| Before you decide whether or not running your | | | | was going to structured networking events, |
| own business is right for you, start by pinpointing | | | | generating leads and following up on them. I |
| your area of expertise and assessing your | | | | enjoyed moderate success, 6 - 8 people per |
| aptitude for business.Starter Questions Ask | | | | workshops. This was certainly a lot less than what |
| yourself the following questions:- In what areas do | | | | I had anticipated. When I called Dottie Walters |
| people approach me for advice and assistance? | | | | again, she assured me that I had been more |
| From what parts of my job do I get the most | | | | successful than most people who had attempted |
| satisfaction?- What do I like doing so much that I | | | | to offer public seminars. The participants loved |
| would do it even with no pay?- What hobbies or | | | | the workshops and found that the techniques |
| interests could I "spin off"into a small business?- | | | | which I taught really helped them.Have Frequent |
| Do I enjoy budgeting and financial planning?- Do I | | | | CheckpointsRe-set Your CourseCheckpoints are |
| enjoy making cold calls, tele-marketing and selling?- | | | | important. I paused and evaluated what I was |
| Do I have enough self-discipline to work on my | | | | doing, I realized that, while I learned a lot and had |
| own?- How easy is it for me to bounce back | | | | satisfied my customers, the numbers I was |
| from rejection & setbacks?Proceed with | | | | generating were not nearly enough to make it |
| CautionBefore you take the plunge, it's important | | | | possible for me to "give up my day job". It also |
| to "wade in gradually" or you may just find | | | | became clear that it was the phone calls and not |
| yourself swamped. Before I started The Training | | | | the flyers that were resulting in registrations. |
| Oasis, Inc. I tested the waters for a few years | | | | Working all day. Trying to get my toddler settled |
| by doing some freelance facilitation and design | | | | and to bed on time so that I could hit the phones |
| work while I was still employed. I enjoyed it.At | | | | at night was bringing me closer and closer to |
| the time, it seemed that a logical transition would | | | | burnout.Next, I tried to hire someone who would |
| have been to become an associate of one of the | | | | work on commission to do the phoning for me. |
| firms that used my design and facilitation skills | | | | The result - it bombed. She was unable to close a |
| from time to time. Things don't always go as | | | | single sale. As an entrepreneur, a lot of your initial |
| planned. Despite persistent effort, I couldn't find a | | | | success will come from your own enthusiasm. |
| consulting firm that was willing to add me to their | | | | Sometimes, it's difficult for a third party to |
| regular "string" of freelance trainers. This puzzled | | | | convey your vision with the same passion level of |
| me as I consistently received excellent ratings | | | | passion that you bring to it. If you do use |
| from course participants. Even in the 1990s, many | | | | someone, pay them stictly for results. If you pay |
| firms were not sure how the majority of their | | | | them a base plus commission, they will never be |
| clients would react to a Black female trainer. In | | | | motivated to hustle for you.You'll need to re-set |
| short, it was perceived as just too much of a | | | | your course time and time again. I had to do it |
| risk.I realized that I would have to do it on my | | | | when the NSDAQ tanked in 2001 and most of |
| own if I was to do it at all. I put together some | | | | my clients were in the high technology sector, |
| training material in the area of personal marketing | | | | after 9/11 and after SARS. When companies |
| strategies for professionals who wanted to make | | | | significantly cut their spending on training, I spun |
| career changes.Let Your Network Work For YouI | | | | off the executive consulting services and |
| discovered that networking is one of the best | | | | executive retreats into a new company Executive |
| strategies for building a business. For example, by | | | | Oasis International.Re-Charge Your BatteriesSo, I |
| joining a professional association related to your | | | | rested for a while and spent a lot of quiet time |
| area of interests, you can make contacts and | | | | by bodies of water and near the fountain in front |
| increase your profile. To be successful, it is | | | | of my dream house. I listened to motivational |
| important to go with an attitude of giving rather | | | | tapes and books and read my Bible while I |
| than just getting.Write articles for the newsletter, | | | | contemplated my next steps. The vision for my |
