Dr. Priscilla “Dr. P” Kucer's Journey to Empowering Micro and Small Businesses

Welcome to another exciting interview on AllAroundWorlds.com, where we bring you the inspiring stories and business journeys of remarkable individuals from around the globe. In this edition, we are thrilled to feature Dr. Priscilla “Dr. P” Kucer, a dynamic entrepreneur and founder of Priscilla Kucer Consulting Solutions (PKCS) LLC®. Dr. P. Kucer’s journey is one of resilience and determination, overcoming academic challenges to achieve success. In this interview, you'll discover her early struggles with dyslexia, her academic and professional evolution, and her dedication to supporting micro and small business owners through innovative consulting solutions. Join us as we delve into her experiences, insights, and future plans that continue to drive her mission of helping businesses to SoAR!®

Early Life and Education: Overcoming Dyslexia

Tell us something about you, your early life and education

Growing up, school was difficult for me. Reading and mathematics were hard for me. I struggled with making sense of what I was reading and I remember so many times misreading information. I also struggled with spelling. Later in my life, while completing the Specialist in School Psychology program at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) in the U.S., I learned that my academic struggles were related to me having dyslexia! I had no idea until then. I also learned about the ways in which I was compensating and advocating for myself over the years to gain my accomplishments.
 
Before attending NSU, I completed primary and secondary school and completed my undergraduate degree in Barbados. I attended the University of the West Indies – Cave Hill Campus in Barbados where I completed my Bachelor of Science in Psychology degree. I remember taking several human resources and business courses as my electives. The foundations and principles that I learned in those electives have helped me over the years in navigating my roles in professional associations as well as in jobs. After graduating from UWI, I was accepted by NSU to complete their doctoral program in Clinical Psychology. As I was completing that program, I realized that it was not for me. I was not failing any classes at all. I just realized that the program was not for me. 

Thanks to great mentors, I took some vocational assessments, learned about School Psychology, applied to the program at NSU, and was accepted. While completing that degree and during my early career as a school psychologist, I continued to be active in local, state, national, and international associations. Those combined experiences reignited my interest in business practices, organizational development, leadership, and human resources. So that led me to complete a doctoral program in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. So, I applied to Grand Canyon University, was accepted, and completed my Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial and Organizational Psychology.

Target Market: Empowering Micro and Small Businesses

Tell us about the business and its presence in the target market

This year I am celebrating four years of having my global management consulting company. I created the company because I noticed that there was a lack of management consulting, business coaching, and training opportunities specifically for micro businesses. There are many business consultants and coaches who focus on working with established small businesses, but it was difficult to find true supports for micro businesses in the start-up and growth phases of business development or even for those who wanted to transform their business in a different direction. Therefore, Priscilla Kucer Consulting Solutions (PKCS) LLC® was born to help micro business owners to scale their business by learning strategies to improve their goals, processes, and operations. As our clients expanded the size of their companies, we expanded our target audience to include other small businesses.
 
The implementation of my OPLE System is at the core of the services that are offered. OPLE, pronounced oh-PUL, is a combination of organizational development, personal skills and abilities, leadership, and education. Based on research, these factors were found to be present in the most successful sustainable businesses. Hence, I became passionate about helping micro and small business owners to understand how incorporating these factors will help them to be sustainable. I am highly driven to help them find the solutions that they need to take the necessary actions that will get them the results that they want. In short, Solutions+Actions=Results! (SoAR!)®.
 
The target audience for my company includes micro and small business owners. I already shared why these business owners were identified, but let me give you more information about this audience. Micro businesses or micro enterprises are the smallest of the small businesses and they typically have less than 10 employees, including the business owner. We expanded to include other small businesses, specifically those that have less than 150 employees. The most popular industries that I work with are within beauty/cosmetology, business services, education, finance/funds, health and wellness, mental health, non-profit, and veteran services. We have also worked with business owners and their teams in the legal, supply chain/logistics, fashion, and handmade jewelry industries.
 
I gained my presence among my target audience throughout my features in international outlets such as WomELLE WomLEAD, Passion Vista Magazine, Digital First Magazine, Heidens Book, and CIO Today Magazine. Additionally, membership in the Women’s Business Council – Southwest has helped along with being active on LinkedIn and Facebook. PKCS has a strong presence on Instagram, YouTube, Spotify, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and TikTok. We gained the WBENC Certified - Women’s Business Enterprise certification.  My company is based in Austin, Texas USA, but it is also registered in Barbados. Furthermore, I have been invited as a guest to participate in podcasts interviews with Mylance, SBPro University, and Mastery Podcast. Moreover, I participate in networking meetings and events in-person and/or virtually. It is important to be present in the arenas where my target audience is also present. This allows me to gain visibility and to share with my target audience how my company can help them to SoAR!®

Exciting Growth and Expansion Plans for PKCS

What are some of the growth and expansion plans you have in your pipeline?

I am very excited about our growth in the upcoming months! We are continuing to support the Weiss Scholarship Foundation and we are looking forward to increasing our donations to help provide education to even more children in Dago, Kenya. We are revamping our SoAR! Masterclass and SoAR! Summit options. We are currently researching international locations for retreats that will be focused on helping micro and small businesses to SoAR!® because micro and small businesses cannot thrive using the same exact business models implemented by large corporations. 

Therefore, we want to use our retreats to work with highly motivated micro and small business owners to acquire the skills, strategies, and resources they need for their business to SoAR!® One of our retreats will be catering to women entrepreneurs and aligned with the U.N. Development Goals 5, 8, and 9 which are focused on promoting gender equality, sustainable economic growth, and innovation.  
 
