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.