Day 53: Key Marketing Message

I have been diligent in focusing on this effort to make sure I am sending a consistent message to the market.  To help me achieve this my coach is walking me through a process where I define my target audience, what they need or are looking for, and unique capabilities that I bring to my practice.

Target Audience
Emerging leaders, in manager and director roles, earning 150K+ per year in medium to large companies with revenues greater than 1M USD.

What do they care about?

• Outside Perspective
• Professional Development
• Trusted Advisor
• Effectiveness (Do, Say, Decisions)
• Achieve significant results
• Establish credibility in a new role

Why do people come to me?

• Hold them accountable
• Gain goal clarity
• Enhanced Self-Awareness
• Professional Development (Conflict Mgmt, Productivity, Communication, Executive Presence)
• Achieve significant results

Who is my competition

• Coaches
• Consultants
• Trainers

How am I different from my competition?

• Customized Approach
• Systems-Based
• Focused in Scope
• Hybrid Coaching/Consulting Model

Marketing Message

Executive Coaching and leadership development firm focused on helping emerging leaders create impact within their organizations.  We create an environment, acting as a trusted advisor, that enables our clients to:

• Gain an outside perspective
• Clarify goals to drive significant results
• Augment professional development
• Increase effectiveness

We utilize a personalized, systems-based approach that considers the whole individual.  Our coaching experience layers a hybrid coaching/consulting model, 15 years of management consulting experience, and accountability to deliver measurable outcomes for the individual and organization.

I can't wait to see what my coach has to say!

Day 52: Preparing for Sessions

In keeping my commitment I am writing my blog first thing to ensure it does not get lost in the activities of the day.  I now have 3 individuals that I am coaching and I enjoy every minute of it.  Actually that is the highlight of my day when I get to help others have impact in their personal and professional lives.  I am also mentoring a group on project management skills to get a project up and running with a local non-profit.

I think it will be important to get a standard approach to my in between work.  As I get additional clients I will not have the luxury of time to review all the details of our past sessions.

I am focused on completing my marketing materials so that I can be prepared for my next coaching session on Friday.  That includes scoping out the competition and writing a draft of my marketing message.

Wish me luck!

Day 37-51 Falling Behind on Posts

I have gotten really behind in my posts, but never fear I have been busy working to build my business.  I will try not to get bogged down in detail and just focus on the highlights.  I am also committed to keeping up to date with my posts in the future.  This will now become part of my daily ritual before I login and check my email.

In working with my marketing coach we have made some great progress.  One of our key focus is to solidify my key marketing message.  I have been focused on completing a worksheet that helps me to think in terms of what I have to offer, why my customers come to me, and what makes me unique.  While simple in approach it is powerful in its results.  It has helped me refine my thinking and ensure that my messaging is in alignment with customer expectations and my brand.  The last thing you want to do as a business owner is to send mixed messages.  My next session is May 11 where we will discuss the worksheet.

I have been working diligently to advertise my business and expand my network.  I am happy to report some progress in this area.  First, I have solidified my relationship with SeattleWorks, a local non-profit.  Offering my services for free is a way for me to break into a niche.  It is interesting how things come about.  I would have never considered this before and yet I may have stumbled upon something that is really in my sweet spot.  I am consulting with a project team to help them put together a plan for the second phase of their project.  It is so rewarding to help others have impact in the organizations in which they work.  I have also established a relationship with the University of Washington, Evans School to offer coaching to MPA students.  I had two students sign up and actively working with one.  It was great to refine my approach and get more comfortable in my coaching shoes. Lastly I have signed up with PerksConnect to offer my services at a discounted rate to physicians within the United States.  I have sent out my first offer in hopes that I will drum up some business.  I am learning as I go and this is a great way to get the word out to a large number of people.

I was also invited to write a guest blog for Noomii.com regarding my experience with UserTesting.com.  It was a lot of fun and enabled me to expand my network with the co-founder of Noomii.com.  If you are interested in reading the post it can be found here:  http://www.noomii.com/blog/3619-feedback-user-testing-website.

You can tell that I have been busy in my absence.  I am excited to be back on board with my daily posts.

Day 36: Website Update

Based on all the great feedback from a couple of days ago today I spent working on updating the website to incorporate all the feedback I received.  This turned out to be much more work than I expected, however I am pleased with the outcome.  I think it is a much more streamlined and inviting site that caters to my audience: the time starved executive and HR managers.

Go to http://www.assuredleadership.com and take a look.  What do you think?

Day 35: PowerOn Leadership is Born

I was finally able to connect with the graduate students and kick the process off.  I am so excited at the prospect of working with them.  I am confident that it will be a positive experience for both parties.  I sent them a customized version of my new client welcome package and we will begin our work next week.

I also spent some time brainstorming new topics for my newsletter and really desire to incorporate current events as the backdrop for my topics; making them more present and relevant.  I am really excited about the prospects for the coming issues.  I also spent some time talking about this with my marketing coach in trying to determine the right cadence for the newsletter.  I first attempted monthly and that seemed too frequent given the amount of time it takes put them together.  I tried quarterly and yet that seems way too infrequent, almost to the point that someone may even forget that they signed up for the newsletter.  She provided some good insight on how I could work a little smarter and generate content from existing sources rather than have to create all my own content.  I love this idea and am hopeful that it will enable me to return to the monthly frequency.

Day 33: Working Remotely

For the rest of this week I decided to work remotely at our condo in Lake Chelan.  It is an attempt for me to get out of the office and do some brainstorming.  I thought the change of scenery would do me good and open up my mind to thinking big!

I spent most of the morning traveling.  It was nice to be able to spend some time alone with my thoughts.  It was a 3 hour drive from Seattle and there was very little traffic on the road so I was able to move at a good pace.

I have a lot planned for this week while I am out of the office.  I thought this would be an ideal time to spend time researching some sites that I had been wanting to take a look at, do some reading, get some writing done, and most importantly do some brainstorming.

I have high hopes that this will be a productive week.

Day 32: First Wall

Today was completely unproductive.  Everything I tried just wasn't working.  I tried to record a podcast and my heart just wasn't in it.  I tried to write in my blog and found I had writer's block.  Nothing worked so instead of trying to force it I decided to just get out of the office and clear my mind.  And that is what I did.  I went home and did some painting to get the creative juices flowing.  I have to say that it worked to unlock the block I was feeling.

Day 31: First Coaching Session

Today was my first meeting with my marketing coach.  We originally agreed to meet at mosaics, a local community coffee shop.  Given my excitement for this first meeting I arrived early and found that the coffee shop was closed.  Luckily I was able to catch Barbara before she left and we quickly changed our strategy to meet at another coffee shop close by.

