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Tonia Galati
After launching her business, TG Consulting, in February 2020, a mere month before the coronavirus pandemic struck the globe and brought everything to a complete standstill, Tonia Galati, the compassionate director behind the enterprise, talks endurance and how she pivoted the business during one of the most unprecedented and uncertain periods in history, to become a multi-award-winning new start up, and ‘one to watch’.
WOTC caught up with Tonia one early Wednesday afternoon in October as she had managed to steal half an hour away from her busy working schedule. “I did all the due diligence necessary for setting up a business,” she recalled laughing, reminiscing on some of the conversations she had with her supporters during the early stages of TG Consulting.
Tonia’s initial idea for the consultancy was to connect colleges, universities, and employers to create opportunities for students, whilst building their confidence and aspirations. and provide opportunities to students. However, as the pandemic hit, like many other business owners and entrepreneurs across the world, Tonia had to pivot. “We were an emerging business, and so I just kept thinking about how we would make ourselves current and how we would establish our brand at such an uncertain time.
Tonia’s business model evolved to focus on bringing students on board and, in turn, providing them with employment opportunities as interns. “All our student opportunities are paid. I don’t believe in anything unpaid,” she clarified. TG Consulting quickly upscaled and began to specialise in creating, connecting and collaborating - the company’s ethos. “All of our services are bespoke to each client, and the nature of our focus is employability, sociability and student engagement,” she continued. “There’s also been a huge increase in working with students from black and Asian minority backgrounds to bridge the gap.”
With the uncertainty of the future looming for all during the pandemic, many were hit hard, specifically, students not knowing what it would mean for them academically or career wise. “Covid had a great impact on students and their confidence. Then Black Lives Matter happened, and that significantly impacted a lot of the students that we work with.” Amid the numerous challenges of 2020, TG Consulting was able to establish a multitude of successful initiatives to help support young people who were in need of support and reassurance.
Irrespective of the lockdown, TG Consulting amassed many successes, launching their podcast The Student Sessions, which has had almost 10,000 downloads in just 18 months and was shortlisted for the British Podcast Awards, and some huge client partnerships.
The consultancy also published its first book, You Are A Limited Edition, in March 2020, featuring 25 student authors sharing their lived experiences of overcoming adversity and has sold over 4000 copies worldwide. The book is currently used within several academic institutions as a toolkit for various initiatives they are running.
An online virtual program, REACTION 24/7, was also created during this time, which supports the discovery of the best talent for the UK economy, no matter their social mobility status, background, or ethnicity. “It encourages students to accept who they are, rather than focusing on who they are not. Many of these students have limited networks and don’t have someone to celebrate or champion them, so we do that with them, and we also encourage them to do it for themselves.”
Since its inception, TG Consulting has taken on 62 paid student interns from educational institutions across the UK, undertaking a variety of meaningful roles within the business, and have recently recruited their 11th Kickstarter, and have students that work with them as consultants. “Our unique selling point is that students are at the core of what we do. We have the student voice feeding through everything that we do, so we know it’s tried and tested. We are creating solutions with the client’s target audience,” Tonia has provided many students with opportunities that they wouldn’t typically have received, as many businesses can’t always offer these.
Connect with one of the fastest-growing independent education consultancies specialising in employability, student engagement, and social mobility. Tonia@tgconsultingltd.co.uk www.tgconsultingltd.co.uk