A DAY IN THE LIFE: Living in Transition is a Full-time Job

“Nothing is secure but life, transition and the energizing spirit.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

We would like to offer this simple and sound perspective on what life could / might look like for professionals in transition. This category includes professionals between jobs and successes as well as courageous souls who have put on the Entrepreneurial Hat, committed to starting up a new enterprise. (Gainfully employed professionals in transition who are facing cutbacks, restructuring and heavier work loads… and who are working in rather stressful environments because of these transitions are another entity altogether. Stay tuned, we will have a posting up for you shortly!)

MAKE A PLAN: Anyone getting tired of hearing this? Well, we aren’t… because a plan is like water, air, food and sleep to someone in transition. Make a plan. If you stick to it faithfully, that is ok, and if you don’t, that is ok, too. Make a new one. (And be careful not to spend all your time making a plan and no time acting on it!). This is a guide, a way to make sure that your inner “voice” does not sabotage you. It is your own accountability system. Use it, revise it, check off your to do lists.

THREE-LEGGED TABLE: A plan is like a three-legged table.

• It needs the PRODUCT of the plan: various resumes, letters of introduction, linkedin profile, endorsements, a good suit, interview skills, talents, certifications (if applicable).
• It needs the SALES of the plan: your 60 second commercial, your “ask”, your networking events, workshops, professional organizations, social networking, etc.
• It needs the ADMIN of the plan: e-mails, follow up systems, thank you notes, re-writing and “tweaking” your resume, researching new companies, markets, geographical locations, etc.

Note: One leg is NOT more important than another, even if you are constantly prioritizing these three legs. They are all equally important, overall. For entrepreneurs, this also holds true. A business is like a three-legged table with the same criteria. Transfer this concept to your business plan and voila! This is rather challenging since most new business owners filter EVERYTHING through their past experiences. So, take this business advice (or not): product, sales and admin are equally important. Sometimes the most simple pieces of wisdom are the most difficult to digest!

FOUR-DAY WORK WEEK: If you are job hunting or out there prospecting for new business, then you might want to cut down to a four-day work week. Actually, you are now working HARDER than when you had a job. The stress, pressure and psychological / emotional tension created by transition is more challenging than having a “real job”. Take the fifth work day and do only admin or research or meet a friend to compare notes and get fired up for the next week. Day six can be set aside to do domestic tasks and day seven is the day of rest.

READY TO ROLL TIME: Get up, showered, dressed, breakfast eaten, ready to roll by 8am or 10am (or noon for the night owls!). This ready to roll time applies to your four-day work week. Regularity and routine can support you.

NETWORK YOUR NETWORK: A minimum of two events per week and a maximum of 5 (or more if you are on a roll). This includes social, professional, educational, informal, formal, civic, spiritual and online, too. Balance each type of networking event as you get the hang of networking. Set up a weekly / monthly budget for this as well. These numbers are guidelines – trust your gut.

CREATE A FOLLOW UP SYSTEM: If you collect business cards, document them, write on the back where you met and anything that sticks out that you want to remember later. There are business card scanners, insert card holders, folder systems, online contact managers, etc. Whatever system you use to keep track of your networking, leads and prospects, follow it. If your system is not working for you, get help from that friend of yours who is very good at organization. Everyone has a friend like that, right?!

VOLUNTEER AND DO AN INTERNSHIP: Find an organizaton, a for-profit start up, a non-profit group, your church, your neighbors, other professionals in transition… and volunteer your time. The best case scenario is having this opportunity happen closer to your target job / client.

BE WELL: Wellness and nutrition matter. Work out but don’t spend HOURS at the gym, now that you have so much free time… OR consciously take two months off and say YES to not having a plan. Set a date when you are committed to starting a plan. This is recommended if you have back up money, a spouse who is working or a therapist who has put you on “bed rest” due to stress! You are now “selling” a package (YOU), and you need to look and feel fabulous. Even if you are having a bad hair day.

