9/27/07 
Dr. Robert Chope 
Meet Bob... 
Bob'sTopic Blog 
Exercise: Why Start a Business? 
Testimonials 

10/25/07 
Donna Christner-Lile 
Meet Donna... 
Donna's Topic Blog 
Exercise: How To Recover Your Old Dreams 

12/6/08 
Richard Knowdell 
Meet Dick... 
Dick's Website 
Exercise: Entrepreneurial Skills Assessment 

Imagine sitting in your home garden, with a cell phone in one hand and a lemonade in the other or meeting with clients a an outdoor cafe....

02/01/2008
By Sue Aiken

Portions of this article originally appeared in NCDA's web magazine, Career Convergence. Copyright National Career Development Association, (February, 2008). Reprinted with permission. Readers are invited to enjoy Career Convergence by visiting the NCDA website to read articles, search the archives, sign up for a free subscription, and even submit an article! NCDA link to article.

Sue Aiken, MA, NCC, MCC lives in an intentional community, Oak Creek Commons Co-housing on the California Central Coast, where consensus building is the process used to make decisions.  Since 1982, Sue has had a private practice in the San Francisco bay area as part of her professional portfolio working primarily with lawyers in transition.  Other client groups include re-entry women, health professionals and those seeking meaning in their work.  After serving for 13 years as chair of the Career Development Program at John F. Kennedy University, Sue is now a career coach with Career Development Alliance providing distance coaching services via email and telephone.  Armed with materials, laptop and cell phone, she can be in touch with clients anywhere.

 

Sue is the Associate Editor for the Independent Section of Career Convergence, a member of the Public Relations committee of NCDA and chair of the board of the California Registry for Professional Career Counselors. 

Eugene Muscat, Ed.D., has served in a variety of positions at the University of San Francisco’s McClaren School of Business – Senior Associate Dean, External Affairs; Founding Director of the Carl Gellert and Celia Berta Gellert Foundation Family Business Center; Lead Professor, Online Courses; Professor, Information Systems; and Faculty, Executive Program. He has also served as a Visiting Professor at the Estonia Business School. He earned an Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership, an MBA in Management, a Credential in Administration, and a B.S. in Business Administration.

Dr. Muscat’s professional honors and awards include the following:  Alpha Sigma Nu, Jesuit National Honor Society; Beta Gamma Sigma, National Business Honor Society; Student Teach of the Year, USF; Education Alumni Board Director, USF; Service Award, USF Alumni Association 1986; and Faculty Service Award, USF Business School; Technology Innovation Award, USF.

His significant publications include the following: “Impact of a Life-Changing Event on the Family Business,” Efendioglu, A. and Muscat, E. Western Decision Sciences Institute, San Diego, March 2008; “When Cultures Collide: How Family Business Interfaces with E-Business”, McCann, G. and Muscat, E., International Academy of E-Business, San Francisco, March 2008; “ The Role of Strategic Planning In the Connected Economy – A Small Business Call to Action”, Geller, D. and Muscat, E., International Academy of E-Business, San Francisco, March 2008; “Values Based Advising: An Applied Approach For Legal Counsel and Their Clients,” Caspersen, F., Milne, P. and Muscat, E. Attorneys for Family-Held Enterprises Annual Conference, Yountville, California, May 2006.

Contact him as follows:

Eugene J. Muscat, Ed.D. , Professor of Management

University of San Francisco

School of Business and Management

Room MH 235

2130 Fulton Street

San Francisco, CA 94117

Telephone       415-422-2514

More than any other career entrepreneur whom I have interviewed for this tele-interview series, I feel like Carolyn is one of us, a career counselor who has actually made it as a successful author and train-the-trainer in the career development field.  Years ago I met Carolyn at a career or counseling conference where she had her own booth and was marketing her new book, Follow Your True Colors, Discover Your Unique Gifts and Talents. (now one of the top 10 best-selling career books). The book was very colorful, as was Carolyn, with her friendly, outgoing personality.  At that time, I believe she was working as a community college counselor.

After I met her, it seemed like each year she was becoming more and more well known in the field, helping career practitioners use her book and facilitating the True Colors Certification Training to inspire others to use their unique gifts and talents and guide them in making career decisions. Carolyn expanded her contributions to the field by joining and becoming active in the National Employment Counseling Association (NECA). She eventually became president of that organization. She continued to grow her business, wrote several more books, and now runs her own certification training.  What a treat it is to have with us today Carolyn Kalil, a leading career and counselor educator, trainer, and author.

Please take a few minutes to complete Carolyn's free exercise prior to the tele-interview.