| volunteer to help out at meetings and | | | | business became clearer and clearer. I didn't know |
| conferences. Join a committee to help the | | | | how I was going to do it but I took the advice |
| organization plan a special event. Mentor some of | | | | that many people had given me and decided to |
| the younger members who are just entering your | | | | target the corporate market. For a long time, a |
| profession. To get you must give. Gradually, | | | | name for my business was elusive . It was a long |
| people will get to know you but it takes time. | | | | process that took a lot of reflecting. Then, one |
| You'll need a lot of contacts when you're out on | | | | day "out of the blue" I woke up with the name |
| your own.One word of caution... don't overdo it. At | | | | The Training Oasis. It fit my vision of training as a |
| the end of each year, if membership in a | | | | creative, colourful, energizing and refreshing |
| particularly association is not resulting in buiness, | | | | experience perfectly. I wondered why I hadn't |
| then don't renew it. I once did a total of what I | | | | discovered it before. I guess I had just been too |
| had spend on associations memberships, | | | | tired.Get the Creative Juices FlowingThrough |
| conferences and sponsorships over a few years | | | | mind-mapping and brainstorming with Donna |
| and it was a staggering $50,000. My business | | | | Messer, Bette Myer and marketing guru Jerry |
| leads were not coming from the contacts I made | | | | Goodis, I was able to come up with some |
| through the associations. I should have caught this | | | | creative ways to market my services. You can |
| long before it became a big ticket item and such | | | | use the same techniques that I did to come up |
| a serious hit to my bottom line. Don't let the | | | | with creative marketing approaches that reflect |
| same thing happen to you. If a particular | | | | your vision. Instead of sending out letters, I |
| membership is not yielding desired business | | | | distributed gift bags filled with some of the toys |
| results, you can always pay the non-member rate | | | | and energizers I use in training. I found stationary |
| to attend a specific session or conference that is | | | | with an energizing waterfall in the background that |
| of value.If there are structured networking | | | | captures the essence of The Training Oasis to |
| events in your area, attend them regularly. These | | | | produce a one page "teaser" and I started |
| are usually more cost effective. They don't | | | | meeting with some corporate prospects.Only You |
| involve a membership and the focus is on | | | | Can Make It Happen.....Think AgainTaking that |
| generating business leads. I attended Bette Myer's | | | | plunge isn't easy but, if it's for you, you'll |
| networking sessions at The McGill Club as well as | | | | eventually come to a point when you just have |
| ConnectUs hosted by Donna Messer and Vicki | | | | to do it. It's scary giving up that pay cheque. |
| Vancas.Advice From the ProsIdentify people who | | | | After I attended a two day speaker's school |
| can give you advice about how to make your | | | | sponsored by the Canadian Speaker's Association |
| move and follow their advice. I am going to | | | | and saw other people succeeding, I realized that I |
| stress this. Make sure you send a prompt thank | | | | could do it too. I approached my boss, Marc |
| you note. If you are ever in a position to give | | | | Berwald, and told him what I wanted to do. He |
| these people business referrals. DO IT!! After 9/11 | | | | was very supportive. With his help, I developed a |
| when the crunch hit me and a lot of other | | | | business case to propose converting my role |
| trainers, I'll never forget wondering what | | | | from employee to consultant as an interim step. |
| happened to all those people to whom I had given | | | | He championed it for me and it resulted in a |
| free advice that helped them launch their careers. | | | | consulting contract with my former employer. |
| Most of them never said thank you or looked | | | | I kept marketing myself and networking and I |
| back once they had achieved their goals.Bette | | | | gradually obtained more clients. It wasn't easy |
| Myer made it possible for me to have a | | | | and, like the desert before the oasis, there have |
| mastermind session over the phone with Dottie | | | | been dry spells and the inevitable setbacks. In |
| Walters. Later on when I was in a position to do | | | | spite of this, during my first year of operation, I |
| so, I used her to conduct a networking session | | | | made more money than I had ever dreamed of |