QUANTITY BEFORE QUALITY: As you start out, you will need to do a lot of “front end” work. At first, while you are sorting out what, where and who works for you, feeling out various situations and techniques is beneficial. Don’t think of this as a waste of time (this is to all you TASK MASTERS out there!). You will quickly learn what works and what doesn’t work for you. Then you can shift your focus to quality, pick and choose methods of living in transition.

LEADS: This is not said enough: everyone is a lead. EVERYONE. No really. Your dog sitter, your neighbor, the person standing in line behind you at Panera, the person sitting next to you at Panera with her laptop open fingers furiously tapping away, your coaches, mentors and authors who might say something that resonates for you that brings you closer to your next great thing. EVERYONE matters. Talk to everyone, all the time, about your situation. But pay attention: avoid “verbal vomitting” and puking out your desperation!

PROSPECTS: Not everyone is a prospect. A prospect is someone who says: I am really interested in XYZ – Please send me your resume. Or, please tell me how much you charge? A prospect needs to have a higher priority in your plan and schedule. This is ‘Sales 101’. A prospect is someone who is actually interested in talking to you today or very soon. In marketing language: they have peaked over the wall to look at you. The energy output on your end gets turned up.

PIPELINES: Physics says that there is a tipping point for matter and energy in a pipe. As you fill it up, eventually something will come out the other side. This is pipelining. Don’t worry too much about “closing” right now. Just pipeline like crazy. The laws of physics are on your side. At some point, you will be able to distinquish between a lead and a prospect or when to engage in quantity or quality networking. You will find your zone. EVERYONE eventually finds their unique ZONE. If you haven’t, you are either not doing the work… or you are really really stuck.

CLOSING: When you get a face to face interview, a second interview, a job offer… you might be surprised at the amount of fear, trepidation, melancholy or avoidance which may wash over you. You sense that your new-found freedom and support network may diminish, or the offer is 20k below what you made last year. This is a tough one. The BEST advice we have on this part of the process is: do not go through this process alone. This is where we, as coaches, see people “falling apart” more than we would expect. Get objective advice, an outsiders support, wise counsel.

SUPPORT SYSTEM: Who holds you accountable? Who are in your support systems? By the way, we have found that spouses, partners, family members and even close friends who are not in transition – are well-intentioned and want to help. Here’s the thing: they don’t have a clue. (unless they have walked this path before). Choose your support network and accountability partners wisely. Pay attention and see who resonates with you. A great rule of thumb: connect to the people whose eyes light up when you walk into a room.

UNPLUG: There is NOT ENOUGH information about the power of unplugging. Lots about wellness, yoga, nutrition, etc. all of which are highly beneficial. But what about doing nothing and not having a plan? How about for a whole day? When we ask groups of professionals in transition when they last unplugged for, say, three or four days (no PC, cell phone, schedule book, etc), very rarely do we see more than 2 or 3 hands go up. This is not a wise way to live in transition. Give yourself permission to unplug. No, really. Give yourself permission to unplug. Our recipes for successful unplugging include water, nature, rock and roll and tequila.

NOT ENOUGH AND TOO MUCH: Beware of the perfectionist mind that says you are not doing enough, or not doing it right. Beware of the lazy mind that says you can take time off this afternoon because there is a really great movie on HBO. If you want to take a day off in your schedule, then do so – make this day your day to unplug. Then get back to work the next day. But don’t bargain with yourself. That is unproductive and feels like taking two steps backwards, besides. Also, make a commitment to telling the “voice” to go jump off a cliff when it tells you: you are too old, not old enough, too beautiful, not beautiful enough, too experienced, not experienced enough. Ad nauseum.

