We had the good fortune of connecting with Lynet McDonald and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lynet, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I decided to start my own business because I had difficulty getting a full-time job at companies after an 11-year gap in employment. I have a Management Information Systems degree (Business and IT) and had a successful career working as a senior programmer and IT project manager at various companies. I left my IT career at the insistence of my then husband who wanted me to stay home full-time to take care of our new daughter. At first, I refused because I loved my career, I was on the rise, and I was also earning a lot more money than him. That made him very insecure and uncomfortable. Unfortunately, in the end, I gave in and that turned out to be a huge mistake. This is a mistake a lot of women make and that can come back to haunt them, especially if they get a divorce as I did. My advice to all young women is to never leave their career, not even to raise children. They need to keep their career at least part-time because you never know what could happen. Being completely financially dependent on someone else is a huge risk. Women need to be able to take care of themselves and their children financially if needed.

Even though I had a lot of IT experience working at well-known companies, technology had advanced a lot during my absence and companies needed programmers who knew the new technology. I didn’t have that experience. For the first time in my life, companies were not calling me back. It was a very humbling experience. Therefore, I had to rely on my other best skill which is creating art. I am a self-taught artist. I mainly do art to cope during very difficult times. My art is my diary. I do paintings and drawings of women who reflect how I feel. After my divorce, I did some networking in the Houston art scene which led to solo and group exhibitions at various venues and art galleries. That’s when I noticed that some art galleries needed IT help. Their websites were outdated, they didn’t have proper art inventory systems, and their computers needed maintenance. I told them that I could take care of that; so they hired me. That’s how I got back to doing IT work. Even though I had been mainly a software programmer and project manager during my career, I decided that it was best that I become a “jack of all trades” in IT to get back to having a career. I picked up many skills and got up to speed with technology via YouTube online courses, google searches, and on the job. Word got around in the art scene about my IT knowledge. Artists and their friends contacted me to help them. Word then spread around outside of the art scene. I kept getting more and more clients. Currently, I have about 26 clients who keep me very busy. I became so busy that I decided to set aside doing art for now and focus on my IT career. I love IT as much as I love art. The main difference is that my IT business pays my bills and has helped me support my daughter financially. Doing art does not pay as well.

What should our readers know about your business?
As I mentioned before, after having an IT career absence of 11 years, I had a steep learning curve. I needed to learn a lot quickly, so I did a lot of research and taught myself a lot of skills. I mainly do IT consulting for small businesses and individuals. To be successful doing that, I need to be knowledgeable in many areas. I help people and small businesses with anything IT related. I do websites, inventory systems, graphic design, project management, IT training, and device maintenance (Windows/Mac computers, Android/Apple phones, iPads, tablets, etc). Each client has different needs and that has taught me to be very good at solving problems quickly, efficiently, and on the spot.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My favorite restaurant in Houston is Cuchara. I was born and raised in Mexico City and often miss authentic Mexico City food. My family and I love Cuchara because it’s the only restaurant that we have found that does indeed serve authentic dishes. Tasajo con huarache is one of our favorite dishes there!

The places that I enjoy the most in Houston are the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and the Buffalo Bayou Trails. I love seeing beautiful artwork and I love taking walks and running.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have many people to thank for my success as a self-employed IT consultant. The first people that I would like to thank are my parents for helping me and my daughter right after my divorce. They were very supportive during one of the most difficult times in my life. I would also like to thank my daughter because she gave me the strength to never give up and to continue pursuing my career goals. I would then like to thank Gus Kopriva from Redbud Arts Center for giving me my first solo exhibition and my first job opportunity after my divorce. Working at Redbud is what started it all. That’s where I started getting back to doing IT work and where the word started spreading about my IT skills. Finally, I would like to thank my very supportive boyfriend and his family who referred new clients to me. This has led to my newest niche which is assisting older clients with all of their IT needs.

Website: IT Consulting website: www.lynetsolutions.com Artist website: www.artbylynet.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artbylynet/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynetmcdonald/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lynetsolutions/

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