| for a organization when I was on the board.More | | | | earning as an employee. Over the years, running |
| about the Dottie Walters consultation. When I told | | | | my own business has allowed me to:- have more |
| Dottie that I was thinking of using public | | | | balance in my life- go to auditions and slowly build |
| workshops as my transition strategy, Dottie | | | | my acting career- spend quality time with my |
| cautioned me that public workshops were a hard | | | | son- send my son to private school and involve |
| sell and extremely difficult to market. She advised | | | | him in a range of athletic and recreational activities |
| me to target the corporate market, advice that I | | | | (even though I am divorced and assuming the |
| was not ready to hear.To me, the obstacles | | | | primary responsibility for his care)- travel to Asia |
| seemed insurmountable. How could I make myself | | | | 7 times and visit many beautiful places while I |
| available to corporate clients when I was working | | | | was there and in transit (Malaysia including Kuala |
| full time? How could I ever hope to compete with | | | | Lumpur, Penanag, Melacca, and Kuching, Singapore, |
| the large consulting firms when I didn't have their | | | | Bangkok, Mumbai, Dubai, Paris)I could never have |
| big budgets to invest in glossy brochures and | | | | done this as a full time employee and this would |
| large ads in prominent magazines? I struggled with | | | | NEVER have worked without the support of |
| these questions for a long time. While I don't have | | | | friends, family and, most of all God.Before Diving |
| all the answers, I experimented and eventually | | | | OffRunning your own business is not for |
| found some ideas that worked for me.Start | | | | everyone but it can be fulfilling if it's the right thing |
| AgainThere is no point in waiting for everything to | | | | for you. So, get started. Clear off those credit |
| be perfect. Your first attempts may not turn out | | | | card bills. Set aside 20% of your income in a slush |
| exactly as you planned. What you've got to do is | | | | fund to provide yourself with start up capital. |
| learn from them, start again and see what | | | | Conventional wisdom used to be that you should |
| happens.Bearing Dottie Walter's cautions in mind, I | | | | sock away enough to cover 3 months worth of |
| decided to run my Career Makeover workshops | | | | living expenses before you take the plunge. In this |
| at prestigious women's clubs such as The McGill | | | | turbulent market in which dry spells can be long, |
| Club and The Elmwood Club in Toronto. I came up | | | | setting aside enough money to cover 1 1/2 to 2 |
| with the workshop and promotional material but, | | | | years worth of living expenses is more prudent. |
| for the life of me, I just couldn't find a name that | | | | So delay your launch date so that you can really |
| captured the essence of my business and my | | | | give yourself a chance to make a success of |
| vision of training. So I picked a name, New | | | | it.Make sure that you get your mortgage and line |
| Directions, even though I knew it wasn't exactly | | | | of credit approved. Take care of your dental |
| what I wanted.I tried a variety of approaches to | | | | treatment and any major medical bills that your |
| marketing the workshops. I distributed my flyers | | | | company health plan will cover. Develop a clear |
| at bookstores, women's clubs and through | | | | and focused pictures of what you want to do and |
| mailings sent out by some of the professional | | | | then just keep at it. Get high quality business |
| associations to which I belonged. I soon learned | | | | cards, stationary and your web site in place |
| that the world of marketing public workshops was | | | | before you give you your day job.Surround |
| very different from marketing courses within a | | | | yourself with positive and supportive people, |
| corporation. For example, I naively believed that, | | | | attend conferences and courses that will move |
| you could distribute 200 - 500 flyers and have 20 | | | | you closer to fulfilling your dream. Never let |
| people attend your workshop. After all, that's the | | | | anyone tell you can't do it. Keep those pessimistic |
| way it worked inside the corporations where I | | | | tire kickers as far away from you as |
| have worked as a management development | | | | possible.Finally, when the time is right...and only you |
| specialist. It's not so easy when people are taking | | | | will know when that is....go ahead and take the |
| the money out of their own pockets to pay for a | | | | plunge! It may be the refreshing change you've |
| workshop.The most effective method for me | | | | been seeking. |