Today is the day I have decided to share with you all the grand plans I have for myself professionally for two glaring reasons. First, I think it will be helpful for those of you who have similar ambitions and are curious as to the process and methods by which I am going about reaching this overarching, awesome and universal goal.  And, secondly, because I need your support, humor and overall feedback on how I am doing and what you think I should do differently, etc. If it takes me 30 years to reach this goal, so be it, but in the mean time, let’s begin….

Drum roll please, I feel deep in the core of who I am that I will eventually end up with my own television show.  Yes, that’s right, and I am talking, move to Los Angeles, syndicated, cable type of show.  This is just something that seems like a logical evolution for myself given my drive, the messages I want to share with the world and frankly the type of lifetime goal that I feel up to taking on.  Now, when I share this LOFTY goal, people either go silent or smile, rather glibly, I might add. I can see their mind working, they are thinking to themselves, “Oh, good Lord, listen to the ego on this one??” or the ones I choose to embrace as friends are those who say things like, “I’d watch ya” or “You rock on with your bad self Katie”, or my FAVORITE is my own father, whose best response to all of this is, “Katie, you have never been short on dreams”.

I figure, the best I can do is shooting to make this dream a reality and in the short-term have fun and continue to expand my business and who knows where I”ll actually land. However, for those of you who are curious as to how one goes from where I currently stand in the world, both professionally and personally, to joining the ranks of Ellen DeGeneres, Rachael Ray, Anderson Cooper of the Goddess of all that is, Oprah, this is what I am beginning to work on based on the amazing professionals I have consulted with in the last few days:

1) Developing my online presence by branding myself as a media personality via my personal Facebook Page and Twitter account and dedicating my Legacy Builder Coaching website, FB Page and Twitter Account to just my corporate work. Basically, beginning to distinguish myself between these two identities. (Thanks to Maggie Palmer of MKP Creative & Jill Daniel of Pasta Queen Public Relations for that advice)

2) Begin to blog on a weekly basis (here I am!)

3) Hire a Writing Coach (@BrookeWarner in San Francisco) to hold me accountable to completing an e-book by years end to begin to establish my platform.

Okay, that’s it for now….let me know what you think this sounds, etc. I need your help!

Determine Your Ideal Profession & Life-style

Do Your Homework Once you have identified one or even a few desired professions-collect as much information as you can about them through online research, recently published books and journals, and most importantly informational interviews with people who are currently in that industry.  Many people are aware that LinkedIn is a free online resource where you can search within your greater network of your friends or colleagues for their acquaintances who are working in your industry of interest.  Ask your colleague or friend for an introduction and then request a brief 20 minute telephone call or a meeting over coffee.  These people can be your best ‘real world’ resources for what employers will be looking for when you are ready to make a move. It is critical to understand whether the industry is growing, what they are looking for as far as talent, and whether you will need to acquire a specialized type of education or certification or job experience to be considered for the profession.    

Formulate Your Strategy Once you have a solid idea of what type of skills, experience and/or training you will need to make your career transition, I then work with clients on sketching out a strategic action plan.  Some of these beginning actions might include: opening up lines of communication with previous bosses so that they are ready and willing to act as solid references, updating your resume and any online profiles, and evaluating whether you are prepared for relocation and/or having to take a pay cut to enter into your preferred industry at a lower level than where you currently stand at your company.  One of my clients’ Eric wanted to transition from working in the financial services market into a medical device sales position.  He had learned from the informational interviews that sales companies were going to want to see concrete examples of his desire to win, self-direction and proven public speaking skills.  So, Eric sought out opportunities at his current workplace such as presenting at large staff meetings, proposing a new initiative to improve client confidentiality concerns, and  dedicated himself to improving the ‘areas for development’ that were raised in his last performance review.  Eric also learned more about what he needed to prove along the way of his interviewing process with a variety of different sales companies and eventually made his transition after almost a year’s time.  

Be Prepared to Sell Yourself The concept of selling oneself can be very anxiety producing and uncomfortable for many people.  One can best overcome these concerns by focusing their efforts on learning as much as they can about what it takes to be successful in their targeted profession.  Having this ‘curious focus’ takes the pressure off of the individual to always be talking about themself and allows them to approach potential leads and eventual employers with a clear understanding of how they will be an asset to that particular industry and that specific company.  For example, Dan had been working in the editorial world for 8 years and was eager to make a transition into work that was more personally meaningful.  He set his sights on sports marketing but was very apprehensive about how he would break into such a popular industry and how he would overcome his discomfort with the concept of networking.  He began by learning everything he could about the industry as a whole as well as what companies had offices in his hometown of Chicago and how they differed. Next, he found out about a specific networking group for marketing professionals, through an informational interview and eventually began attending their events. Over time, Dan built up contacts within the sports management field as well as the confidence that he would be able to convince an employer that he would be an asset to their particular company and composed a portfolio of his work that highlighted his selling points.   

