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