We are also going to be releasing courses on time management and management consulting on the SoAR! Training Institute to help any micro or small business owner, self-employed individuals or entrepreneurs anywhere in the world. These courses, like the other SoAR! Training Institute courses will be available to complete at your own pace online or via the MySchool App.
 
We will be continuing to grow our mastermind groups, which are our Peer Advisory Boards. We have found that these groups allow for business owners, with very limited budgets, to access the tips and strategies that they need to help them get over current hurdles in their businesses. These groups have less than 10 members, are a minimum of six months and have a very low cost that is paid monthly.
 
We are looking forward to expanding our team. Increasing our revenue will help us to increase our human resources. With added members to our team we will continue to strengthen our programming and support to business owners and their teams.

How has the year been for your company?

This year did not start as we had hoped, but something unexpected happened instead that still resulted in us hitting the targets that we had outlined for the first half of 2024. We have helped our target number of business owners and generated beyond our anticipated 5-figure revenue target. The experiences have helped to solidify the needed improvements to the OPLE System and how it is implemented in the SoAR! With Coaching™️ program and the SoAR! Consultations. We have added certifications and partnerships that will allow us to continue to provide our clients with high quality services.

Competitive Edge: Customizing Solutions for Micro and Small Businesses

What does your business offer as per the current competitive market? 

There are several business coaches and management consulting companies globally; however, none are offering the application of the OPLE System™️ components like we do. As I mentioned earlier, we offer business coaching, management consulting, and training to micro and small business owners specifically. In comparison, other business coaching, management consulting, and training services tend to target small (more than 200 employees), medium, and large companies. Our rates for our services are competitive, but also affordable for the individual who is still working a full-time job and wanting to start their own business as well as for the entrepreneur whose business is within the first 5 years and generating less than $500K annually. 

Not to mention, we customize the experience in our SoAR! With Coaching™️ program, SoAR! Consultations and company-requested trainings to meet the needs of the business. This means that no two businesses have the same exact experience with us. The customization we offer is connected to OPLE because much like opal the gem, I believe that each business has diverse characteristics and unique structures; therefore the support that they receive to address their problems should be as diverse and unique as they are.

Building Effective Teamwork and Unity in Organizations

What measures do you think employees and organizations can take to build effective teamwork and unity?

The executives and owners of organizations must understand that teamwork and unity are not reflected as solely dollar amounts. It is vital for the leaders in organizations to not only identify the vision, mission, values, and strategic goals for the organization, but also convey this information to their employees. Also, be open to employee feedback on how the vision, mission, values, and strategic goals may need to be adjusted as the company grows.

Authenticity is necessary to build effective teamwork and unity in any organization. Employees, regardless of their role, should not feel pressured, obligated, or forced to participate in teamwork. There are several strategies that leaders in organizations can implement to get to know their team, ensure that team members are placed in the most appropriate roles based on their skills and desires, and cultivate relationships that lead to effective teamwork and unity within the organization. Building effective teamwork and unity is not a one-time activity. It takes a strategic approach with multiple activities involved.

Tell us about the company’s focus and investment in research and innovation

We are invested in aligning with the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals 8 and 9 that focus on sustainable economic growth and innovation. Innovation is one of my company’s core values. I created PKCS to help companies with innovative desires to bring their visions to life and improve the lives of their target audience.
 
Research has always been a big part of my educational experiences since undergrad to completing my doctorate to my years working in various organizations. It has also been a huge part of the design for my company and it continues to be. Each of the services that we offer are not selected randomly. They are selected and designed based on research, especially market research. Research helps with making improvements to how the services are delivered and how to better target our audience. Innovation is one of the outcomes of applying the results of the research that we conduct.

Advice for Startups: Research, Risks, and Strategic Growth

Any tips for startups looking to get onto the similar pathway? 

Do your research and be willing to take risks. Know that we live, we learn, and we move on. So with every idea that you have for your startup, do some research to see what is already existing. More importantly, look at what they are not doing or ways in which you can do it better. Remember that better, does not automatically mean cheaper. Don’t sell you or your business short. Be open to networking and working with a business coach (this is not the same as a mentor or consultant). Also, do not be afraid to partner with others. Consider entering mutually beneficial business relationships. Identify your target audience and your unique value proposition. Be strategic! Remember that Solutions+Actions=Results! (SoAR!)®
 
Thank you for joining us on this inspiring journey with Dr. Priscilla “Dr. P” Kucer. Her story is a testament to the power of perseverance, innovation, and a commitment to uplifting others. Through PKCS, Dr. P. Kucer continues to make a significant impact on micro and small businesses, empowering them to achieve sustainable growth and success. We hope her insights and experiences have inspired you as much as they have inspired us. For more information about Dr. P. Kucer and her work, visit her website and connect with her on social media. Stay tuned for more inspiring interviews on AllAroundWorlds.com.

Social Media:

▶️ Website: http://www.drpksolutions.com

▶️FACEBOOK:http://www.facebook.com/drpksolutios

▶️INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/dr.pksoluions

▶️ LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dr-pk-solutions/

▶️ TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@drpksolutions

▶️ YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/@drpksolutions

Also Read:- 

• From High School to High Stakes: Asger Heinricy's Business Breakthroughs
• Navigating the Global Legal Landscape: An Interview with Liliana Bakayoko, International Business Law Expert
• Dr. I. Fortune Glavee: An Innovative Dental Surgeon and Social Entrepreneur