FORWARD MOMENTUM: We also never get tired of saying this… create positive forward momentum for yourself, your job search, your client search, your fellow networkers, other professionals in transition, your community. Every moment matters. Pay attention. Any person you meet on any given day, might be the person who will offer a warm introduction to someone whom you need to know (So don’t go out in sweat pants and greasy hair!). Balance targeted and focused time with flexible and improvisational time. Go with the flow while creating the flow you are going with. This sounds odd… and it is. However, this seems to work for many people, long-term. Life is complex. So are you. So is living in transition. Does this resonate for you?

INFORMATION OVERLOAD: Take in information, digest it, see if it fits, and then try it on for size. You will get better and better at sifting through valuable info and not very valuable info. Trust your gut. Talk to a coach. Read a good book. Pay attention! You can do this and you are not alone. Always, always, always remember: transition is temporary. This too shall pass.

And whatever you do… don’t forget to breathe.

For more info & useful resources: www.VeloCityCoachingServices.com

Ten Myths for Successful Small Business Ownership

“The winner is the chef who takes the same ingredients as everyone else and produces the best results.”  – Edward de Bono

We never become tired of saying this: Pay Attention. Above all, pay attention. If that is the only New Year’s Resolution on our plates, then we are off to a wise start. Over the past 18 months, the world has been given a ten by ten upside the head – one that is rather different and more complex than anything else we have ever experienced before. We are at this moment smack-dap in the middle of the “New Wild West”, a world in which all is fair and all is unfair. And nobody seems to know what’s up. Or down. Or sideways. Welcome to the Twilight Zone of 2010.

The experts are clamoring (us included) to make sure that our forecasts and methodologies and advice are sound. We are reading and learning and absorbing as much useful information as possible to help ourselves and our clients. And in this process, we have noticed far too many myths popping up, which reek of the Old World Before. Standard, safe and “proven secrets” to help business people and those in transition get ahead and create success if we would just follow their plan. Guaranteed or our money back.

This barrage of Old World Myths has inspired this posting. As one of our favorite affiliates said: THE EMPORER IS BUTT NAKED and nobody wants to talk about it! Well put, indeed. So here is our contribution to shedding some light on things to consider in this “New Wild West” of ours. Some of these ideas will resonate for us right away, others might take time to compost in our thick skulls. No matter, all we have to do right now… is pay attention. Let our intellects and instincts take it from there.

MYTH #1: Join a Chamber of Commerce. Yes, chambers have been established to help the establishment. They offer meeting rooms, seminar opportunities and networking exposure. However, not all chambers are alike, and some are even racist, sexist, bureaucratic or political in the worse sense. They can be rather expensive and do not offer a reasonable ROI. Do your due diligence and try them on for size. After a year of extensive research here in Detroit, we have found one that resonates for us, finally.

MYTH #2: You have to do social networking. Yes, Twitter and Facebook and LinkedIn are the big three. They are increasing business contacts and giving millions of people a chance to connect while sitting at home in their pj’s. However, not all three (and more) are useful for each person or business model, no matter how zealously others may try to convince us. We use LinkedIn only and it has had a tremendous impact on our business. There is also a Twitter-type functon called What are you doing now? which we find useful. Our time now needs to be HYPER-Efficient, and therefore, we don’t waste it.

MYTH #3: Set your price. Yes, as we become established in the power position of business in which we are turning away work because we are in high demand, our infrastructure is truly purring along and the cash is seriously flowing, we can go ahead and set our price. We can even set our price as far as what our bottom-line non-negotiable number is. However, we also need to simply say yes to some money rather than no money. This creates forward momentum.

MYTH #4: Join a professional organization in your field. Yes, the like-minded individuals in our professions can offer support, encouragement and healthy competition. We can leverage these organizations to gain knowledge and exposure. However, we have found a stronger connection and a higher ROI within other professional organizations outside of our field. This has offered us the opportunity to “stand out” as well as diversify our market.

MYTH #5: Always set up measurable metrics. Yes, SMR & F (Specific Measureable Results and Financials) are absolutely essential to every business and business plan. We need to know where we are now and set targets for where we want to go. However, we can get lost in these numbers and miss out on opportunities which are staring us right in the face because we are not paying attention. This is a forest-from-the-trees metaphor.