I looked at this session from two perspectives: coach and coachee.  I am trying to observe coaching in action.  I noticed right away she did some clearing, apologizing for being a little late and not checking to see that mosaics was open.  She was very organized and presented me with some take aways to build my knowledge.  She challenged me a couple of times and left me with some homework to do in between our sessions.  She also acknowledged who I was becoming and championed some of efforts and willing to fail.

I shared with her what I was currently doing and what had not worked for me.  I talked about my networking with the University of Washington, my blog, my newsletter.  It was easy for me to share my goals and aspirations.  It immediately felt comfortable right out of the gate.

She challenged me to the following actions:

• Research networking groups and select 3-5
• Send Newsletter sample to Barbara
• Connect on LinkedIn
• Review Study guides

It was a packed first session and I am already looking forward to my next session.

Day 30: One Month Down

I have successfully hit the one month mark and my doors are still open.  Although I am very disappointed that I have not converted any leads to sales.  I am still putting my feelers out though.  Today I signed up for a free month of LinkedIn premium.  This gives me additional features like send email to anyone without them being in my network.  Unlimited messages to open link members, and more detail on who has been viewing my profile.

I decided to take full advantage of these new features and have sent out some emails to start building my network.  I asked for a couple of introductions as well as shared with others what I am working on in hopes that they would spread the word.  My good friend Ken spoke to his HR manager last week and is going to follow-up with her this week.  They are looking to promote more from within, which means grooming leaders and ensuring they are ready to take on increasing levels of responsibility.  This is right in my area of speciality.  Another seed planted.

I also sent some get back in touch emails to individuals within my network giving them an update and asking for one in return.  I also told them why I was contacting them and let them know what kind of client I am looking for.

I am going to continue doing this until it yields some fruit, which I am confident that it will.  If nothing else it will continue to strengthen my network and expand it's reach.  My goal is to get 1000 people signed up to receive my newsletter.

The adage, if you build it they will come, certainly was not talking about coaching.  I am finding out that it is much more difficult than I have ever expected to land clients.  I have a strong resolve and will get 15 paying clients by the end of this year.  In this case I need to work harder and smarter!

Day 29: Lessons Learned

I don't know if I should be embarrassed or patting myself on the back to have already made several mistakes along the way to starting up my new business.

My first big mistake was purchasing a list to make cold calls.  When I received the list it was not of high quality in that it had several contacts at the same location.  So basically once I made contact and was routed to HR for inquiries the rest of the contacts at that location became obsolete.  I really wish I would have waited until I figured out that HR managers are probably going to be my entrance into the corporate world and then I could have probably achieved a greater response.

I sent out a marketing message to my newsletter subscribers offering them a free consultative session and no one responded.  I was then told by a marketer that that was a huge mistake to make and I should try and sell them something so blatantly.

I signed up for an appointment management system, which costs $10 a month.  I know not a lot of money but it all adds up for a new business.  I have no appointments and therefore it is pretty much a waste of time.  I plan to remove this from my website and instead encourage people to just contact me directly.  Besides the "face-to-face" contact will result in a much richer experience then signing up with an online service.

I subscribed to a local small business group that publishes a directory and holds networking events.  That has resulted in exactly zero business so far.  I'm thinking that is $299 I could have spent elsewhere on marketing.

I really didn't have a prescription for the problem or pain my clients are feeling.  Instead of putting my phone number on the front screen I had a link to an online appointment system, which contained my pricing.  Perhaps that has scared some people off, not sure.  I have since updated my homepage and I am hopeful that it will result in more leads being generated.

My new approach is to stop and think before I buy.  In fact I am not going to subscribe to anymore services until I start getting some paying clients.

Day 28: Marketing Gems

I recently listed myself on a coach directory service named Noomii.  I bid for a couple of opportunities and quickly learned a couple of things.  First I shouldn't bid such large amounts so that I whittle away my credits early in the month.  I should only bid on those clients that I am really serious about helping.  Second I think I have some work to do on my profile based on the review I had today with one of the founders.  It was very insightful and gave me several things to think about.  Namely,

• On average prospective clients spend about 10 seconds on your page, that is all the time you have to sell them.
• When approaching marketing look at it from the aspirin vs. vitamin perspective.  Aspirin is designed to relieve pain and is something you really need.  Vitamins on the other hand are a supplement and a nice to have.  You want to position the aspirin or pain you are looking to relieve; the vitamin is what they will get out of the coaching experience.
• Utilize tools like UserTesting to validate your website layout, content, and navigation.  This will help you structure it in a way that most appeals to your target audience.
• Create different landing pages that appeal to your target audience.  For example, if you are targeting executives are they the ones actually looking or is it their assistant? Or perhaps a resource in HR.  Some may respond better to a telephone number while others are more inclined to utilize your appointment system.

While these concepts may seem elementary to a seasoned marketer, for me as a small business owner they are novel and new.  I have to find a better way to get more subscribers to my newsletter and convert them into paying clients.  Little by little the pieces of the puzzle are coming together.  I will get this thing down soon and I can only imagine that working with my coach will help cement these ideas into concrete actions that will result in new business.

Each day is a new adventure and full of learning for me.

Day 27: Power of Action

I spent the afternoon doing a search to find volunteer opportunities to mentor emerging leaders.  I stumbled across some contacts from a local university.  I placed a call and made a connection.  I placed another call and made another connection and a possible speaking opportunity.  I see the benefit of placing calls to plant seeds.  Not every call will result in a lead, nonetheless it is a contact that has broadened awareness of my business.

The two opportunities I am chasing are to mentor 5 graduate students for 6 months.  I know I am not making any money on this endeavor but it does accomplish two things.  First it gives me an opportunity to coach and do what I love to do.  Second, I am exposing potential leaders to my company and what I am capable of.  They will leave the university and go out into the workplace and that could potentially open many more doors for me.

These little wins inspire me to keep going and provide validation that there is a need for what I am doing. In signing up 5 students I will gain confidence and broaden my approach, I will gain more testimonials, and it will inevitably lead me to my ultimate goal of paying clients.

I created a marketing brochure that highlights the leadership coaching program I am implementing.  I have included a link to the document below.  I was pretty proud of what I was able to create, it looks very professional and speaks to my audience.

Marketing Brochure

I also had an interesting conversation over the weekend with a graphic design friend.  We spoke about marketing and he provided some excellent insight, all of which I intend to act upon.  He suggested the need to create a dialogue.  I realize that I know very little about the individuals that are subscribing to my newsletter.  I don't know their roles/titles, what they are struggling with, what information would be pertinent to their situation.  I need to create a dialogue to get these questions answered.

I have tried to accomplish this through twitter and my blog but these two groups are disconnected.  The individuals that read my newsletter do not subscribe to my blog or podcasts.  The other idea that came to mind during that discussion was to start posting this information my LinkedIn page.  I have a much better chance of initiating a dialogue there and lead them to the other sources.

