My Journey to Creating ML Bailey Consultants

Our oldest daughter started seventh grade in middle school ten years ago. Our youngest was in the fifth grade. I began to consider what life would be like when they graduated from high school. I had watched other parents who seemed to lose their purpose when their children left the nest. Always proactive, my husband and I discussed our future without children. Couples sometimes forget that life after children creates a vacuum that needs to be filled.

We Agreed

We agreed that we needed to get to know each other again. As a result, we began dating. He girls were old enough and mature enough to be home alone for a few hours. So, every week, we went on dates to the grocery store or to Target. Occasionally, we went to breakfast before returning to our home. This gave us time to talk and share with each other. We still discussed our daughters, but we also developed conversation that was exclusively our own.
At least monthly, we would go out on romantic dates to the movies, to dinner or to both. Our daughters thought it was cool that mommy and daddy were “dating.” They also expressed that they felt left out. Before we started, I shared our plans with them prior to starting so they understood the reasoning and agreed that it was a good idea. I told them “Mommy and Daddy have to get to know each other again.”

About Retirement

I also began to consider retirement income. My husband and I married in our mid-30s. Our daughters were born as we hit our 40s. Our professions in service industries afford modest retirement, but certainly will not support our simple lifestyle as we age. This is the concern for many social workers and others who work in service industries.

I began to seriously think about resurrecting my dream of starting a consulting firm. The fulfilled dream would allow additional income to support our retirement. As a creative, it would also provide an outlet for me personally. Professionally, I could expand my impact by sharing the experience and knowledge I had gained from over 15 years, at the time, as a licensed clinical social worker.

Considering my experience, I realized that it extended over a 30-year period. It included program development, program planning, administration, and supervision. I had experience working with non-profit boards of directors. I also had experience managing mental health services, professional staff, and support staff across three urbanized counties. Additionally, I periodically provided paid consultation to non-profit organizations.

Was Starting a Business in my 50s Practical

A friend and social worker colleague helped me answer that question. She approached me several times about starting a private therapy practice. She started her own and encouraged me to do the same. After speaking with my husband and daughters, I decided to try by opening a part-time private practice and consultancy.

Over the past ten years, M.L. Bailey Consultants’ growth has been slow and measured. We strived for quality over quantity. We sought support and advice from industry leaders. While it has not been an easy journey, we have gained valuable experience as entrepreneurs. Being the boss is all that it is cracked up to be!

M.L. Bailey Consultants has created a space for women to reclaim their dreams. We guide them to develop plans to achieve them in their future lives. Hardworking professionals who want to be happy receive stress management and relaxation tips and services. Social workers who want to develop successful, sustainable, and satisfying side hustles have an opportunity to work with us.

What journey are you on and how can we help?

“I want to be happy, whole, satisfied and successful. What about you?”
Visit the M.L. Bailey Consultants website. We are sprucing it up, so please be patient with us. You may join the conversation like our Facebook page, follow me on Instagram and connect with me on LinkedIn.