Participants will have an opportunity to ask questions during the interview. To help me gauge how much time to reserve for participant questions and to make sure your questions is addressed, please send question(s) before the tele-interview to sal @gelardin.net. 

I received an inquiry before the tele-interview about how to find Carolyn's and other speaker's exercises.  Each speaker created his or her own exercise.  Many of the exercises are available, along with the speakers' stories of building their own business,  in the NCDA monograph:  Starting and Growing a Business in the New Economy (2007).  I personally apply each of the speaker's exercises to growing my own business. In fact, I just completed Carolyn's exercise this morning.

Just a few more notes before we begin:

1. I am going to mute listeners for the first 20 minutes to a half hour.  If you have any questions for Carolyn, I shall then unmute listeners and you can ask your question.  Please make sure cell phones that you are not using are turned off and please don't pick up another phone or have outside conversations during this tele-interview.

2. AFter the interview, please remember to enter your evaluation on the CCA website: cacounseling.org. I take your comments seriously to continually improve this service. Once you enter your evaluation, you will see the link to download the CEU form.

Designed by Carolyn Kahil

Purpose of Exercise

To assist you in creating a business that is built on your expressing who you are, and doing what you do well and feel passionate about.

Learning Objectives

To clarify your personality preferences and unique talents

To write an intention statement that delineates your strengths on which you can base your business

Target Entrepreneur Population

It is best for those who are developing a new business, but it can also be helpful for entrepreneurs who want to re-evaluate their roles in their business.

Participants

This exercise is designed for you, the reader. You may want to share with others interested in becoming entrepreneurs.

Setting

Pick a favorite place that opens you up to your creativity. I can work in coffee shops in spite of the noise, but you may prefer someplace more peaceful such as the beach, a park, or the library.

Time Required

Proceed at whatever pace works for you. It depends on how aware you already are of your personality preferences and talents.

Materials

These are optional if you already have the information. Book: Follow Your True Colors To The Work You Love or MBTI or Keirsey Temperament Sorter.

Instructions

1. Make a list of five of your positive personality traits if you already know them. If not, you can take the True Colors Assessment and find a list of these traits based on your first color in Follow Your True Colors To The Work You Love.  You can find the same information from your MBTI or Keirsey Temperaments.

2. Next, make a list of five things that you do particularly well - your talents.

3. From your lists of personality traits and talents, which two traits and which two talents do you feel the most passionate about? In other words, which ones give you the greatest satisfaction or sense of excitement?

4. Who needs a service using your particular traits and talents - students, job seekers, career coaches, and others?

Write an intention statement that includes the four steps above. Example: I intend to use compassion and my desire to help people reach their potential to inspire and train professionals to better prepare job seekers in finding fulfilling and rewarding careers. Write your intention statement: I intend to use ( list 2 of your major personality traits) to ( list 2 of your special talents) (what audience for what purpose).

Focus your attention on your intention by reading your statement daily until you actualize it. This is exactly what Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, authors of Chicken Soup for the Soul did. Their book was turned down by all of the major New York publishers but they didn’t let that stop them. Two years before their book became a best seller I visited their office in Southern California and they had posted all over the walls – Chicken Soup for the Soul, #1 New York Times Bestseller. They believed in the idea so strongly that they wrote it down and focused their attention on what they wanted daily. Within two years they turned that book and many others into New York Times #1 Bestsellers. Like them, don’t allow any obstacles or challenges of any kind deter your efforts to be successful. Build your business on your strengths.

Discussion Questions

Are you open to introspection and discovering your true self?

What brings you satisfaction at a soul level?

How can you turn your strengths and passion into a service for others?

What are people looking for that you can provide in a unique way?

Is there a need for a partner and what strengths could they add that compliment yours?

Who would make good mentors?

Are you willing to stretch yourself and take some risks?

Assessment

Did you clearly state your personality traits and unique talents?

Did you write an intention statement that explains how you will use your personality strengths and talents to build your business?

 

Designed by Darrell Luzzo 

Purpose of Exercise 
To help you quickly assess your readiness to engage in entrepreneurial activities.

Learning Objective 
To evaluate the degree to which you are prepared to be an entrepreneur.