I know it shouldn't be so difficult, this marketing stuff, but it does not come naturally to me.

Day 26: HandsOn Leadership

I attended a leadership seminar tonight with Seattle Works called HandsOn Leadership.  My intent was to see how it was put together and look for opportunities where I could participate and get my name out there.  The conference was from 6-9 PM and it really was quite good.  They had a local consulting firm teach a section on project management and then the coordinator taught a section on conflict resolution.  It was fun and I had the opportunity to participate with a team.

The participants are really sharp and were very engaged in the seminar.  I am always listening for tidbits of information and good stories.  One particular individual told a story about leadership from his army days.  They classified leaders into different categories based on their style.  One particular style, the Outlook Leader, was not as effective as the others.  The Outlook Leader is one that manages all communication via email and never gets up to interact with their team.  Face time is kept to a minimum.  The insight from this style is that there really lacked a team cohesion and connection with the leader.

My thoughts in leaving the seminar is that a section on communication, team dynamics, or building productive teams would be ideal.  I also think that my project management experience would lend nicely to being a mentor for the teams as they undertake their initiative.  I am hopeful to be included in the program and instruct future seminars.  

I can definitely see how just putting myself out there is going to be the key to building connections within the community and getting my name out there.  I am spending an immense amount of energy just not sure if I am spending it smartly.

Day 25: Falling Behind

Oops I have fallen behind on my blog for this week.  I have been so busy finalizing my podcast that I didn't have time to do my writing.  I have learned quite a bit about podcasting, sound editing, and general creative work.  I am thoroughly enjoying the creative process!

I can already see how the podcast will change over time.  Even from the first and second episodes I made some minor tweaks.  I can certainly say that the second one took much less time to produce.  I decided to host them on my website as well as in iTunes to get some publicity.  I learned quite a bit about production on the first one and some of the tools available to me in the sound editing software.  I have a ways to go to get some polish on the podcasts but I am headed in the right direction.

As part of the polishing I decided that I needed a new logo for the two podcasts I am thinking of doing.  So I called up my designer friend and we are going to meet on Sunday morning to discuss it.  I want to keep the cost low so we will have to be creative.  Thankfully I don't need all the variations he created for the previous company logo.

I am investing a lot of time in building my knowledge and experience which will be critical to my success.  I am looking forward to landing 3 clients by June.

Day 24: Focusing Activities

My focusing activities for this week are to get my business bank accounts setup so that I can easily segregate business expenses from personal expenses, which will be immensely helpful for tax time.  The other activity planned for this week is to reach out to two potential mentors in my network and ask for help.  Finally, my last project is to distribute my quarterly newsletter.

My advertising on linked in has yielded 7 additional contacts who wish to receive my newsletter.  I am excited and hope that these potential leads will yield some clients for me.  

Other administrative items I need to focus on are spending some time reaching out to HR managers and doing some research.  Finding out what they are looking for when they hire a coach, where they go to look for these resources.  I know this is a pretty straightforward step to take and yet I had completely missed it.  A case of where I was too much in my head and not spending enough time doing big picture thinking.  Armed with this information I can refine my marketing strategy target those groups or locations where they are sourcing their coaches from.  In the meantime I have decided to hold off on certification until I do my market research.  It may be that that is not important to my potential clients.

I also  need to find a simple to use book keeping system that I can use to manage my finances and sales.  I want to be able to track this information and see how I am doing against my projections.  I am hopeful to find an online tool with a companion iPad app so that I can access it anywhere I have an internet connection.

I also want to spend some time thinking about my brand, my ideal client, and what my value proposition is.  I think it is unclear when I am sharing with other people.  I will say that I am proud of myself for just opening my mouth.  The other night at dinner I asked a friend if he knew any HR folks that I could talk with.  I explained the research that I wanted to do and sure enough he did know someone.  I will need to spend some time putting together my questions for my research.

I feel the excitement and momentum rising as I embark on this next chapter with my coach.

Day 23: Coach Hired

I interviewed two other coaches and finally settled in on the one that was the best fit for me.  We are going to work on a network plan and really get my name out there.  I signed up for a three month engagement and will begin on April 6.  We will meet twice a month with homework in between.  I am so excited to be focused on this element of my business.  I now realize that I have been holding off because I did not know what the next step to take was.  I am afraid because it is something that I am passionate about and don't want to hear rejection from others that may not find value in what I am doing.  I still have not forgotten my commitment to myself to have 15 clients by the end of the year.  I am confident that with the help of my coach I will be successful.

I am finding my new productivity plan has the effect of focusing me on my most important tasks to complete within the next seven days.  I was successful at completing those tasks for last week.  I guess I should not be surprised how this entrepreneurial journey is one of emotion as much as it is of action.  It almost feels like a roller coaster ride with the associated ups and downs.  I find that my energy and commitment wanes at times too.  The key is to keep forward momentum and push through the troughs.

Day 22: Coach Interviews

I setup two more interviews for marketing coaches today.  I want to ensure that I pick the best one for me and that I get the most out of the money I am going to spend.  I think it will be worth the cost and effort to get things kicked off.  I should know more next week and will be a little behind in hiring my coach but it will be worth the delay.

I setup my wireless network today in the office.  It is lightening fast and will be nice to minimize the amount of chords that I need.  I should only need one chord that plugs in my cinema display and then it can power everything else.  I really like having a minimalist landscape.  It helps me to focus better.

I also decided today that to enhance my creativity I am going to install a wall sized whiteboard.  That way I can have the maximum amount of space to write and not be limited by my current one.

I have started listening to audiobooks during my daily workout to try and consume more information and maximize my time.  Given this I should be able to get through at least two audio books per month which amounts to 24 books this year.

Day 21: My First Podcast

With the help of a very good friend I have finished the recording of my first podcast, entitled "Maximizing Effectiveness".  I am so proud of this accomplishment and excited to get it edited and posted to iTunes for distribution.  I did not anticipate this would be so difficult to get completed.  Although my friend, who is a professional programming director created an Intro/Outro that I can use for each episode along with a segment marker.  Now that I have done this once I and figured out the tools I am confident future podcasts will be easier to produce.

I have embedded a copy of the Intro below for your enjoyment.

Podcast Intro

The equipment I purchased to produce my podcast seems to be working out just fine.  I purchased a microphone, a pop-filter, and Garage Band to do my audio editing.  Some of the important things I learned when producing my first podcast is:

1. Less is more when it comes to wording.
2. Start off using a script, as you become more comfortable you can speak from an outline.
3. Stand up while recording, it enables you to enunciate and have more power in your voice
4. Record one segment at a time.  If you make a mistake, pause and re-record the segment again.  The outtakes can be edited out later.
5. Wear a pair headphones while you are recording so that you can hear your own voice.
6. For my setup, mp3 format renders the best quality audio.

