"Make your mistakes and keep going" with Kia Roberts

Kia Roberts is the Principal and Founder of Triangle Investigations. Triangle is a group of expert investigators performing misconduct investigations (i.e., sexual harassment, discrimination, bullying)  within workplaces, schools, and other organizations. Triangle also offers its clients usage of the Telli ™ app, Triangle’s proprietary app that works as a reporting mechanism for persons to report misconduct within their organization. Prior to founding Triangle, Kia was the first-ever Director of Investigations for the NFL, a position in which she performed investigations into NFL players and employees accused of violating the NFL’s Code of Conduct. www.triangleinvestigations.com 

Can you tell our readers about your background?

Before I became a start-up founder, I was the first-ever Director of Investigations for the NFL, a position in which I performed investigations into NFL players and employees accused of violating the NFL’s Code of Conduct. Before that, I spent about a decade as a prosecutor in the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, finishing my time there as a homicide prosecutor. My entire career, post-law school, has been in performing investigations in one way or another. 

What inspired you to start your business?

I have a very specific story as to how the idea for Triangle was born!  In the summer of 2018, the #MeToo movement was gaining momentum at breakneck speed, and there were some long-overdue corrections taking place as related to misconduct in workplaces, schools, and pretty much any organization you can think of. My husband and I had just welcomed baby #2 to our family, and I was up late at night with our newborn. While I was rocking the baby, I read an article the featured the famed chef Gabrielle Hoffman. In that article, she was opining as to why the #MeToo movement had hit the restaurant industry so hard. I began thinking of how misconduct is (or isn’t!) handled within non-traditional workplaces, where this is no Human Resources “door” to go knock on. I thought, with the resume that I had, that I was perfectly positioned to set up a whole misconduct shop where misconduct work is all that we do. A few months later, Triangle was born!

Where is your business based?

Triangle has offices in Brooklyn, New York, and New Orleans, Louisiana.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took? 

I started my business by first calling mentors and former colleagues, running the new venture past them. I literally talked their ears off! I received a ton of support and was told by many people that I respect tremendously that my timing for a venture like this couldn’t be any more perfect. My first steps were: making a business plan,  creating my website and branding, and hiring an awesome public relations team to handle my launch public relations.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business? 

Writing timely and detailed blog posts regarding current misconduct news that is in the press, posting thoughtful LinkedIn commentary, and word of mouth.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them? 

My biggest challenge has been trying to strategically organize what business and marketplaces I am going after. One of my favorite quotes that I share with clients is that misconduct investigations are NOT optional, and if your organization has more than two people in it, you need to be prepared for the possibility of misconduct.

With that in mind, misconduct can occur quite literally anywhere—in a traditional workplace, on a college campus, in a restaurant, in a church/synagogue/mosque, in a private school. From a business development perspective, it’s impossible to go after all of those markets at once, and it was initially hard for me to narrow my focus on what my client acquisition approach should look like. I’ve been working diligently with a business development consultant to plan out my business quarters throughout the year with a real strategy for client acquisition and retention.

How do you stay focused?

By making manageable to-do lists daily. A completely overflowing to-do list is a recipe for disaster for me, as it’s easy to get overwhelmed and feel like you can’t do any of it. Oh, and I literally hide my phone from myself while working.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

Triangle’s misconduct investigations work is enhanced by our diversity, which is a big part of our strength. A person who has suffered misconduct should not have to educate the person investigating the matter as to the nuances of why what was done to them was hurtful or offensive. There are deep and complicated histories and cultures as related to women, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ community, for example.

At Triangle, we are a part of those demographics and are staunch allies of those communities. We get why someone called your hair “dreadlocks” is offensive. We get why being misgendered at work is dehumanizing and hurtful. This enables us to conduct our investigations with a high level of emotional intelligence, where other firms cannot.

Additionally, the Telli ™ app is available to all of our clients. It’s an easy-to-use phone app that organization members (i.e.,: employees, students, restaurant staff) can download to their phone and make a complaint any time of day or night. Once that complaint is made via the app, Triangle kicks into action and begins an investigation. So essentially, our intentional diversity and high-tech approach sets us apart and makes us unique. 

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Hyper-specific outreach on LinkedIn.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Everything big starts with something little! Google, Amazon, Facebook, and other giants stumbled through a beginning until they found their footing. You won’t be an exception. Make your mistakes and keep going.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

Favorite app—Telli™! I really think the app is going to help make considerable and substantive gains towards bettering workplaces and group environments and greatly reducing sexual harassment, discrimination, and bullying.

Favorite blog—smittenkitchen.com. I have a ritual of trying new recipes while listening to John Grisham audiobooks and drinking a glass of wine! Deb’s recipes are great, and her anecdotes about what us moms go through while raising children in New York City are spot on! 

Favorite book: “Paradise,” by Toni Morrison. I first read it for a class while in college and was so obsessed that I created an entire handwritten character map for every character in the book, which I then photocopied and gave to every person in the class! It never gets old. Beautiful writing, gorgeously developed characters, haunting ending. I read it at least once every year.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

I am a member of The Wing (and am anxiously awaiting its return!), and The Wing members app has different member groups discussing copywriting, digital marketing, and even mindset shifts for entrepreneurs! It has been invaluable. Lots of tips and recommendations, and general support and encouragement.

Who is your business role model? Why?

My business role model is my mentor and friend, Janet Hill. (She’s also known as Hillary Clinton’s college roommate, and the mother of former NBA star Grant Hill.) She is an all-around powerhouse and was a very successful black female start-up founder in the 1980s when that was virtually unheard of. She is also an awesome mom, wife, grandmother, and an endless resource for advice in all things business and life. I feel like she has checked every “box” as it relates to success, and I would love to that as well.

How do you balance work and life?

I am a fanatic believer in the importance of setting consistent times to detach from electronic devices. I think that a lot of people struggle with separating work and life because we have this annoying appendage—our electronic devices! When you are constantly answering e-mails, or on your laptop getting out that one last report, the line dividing work and life becomes blurry—our nonexistent. At a certain point every evening, my phone goes into my sock drawer, and I am completely involved with my family, either reading, cooking, and/or binge-watching bad reality tv. I also don’t sleep with any electronic devices in my bedroom—I have an old school radio alarm clock ($10 on Amazon!) that wakes me up.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

Praying and doing deep breathing exercises (enhanced by breathing in lavender oil) while listening to sound bath meditations on my noise-canceling headphones. Very specific, I know!

What do you have planned for the next six months?

Business development, business development, business development.  And hopefully, the next six months will see me going out again for a nice meal with my husband and kids. I hope I’m not being too optimistic by hoping that it will happen within the next six months!

How can our readers connect with you?

@triangleinv on Twitter, or send an e-mail straight to me! I would love to chat. My e-mail is kia@triangleinvestigations.com