Target Population

K-12 students
Aspiring entrepreneurs 
CCA Tele-Interview Participants

Setting 
Home, school, or office 

Time Required 
Ten minutes 

Materials 
Paper and pencil (or a computer/word processor)

Instructions 
On a sheet of paper (or in a Word document), answer each of the following questions, which are directly aligned to the four pillars of entrepreneurial thinking: (1) If you were to create a creative, innovative solution to an existing need, what would you create? What “need” would you fill? (2) Who would comprise your potential customer base? To whom would you want to market or promote your new product (good or service)? (3) What is your level of confidence regarding the likelihood of succeeding in your entrepreneurial endeavor? Are you extremely confident that you would succeed in bringing your concept to market? Are you somewhat confident? (4) How would you market or promote your product? What strategies would you use to “get the word out?” 

Discussion and Analysis
The degree to which your responses indicate a readiness to engage in entrepreneurial activities depends on four factors: (1) FILL A NEED: Do you have a clear concept or idea for a new product (good or service)? Is there a clear “need” in the marketplace that exists that your product would fulfill? (2) KNOW YOUR PRODUCT AND CUSTOMER: Do you have a clear sense regarding those who would purchase your product? Are you convinced that there is a market for your product? (3) BELIEVE IN YOURSELF: Are you completely (or nearly completely) confident in your ability to be successful in your entrepreneurial endeavor? One’s “entrepreneurial self-efficacy” is a key indicator of success. (4) MARKET, MARKET, MARKET: Do you have a solid plan for marketing and promoting your product? How likely are your specific strategies for “getting the word out” to be successful in generating new business?

References 
Farrell, L. C. (2003). Getting entrepreneurial: Creating and growing your own business in the 21^st century. Lessons from the world’s great entrepreneurs. John Wiley & Sons: Hoboken, NJ.

 

Darrell A. Luzzo, Ph.D.

President

Strategic Partnerships, LLC

9800 Mount Pyramid Court, Suite 400

Englewood, CO  80112

voice: 303-256-6751

cell: 703-226-9451

fax: 303-256-6752

email: darrell.luzzo@SP2LC.com

web: www.SP2LC.com

 

Moving From "Intrepreneur" to Entrepreneur While Leading a National Organization
Many of us have moved from working for an organization (public or private) to working as a consultant.  Some of us have started and grown (or are in the process of starting and growing) our own businesses.  Interwoven with these career moves are continuing education - earning degrees and certificates,  volunteering our services in organizations, and maintaining a personal life - significant other, family, friends, community, hobbies. How does one fit these pieces together so they work in harmony?  Darrell Luzzo, current president of the National Career Development Association,  shares secrets about how he has fit the pieces of his life together:  his publications, his organizational contributions, his academic career, and his   "intrepreneurial" and entrepreneurial adventures. Discover how you can jump on his bandwagon!

by Anna Miller Tiedeman

Let’s start out with me saying a few set up paragraphs about my work that has as an outcome: A better functioning immune system. Lifecareer principles can be used in all aspects of life, even in the emergency room in a hospital. Then I can invoke Reason and Rowan’s new paradigm research principle which is to place people in a position to know the truth about their thought, not use them as an audience. In that way they will shape the presentation and connect the dots in their own psyche.

Entrepreneuring is a process, one that is invisible. It’s like the fox said to the little prince, “What is essential is invisible to the eye.”

An entrepreneur is someone who works 16 hours a day in order to not work 8 hours a day for someone else.

One of my clients in California earned a degree in Entrepreneuring from USC, had all the tools and answered most of the questions below, but it didn’t find the fit.

Important Questions:
1. Can I afford to do this?
2. What is my financial backup?
3. Do I live on a budget?
4. Do I know how much it will cost to open a practice?
5. Dl I know how much it costs to maintain a practice?
6. Do I have a referral base?
7. Am I good at marketing?
8. Why do I want to do this?
9. Have I thought about a market survey?
10. Have I thought about the economy and how it may impact my practice?
11. Do I want to do a business plan?
12. Do I have a stream of income unrelated to counseling?


You’ll notice that most of these questions have to do with cost because the first thing that starts to leave is your money. I’ve worked with too many counselors, massage therapists, yoga teachers and individuals in similar occupations who have difficulty meeting expenses. Many of them don’t have a clue about marketing. Even though some of marketing naturals, it still doesn’t work for them. They’re wonderful people with the good of society at heart, but this doesn’t pay the bills or even buy an occasional new outfit. My business background has been priceless vis-à-vis my bottom line. Counseling skills seem almost a footnote in this regard.

You’ll notice in my book, Learning, Practicing, and Living the New Careering, Money Management and Health occupy chapters. This is by design.

Expenses go on even though you don’t feel like working, which leads me to say, ideas are funny things, they don’t work unless you do.

Important Mindset: Lifecareer


Anna Miller-Tiedeman, Ph.D.
Life Is Career