If you have any interest in syndicating your content in this way I certainly encourage it.  It was a lot of hard work and a tremendous amount of fun at the same time.  Eventually I would like to get into video production as well.

Day 20: Striking out on my own

I am loving what I am doing so far and I have been able to accomplish a significant amount in the short time I have been engaged in following my passion.  I ran across an article today that really spoke to me and highlighted some things to keep in mind when striking out on your own.

Of the many things the article focused on I have already observed that 1) some people think I am crazy and think I should have given more effort to my full time job.  2) It is good to keep my ideas secret from some people. 3) It is a lot of work to get going but don't sacrifice your personal relationships, family, and friends at the expense of everything else.

They also included a checklist for making sure you get off on the right foot.  I am proud to say that I have accomplished all of these within the first four weeks of starting my business.  They are:

1. Find a good Tax Consultant
2. Remember you don't need the money
3. Put together an invoicing system
4. Find a good productivity system
5. Plan time off and sick days
6. Find other people like you

The full article can be found at here.

I also ran across another blog focused on creativity call the 99 Percent..  Give it a read for some interesting insight on the creative process.

Day 19: Volunteering

I have had a goal for quite sometime to get involved in the community.  I want to share my talents with others and enrich their lives.  I am currently delivering food to home bound individuals and participating in a campaign for same-sex marriage in Washington.  I am passionate about leadership and want to mentor other emerging leaders and assist them in recognizing their potential.

This last volunteer opportunity will have a dual benefit of helping others and beginning to build my network.  I need to start socializing with successful people in the business industry and increase my confidence associating with executives.

I had an interview today with SeattleWorks a non-profit that hosts a leadership summit and and post training mentoring.  It sounds like an excellent opportunity and one that I would be very interested in.  I just put myself out there and doors are opening.  I am hopeful that I will be invited to be on the faculty myself one day soon.

I read a great article today regarding confidence and it outlined a plan for building confidence and making it a habit.  The first was eye opening to me as it highlighted the need to let go of the past and get closure on anything that is open.  My coaching workshops also talk about this as well in the form of "being complete".  I thought about some of the things that I have left open and really need to work on getting to closure so that I can focus on the present.  In addition to this concept they outlined 6 confidence building strategies:

1. Every day remind yourself that you did some things well.
2. Read inspiring biographies and autobiographies
3. Be thankful
4. Build excellent support around you
5. Push yourself to accomplish short-term goals
6. Do something for yourself every week

All excellent reminders of practices that can turn into positive actions.  "Everything you want is on the other side of fear".  I will do well to remember this sage advice.

Day 18: Hiring a Coach

I mentioned in a previous post my desire to hire a coach for myself.  I need some help establishing my brand, marketing myself, and using this as a method to reach my goal of getting 15 new clients this year.  

I interviewed my first coach today and it was an interesting discussion.  He definitely has the experience and skills that I am lacking in terms of marketing.  He focuses on developing strengths and wears both the coach and consultant hat.  We talked about several things and I was pleased that I am proceeding in the right direction for some things and others I am definitely deficient.  Simply things like leveraging my linked in network and marketing myself as a leadership coach.  We also talked about the need to establish a brand, refine my elevator pitch, and develop a marketing plan.  This is definitely the right move for me and something that would greatly help me in taking the next step in maturing my business.

I also attended the PSCA chapter meeting today and really enjoyed meeting other coaches in the area.  I left feeling renewed, much like I did while completing my CTI coursework.  I have a new focus and will plan to attend these meetings each month.  There was one other individual that does something similar to what I do and all the others had varying specialties.  The guest speaker just so happened to be a marketing coach.  What are the odds that I would find run across someone with the exact skills I was looking for.  I am going to engage with her and see if it would be a good fit and how she can help me in developing my marketing efforts.

My goal is to make a decision by Friday on which coach I want to hire.  This is exciting and scary at the same time.  I am determined to reach my new client goal.

Day 17: Connections

I found the benefit of speaking up about my business today.  It is interesting how serendipity can play a role in opening up new doors.  Planning is good and helps us remain focused but I am learning to be open to new ideas and opportunities.

I was telling someone about my foray into podcasting and talking about how much fun I was having and at the same time struggling with putting a professional finish to it.  Come to find out the individual I was talking to is a radio program director.  He offered to help me with my intro/outro as well as provide some coaching on how to improve the sound of the content.  This will be a lifesaver since I cannot afford to hire professional talent to work on this.  I am learning as a small business owner I have to wear many of the hats and do what I can myself rather than relying on experts.  I am learning a ton, but it also takes me additional time to get things done since I am basically learning as I go.

We also started talking about leadership and he told me about his new boss and the technique he used when coming on board.  He came into his role due to the passing of the other manager.  The other manager was well respected and liked by the staff.  The new manager didn't come in guns blazing with a new plan to turn things upside down.  Instead he took a more deliberate and patient approach and simply listened.  He got to know the team and built an environment of collaboration and trust.    I was able to turn this into an opportunity to ask for an interview.

We are going to connect this week and solidify timing to work on these tasks.  Once again the network trumps all in terms of putting myself out there and sharing my passion with others.

Day 16: The Startup Curve

I stumbled across an interesting article today that codifies the startup curve that most companies go through.  It is good to know what I am up against as I look to start up my coaching practice.  It starts with the techcrunch of initiation followed by the wearing off of novelty.  This is a pretty deep plunge which eventually plateaus into the trough of sorrow.  It dips again before you reach the promised land.  I can see that I have a long way to go and there are some difficult days ahead for my business.  The closing words of this article really resounded with me and provides encouragement to just get out there and release my product.  Then as I gain experience in the form of feedback I can release waves of improvement to my approach, technique, and effectiveness.

Along these same lines I have come to the conclusion that I myself need to hire a coach to assist me with my marketing efforts.  I know on the surface it sounds crazy that a coach would need to hire a coach, yet all the literature I have read indicates this is a highly effective way to improve performance.  After all is that not what I am selling to my clients?  I requested information from 3 local coaching firms and will look forward to seeing if there is a good fit.

I know that I can make a success of this business.  I am confident in my abilities and with the added benefit of completing my certification process I will be credentialed, which adds strength to my message.

Day 15: Administrivia

I have found that it is easy to focus on the tasks that are the least productive to building my practice.  I am putting the cart before the horse in some respects and need to remain focused on obtaining paying clients. To that end I have signed up for a new coach referral service called Noomii.  Potential clients post their coaching needs and then coaches bid to provide service.  So far I have been the high bidder on two potential engagements but they have not converted into actual opportunities.  In reading the FAQs for the site, on average coaches get 6 clients per year.

