Take 5 with Alison Baringer

ALISON BARINGER, the former director of the North Carolina Azalea Festival, recently embarked on a new business venture. This June, she founded Salt & Rally, a fractional COO and operations strategist firm. In her new role, Baringer helps businesses grow by providing essential support such as building sustainable operating systems, assisting with strategic planning, and coaching staff. However, the professional advantages that come with opening Salt & Rally only tell part of the story. Baringer says she now has the freedom to spend more time with her family. Though Baringer admits that going out on her own can be intimidating, she says she is ready and eager to take on the challenge.

Why did you decide to transition to entrepreneurship? “For freedom and flexibility. For fruitfulness. For faith. To me, freedom is the ability to build something that is mine. Flexibility is the ability to design my life around what matters most. Fruitfulness is about producing something good from what I’ve been given and blessed with – and even bearing fruit from painful experiences. And faith. I’m not naive. I know entrepreneurship is hard. But stepping into this role is also stepping into faith that something good will come from it.” How did you determine what type of services you wanted your business to offer? “I actually leveraged AI. I uploaded my resume, LinkedIn profile, volunteer experience, leadership roles, and skill sets, then asked it to suggest careers that would allow me more flexibility to be with my daughter. It came back with several ideas, but I couldn’t get past the first one: fractional COO. Working as a fractional COO for small- and mid-sized businesses and nonprofits opens the door to serving many different industries while allowing me to continually learn and meet new leaders.” Why is Wilmington a good market for a business that provides operational leadership? “The same things that make Wilmington such a wonderful place to live also mean many leaders are wearing a lot of hats. Between growing businesses, serving on boards, raising families, and enjoying this amazing place we call home, it’s easy to lose momentum on the tasks that promote both growth and sustainability. A fractional COO comes alongside leaders to support operational leadership, systems, accountability, and momentum while helping them get back to focusing on the parts of life that matters most.” Do you plan to expand your clientele beyond the Wilmington area? “Absolutely. I’m excited to work alongside inspired business owners, executives, and nonprofit leaders wherever they are. Technology makes it easier than ever to serve organizations remotely while still building strong relationships, and I’m excited to see where that leads.” You hold leading volunteer positions in several organizations. Why is volunteering important to you? “I firmly believe in putting yourself in new environments as often as you can. You never know where your next opportunity, best friend, hobby, mentor, or life-changing conversation will come from. Surrounding yourself with new people and new experiences expands your perspective in ways you can’t predict. To me, that’s one of the best ways to live a full life.”

ALISON BARINGERS ’s full profile will appear in an upcoming WILMA Leadership email. To sign up for the email, go to WILMAmag.com/email-newsletter.

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