Are you facing the rest of your life?
Have you recently been laid off, retired, or maybe even fired?
The employment market has drastically changed in the last 10 years, especially for high level executives over 50 years old.
Companies are hiring on a budget, and they are contracting out expertise.
That means, that an in-house expert is a luxury for most companies these days. But where does that leave the high level, experienced executives?
Here are 3 strategies for you to easily navigate the process from employed to self-employed:
- Clarify your expertise: Dig deep and get clear on what is your expertise. What do you know you are “really good” at and what problem does your skill solve. Is this a problem the market will pay money to solve?
- Define your network: Make a list of current or past colleagues, acquaintances, friends, and people in your life that might either need your expertise OR might be able to refer you to their network.
- Create a resource: Understanding your market needs and your expertise, create a FREE resource (Ebook, white paper, video, audio, etc) that you can share with your market as a way to further the conversation and let them experience your work before contracting your services.
If you are in this position RIGHT NOW or have been wondering what it would look like to move from employed to self-employed then here’s a resource for you. This worksheet will guide you through a self exploration that can help you further define your expertise that can meet a market need (click on the image to access the worksheet):
Happy Exploring!
Have you ever imagine your WORST CASE SCENARIO?
As an entrepreneur, especially responsible for the financial well-being of our family, sometimes I let my mind go into “worst case scenario” mode.
You know… when you play a horror movie after horror movie in your mind except that these feel real and you have no popcorn? The “what if” party of darkness…
- What if all my clients suddenly go away?
- What if they discover I’m a fraud? This is called impostor syndrome and I’ve written about this one before.
- What if I get sick and I can’t do my work and my children go hungry?
Well, meet Dr. LaTarsha Holden…
All her worst movies came true when she had the courage to leave an abusive relationship with 6 children under her care and no family or resources to support her.
In this interview, Dr Holden shares with us her journey from homeless with six children to going through graduate school, authoring 12 books and becoming a speaker, all in the last 10 years.
I have to say, we really connected in this interview and I’m just letting you know you might want to grab a tissue towards the end.
Oh, and in the interview, she asks me about a resource to navigate getting herself out there as a speaker and I wanted you to have this resourc as well:
18 Minutes of Impact: Move your Audience to Action the TED Way
If you want to get notified or join us live for a next interview simply LIKE OUR PAGE
PS: Want to be a guest in our show? Apply Now…
Productivity is CRUCIAL for business.
But productivity doesn’t mean that if we work more efficiently, if we make the most of every minute of our day, then we can pack even more into each day.
We suffer when we focus ONLY on productivity and we forget to make space for being. Space for recharging, being creative, refueling.
Laundry can do that for you. Laundry can help you recharge. Or maybe mowing the lawn, or cooking.
Sometimes we don’t need a yoga class or a meditation class or even to hire a coach. We can simply anchor ourselves in simple tasks around the house to ground ourselves. Release stress.
I joked with a friend a few days ago, who is a C level executive at a large corporation, that sometimes simply cleaning our closet is a way to reclaim a sense of order, a sense of calmness to the chaos in our heads.
So how do we find balance in our life? Here are three ways to keep your business as your work and not your whole life:
- PRODUCTIVITY MAP: Make sure you are clear on when you are most productive. Is it in the morning, early morning, after lunch, evening? Protect the time of day when you are most alert, creative and productive and claim that time for working ON your business and for working on projects that require your full attention.
- TAKE STOCK: Pull out your calendar and review your working hours for the last month. Did you work weekend? Did you work late into the night? Did you miss dinners, kids events or other opportunities to connect with friends and family? Be honest with yourself. Remember that the reason you started your company was so you WOULD have time for friends and family. We can only improve on what we know, so knowing exactly your work schedule for the past month will give you a lot of the information you need.
- RECLAIM YOUR CHORES: Now this is a weird one. I don’t think you’ll find a lot of coaches out there encouraging you to spend time on chores but remember that these activities are wonderful to ground yourself, create mental breaks, and in many ways, it forces you to be in common rooms at home and be present for the people in your life.
The weather has truly changed here in MA and we are experiencing the first chilly days. I hope you are loving the changing of the season wherever you are and email me and let me know… what is your favorite chore?
In Clarity,
What The Fortresses of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico Made Me Realize…
Many times we are not even aware that we are living in a fortress… actually, we masquerade our fear so well that it looks like a castle. Our conversations are full of compliments, niceties, side conversation, even chit chat… we think we are being polite, but what we are actually doing is avoiding an honest, deeper conversation and therefore, a deeper connection.
I can share many a conversation I’ve had from the tower of my own castle. Every time my mother would make a comment about my children or something I should keep an eye on, I would smile evenly and change the subject. I shut down. I was afraid of her pointing out my shortcomings and more so, I was afraid of becoming AWARE of my own shortcomings.
So, how can we come down from our tower, bring down the drawbridge, cross the mote and connect? Here are three questions to ask yourself:
I believe that each one of us brings a UNIQUE idea, perspective and insight when we are able to communicate efficiently, learn and listen to each other.
Oh and by the way, there are 2 spots left for my LIVE 2 DAY WORKSHOP on speaking! Tuesday & Friday October 11th & 12th in New Bedford, MA… you will walk away with:
RSVP SPEAKING WORKSHOP: GAINING VISIBILITY, CREDIBILITY & ENGAGING YOUR AUDIENCE WITH YOUR MESSAGE
In Clarity,