Richard Hickman was making great money as a cybersecurity consultant — digital forensics, high-profile hacking cases, the works. Then he married his wife, became a stepdad to five kids overnight (they’re now up to six), and realized being on call 24/7 didn’t fit the life he actually wanted. He walked away. That decision to put family first is the throughline of everything he now teaches as founder of Piqued Consulting, and it’s why his episode on the Unscripted Small Business podcast belongs here.
Purpose Over Payday
Richard is blunt about who he’ll work with. The coaches worth helping are the ones who genuinely want to serve people — making a living is fine and good, but it can’t be the only thing. “If someone’s just in it for the money and doesn’t really care,” he says, he steers clear. People can smell inauthenticity, and no amount of scripting hides it.
Build Systems So You’re Not Chained to the Work
The reason to build a real foundation — a CRM, automation, speed-to-lead follow-up — isn’t just revenue. It’s freedom. Systems are what let Richard rise at four or five in the morning to get focused work done and still be present for his kids the rest of the day. The goal, in his words, is to raise kids who actually want to come home as adults.
Don’t Build on Rented Land
Richard’s hardest lesson is a stewardship one: don’t put your family’s livelihood at the mercy of a platform. When TikTok briefly went dark, creators with millions of followers but no email list watched their income freeze overnight.
“Social media is great, but don’t rely on it, because it could go away in an instant and we’ve seen it happen.” — Richard Hickman
Own your audience — collect the email and the phone number — so a single algorithm change can’t threaten the people who depend on you.
A Note on AI
Richard also helps businesses get found in the AI era — building websites so tools like ChatGPT cite them, and offering a free check at coachingaiaudit.com. But the heart of his message is older than any algorithm: do honest work, serve real people, and don’t sacrifice your family to get there. Connect with him at Piqued Consulting and on Instagram.