I also started up my LinkedIn Advertising in hopes of generating traffic to my website and obtaining some sales leads that I can convert into clients.  In reviewing my blog post on commitment I can see that I am not walking the walk.  I need to update my profile to reflect that I am a leadership coach.  Otherwise everyone just sees me as a program manager.

I placed 5 calls to non-profit organizations yesterday to generate some leads for speaking or pro-bono work.  My goal is to contribute back to the community and build brand awareness in the market.  Today I plan to place an additional 5 calls to try and fill my lead pipeline.

I am becoming an active member in my local International Coach Federation Chapter to build a network and associate with other coaches.  I know that it is a shear numbers game and I need to talk to as many people as possible to start making these connections.

In putting myself out there I just received my first payback.  I had an individual sign up for a complimentary coaching session this Saturday.  This is really exciting!!!

Day 14: Getting the Word Out

It has been almost three weeks since I began this venture.  In that time I have created a website, published a newsletter, written a marketing plan, and leveraged social media to begin establishing a name for myself; build some credibility.  Now it is time to actually get out and start meeting people.

I have done much preparation and feel it is time for me to get out there and start talking to people about what I do.  Start sharing the content I have created.  To be honest I am really stuck on this one.  I guess I was under the popular misconception that if I created all this content clients would start showing up on my doorstep asking for my business; I was definitely wrong on this point.

So what do I do when I am at a loss for the next step, I brainstorm.  I spent some time this morning thinking of opportunities to get out and start meeting people.  Here is what I came up with:

1. Look for pro-bono speaking engagements.
2. Call potential customers and offer a free coaching session
3. Tell everyone I meet about my business and spread the word
4. Get a magnet sign for the car
5. Post business cards
6. Join a club
7. Look for a board position with a non-profit

I need to balance flooding the market with my message and targeting my message to the right people.  Action is the name of the game.  I can tell that my internal anxiety is kicking in here and causing me to focus on the tasks and activities that don't require interaction.  I need to change my inner belief that customers will just come to me if I am good enough.

I am learning that business is 80% psychology and 20% action.  You have to get over your fears very quickly and focus on the important actions to get the results you want.  I am going to add these items to my list and start working on them this week.  

I am committed to getting 3 clients this quarter and 15 clients this year.

Day 13: Structure

I have found that for me that structure is so critical to having a productive day.  Others could probably get by working from their home office, not me.  I get to distracted with errands and to-dos around the house that I get side tracked.  Plus it adds an element of professionalism to my day.

One of the things I have been grappling with is how to bring structure to my coaching engagements.  What does the startup/contracting phase look like.  How do I bill customers? How will I deliver my services?  What does it look like when the coaching engagement ends?  How do I measure progress to ensure we are meeting our goals?  All of these things have been swirling around in my mind and I have lots of ideas that need to get written down and codified.

I spent some of my thinking time today and put together a new client package which describes my services, fees, policies, and approach.  Given my target audience I want to ensure that it is polished and professional.  One of my next steps is to get the contractual forms reviewed by a lawyer to ensure they are complete.  Again I don't want to spend the bulk of my time contracting, instead I want to focus on providing my services.

I also need to start giving some thought as to how I will manage my scheduling, manage/track client actions, and record my sessions for client playback.  Perhaps this is the budding idea for an iPad app, one where they can login to a portal and access their recordings, coaching materials, worksheets, etc.  I can see that I will have no trouble filling my "thinking" time with challenges to solve.

Today I am working to finalize my blueprint for the week that ensures I am working toward my goals.  I still have only recorded half of my 101 so I have work to do.

Day 12: Practice, Practice, Practice

I just returned from my first training session in pursuit of coaching certification.  It was an amazing weekend full of adventure, anxiety, and learning.  I am not a big crowds person to begin with so you can imagine my anxiety when I first arrived and there was about 20+ people in this big room.  It was sparsely adorned with the exact number of chairs placed in a circle.  I arrived early determined to introduce myself to others and be as social as possible; I succeeded in my first goal.  

I like the premise of the class in that we all give each other permission to practice on one another and create a safe environment to fail and learn.  I acknowledged to myself that this would be difficult yet necessary to embark on this new journey.  I succeeded in my second goal.

I made some good friends and contacts that I hope to keep in touch with.  It truly is all about networking and I want to maximize this resource for my benefit.  My next course is in about a month and I am so excited!  My third goal coming out of my first class is to make sure that I practice, practice, and practice the concepts to further my learning.

In an attempt to further my learning and proceed toward my goal I set up coaching sessions with my sister, my friend Ken, and another friend Trent.  These are not paid engagements as I am really focused on honing my craft, being comfortable "dancing in the moment" and actively listening to my intuition.  Setting and accomplishing goals is so rewarding.  With each step my visualization of having a successful business is coming to be.

I did a reality check today on expenses and they are getting a little out of control.  I need to start reigning them in and ensuring that I am expending only what I need to until I start generating some revenue.  I want to proceed as if I am a fully functioning business with the caveat that somethings can be done manually for the time being.

Day 11: Change takes time

The further I get into this project the more I am realizing that this will not be a quick transition.  In fact moving from the relative safety and security of a corporate job to that of an independent requires an immense amount of courage.  I have a vision and I am committed to reaching it.  That means I am willing to put in the required effort, enjoy my successes, and learn from my failures.  This is really as much about a career transformation as it is about a personal maturation.

The more I read and research leadership I know there is a real need for what I do.  Organizations are desperate for answers on how to deal with increasing complexity and the speed of change in our global economy. I have started by creating a framework, I have dubbed the Success Architecture.  The center of it all is purpose.  This is critical for without a true sense of purpose, specific goals, and a vision we have no hope of changing.  For the first time in my life I am experiencing these and it is truly liberating and difficult at the same time.  At this point there is a constant battle between the old and new, the resistance to change, and the threat of giving in and going back to what I know.  I must keep my vision in the forefront of my mind and embrace the metamorphosis that has begun.

I am currently reading two books at the moment.  The Power of Focus and Thinking for a change.  I didn't know at the beginning that they would be so complimentary.  A primary component of developing focus is learning and taking the time to think and reflect.  I have a great deal of work to do in this category.  I don't really set aside time for thinking and therefore I have kind of let life happen instead of going after what I want.  As I work through this book I am trying to implement the steps from each section as they hold the promise of powerful change when practiced with discipline.  Right now I am in the process of capturing my 101 goals which I will then categorize into 1, 3,5,10 year timeframes.  I have not taken the time to dream like this ever, which probably explains why my singular focus became work.  I am about a third of the way towards defining my 101 goals.

I also stumbled across a program called the Leadership Circle which also espouses these concepts and has developed a framework that quantifies the leadership characteristics of an individual, giving them a baseline from which to begin their journey.  I am going to participate in their training/certification process this year.

