Hello and Welcome to the August issue of the OkayNowWhat Newsletter!
August is typically the month when people experience a not too subtle change in their perspective. The weather (here in the United States) tends to be warmer and allows for more activities outdoors. However; this is also the time when there is the potential for very unsettled weather. Hurricane season begins, violent thunderstorms pop up, tornadoes are not uncommon, and the weather can often change very quickly from calm and pleasant to something far more menacing.
This is also the time when the following occurs:
1. Teachers and Educators begin planning for the new school year
2. Parents start their shopping for their kids for the new school year with the hopes that this school year will be a positive and productive one
3. Families squeeze out a last vacation to visit out of town relatives, spend some time on a beach, or set tents in nearby mountains or camping sites.
While this time is seen as being a time of relaxation, it is also a time of significant reflection and change. The weather is changing, the anticipation of a new school year leads to excitement (or dread), the loosening and tightening of Covid-19 restrictions and protocols determining the level of social interaction and engagement people are permitted to have, has led to many people (retired and working) to assess their own desires for their futures, and more.
While the summer is often a time of completing "To Do List" items, after the closets have ben cleaned, the fences painted, the garden weeded, etc., we are left with that one remaining "To Do" item - setting up our own business. That idea that has been bubbling up inside of us, percolating and then being temporarily delayed - only to spring to the forefront again and again. As soon as we allow ourselves to consider it, the thoughts come rushing in:
1. What do I know about starting a business?
2. This is so overwhelming I do not even know where to start
3. What if I am not able to be a success? People will think I am a failure
4. The costs to do it add up so quickly, how will I afford it?
The reality is that rather than getting stuck in the Dog Days of August and wallowing in self-doubt, you can work it out so that you have:
1. A business strategy and plan to follow
2. A marketing plan that attracts prospects to you
3. A sales plan that converts prospects into customers
4. A deeper understanding of the true financial measures needed to run a business successfully
5. MOST IMPORTANTLY - An entrepreneurial mindset for achievement and accomplishment.
I am ready to help you launch that business dream that is lurking within you and guide you through the fear, sense of overwhelm, doubts, and uncertainty. Together, we can map out your future success! I offer one-on-one personal coaching of varying lengths and online training that can you take at your own pace to learn and apply the lessons needed to begin the journey toward business ownership.
Facebook Group Invitation
Click on image to be taken to a short video explaining the Facebook Group. It is a private group that will allow us to work collaboratively to launch your business! Join colleagues, experts, and experienced business owners in this community who will share their successes, their challenges, their insights, and their ideas with each other.
The "Real" New Year's Day
Although we know that December 31st into January 1st is New Year's Eve and we recognize that as the start of the New Year, for most of us, it is truly the School Year and Labor Day (here in the United States) that is the division between years. Especially this year, with the Covid-19 impact on all of us, it has caused us to look inward and truly determine of this is the year we make changes that will impact our future trajectory. With that in mind:
Do you consider yourself lucky when you go to start your car and it won't start - because that means you won't have to go to work that day? Is the thought of working at your current job so de-motivating that you almost wish that you could get stuck somewhere without passable roads and no internet service?
Perhaps you have looked around and noticed industry consolidation and wonder when your company may be next? Or, given the cost-cutting measures employed by so many companies, you have seen colleagues furloughed and laid-off and you fear that your turn may be next.
Or maybe you have grown so tired of not being appreciated by your boss that you are counting the days until you can retire and be rid of this job, the boss, and the stress of working in a joyless and soul-stealing environment.
You have experience, expertise, and a desire for doing something with meaning - if you could just get the confidence and the right mentor to help you do things your way - the right way!
Now is the time for you to think about your own independence and start working toward upgrading your "side hustle" or even launching your own business. Your skills and knowledge can be applied to YOUR business and not simply be employed to build someone else's business. You have what it takes to do it on your own!
With that in mind, isn't it time that you also look inward and appreciate your own skills, contributions, abilities and readiness to take the next steps in your own life by finally giving yourself permission to pursue starting your own business? Haven't you pondered it, thought to yourself - "someday, I will..." long enough?
If you are already feeling a sense of dread or overwhelm at what you see as the enormity of the task, rest assured that we can make progress together by treating this like we are going bowling - we will "set them up and knock them down!"
1. We will determine what you are passionate about and what you love to do in your professional life.
2. We will explore what you are good at doing (which may or may not align with what you are passionate about, which is OK. We will work to help them coexist)
3. We will ensure there is a market for your product or service ideas and learn how to best identify, target, and reach them.
4. We will confirm that there is a sufficient recognition of the value you provide so that you are fairly compensated.
5. And many more steps along the way of your journey.
ONW (OKAYNOWWHAT) INSIGHTS
After over 30 years working in corporate training, sales enablement, management and having worn the hats of; corporate employee, entrepreneur, author, academic, keynote speaker, and youth sports coach and mentor, I am now adding to my roster of jobs - business coach. While I still maintain the original businesses (www.zahnconsulting.com and www.workshop360.biz), I am now adding www.okaynowwhat.biz. It is through this new offering that I will assist new entrepreneurs, those considering becoming entrepreneurs, and business professionals who want to rekindle the spark they once had for the work they do - but have lost their passion over time.
I want to be of service - it is through that effort that the greatest rewards can be found and shared with others. Having seen and experienced much in my career from many different sides of business relationships, I want to share it with others and provide the learning to help others accomplish their goals.
Together, we CAN achieve great things. Working collaboratively and meeting each challenge as it arises and overcoming it until we feel completely confident in your ability to do so without guidance. Working with your own private cheering section to lift you up when you stumble and provide you with guardrails and a metaphorical safety harness when trying new things to expand your reach and capability.
If you are ready, so am I! We can do this!
If you are certain you are ready to embark on your own business launch, you can schedule a no obligation "Chat and Chew With You" conversation to explore whether my business coaching is right for you, click here
COOL RESOURCE
If you are looking for a wonderful way of determining where to focus your entrepreneurial efforts, but are just stuck in overwhelm and uncertain of where to begin, I would suggest you look at the following site which allows you to explore what questions or searches people have done online. This allows you to see what business opportunities you may be able to meet through your own experiences and expertise. https://www.usetopic.com/people-also-ask Try it. You will find a treasure trove of opportunity!
UPCOMING EVENTS
With the summer months now coming to a close and people scheduling their "last of the summer" vacations or spending some leisure time away from the home they have been in for over a year and a half in many instances, we are planning a series of scheduled events for the third and fourth quarter. Keep checking online at the Facebook Group or reading our future newsletters for news on future events. In the meantime, feel free to connect with me on any of the links below.
CONNECT WITH ME
NEW EMAIL ADDRESS: davidzahn@okaynowwhat.biz (many of you were having trouble sending messages to me at the old email address. SPAM Filters were causing bouncebacks. We have switched hosting companies and changed the email address)
Facebook Group: Business Launch: From Fear To Fabulous
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-zahn-30270a4/
Blog: https://blog.ctnews.com/zahn/author/zahn/
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