MYTH #6: First, get a lawyer and an accountant. Yes, when the cash is flowing and we need sound advice about a possible liability issue or how to organize receipts better (and find “legal loopholes”), then these two professionals are a must. However, if you are just beginning, there are resources online, at public institutions and via excellent books that can get you started. Also, try to find someone who does not charge in 15-minute increments. Use your consumer power.

MYTH #7: Maintain a work-life balance. Yes, the health and wellness of the individual directly affects the health and wellness of the business. We need to eat right, exercize, drink water and sleep. We need to spend time with friends and family… and alone. However, the amount of time we spend on generating forward momentum for our bottom lines is directly related to our business success. Find balance by totally unplugging for one hour everyday, one day every week. Set aside Mondays as an admin day, and set aside midnight to 2am or 6am to 8am as catch up time. If you want to have work life balance, then don’t have a business in the New Wild West. Be an employee who works for a sane business owner.

MYTH #8: Know your target market and focus. Yes, this helps prevent a waste of resources – we are good at X and our customers need X. Knowing our niche is important for all the solid reasons taught in Business 101. However, having a few revenue streams works. Create a “bread and butter” small cash flow side niche, while going after the bigger fish. And diversify markets while fishing. See what bites.

MYTH #9: It’s not about YOU. Yes, the customer-based business model works. It is what sets many firms apart. However, we do business with people we like, as much as with products and services we like. Reciprocation is key. So, it is about them AND it is about you.

MYTH #10: Method X works, guaranteed. Yes, techniques, methodologies, financial plans, metrics and “proven” secrets to success can work wonders. Try them on for size. We listen to Dale Carnegie, Jung, the Enneagram, Tony Robbins, Malcolm Gladwell, Edward Hall, Edward de Bono, M Scott Peck… and so many others who have walked before us. And for us, these ideas work. However, the New Wild West is not interested in one size fits all approaches. This is also a way to sell us something we don’t need. And even more important, it steers us away from paying attention and trusting our own guts and experiences. We just watched an affiliate buy $4000 worth of training in a field that they are ALREADY experts in. They got “advertised” and bought into the “guraranteed secrets to success” rhetoric. Sigh.

An important aspect of the New Wild West is to consider that there are no rules. We are making them up as we go. And this seems to be working for many, especially here in Detroit, in the Heart of the Recession. We are carving out new pathways via entrepreneurial innovation. Yes, INNOVATION is making us move forward, and allowing us to pay our bills, every month on time. Taking risks, failing, getting up again. Creating the strategic partnership business models, giving it away for free, engaging in services exchanges, putting on events and workshops, writing blogs, getting linked in.

We are saying no to the blame game. We are not interested in what is happening in Washington or in the corporate board rooms. We are innovative entrepreneurs who do whatever it takes to get it done. We are networking and connecting. Building up our communities one moment at a time. We are creating jobs. And what we are learning from this experience is making us more savvy, more efficient business people. And better citizens.

And all because we are paying attention. Hopefully, the rest of the planet is doing the same.

For more information, please visit: www.VeloCityCoachingServices.com

BUSINESS & LIFE PLAN – Five Step Solution for Keeping it Real

“Make a plan.. No matter what, make a plan – and get it in writing.” - Michele Wilke

There are many versions of business plans. If you need a plan to get a business loan from a bank or the SBA (Small Business Administration), this plan is a starting point for a more complex document. The SBA website has excellent resources, by the way, which are free and rather valuable. However, for many of us this simple plan is usually enough. This plan helps us keep the big picture in mind while adding details where necessary. As one Client recently asked: Can’t you just do this for me? Yes, I can, but I STILL need this information to work from. I can create something more detailed and ready for your banker. I can hold your hand and walk you through these Five Steps while copiously writing notes. But YOU have to do this BASE CAMP work before you reach the summit.

