TGHarris Consulting

As the economy and job market fluctuate, many companies have embraced a leaner approach to business, laying off or dismissing thousands of employees.  Or, maybe you find yourself on the wrong end of a divorce, inventorying your resources and coming up short.  Whatever the cause, this juncture is where many people make the decision to go from employee to small business owner.  For the purpose of this narrative, we’ll call these people “impulse owners.”

The problem with small business is that for most small business owners, the creation of their business enterprise was more of an afterthought than intelligent design.  They are unhappy with their current salary/finances/situation, and use these feelings as justification for leaping head first into business ownership.  Although they might have the talent/ability to successfully manage a business, these impulse owners have not done the research necessary to give the venture a fighting chance.

Many employees confuse expertise in their field for sound business know-how.  However, if we compare the ideal business owner to the impulse owner, the differences between the two become glaringly obvious.  For example, the ideal owner has a plan for his business.  Not an official, SBA-approved business plan perhaps, but an idea of his goals for the enterprise.  He has a good concept of his business model, knows what type of capital he needs, and has some form of marketing strategy.  Now, compare this to the impulse owner.  He created his business because he needed a source of income and he has not allotted much time to research or conceptualize the fundamentals of his business.  He has no awareness of his market, has no idea which type of business entity to create, and no real understanding of what he wants to do with his business.  In short, he has all the ingredients for failure.  The fact that most owners don’t grasp is that they are not failing because of a poor business concept necessarily, but because of poor execution.

In order to create a successful small business, an owner needs to understand their plans for the business’ future.  Think of making a cross-country road trip without a map—if you drive long enough, you’ll end up somewhere, but it might not be where you had intended (or desired!).  Unfortunately, this is how many small business owners start.  However, what many fail to realize is that you don’t have to attempt this undertaking alone–there are numerous resources at your disposal.

Business coaches/consultants are one example.  A business coach provides 1-on-1 interaction in order to identify the weakest points of your business.  They’ll discuss your plans for the business and what you’re looking to get out of ownership.  Is this a passion or merely a source of income?  How much time and effort are you looking to invest in its operation?  Once you have identified your goals, a business coach can devise an action plan for shoring up those weaknesses that are most detrimental to your business.  Most importantly, a coach can hold you accountable!  By establishing priorities and specific goals, you can take drastic steps to improve the quality of your business.  Business coaches provide very direct, specific coaching and can usually be retained on both a project and monthly basis.

Another resource lies with the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE).  SCORE is a volunteer organization that has access to literally thousands of former business owners and corporate executives.  While the advice/mentorship they provide is significantly more generic than what a business coach/consultant can provide, their assistance can still have a positive effect on your business.  They can help you answer questions concerning a variety of topics, like how to file taxes, how to secure financing, and how to plan out the stages of your business.  Although they will not actually walk you through how to implement their suggestions, they are a good resource nonetheless.

Finally, there are also numerous articles pertaining to the creation and operation of a small business.  Many of these articles can be found on SCORE’s website and on the Small Business Administration’s website (www.sba.gov).  There is a wealth of knowledge contained within these libraries, and even if you decide to employ a coach or mentor, every small business owner should take a glance.  Although this method is time-consuming and would best be served as a supplement to a coaching agreement, the information contained in these online libraries is invaluable.

While most small business owners might have started out with very little actual knowledge about how to run a business, there’s no reason to remain uninformed.  There is a wealth of resources available that can help transform a struggling enterprise into a successful venture.  But please, don’t wait until the situation has turned desperate or impossible before you begin looking for help.  Remember, just because you’re new to business, doesn’t mean you have to go it alone.

Article written by James Sly, Business Coach TG Harris Consulting. A full service coaching and consulting firm. For more information regarding products and services visit www.tgharris.com or call 619-272-9337.

Why should you experience coaching?

There are many reasons, but the number one reason is CHANGE! How long are you going to continue to do the same old thing and get the same old results? How long are you going to wait for success?

Coaching is about action and action= CHANGE! Change is about achieving results and results = SUCCESS!

Action: the accomplishment of a thing usually over a period of time,in stages, or with the possibility of repetition. Taking action to make changes will impact your life substantially. Taking action to make changes will put you in control. Taking action to make changes will put you on the road to success.

