On a 37-hour flight back from India a few years ago, Amanda Rodriguez and a co-worker began planning their own Oklahoma-based consulting and advisory firm to serve businesses of all sizes. In September of 2023, they launched LYT.
“We can offer all of the services a small business might need,” Rodriguez said. “We spent years in our careers learning accounting, finance, risk, audit, program and project management, strategy and process improvement and technology. We are long-time Oklahomans and we care so much about our state, and I think that resonates with people. We want to pour back into our businesses in this community.”
Rodriguez’s impressive career started at Chesapeake Energy, where she worked for 13 years. “I watched extreme growth happen during those years, and when we were facing bankruptcy, I became known as the ‘fixer’ through all areas of accounting,” she said. “Doug Lawler, the CEO at the time, pulled me into my first board meeting. I was asked to lead an internal audit. My goal was to form relationships, connect and support our teams in every single way that I could.”
Rodriguez then got a call from Governor Stitt’s team: “I thought it was a prank call at first. But Gov. Stitt wanted to tighten up financial processes, align state agencies and CFOs, help support the legislature and the cabinet and transform the budget—and [he] needed someone who could deal with difficult personalities while doing it. I took that role, and it was an incredible experience. It was wonderful to serve my state in that way.”
From there she was recruited by Accenture, one of the largest consulting firms in the world. “I loved being of service to others. Their expertise was incredible,” she said. “But I wanted to create a personal experience for our clients—infuse some hospitality aspects so that our clients feel surrounded by care. Sometimes we get a call from a business on the verge of insolvency, and we have to spring into triage mode immediately. I love that LYT is prepared do that.”
In 2026, Rodriguez and her team at LYT are expecting an incredible season of growth. “The last two years have been about getting started, proof of concept, and our community has responded to it incredibly well. And I am ready to go; I want to measurably impact our clients. Everything is about the impact on the bottom line and driving results. We are evolving our identity to match the scale of our ambition. Lead with purpose, deliver with excellence and create transformative results for every client that we serve. I am so excited about this high-growth stage that we are about to walk into.”
Rodriguez’s advice to new leaders is not be a leader in title only. “Lead boldly through your actions,” she said. “I’m where I am today because I took some leaps before I was completely ready. I tell others to do the same at times—find your style and your voice and lead boldly.”
