Consulting Realities: Thriving Through Layoffs, Contracts, and Curveballs

Are you considering a career in consulting? Whether you're launching your own business or stepping into an advisory role, consulting in today's economic landscape demands more than expertise, it requires strategy, adaptability, and sharp project management skills.

Join Crystal Richards, Principal & Owner of MindsparQ, for a candid conversation about navigating the highs and lows of consulting. With over 10 years in business, Crystal shares how she weathered layoffs, shifting government priorities, and economic curveballs to run a resilient consulting practice.

You’ll walk away with real-talk advice on how to position yourself, manage clients, and apply your project management skills to deliver results and get paid what you're worth.

Bio
About Crystal Richards, MHA, PMP, PMI-ACP, CSM
Crystal Richards, lead trainer and owner of MindsparQ, is a project management educational consultant. As a certified PMP®, PMI-ACP®, and CSM®, she has helped numerous individuals secure essential credentials like PMP®, CAPM®, and PMI-ACP®. In addition to her training work, she serves as adjunct faculty at the University of Maryland – College Park and recently launched a self-paced online PMP Exam Prep program, which Classcentral.com recognized as the Best University-level PMP Exam Prep. Crystal is also the author of PMP Exam Prep for Dummies® which sold over 1,000 copies within the first week of it’s release in early April 2025.
Crystal has also been a workshop presenter and keynote presenter at several regional and international events such as the Manchester Digital Delivery Conference in the UK, the University of Maryland PM Symposium and many more.

With 20+ years of experience as a project manager, Crystal has personally trained over 2,500 professionals to crush their PMP® and PMI-ACP® goals. She’s worked with everyone from scrappy start-ups to massive government agencies, and they still like her after she calls out their project chaos.

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Agenda:

• 6:15 - 6:30pm ET Virtual mingle, connect to Teams
• 6:30 - 8:00pm ET Opening | Presentation & Discussion