Jessica's Journey from Corporate to Building her Own Business

Jessica's Journey from Corporate to Building her Own Business

Jessica Schütz joined ERA Group after more than 20 years as a senior leader in the food retail industry, working across both B2B and B2C environments. Much of her career was spent within large corporate structures, where she increasingly felt limited by the pace at which decisions could be made and change could happen.

That experience became the turning point. She had long been interested in building something of her own, but had not felt fully confident about moving into consultancy independently, particularly given the breadth of expertise required across different areas.

What drew her to ERA Group was the combination of independence and support. It offered the chance to run her own business while relying on the systems, experience, and infrastructure of an established global network—allowing her to avoid starting entirely from scratch while still maintaining control over her work.

As she puts it, “I can be my own boss, run my business myself, but still rely on the experience and support of a global network.”

For Jessica, this balance between autonomy and backing was the key difference compared to both corporate employment and going fully independent. It allowed her to step into entrepreneurship on her own terms, with access to marketing, IT, and delivery support already in place.

She also highlights the value of ERA Group’s international network, where regular exchange with colleagues across countries and industries provides both professional insight and personal inspiration.

From the outset, she has been very positive about the onboarding and support, describing strong one-to-one coaching across sales, expertise, and project delivery. This helped her integrate quickly and reach a level of confidence far faster than she believes would have been possible alone.

Her perspective is shaped by her leadership background. She sees strong value in a model where the business is largely self-sustaining, offering organisations access to expertise and capacity without the fixed overhead of permanent hires—something she believes is increasingly important in a tight labour market.

Alongside the professional shift, the role has also changed her family life. After years in demanding corporate positions, she now has significantly more flexibility and presence at home, allowing her to better support her children and share responsibilities more evenly.

Her story reflects a move away from rigid corporate structures toward a more flexible, independent way of working—supported by a global network and shaped around both career ambition and family life.

‍