Step One: Overview, Intentions, Wishes, Core Values, Bottom Line

• What are your core values?
• What is your overall time frame for each set of goals?
• What is your target market and target geographical location?
• Who are ideal clients for you? Who will benefit from your services?
• What is your “best case scenario”, and is this possible?
• What is your “brand” and what is unique about you / your company?

Step Two: Specific Measurable Results and Financials (SMR&F) – For example: if you wish to increase the contacts on your mailing list, you want to set a target number of contacts and then make a plan on how to make that happen – this could be collecting business cards at networking events or increasing visits to your website or blog.

• What specifically can you quantify to show progress, growth, trends?
• How many new clients, leads, prospects… per week, month, quarter is your goal?
• What small key indicators can you name to show results? Get creative here!
• What is your bottom line monetary number to break even, to show a percentage of profit, to keep your doors open, to invest back into your company, to grow to the next level?
• What can you create for more “top of mind” exposure – a new website, a blog page, an updated LinkedIn profile, a Facebook fan page, a mailer postcard, an info sheet with FAQ’s, a one sheet as a “60 second commercial” for your business, testimonials? (this is all measurable)…
• How do you measure business lunches, emails, referrals, social media contacts, one-on-ones, open houses, workshops, public presentations, and your networking ROI? (It all create positive forward momentum…)

Step Three: Nuts and Bolts

• How do you describe your products, services, offerings?
• Who are you personally and professionally and how do you fit into the picture?
• What arenas, industries, fields do you work in and how do your products and services benefit these?
• Why would someone want to pay you for your time, service, product, knowledge, expertise? (saying because I’m the best is not a reason)
• What is your 60 second commerical for your business?
• Who holds you accountable and what are your accountability systems?

Step Four: Sales and Marketing

• What professional organizations can you leverage for exposure and networking?
• What networking events, organizations, etc would benefit your bottom line?
• What are your social media strategies – LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter?
• Would your company, life benefit from having a blog?
• What media contacts can you create – print, radio and tv?
• What does your print message look like – do you have an FAQ or Info Sheet?
• What does your website look like – does it need updating?
• Who can you meet or get introduced to who could help your marketing plan?
• What is your sales style, approach, measurable results and appointments plan?
• What is your budget for marketing?

Step Five: Life Balance and Wellness

• When do you schedule in family time, private time alone, time for socializing, time for hanging out?
• How often do you wish to work out, take a walk, cook a delicious meal, meditate, do yoga, spend time “unplugged”?
• How often do you wish to have an “admin day” to catch up?
• What kind of volunteer or charity work do you wish to do?
• How often do you wish to read or learn something new… what is it?
• How often do you need to take care of children, a family member, pets, other domestic or household things on your “to do” list?
• How often do you wish to include spiritual activities, if applicable?
• What is your overall health, wellness and work-life balance goal?

We recommend keeping this to five pages OR LESS, and to spend about 3 to 6 hours on this, give or take. If you are sitting at your computer screen with a blank page and a blank stare, then we suggest that you unplug, and not THINK too much. Keep in mind that some of this is strategic… and some of it is instinctive. There are more elaborate versions of creating a business plan which we would also recommend for the long-term, or if you need to position your business in order to be considered for outside funding. However, to begin, this simple five-step plan is highly recommended. It seems to get any kind of business kick-started because it is focused yet broad, and gets people ON TRACK!

And of course, the MOST IMPORTANT aspect of this whole process is to “show up for the party” – that means, it is vital to actually DO THE WORK, create the plan and then set up your accountability system so that it works for you: I agree to attend two networking events per week and work out at the local gym three times a week for an hour each time. My accountability partner is John and he will check in with me by phone every Monday before noon from March 1^st to June 7th.

This is worth repeating: Remember that the most important aspect of a Business and Life Plan is to MAKE ONE, no matter what! GOOD LUCK!

For more information, please visit: www.VeloCityCoachingServices.com