Ramp up Your Life Outside of Work! It is equally important to be sure to balance out the other aspects of our lives: Personal Growth/Health, Relationships and Leisure, while we plot our professional transformation.  While your professional situation may not change as quickly as you would like it to, it doesn’t mean you can’t have a life! So, try to focus on what can be controlled in your life—and ramp up your personal life.  For example, push yourself to accomplish something you might not have ever imagined for yourself like: completing a triathlon, joining a music band or writing a short story.  Oftentimes, people end up opening doors to their desired path when they are not even looking.  An example is a woman named Patty who was determined to break into the wine import industry but had not had any success in setting up an informational interview or making a personal connection so to learn more about the field.  She followed my ‘homework’ and finally pursued a long postponed hobby—starting to practice yoga.  Within two weeks of joining a yoga studio, she discovered that the studio’s owner was a big time wine importer and generously invited Patty down to his business to shadow him for a day once his wife made the connection. You never know where your ‘breaks’ are going to come from!

• Crisply communicate not only what you are ultimately in business to accomplish but also why there is no one else like you who can deliver on your value proposition and why you are in a class of your own.
• Describe the future reality for your clients and partners that is a result of your work, so that they know what they are working towards with you and why they chose you.
• Be prepared to address apprehension and objections that may be a by-product of them choosing your ‘way’ versus business as usual as well as an explanation of your ROI.
• Remain open to necessary adjustments and tinkering that will allow you to better serve your customers.
• Walk Your Talk! Make sure you model the same behavior which you speak and write about.
• Keep in mind that varying audiences are going to warrant specific core messaging and value propositions.
• Ask yourself how you are inspiring change within your community.  You have to instill hope and faith that you  have the answers that the world needs. Get creative!
• Like it or hate it-you are selling your vision and purpose.  So, think about questions you have as a consumer as far as ‘satisfaction guaranteed’, commitment time frame, consumer reviews, etc.
• Remain open to and committed to learning about future trends within your industry and adapt accordingly.

What do I mean by this?  Well, as young people we all develop certain coping techniques and beliefs that enabled us to navigate our early relationship patterns.  It is that Darwinian response that allows us all to survive what for some may not have exactly been a “Leave it To Beaver” type reality, and adapt in a way that is not always totally reliant on adequate and positive responses from our caretakers.  As we evolve, and are fortunate enough to find lovers, friends, and a community where we have healthy and balanced relationships–sometimes our former coping mechanisms and negative core beliefs we interpreted about ourselves from our early world, can get in the way.

Now, the challenge as adults is to:

1) IDENTIFY your negative core beliefs and maladaptive coping mechanisms

2) PROCESS how and why they played a functional role for you as a young person

3) UNCOVER what the cost is to you as an adult when you continue to hold on to them

4) LEARN to let them go and to live your life with less conditions, more freedom and greater possibilities!

So–what’s holding you back today?

Freelancers /”Solo-preneurs”/Consultants are all up against an overall cutting back of spending and a trend of ‘doing it yourself’ rather than employing ‘us’ to support their businesses.

Grass roots manufacturers & designers are up against China and the scale of major chains and franchises’ band widths.

However, with the explosion of online social and professional communities providing free and limitless growth opportunities for our businesses, the need to succinctly and enticingly communicate who we are, what we offer and how we deliver our product has never been more important. This ultimate goal of branding ourselves as our core business offering is differentiation and specialization.

To stay ahead of these trends, you need to clearly and consistently communicate to your ideal target audience your very own why, who, what, how and where. Here’s what I mean:

Why?

What is your ultimate vision & mission for your business?

What do you intend your LEGACY to be?

Who?

Why are you the best person to do what you do?

What are your core values as they relate to your business identity?

What unique story is YOUR business telling?

What?

What are you doing to ensure that your business model is aligned to attain your vision?  Have you positioned yourself appropriately for growth?

