Former execs strike out on their own with Strait & Associates consultancy

Most of America's workforce aims to work for someone else, and climb the corporate ladder. Cheryl Strait and her new partners, no slouches at ladder climbing, recently jumped off and began building their own biz, Strait & Associates.

Strait, a former partner at Ernst & Young, recently started a new consulting firm focused on records and information management in Bloomfield Hills. She is joined by John Ferguson, Ann Sachs, and Kassi Turner, all people who have left corporate boardrooms for a new small business.

"We are enjoying it," says Strait, president & CEO of Strait & Associates. "The nice thing is we are all seasoned executives so we all have experience running companies."

Strait & Associates recently landed its first contract to conduct a market research study with a Chicago-based technology firm. It expects to expand its client list by 6-10 businesses within the next year while establishing a brand. She expects her team to grow to 10 people within the next few years.

But why go to all this trouble if they already had good jobs climbing corporate ladders in long-established companies? One word: freedom. Strait & Associates allows the partners the freedom to do their job their way while reaping all the benefits of their labor.

"You really can't be a maverick (working for someone else)," Strait says. "You have to stay in line with what the organization wants to do."

Source: Cheryl Strait, president & CEO of Strait & Associates
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Former execs strike out on their own with Strait & Associates consultancy

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