Financial Sustainability as a Service Based Business (Session 2:3)

Building a service based business that does meaningful work does not automatically mean it is financially sustainable. Many consultants experience cycles of instability, burnout, or constant uncertainty because they were never taught how to design financial systems that support long term viability. Without intentional planning, even strong practices can struggle to sustain the people behind the work.

This session is designed as both a capacity building opportunity for individual consultants and a way to strengthen the broader social impact ecosystem. When service based businesses are financially grounded and supported, they are better positioned to serve clients well, maintain integrity, and contribute to long term community impact.

Join Dr. Durryle Brooks of Love and Justice Consulting and Dr. Tara Doaty of Sage Wellness Group for a practical and transparent learning lab focused on what financial sustainability actually looks like for service based businesses. Participants will explore the realities of consulting income, the supports and structures that make sustainability possible, and how to begin mapping resources and setting goals that align with both capacity and values.

Participants will leave with greater clarity about their financial landscape and concrete next steps for building a practice that is sustainable, intentional, and resilient over time.

1. Understand the financial realities of service based businesses • How service based income differs from traditional employment and product based models • Common financial challenges consultants face and why they occur • Why financial sustainability is essential to long term impact

2. Identify supports and support structures needed for sustainability • Internal systems that help stabilize income and capacity • External supports such as partnerships, tools, and resources • How to assess gaps that may be undermining sustainability

3. Begin mapping resources and setting realistic financial goals • How to clarify short term and long term financial needs • How to align financial goals with capacity, values, and wellbeing • How intentional planning supports resilience and longevity

Durryle Brooks,PhD is a national speaker, facilitator, and leadership coach whose work bridges critical scholarship, organizational practice, and healing justice. He is the creator of the Critical Theory of Love (CToL) framework, which guides individuals and organizations to reconceptualize love as a force for equity, justice, and collective healing.

Dr. Brooks’ scholarly contributions include the foundational article (Re)Conceptualizing Love: Moving Toward a Critical Theory of Love in Education for Social Justice (2017), published in the Journal of Critical Thought and Praxis, as well as a trilogy of articles in Nonprofit Quarterly (2024) exploring love as a transformative framework for leadership, equity, and justice. Together, these works challenge conventional paradigms and offer grounded, practice-oriented approaches to leading and organizing in complex social impact environments.

Dr. Brooks is the founder of Love and Justice Consulting.Since moving into full-time consulting four years ago, he has grown his firm by 30–40% annually, generating over $1 million in revenue as a primarily solo entrepreneur in that time frame.. This growth gives him a clear, practical understanding of what it takes to build, price, sustain, and evolve a values-aligned consulting business within the social impact ecosystem.

Through his consulting work, Dr. Brooks partners with nonprofits, foundations, public agencies, and community-based organizations to strengthen organizational culture, navigate conflict, and align values with daily practice. He is widely known for his relational approach and his ability to create learning spaces that are honest, accessible, and deeply grounded in lived experience.

Tara Doaty, PhD, obtained her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Howard University. She has also earned several certifications in evidenced-based practices aimed at strengthening parent and child attachment and working with survivors of trauma. Over the past 20 years, Dr. Doaty has developed several curricula in areas of parenting from a trauma-informed perspective, mindfulness, and recovery from various forms of addiction, racial equity, trauma-informed care, and more. Dr. Tara is the Founder & CEO of Sage Wellness Group, which provides both professional development and organizational development & strategy to numerous client agencies. The professional development services offered through Sage Wellness Group merge clinical expertise and practical experience. These workshops connect with audiences and leave them more knowledgeable and encouraged as they fulfill roles associated with being a parent, professional, agency administrator or agency executive.

Dr. Tara is a national speaker and trainer where she is frequently asked to speak on issues impacting mental and social-emotional well-being for children and adults. She has been the keynote speaker for City and County government agencies, Pediatric Grand Rounds, school districts, corporations, and non-profit organizations and has given specialized trauma trainings for judges, magistrates, and attorneys. Dr. Tara served as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology at Notre Dame University of Maryland and is a frequent guest on WEAA radio where she provides clinical insight surrounding current issues.

In April 2014, Dr. Tara celebrated the release of her first children’s book, ‘Let’s Talk About It’, a collection of 5 short stories that highlight the journey to self-discovery that every child travels. ‘Let’s Talk About It’ was selected for inclusion in Baltimore’s Enoch Pratt Public Library, and one of its stories, ‘Mindful of Me’ was chosen to assist children impacted by the Baltimore Uprising of 2015.

Dr. Tara was appointed to Baltimore City's Trauma-Informed Care Task Force, and in 2021 was appointed by Maryland's then-Governor Larry Hogan, to serve on the Maryland State's Commission for Trauma-Informed Care. In 2024, she expanded the reach of Sage Wellness Group to create Sage Leadership Institute which honors the specific roles of leaders within organizations. The first initiative of Sage Leadership Institute is Black Girl Sabbath, which caters to Black women in professional and corporate spaces, and emphasizes professional advancement while preserving emotional, physical and mental well-being. Dr. Tara resides in Maryland with her family.

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