Taking some time for learning has been rewarding, insightful, and enabled me to recalibrate my trajectory.

Day 10: Talking with Successful People

I set a goal this year to find successful people and schedule time to interview them in an attempt to learn what makes them successful.  What habits and habits have they implemented that have helped them be successful.  What are they reading both for business and pleasure.  What clubs do they belong to.  So today I took my first step toward reaching this goal and spoke with a successful marketer that I worked with on a past project.

It was very insightful talking with her.  I just listened and took it all in, absorbing the knowledge she had to share.  So here are the main points I took away from our discussion:

• Find something that differentiates you from the competition that is not easily replicated.  One of the best ways to identify this is to do some research and find what makes the current process difficult, for example pricing model, contracting process, or delivery.  Sometimes just addressing these can be a differentiator.
• Don't be afraid to be irreverent.  Guard your time, it is limited and you need to focus on those things that only you can do.  Do not attend meetings without agendas and even then really think if you need to be there.  Hire competent people and let them take ownership for their area of responsibility.
• Cut out bureaucracy where possible.  Simplify workflow so you aren't approving yesterday's ideas that are already out of date.
• Work is not going to come to you.  You have to get out there and network, speak at engagements, do anything to establish credibility and differentiate yourself.
• Reading is so important to continually build knowledge.  She recommended the Malcolm Gladwell books.

This was such a rewarding experience and one I haven't tapped into so far in my career.  I can't wait to find my next individual I want to meet and learn some more about being successful.  There is a wealth of knowledge and experience out their in your network.  Go out and take advantage of it, people are always willing to share what they have learned.

Day 9: Hypersyndication

Marketing is definitely one of my weak points and yet a critical part of a budding business.  I have been reading and scouring the web to build my knowledge in this area.  I ran across a website called lynda.com that has training videos on numerous topics.  While searching for information on creating podcasts I found one on hypersyndication.  While simple in concept it is powerful in effect.

Basically hyper syndication is reusing your content and syndicating it on numerous channels.  Based on what I learned I have developed my approach to this.  I am already generating content in the form of newsletters, book summaries, and a daily blog.  The next step is to broadcast this via RSS and podcasts to reach a broader audience.

So I set up RSS on my website and blog and signed up with services that advertise blogs.  My hope is to get some traction, which in turn will result in paying clients.  First and foremost I am trying to establish myself as an authority in the field of leadership development.

I also went and purchased a microphone to record my podcasts and have already started converting the material I have published into the new format.  I have also been practicing recording to get the right sound in my voice so that it will be pleasant to listen to.  Once I get them recorded I will start publishing them on my website and iTunes.

The other elements of my marketing plan include finding speaking engagements, purchasing a list to place some cold calls, and offering complimentary coaching sessions.  I also want to hire a coach to assist me in building my practice.  In all my research and my discussions with my SCORE mentor I am on the right track.  Soon this will start to pay off in terms of credibility and new clients.

Day 8: My First Newsletter

I spent the weekend working on finishing up my first newsletter.  The format is still a work in progress and will continue to evolve as I move forward.  I spent some time researching newsletter format and content before arriving at mine.  In addition to the content I needed to choose a delivery provider, list manager, etc.  I chose Constant Contact for many reasons including a feature rich product that can grow as my company grows.

I started with a pre-built template and customized for my use to ensure alignment with the look and feel of my website (e.g. color scheme, fonts, etc).  I have decided to have the following sections:

• Introduction - This section welcomes my readers and introduces the theme for that month.
• Leadership Toolbox - Tips, tools, and implementation suggestions to drive action.
• Tool Spotlight - Highlights a tool that supports the main theme.  The tool can be either a piece of software or a framework/methodology.
• Executive Library - A series of books that go into more depth on the theme.  I have linked these to my Amazon Associates account so that if they purchase from my website I get credit.
• Manager Spotlight - A monthly interview with leaders in different industries that focuses on what they do to be successful.

The theme for the first issue is Focus.  I had a great time putting together all the material for this first newsletter and sent if off to the editor today.  I am going to start with a monthly newsletter and see how that goes, although I am a bit skeptical that I can keep up with that pace.  I have included a screen capture of the layout below.

I have also decided that I will repackage my newsletter and blog contents into a podcast in an attempt to reach a wider audience.  I have done a significant amount of research on microphones, software, and techniques for scripting a podcast.  My equipment is set to arrive in the next couple of days and I have scripted out my first podcast episode.  I am excited to try my hand at broadcasting.

Day 7: A Retrospective

I thought I would take a few lines in today's post to host a retrospective about where I was just 7 days ago  and where I am at now.  If you'll remember it was quite an emotional decision to strike out on my own and several times before I jumped shipped I tried to talk myself out of it; thinking it wasn't as bad as I thought it was.  I just realized something looking back...it was that bad and I am glad to be charting a new course on my own.

Sure I traded some short term financial security with the big pay-off in terms of finally having a career.  No longer a slave to the billable hour and the quarter end dash, I am free to focus in on the big picture and my future.

I am so excited for my coach training to begin, it will be held in Vancouver, BC at the Marriott hotel.  I am ready to put my best foot forward and go with a learning mind.  I also found another training that I am very interested in pursuing as a form of new client intake.  It is called the Leadership Circle and is a 360 feedback system that looks at a leader from several dimensions and provides a quantitative perspective on which to have an introductory discussion.  The value that this tool provides is that the individuals results are aggregated against a database of hundreds of thousands of data points.  In my opinion this is going to be an excellent methodology to define the "work" that we will be focusing on.

The root of this theory is rooted in systems-based thinking.  It is ironic that I just attended a webinar on systems-based coaching that broke it into two quadrants: the visible and invisible.  The visible are considered our goals and actions or those things which we can physically observe.  The invisible is our belief system which drives the goals and actions in the visible system.  The two are inextricably linked and work together as a complete system.

I spent time reviewing the proposed logos for my company and together with my graphic designer we were able to zero in on the perfect image.  I have attached the the logo below.

This is the company header for my stationary:

The great part about working with a graphic designer is that he thought of everything.  He didn't just provide a single logo, but one's with different backgrounds (dark, white, transparent), sizes, and formats.  He also created my letterhead so that I can print it on demand.  He also helped me design my business card which turned out splendidly.  This was the best $300 I ever spent!

I also started a leadership blog called "The Leadership Daily", the only problem is that I am not doing a great job keeping up with the daily part.  Perhaps I was a little too ambitious in defining the interval.  I also want to start writing a newsletter.  I will start with a monthly interval to see how that works.

Now for a great weekend!

Day 6: Thinking

I find that I spend a great deal of time thinking lately, not daydreaming but actual thinking.  I have found that brainstorming, followed by cycles of refinement is what is needed to vet ideas and see if they are worth pursuing.