Results: to proceed or arise as a consequence, effect, or conclusion. Creating results will make the changes to impact your life substantially. Creating results will allow you to be in control. Creating results will put you on the road to success.

Call For Your Free Consultation

619-272-9337

Can’t See Outside Your Box?

Are you living in your own box (the world according to your own reality and perception)? Do you need help stepping outside that box which has taken you a lifetime to build?

We all enlist help from others when we need their expertise. You go to the doctor when you’re feeling ill, you hire a mechanic when your car needs repair, you hire a computer repair specialist when your computer isn’t computing correctly, and you hire an accountant when your taxes are due. Even professional athletes use a coach to help them see outside their box. A coach offers them knowledge from experience, guidance when something isn’t working for them on the field, and solutions to tough plays on game day.

Isn’t it time you discover what a coach can do for you? A coach outside your box looking in and can help you without bias and with fresh perspective.

Coaching will give you:

• Clarity of direction.
• Redefinition of your goals.
• Step-by-step action plans for success.
• Confidence to overcome personal obstacles.
• Accountability.
• Greater confidence in yourself.

Call Today To Change Your Life

619-272-9337

I’ll Be Waiting For You On The Other Side Of Success!

Sequencing Mothers
Regaining Your Career After Staying Home To Manage The Family
Written By: Terry Harris

Sequencing:The fluid work pattern which occurs over a number of years and at various stages of motherhood in which mothers move in and out of paid employment and/or opt for a variety of flexible work arrangements in order to successfully balance their work and family responsibilities.

Regaining your professional career after staying home to raise a family presents an often frustrating challenge for the stay at home mom. The truth is that the longer you are out of the workforce, the harder it is to sell yourself and your abilities in such a way that you can actually get an interview, much less a job.

The Good news is that according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of April 2007, 60% of married mothers with pre-school aged children are now back in the workforce.

Repeated labor shortages and periods of high unemployment work in favor of moms returning to the workforce. For the past several years many companies have been starting up programs geared towards the sequencing mother.

But Where do you begin to search for available jobs? How do you regain the self confidence to get your professional life back on track, and most importantly, get offered a job when you have been out of circulation for so long?

Networking is an important step in the sequencing mothers list of preparations for regaining her career. Seventy-eight percent of employers use employee referrals as their primary method of recruitment. Once you have made the decision to return to work you should start discussing your decision with anyone who will listen. You never know who may have a lead, or may have heard of an available position through the grapevine. Get in touch with old work buddies or coworkers and do lunch. If you belong to some sort of Mommy & Me group begin discussions with other mothers about their plans to return to the workforce, or start a blog on the Mommy & Me website where you can share information, personal stories, and tips about the job market. Join clubs and attend alumni events. Many of these organizations have online newsletters, communities, and job boards. Another really great source of information is job fairs and expos. Even if you don’t walk away with the job leads you were hoping for, job fairs and expos will give you the opportunity to ask questions and to get a feel for what companies are looking for these days. Use job fairs and expos as an opportunity to work on your interviewing skills by engaging in conversation with the people working the booths.

The most important thing you can do for yourself when trying to get back into the workforce is to make your intentions known. So get out there and get the process started!

Creating a winning resume and cover letter is also of major importance for the sequencing mother. It is here that you will get the opportunity to explain the gaps in your resume and sell your future employer on all the great skills you have mastered while staying home to manage your household.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the preparation involved in regaining your career, you may want to consider hiring an interview coach or consultant. An interview coach will help you to discover your hidden skills and create a job objective, write a creative cover letter and resume to get you noticed, and prepare you for the interviewer‘s difficult questions. Nothing builds confidence better than preparation, and nothing can prepare you for the interview process better than someone who has spent years mastering the art of interviewing. For more information on interview coaching go to http://www.TGHarris.com.

The biggest hurdle for mothers re-entering the work force, or sequencing moms, is their uneasiness about having been out of the professional world for so long. It’s really just a matter of changing your perspective and giving yourself a mental makeover about all of your wonderful qualities and all you have to offer your employer.

If you have a clear vision of who you are, what you are looking for in a job, and what your skills and strong traits are, then you will be prepared for the interviewer’s questions. Especially the ones directed towards sequencing mothers.