Career Cornucopia  

Cornucopia: "an inexhaustible store, abundance"

Career Life Coaching Newsletter
Summer, 2008

The Self Employment Option

Question: Why can’t work be inspiring, uplifting, contributing to the greater good? Answer: It can be! It just may not be easy to find. You may need to create it. One route to consider in the quest for satisfying work is self employment. As a counselor at the Small Business Development Center at UW-Madison, I receive lots of calls from people seeking alternatives to being full time employees. Here are questions I typically ask.

What do you love to do that you do really well? For instance, are you a terrific organizer who excels at keeping everything running efficiently and timely? Do you get energized by this? If you answered yes to both questions, one of your transferable skills is being an organizer. Think about the many ways this talent and ability of yours can contribute to others. Don’t stop with one example, brainstorm until you identify at least five more things you really do well and enjoy doing.

Who needs what you have to offer? Once you’ve identified your skills, talents, and passions it is time to determine where they may best be useful. Is there a need for whatever product or service you want to share with others? You may be the greatest cookie baker in three states but if there isn’t a need for a cookie store in your area it’s not a good idea to start a bakery. Consider all the life experience you’ve had, how might that be useful to others? How can you be of service in the world? Using your list of transferable skills from question number one will help you brainstorm some possibilities.

Is there someone else doing the kind of business you are considering? Identify those people and organizations. For instance, if you are thinking of doing a doggy daycare, see who else has one and check it out. Note what you like and don’t like about their advertising, facility, customer service, etc. How do they get customers? How might you approach your target customers differently? What might you improve on?

Is being self employed a right fit for your personality and lifestyle? If you’ve been an employee for years, you may find it challenging to switch your perspective to that of self bosser. It can be tremendously fulfilling to create you own business, work when, where and how you choose to, and not have to get someone else’s permission. However, it’s likely you will have others in your life that may not support your entrepreneurial ambitions. There is also the issue of financing your venture; can you get by on less income? Want to explore these questions? See below:

      UPCOMING EVENTS

Jazzed about turning your ideas into enterprise? My colleague, Barbara Winter, entrepreneur, master story teller, presenter and author of the book Making a Living Without a Job will be in Madison this month conducting the following workshops:

Thurs. June 26 What Would an Entrepreneur Do? 9:30am – 4:30pm $127

This workshop will show you how to connect, nurture and unleash the attitudes and thinking you need to make your business soar. Guaranteed to shift you out of the employee mindset and get you moving forward!

Fri. June 27 Making a Living Without a Job 9:00am - 12:00pm $49

Ready to leave behind the 9-to-5 world and start building something on your own? Want the freedom and creative challenge of being your own boss? This is where to start.

Fri. June 27 Establish Yourself as an Expert 1:00pm – 4pm $49

Why is someone else becoming rich and famous doing what you can do even better? The opportunities for those with a desire to share what they know continue to expand. This session will teach you how.

For more info and to register go to: www.careerlifecoaching.com/calendar.php or visit Barbara’s site: www.barbarawinter.com

And……I’ll be teaching:

Starting a Business: The First Step

Mon. Aug. 4 / Tues. Sept. 16 6:30pm – 9:30pm $35

Spend one evening exploring your business ideas, examining your potential markets, identifying your customers and learning the basic steps to launch your enterprise. Chock full of resources, information, interaction and takehome materials. Call me for details. Register online with UW: http://exed.wisc.edu/sbdc/startup/sbfs/default.asp

All workshops listed will be held at UW-Madison in Grainger Hall (School of Business), 975 University Blvd. Madison Click here for more information about the location

      Tips for Mid Life Career Changers

Recently I came across an article on www.careerbuilder.com about the population of boomers "re-careering." What’s notable about this article is a statistic from an AARP research study: 69% of those 45-74 say they are planning to work during the so-called retirement years. Are you in work that feeds your soul as well as your bank account? It is challenging to have both. We do have to make compromises in life but at midlife, isn’t it time to be doing stuff you always dreamed of? What are you tolerating and how many hours are you putting into a job you don’t like?

It may be time to switch gears! If not now, when? The longer you stay in a work situation the further you fall behind if you truly want to switch career tracks. Let’s say you are thinking of leaving the insurance industry "someday" in order to follow your true passion, photography. The longer you wait the steeper the learning curve and the less time you have to establish that new career.

1. Take an assessment or two to be sure you have both the aptitudes and skills for your chosen work. What you dreamed of doing in your 20’s "sometime" may not really be what is feasible or practical to do later in your life. Before you plan your exit strategy from your present work, you may want to get some insight and data on whether your career change direction is a good idea for you. Here are the assessments I use with clients and they are unquestionably two of the best:

Strong Interest Inventory® This newly revised (2005) assessment will show you how your specific interests and learning, leadership and risk taking styles relate to various jobs, work settings and career fields. It measures your interests in a broad range of occupations, work activities, leisure activities, and subjects. View a sample Strong report

Myers-Briggs Type Inventory® This is the most widely used personality inventory in the world. The MBTI® provides you with a deeper understanding of who you are and how you interact with others. This can be a powerful tool for improving how you communicate, learn and work. Certain personality types tend to thrive in particular occupations and work environments and absolutely wither in others. View a sample MBTI career report

 

2. Update your resume to emphasize your transferable skills. Although it is important to list certifications, computer skills, and technical proficiencies you may have, it is equally as important to list non occupation specific competencies. If all of your work has been in one career, nursing for instance, and you are looking at leaving that field, you probably want to emphasize your non medical skills. Interviewing a patient, collecting information regarding their problem or symptoms can translate to possessing good "customer service skills".

3. Analyze your income needs. Do you have the capital to invest in starting a small business, purchasing a franchise, or beginning a consulting practice? Are you able to leave a full time job and work part time? Can you maintain your insurance plan if you leave your employer?

4. Gather information. Thinking about retiring/leaving the workforce and opening a nice little Bed and Breakfast? Talk to people who are running one ask how they started their business: what do they see as the greatest challenges? What would they have done differently? Check out your market: how many B and B’s are there in your area? Are they flourishing? Is the income seasonal? The more you can learn about your proposed new career the greater the likelihood that you will make a good decision.

5. Network. If you are seeking employment in a new arena, word of mouth is the way to get insider info. Who do you know who works in the field you wish to enter? What professional affiliations are connected with your desired line of work? Are there local meetings you can attend? There are several business and networking organizations that can connect you with potential jobs. Thinking of becoming a consultant? Check out Madison Area Business Consultants. www.madisonconsultants.com Even if you are not a local, this is a great site to visit as each member has their own webpage and you can potentially find a consultant to Information Interview. Maybe establish cross referrals with consultants who service the same customer base.

6. Be optimistic! You have years of learning both life and workplace lessons and wisdom and knowledge to share. You can make a valuable contribution whether as an employee or entrepreneur.

  Quote Corner

Rick Jarrow: "For each of us there is a place that needs our unique talents and abilities and a place where we need to be. Why not invite these two to come together? In other words, be open to the possibilities that present themselves."

Barbara Winter: "Becoming joyfully jobless begins with a commitment to self-discovery, a curiosity about your potential, and a willingness to acquire the information and skills that will enhance your work."

Make this your year to GO FOR IT!
Get into the right workplace for you!

Need a little help?
Call me for a free 30-minute career path tune up!

 

Dee Relyea, M.Ed (608) 513- 9675 Madison, WI dee@careerlifecoaching.com www.careerlifecoaching.com