Mindfarm?
I was working for a public affairs consulting firm downtown. The co-worker who convinced me to move to the Hill left the firm to start an online tutoring company, and I decided to go with him. We found office space on Eighth Street Southeast before it was cool – above where Homebody is now. Nine of us were stuffed into what had been a two-bedroom apartment with a bathroom in the middle, a ‘conference room’ in the hallway and it rained on the inside. During our company retreat somebody broke in and stole all our computers.
From there I went to PBS, which was also around the same time my husband and I had a baby. I initially had the idea for Mindfarm when working at the consulting firm. A woman at an affiliate firm had a baby at 41. She was a huge producer and I watched her trying to think through how to balance both work and a child. I thought it was ridiculous – why does it have to be all or none? How do we make sure smart, senior level women stay in the workforce but also have time with their kids? In DC, people have kids later; they’re at a different point in their career. How do we provide flexible opportunities for women that take advantage of their skills and that pay what they should be paid? Then while I was at PBS, which was an organization I loved, I saw this cycle where the organization would get a grant and staff up, then the grant would end and they’d either have to lay people off or move them to other parts of the organization that may or may not be as good a fit. I thought using consultants would be a better way to manage that scenario. Then I had my own kid and it really clicked for me. That was why I decided it was time to make the jump and start the business.
What does it mean to you as a parent to be able to offer an option like Mindfarm?
It is a win-win for everybody. We can offer our consultants more flexibility and it benefits an organization looking for flexibility in their workforce that includes senior level expertise at a price they can afford. In some situations its not a good fit, but finding those where it is makes it fun.
What is the profile of a Mindfarm consultant?
Generally they have 15+ years experience. Most have had really big jobs – partner at a consulting firm; worked for a big agency, corporation or nonprofit – and then for many different reasons (kids, illness, etc.) decided they wanted a flexible work schedule.
And the profile of a client?
Our solution works well for a mid-sized organization that needs, and can afford, senior level expertise but not necessarily on a full-time basis. They might have a skill gap, but not one that warrants a full-time hire. Or they have had a senior level departure and need someone to jump in right away to hold down the fort, allowing the company to take some time to do a real search. Or they just need to get something done without a lot of handholding.
Any especially memorable projects?
I worked on a project with the Middle East-North Africa Businesswomen’s Network through Vital Voices and the State Department. We had a team of consultants help them launch a web portal to link all the women’s organizations. The coolest part was working with the women all over the Middle East. While we were there, a Jordanian women’s business organization started their own Mindfirm. They had the idea already, but I gave them our contracts and other operational background and now they are rocking. They are geared towards women working at home but, like us, on significant projects.
Another interesting project was when we helped spin an organization off from a university. We had a few consultants working on it and it was a huge eye opener from the perspective of: “just because a project makes sense businesswise doesn’t mean everyone will buy in”. We fully believed our client was doing the right thing, so it was a mix of pure business consulting and emotional support. It ultimately came out all right but it was very intense.
You aren’t just the CEO of Mindfarm … tell us about your other job.
I do stand-up comedy and have for 17 years. I’m like the grandma of the DC stand-up scene. It’s a phenomenal scene – so much good talent but not a lot of rooms. We started the room at The Atlas, which ran for 6 or 7 months. It was awesome to have it here on the Hill, but it took a lot of time. Other than that, I perform around town and at the Bethesda Hyatt a lot. I do mainly current events, a lot of neighborhood gentrification jokes and borderline offensive religious jokes. It’s my thing so I’m not just working and parenting, which consumes 95% of my time. I just do it for fun.
How do you fit it all in?
Whole idea of work-life balance is ridiculous. I think the best you can hope for is integration. And you have to have a great support system, which is what the Hill is all about. That’s why I’m never leaving the Hill, because you have a great village here where everyone is in the same boat. A friend of mine wrote a book where she said everything essential has to be in a six-block radius. That’s what makes the Hill work.