In terms of getting my name out there I have signed up with the GSBA, started advertising with Google adwords, setup social media, and attended one networking event.  I need to do more, these items are not netting any hits.  I'm thinking it might be time to do a webinar or find a small speaking engagement.  I need to refine my elevator pitch as well as putting together some material that I can share with others.

I decided to canvas my Linked In network and ask previous collegues if they would be willing to help me out with my coaching training.  I was surprised how many were willing to be my guinea pig.  Which brings me to my latest news, I have chosen a course provider.

I listened to an information session from both InviteChange and CTI and I preferred CTI over InviteChange.  Primarily because I am focused on business coaching rather than life coaching.  CTI offers many more options in terms of leadership development than did InviteChange.  Both are ICF certified.  So I start my first class in March and I am really excited to get my credentialing underway.

I have been working fast and furiously on my website to get that live.  I have written all the copy and I am just awaiting feedback from my editor.  Once I receive that I will be able to make the site live.  Here is a snapshot of the homepage.

Day 5: Elevator Pitch

I woke up uncharacteristically early and was so excited to get my day started that I jumped out of bed and got to my new office to start writing my blog post for today.  It was exciting yesterday to finalize the name for my new venture and register my company with the Secretary of State.  It is now official, Assured Leadership Concepts, LLC is a legal entity recognized by the great state of Washington.

Pictures of my new office

I spent last evening working on my elevator pitch and using the 3 step process outlined in the article I posted yesterday here is what I came up with:

1. Position Your Firm
• HR Departments and individuals use our services to mentor leaders, resulting in an average 10 percent increase in productivity.
2. Differentiate Your Firm
• We have a unique methodology based on real-world business experience.
3. Ask for a Meeting
• If we really could do [insert something of value to the customer here], what would your thoughts be on having an initial conversation with us to hear more?"
• OR
• "I would love to have a conversation with you about [insert something of value to the customer here]. What's the best way to get on your calendar?

I am anxious to try this approach out and see if I will be successful at starting to attract some talent.  Perhaps I am getting a little ahead of myself, I guess I need to figure out my website and engagement approach first.

I did some research today on the credentialing process for coaches.  It appears that this is still a relatively young profession so many things are still being developed.  However I did come across two providers that meet the requirements set forth by the ICF.  They are InviteChange and CTI.  I have scheduled an introduction call for later this week and will write about what I learned and my decision after that.

I found a web design tool that doesn't require an in depth knowledge of HTML or other web technologies.  It is called RapidWeaver.  I purchased it yesterday as well as some widgets to use on my website.  I also worked on some low fidelity wireframes (read as pen and paper) to incubate my ideas.  I feel like I have reached flow, for once in my career and now I know what it means when people say they are passionate about what they do.

In reviewing my mind map today I have completed most of the acquisitions/research that I needed to perform as part of the setup process.  I still have lots of others things to do to get the business setup.  For instance today I went to the bank and opened up a business account for my company.  My sister recommended this so it would be easy to separate business expenses and there would never be any question.

There is one thing left on my list to purchase and that is a bigger monitor.  My small screen is not fitting the bill, especially when I have multiple windows open.  So I decided to splurge on an apple LED Cinema Display (27"), which is a thing of beauty.  Even new business owners need their toys.

In the attempt to get my name out I registered with the GSBA today.  It cost $290 for a one year membership and I get to have my name in the directory.  I thought this was a relatively low cost for some advertising.

In looking back I have accomplished quite a bit in my first week as an entrepreneur.

Day 4: Assured Leadership is Born

I talked with friends and family to gather their insight and opinion for my business name.  Some liked one, others another, but in the end more people than not liked Assured Leadership.  And so Assured Leadership is born.  I quickly snatched up the domain name for Assured Leadership.com, .net, and .biz just as I had planned.

I started writing copy for my website and quickly found that while I could convey the information I was looking for I was in terrible need of an editor.  I looked online and found some local editors but they were all outside of my budget.  I was talking to my best friend Ken and he mentioned that his wife did editing on the side and would be happy to help me out.  I called Krista immediately and we came to an agreement of $30/hour for editing.  I figured I could use her not only for the website copy but also the monthly ezine, and other client facing materials.   Ooh I feel so grown up with an editor on staff.

My mind is swirling with creative ideas for building my website.  Just one problem I don't know any of the fancy languages to create a compelling and engaging website.  I know I cannot afford a web designer so I did some research on the web and found a great development tool called RapidWeaver and some pre-built templates that I could use to build my site.  This will be a fun endeavor for me and will allow me to exercise my creativity.

It is amazing how many people I have in my circle of friends that are able to assist me with my business.  Come to find out my personal trainer is also a graphic designer.  So I have decided to partner with him and for $300 he agreed to create my company logo.  We plan to meet tomorrow to go over the details and then I will let him work his magic and come up with some options.

In reviewing my draft with David he identified some critical activities I had not thought of, for instance I need to craft my elevator pitch.  So I did some research on the internet and came across this article from Inc. magazine, A Better Elevator Pitch, that helped define what an elevator pitch should be. It was very helpful and something I plan to spend some time thinking about.  I need to have this ready for when I meet people and tell them about my business.  The other thing he pointed out is that I don't exhibit the enthusiasm I am feeling inside when talking with others.  I think part of this is apprehension or simply feeling that I am not ready for prime time.  He is right, I need to get out there and treat every interaction as a possible chance to find a new client.

I also went and visited the SBA for Seattle which is called SCORE.  I met with a gentleman that has marketing experience to help get my efforts off the ground.  I took my draft marketing plan, attached below, to review with him.  After all I am not a marketer so I am really in new territory here.  I gained some valuable insight into where I should focus my efforts and how to get the biggest bang for the buck.  His feedback was brutally honest and that is just what I needed.  So I will need to go back to the drawing board and refine my efforts.  I was trying for a shotgun approach when what I needed was a more focused niche.  He said that if I didn't do this my focus would be too broad to be meaningful.  I have attached the first draft of my marketing plan.

Marketing Plan

Day 3: Marketing

I took some time this weekend to think about where my initial focus should lay and it was clear to me that it is marketing.  I will not be able to generate revenue without customers, and I won't have any customers unless they know about me.  I searched the web and was able to find a Marketing Plan template that was simple and straightforward.  It helped me to codify my mission statement, short/long term marketing goals, as well as a SWOT analysis.  I have found this sort of thinking is invaluable to focusing my efforts.

As part of my initial marketing efforts I have decided to perform the following in hopes of getting my name out there.

• Develop a website and promote using SEO
• Advertise using Google Adwords
• Attend local networking events
• Purchase a list for telemarketing
• Monthly ezine

I think this will form the foundation of my marketing efforts in the beginning.  I have to be careful where I spend my marketing dollars and ensure that I get the a strong ROI.

