We sat down with Sara Roberts and Amy McFeely, co-founders and principal consultants at Category One Consulting, to discuss their company, the value of a Chamber membership and advice they have for other business owners.

Category One Consulting (C1C) is a firm that specializes in helping businesses realize their vision and maximize their impact. Ultimately, they want to help make communities great places to work and live. They conduct a multitude of research projects, from needs assessments and environmental scans to program evaluations and appraising the implementation impact. All of this is done to maximize a company’s effectiveness.

One of the things C1C does is help other organizations and businesses with their company cultures and retention rates. It’s because of this that they take pride in their own company culture. Two values help guide C1C. The first is being impact-oriented, believing in the power of organizations to make transformational change. The second is that they are people-focused, “We really do strive to be that positive force in our community,” says McFeely. “Putting people first when it comes to the work that they do is so important and having that resonate through the company speaks volumes.”

The Chamber not only provides a sense of community for businesses and business owners but also networking opportunities. “Probably the biggest value is the different networking events. They really give people the opportunity to make connections with others in the city, when they want to figure out where to do business or who they can work with,” said Amy McFeely. These networking events provide a sense of comfort by being around like-minded individuals and connecting with people you normally wouldn’t have met.

Their advice for other companies is simple —learn about your client and their business. It’s not always about what you can do for a company, but how you can do it.

To learn more about Category One Consulting please visit https://www.category1consulting.com/