Redirecting.work

 

When a major HR tech firm pursued her for a traditional leadership role, she stopped the process. After years of watching companies abruptly change course, she was done letting someone else determine her fate. “You’re one phone call away from being irrelevant,” she said. She had lived frugally within her means and built financial stability. She was finally ready to place a bet on herself. 

​

The vision? To deliver measurable results and unlock the potential of HR tech vendors—on her terms.

 

The Transformation Process

 

Launching WorkTech Advisory Inc., Marilyn drew from her experience in SAP SuccessFactors implementations, developing a methodology to help founders bring their innovations to market. Many of her clients were international vendors entering the U.S. for the first time, often struggling with go-to-market plans. She structured her business as a collaborative network, not a traditional firm with full-time employees. “Think of me as the head of the marina,” she explained. Clients dock temporarily and get the help they need—be it strategy, market entry, or connections to buyers—through Marilyn and her network of trusted collaborators.

​

The journey has been filled with small pivots, experiments, and a few setbacks. One challenge was an early partnership that didn’t work out. “Consulting is not just transactional,” she noted. She needed collaborators who shared her sense of purpose, not just those looking for a stopgap until their next full-time job. This experience taught her the value of clearly defining what “good” looks like in a working relationship and remaining committed to her own vision. As she put it, “This is my boat. I’m not handing over the helm.”

​

Current Direction and Reflections
 

Today, Marilyn thrives at the helm of WorkTech Advisory, helping clients unlock revenue, make smarter investments, and scale thoughtfully. Her collaborators—many seasoned professionals themselves—work on projects, retainers, or occasionally for equity. She’s learned that equity alone rarely yields value unless clients are fully invested in the advice they receive. “People don’t value what they don’t pay for,” she said candidly.

​

Entrepreneurship requires real infrastructure. Marilyn has built hers with intention: professional accounting support, marketing tools like Hubspot, and an assistant to offload administrative work. “You’re not just freelancing—you’re running a business,” she emphasized. Her time is now dedicated to high-value activities like community building, investing in relationships, and contributing to the ecosystem she loves.

​

She’s discovered a deeper sense of meaning, not only in paid work but in “paying it forward.” Free consulting, mentoring founders, and building thought leadership platforms have become central to her legacy. “This industry has given so much to me. How can I not give back?”

​

Advice to Others

​

• Have financial infrastructure in place: Know what it takes to run a business—taxes, accounting, systems, assistants. This is not just a side hustle.
   

• Understand what high-value means to you: Spend time on relationships, visibility, and work that drives meaning. Partner what is for you, low value, or for the things you are not good at.
   

• Build clarity around your vision: Know what “good” looks like—for your business, your collaborators, and your time.
   

• Find your collaborators wisely: Look for people with purpose and passion, not just those filling time between jobs.
   

• Don’t compare yourself to others: Social media can distort reality. Focus on your own path.
   

• Give back freely and mindfully: You may not always know how it will come back to you—but it does.
   

• Define your business intentionally: Create a plan, build infrastructure, and recognize that dissolving a company is harder than creating one.
   

• Never stop learning: Stay curious. This industry is evolving—and so should you.

​

It’s clear from Marilyn’s story that building your own path doesn’t mean doing it alone. Marilyn typifies that having your own soundwave—your way of contributing—will resonate louder when it’s shaped with clarity, community, and purpose.