I took my brand attributes, images, and metaphors to come up with some potential company names.  I came up with several that sounded promising:

• Insightful Leadership
• Assured Leadership
• Executive Leadership
• Purposeful Leadership

With my list in hand I set off to determine if there were other companies with similar names and the domain names were available.  In my research the most desirable domain is .com, followed by .net, and finally .biz.  I checked all of three of them with the intent of purchasing all three to limit any confusion and prevent other companies from using a similar name.  I know it may sound hokey, but I always like to run ideas, big purchases, etc by my family in hopes of gleaning wisdom from them and prevent me from making big mistakes.  I will see what they think about the names I have come up with and if they might have any other suggestions.

So I thought about it over the weekend, discussed it with David, and decided to pull the trigger on my office space.  The building I chose in downtown Seattle is a very prestigious address and I was able to negotiate a 1 year lease for $325/month.  That was a little above my budget of $300, however in the grand scheme of things that $25 dollars a month was worth the increased productivity.  I move in on March 1 and I can hardly wait!

If you will pardon me to dream a bit I am so excited about this business opportunity and looking into the future I see great possibilities.  I want to write a book, I want to create a podcast, I want to become a speaker.  The only thing I don't want is employees.  You see the things that attracted me to going into business for myself was the following:  1) Autonomy, 2) Ability to influence others for good, 3) Exercise Creativity, and 4) Challenging.  This is one of the only jobs I know of, for me, that will provide me with all four of these criteria.  That is what gets me so excited to embark on this journey.

Day 2: Developing Focus

I am enjoying the opportunity to brainstorm about my own business.  I thought this would be a once and done activity, boy was I naive.  I was able to capture a lot of ideas in the attached mind map and it was apparent that I need to do a lot of research.  I have decided that I will break each of the major activities up and focus in on one or two.

I have found that working from home is a little to distracting and so I have decided to rent some space in downtown Seattle.  I called a couple of places and went to visit a Regus facility on fifth avenue.  The space was nice and they offer many amenities for the small business (which technically I am not sure if mine actually qualifies as a small business).  I will take a day to think about it and discuss it with David before taking the plunge.

Here is my first cut at the activities and things I need to be doing.  Since I am financing this on my own I will need to be careful and not overspend while I am getting things off the ground.  This exercise was helpful in gathering my thoughts together in one place.  It helped me think about marketing, branding, research, and other activities that will be necessary for me to launch this business.  I will continue to post updates as I make them.

Business MindMap

I also find it helpful to brainstorm on my whiteboard.  So I took some time to think of what I might want to name my company, what my brand will be, and some images that reflect my mission.  Here is what resulted from that session.

The first cut at my mission statement is "To prepare tomorrow's leaders to be effective, build relationships of mutual respect, and communicate the organizations shared purpose to create an engaged workforce."

Day 1: Organized Chaos

I feel ten pounds lighter today as I strike out on my own.  No longer the rush to answer an inbox of overflowing requests, non-stop conference calls, and insatiable requests from clients.  I have settled in comfortably to my new office at the local Starbucks.  I am shocked to find out how much business is actually transacted here.

So I have joined the throngs and while sipping my morning coffee the swirling chaos that is my mind is trying to put things in order.  Right now my goal is simply to settle in on where I should begin.  My sense is there is not a set point but a number of points where I need to begin.  I have decided to treat this like any other project I have managed with high levels of complexity and start mapping out my tasks and capturing all my ideas.

What you may not know about me is that I love "systems" or "processes" or "approaches".  So you can imagine that a simple pen and paper won't do the trick for me to capture all my ideas.  Instead I have decided to use my favorite mind mapping tool - MindJet.  Based on my experience with starting up new projects I know I need to focus on some of the following:

• Goal or Objective
• Mission Statement
• Risks
• High Level Milestones
• Project Plan

The other foundational step I took today was research how to obtain a business license.  It is pretty straightforward and after consulting with my sister who is an accounting/tax wizard settled on creating an LLC.  So once I capture the name for my company I will be able to set things up so that I am a legitimate company.  I also need to consider a web presence to get the word out, develop a marketing plan, and potentially even look for some office space.  The latter being important since I cannot seem to concentrate while I am at home, I end of doing busywork (e.g. laundry, clean the kitchen, etc).  The important thing for my endeavor is to be extremely focused.  I also need to look into certifications and credentialing required to leadership development.  

I can tell that it will be important to tame this beast, that is my new idea, quickly.  Otherwise I keep finding myself dipping my toe back into the chaos ending up with more questions than I have answers.  The important thing is to capture all these ideas and questions and start formulating a plan to get them answered.  I will post the resulting mind map tomorrow for all to see.

Up to this point...

How did I arrive at this place?  I guess you would have to go back to 1996 when I embarked on my professional career.  As an eager graduate I was ready to change the world and brought all my energy to my first job as a consultant.  My job was exciting, I got to travel, eat in the best restaurants, and live on an expense account - what isn't to love.

I jumped in with both feet and achieved success early on.  Then little by little my exuberance was stifled as I was assimilated into the corporate world of performance reviews, company goals, personal sacrifice, and PowerPoint.  I even adopted a new language where I spoke in bullet points and used phrases like "Let's reconnect...".  Then the tech bubble burst and I somehow managed to hold onto my job.  After 15 years I was successfully transformed into the perfect corporate citizen: working evenings and weekends, giving up vacations to ensure successful project launches, and eliminating all distractions to climb the corporate ladder.

Don't get me wrong, I was compensated handsomely for my focus and I fell comfortably into the lifestyle my new found wealth could provide.  I drove a  BMW, "invested" in clothing, and purchased a home.  I had it all...or so I thought.

Fast forward to 2012, I increasingly grew tired of the corporate treadmill and decided to take a dramatic step.  The time had come to set aside my empty existence filled with excess and focus on something meaningful, something I was truly passionate about, something where I could exercise  creativity, and influence on others.

So I quit my job and decided to take a different path that is more in line with my long-term goals.  Some might call this as a mid-life crisis, I see it differently.  I see it as an opportunity to reclaim myself and pursue my dream of owning an Executive Leadership company.  Immediately after making this decision I realized I had more questions than answers, like:

• What kind of company should I establish?
• How do I setup a new company?
• What kind of training/certification do I need?
• Do I want to have employees?
• How will I attract new clients?
• How do I finance my venture?
• And the list goes on...

Don't think for a second that I am not scared to death to embark on this journey, after all there is a chance I could fail!  In the end I determined I would rather fail than wonder what would have been.  This blog is meant to chronicle my successes and failures over the next year as I realize my dream.  My hope is this will inspire others to gather the courage to take what they want and design their destiny.  

And we are off....