An Inspired Chat with Christian J. Williams of Detroit

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Christian J. Williams. Check out our conversation below.

Christian J., so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What is a normal day like for you right now?
A normal day for me typically consists of a mix of balancing my 9-5 and my business. Since my last interview, I returned to a traditional corporate 9-5 role and run my business on the side. So now, I am pretty busy as my time is more limited. I have to manage my 9-5 responsibilities along with finding time to take clients and continuously market my business. I typically take clients after work 2-3 times per week in addition to Saturday. However, I enjoy having both as it provides me with diverse professional experience, and two incomes during these current unstable economic conditions.

The culmination of these two jobs allowed me to win the Oakland County 40 under 40 Award and Oakland County Board of Commissioner’s Black Excellence Award in 2024.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Christian J. Williams, and I am the founder of CJW Consulting Group, LLC based out of metro Detroit, MI. I launched my business in October 2018 and later resigned from my 9-5 in April 2019 to focus on full-time entrepreneurship. In this business, I help clients with a wide variety of professional development needs, including but not limited to resume writing/revamp, salary negotiations, personal statement writing for graduate school applications, and interview preparation. I have helped 2,000+ clients since 2018. I have helped clients achieve over $7M in (reported) salary increases, average of $26,000+ per client. In fact, I have helped clients in every industry, including automotive, technology, education, healthcare, finance/banking, construction and many more.

Outside of my business, I work in Supply Chain Management/Economic Development for a leading hospital in Michigan. As a Supplier Engagement Consultant, I manage the development of initiatives to drive supply chain optimization and economic growth in the local community on behalf of the 2nd largest hospital system in Michigan comprised of ~50k employees. In this role, I work closely with community partners such as the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council (MMSDC), Veteran Owned Business Roundtable (VOBRT), Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, (MHCC), Asian Pacific American Chamber of Commerce (APACC) and Great Lakes Women’s Business Council (GLWBC) to find new suppliers to support upcoming bids. One of my most recent and largest projects has been hosting community outreach initiatives and increasing awareness of upcoming construction opportunities to support the construction of our new $2B hospital.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
To be honest, growing up, I never saw myself as “talented” per se. I was not a star athlete, I didn’t play any instruments, etc. I knew that I was smart, but I didn’t think that this necessarily constituted “talent”. As I have gotten older and become a man, I realized just how talented I actually am. Talent is not exclusively limited to sports and/or entertainment. We all have our own unique talents and things that we can do exceptionally well that set us apart from others.

Not only am I intelligent, but I have used my intellect to educate and improve the lives of others. Both of my jobs (my business and 9-5) are centered around economic development and pushing people to be all that they can be. In fact, one of my recent clients was able to increase his annual base salary from $80,000 to $145,000, excluding his annual performance/profit sharing bonus. Over the years, I have helped clients secure rewarding and high paying roles at companies such as Deloitte, McKinsey & Co., Ford Motor Company, PepsiCo, CitiBank, Google, Accenture, Bank of America, Amazon, Microsoft, Nissan, DTE Energy and many more. It has been truly rewarding to know that I have been able to help put my clients in a position to earn more money for their families and help them to secure roles that they previously thought they would never hold.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I would tell myself to stop being so hard on myself, remind myself that I’m doing my best and to just give everything time. Things don’t necessarily work out on the timing that we want. But more often than not, they work out.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Is the public version of you the real you?
Absolutely! Of course, there are things that we all don’t necessarily show the world or that only our closest friends know. But generally speaking, I’m pretty consistent in my professional and personal life. And given that both of my roles are pretty public facing, there’s definitely some overlap because I never know who I may run into when I’m out.

I think that people typically see me as being a huge extrovert because I can really personable and social. I never meet a stranger. In fact, a former girlfriend told me that “I can make friends with a tree”. However, I can be very much of an extroverted introvert, if that makes sense. I’m outgoing and social but at the same time, I really enjoy peace, quiet and my alone time.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I think that my closest friends would remember my integrity, being genuine and how much helping others really matters to me. I always intend to be true and authentic. I know that I have been incredibly blessed in life. Of course, nothing is perfect. But when God puts you in a position to help someone, I wholeheartedly believe that you should do so. I genuinely want the best for others. If anything happens to me, I want to genuinely be remembered as a good person who had empathy and who loved and cared for others.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cjwconsultinggroup.com
• Instagram: @CJWConsulting
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cjwlmsmba/