Transformational
Career and Business Coaching

To start up a business there are four basic building blocks that need to be in place.

Dream/Vision: this is the starting point. Why you are creating your business? What is it you want to accomplish, change, or create through your business? How can you enroll others to help you?

Mission Statement: this is a brief, to the point statement that represents your intention for clients, employees, and the world.  It can address your ethics, values, products/services, target market, and expectations. It should be succinct and easily understood.

Values: your values need to be communicated in all aspects of your business culture and should connect your vision with your customer service.

Market niche: understanding who your ideal client is will help you design your business plan and your marketing strategy to communicate with those who need and want your product/services. You should be able to clearly answer the question “how can your business help me?”

With these four building blocks in place you can move on to creating a business plan and an operational strategy to make your dream a reality.

Do you have a business continuity plan in case the unforeseen happens, such as a fire, flood, or earthquake?  We know it is not wise to underinsure our business property,  but how many business owners have a plan for ensuring business can continue after the insurance takes care of the initial damage?

Below are key points from FEMA’s Emergency Management Guide for Business and Industry.

“A comprehensive business continuity plan includes:

• A pre-identified relocation site
• The means to retrieve data, including employee, customer and vendor records
• A strategy for contacting people, such as a call down tree
• A method for operating effectively with a small staff of key individuals.”

( pg 68, March 2011/Comstock’s magazine)

The time to plan for the worst is when business is operating per usual. For more information you can go to the FEMA publication library at go.usa.gov, preparemybusiness.org, and ready.gov/business.

All of us, as business owners  and citizens, have the responsibility to do everything we can to plan ahead to minimize losses, down time and the need for large scale emergency responses from government agencies. A business continuity plan is a great first step.

I recently started using a resource book with my clients,  Hurdle, The Book on Business Planning, by Tim Berry,  which I highly recommend.  In chapter 5 , “Growing your Business,” Berry talks about  analyzing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.  He lists major points to help analyze the gap between current  business operations and where you would like them to be:

• Strategy review: at last once a year, get key people in the organization together and develop bullet points for future strategy. Keep the discussion open.
• Take responsibility: as owner/manager, work on a system that blends your responsibility with the participation of your team.
• Share: Once you are comfortable with the strategy developed by your key people, share it with managers.
• Team Strategy: give the entire team time to put the strategy into a framework of action that is measurable.
• Last word: as the owner/manager, take the contributions of the team and make a final decision about implementation.
• Review: plan regular review meetings to talk about plan vs results; decide on next steps.

What are you doing within your business to help your team develop commitment and accountability to ensure operational success?

Cognitive restructuring is a process of exploring and understanding your current thoughts and beliefs about yourself, the world, and other people so that you can then make new choices that are more empowering.

To get started, get out a piece of paper, or your journal, and answer these questions:

1. What are my priorities in life?
2. How do I define myself?
3. What emotions consistently show up in my life?
4. How do I talk to myself and to others?
5. What beliefs was I taught about myself and others?
6. How true are these beliefs for who I am today?
7. What choices do I make, personally and professionally, based on these beliefs?
8. What changes do I want to make in my life to create new beliefs that are more empowering?

May today be your day to release the old beliefs that are not serving you, and create new beliefs to support and empower the true you!

When I am coaching clients on career transition a common concern is how to be successful in an interview.

The 3 P’s for successful interviewing are:

Plan
Prepare
Present

PLAN: Open up your calendar and plan ahead so if you get an email or call for an interview you have no conflicts. Throughout each day consistently check emails and phone messages, and respond as soon as possible (within 2-4 hours). You want to be available so keep your days uncluttered.

PREPARE: Prepare a very specific resume that describes your accomplishments, successes, and a timeline.  The resume should be clear, concise, and easy to read so a prospective employer can find  information easily. Customize your resume to meet the requirements of the position you are interviewing for. Being prepared also means doing research so you know the company’s  industry, competitors, successes, and  challenges.

PRESENT: Dress to impress: wear clothes that are appropriate for the position, but are comfortable (a tie too tight, or a skirt too short will simply distract you). Smile—a smile tells everyone you are glad to be there and that you look forward to the interview. Make eye contact and offer a firm handshake. Listen intently, and speak clearly. Ask questions so you present yourself as confident, interested, and excited about becoming a part of the organization. Finally, have ideas ready about how you could contribute to their business. Don’t be afraid to tell them why you are the best choice for the job.