*It is critical to design multiple streams of revenue so that you can work on optimizing various audiences at different times for different reasons and simultaneously cross-pollinate clients to additional products and services within your business model.

How?

How are you delivering your core value proposition, your unique business story and your product/service to your ideal target market?

Where?

Are you part of not only networking organizations but also national and international forums, organizations, conferences, social media, etc. where you are staying on top of the global, national and local trends of your specific industry? You goal is to develop expert status within your industry amongst these communities.

Are you clearly and consistently communicating the right message throughout everything you do?  Where/how do your clients spend their time (at work, home, leisure)—and how can you infiltrate/share your business offerings with them at various times throughout the day?

Are you developing strategic partnerships and gaining increased visibility as well as giving back to your own community through sponsorship of events/philanthropy?

Just Be Me. 99.9% of the time, someone is already offering the same product or service that we are now selling. What differentiates me from my competitors is my authentic signature brand.

It’s A Family Affair. The risks, costs and rewards that are incurred in my business venture involve my entire family so I have learned to involve them in any strategy and decision making processes.

Know When To Hold ‘Em, Know When To Fold ‘Em. Evaluate my revenue model regularly and be sure to constantly adapt so that I am spending my time and resources on my most profitable activities.

Adopt A Platform Building Mentality. Construction begins in 2010.

Take Time To Get Inspired. I uncover my greatest ideas and solutions when I am swimming or running, not when I am staring at my laptop and forcing the process.

To The Market We Go! Determine what forms of marketing I can and will do myself and hire someone to manage that which I don’t enjoy. Love it or hate it, either way, we all must embrace social media but be cautious not to lose ourselves in it.

Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained. #1 way to build my business is through public and private speaking opportunities. Get out of the office and behind the podiums as much as possible.

Prioritize Your Priorities. It sounds so obvious, but now that I am blessed to have a husband and a four month old baby-I am amazed at the challenge of focusing on what needs to get done and what would be  ‘nice’ to get done for my business,  for our family and for myself-each day.

Educate, Entertain, Inspire. By doing these three things for current and future clients, I am slowly but most definitely growing the business of my dreams.

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Many have admitted this same desire to me but fear that it may be pure fantasy as the journey appears to be hugely intimidating.  This is why I wanted to share with you invaluable information from Cindy Ratzlaff, Founder of Brand New Brand You.  Cindy was responsible for the marketing and publicity campaigns for more than 100 New York Times Best Selling Books. Specifically, she was responsible for the launch and publication of ‘The South Beach Diet’ which published 11 best-selling books in 36 countries and sold 22 million copies. Here is what she suggests:

1. Keep in mind these questions as they are the basis for a publisher’s ‘Profit & Loss’ forecasting:

• Is the book well written and is it unique?
• Is the content already covered in previous books?
• What do you, the author, bring to the table that is different?
• How big is your ‘sphere of influence’?/What is your platform strength?
• Do 100′s of 1000′s of people know your work? (ouch)
• Are you dynamic enough to sell this book through television, radio and print interviews or your own network?
• Will you deliver an audience to the publisher?
• Are you passionate enough? Do you have the personality and drive to ensure a best seller’s launch?

2. Best Seller List Formula= Distribution + Display (online & in stores) + Media + Marketing + Volume of sales within a one week period weighed against total Volume of sales of all (yes, all!) other books that same week.

3. Begin to create ‘Pre-Buzz Buzz’ a year before your book campaign by:

• Establishing yourself as an ‘expert’ within your field
• Connecting with ‘Key Influencers’ within your field/a.k.a  your ‘Fire Starters’
• Platform Building Activities: blog, establish high visibility across social media, talk radio, internet, tv, webinars, tele-seminars, newsletters, in other words: Be noisy!
• Building your Email List: they will be your social currency/your key evangelists

4. Identify a ‘Top 25 List’ of the places your ideal reader is likely to find you. Then, go to those places and get involved in the dialogue, ask to be a guest blogger, and engage the group’s leader as a strategic partner whom you can seek feedback on your ‘galleys’.

5. Coordinate your book launch for the publishers. Your goal in attaining best seller status is velocity of sales in a short period of time. The less work the publishers have to do the better.

6. Build a incentivizing campaign for your followers when they purchase your book in the first week of launch.

7. Maintain ‘Maximum Strategic Visibility’ across multiple media channels in order to create the impression that you are everywhere all the time.

And you thought writing the book was ‘our’ biggest hurdle? I will write more about self-publishing in the new year but for now, happy platform building!