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Everyone who got where he is had to begin where
he was. ~ Robert Louis Stevenson |
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Opportunity Knocks
Real Life Entrepreneurs Steal the Show:
Two New Reality Shows Depict Entrepreneurs Going After Their Dreams
By Valerie Young
One reason for the rise of an entire new
television genre known as “reality TV” is that the people in the shows are one
of us. There are no trained actors, no scripts. There are just regular people
rising and falling, triumphing and struggling, winning and losing. Two new
series – one on television and one online - follow the true life stories of
aspiring entrepreneurs.
In a recent piece on National Public Radio about
ABC’s new reality show American Inventor, the commentator posed the question
“Can it do for geeks what American Idol did for pop singers?” Given
that one of the shows’ producers is infamous American Idol judge Simon Cowell,
it just might.
The show seeks to search for the next great
invention with wide consumer appeal. Finalists are chosen by a panel of experts
who will narrow down the initial entries to a group of finalists. Finalists will
each get $50,000 to develop their product, refine it, and take it to the next
level.
The idea is to end up with one winner whose idea
will end up with the one million dollar prize and the chance to see their
invention become the next mass produced product like Cabbage Patch Kids®,
the George Foreman Grill®, Post-It® or Rubik's Cube®.
The show copies the American Idol formula of showing
the most bizarre contestants during the audition round, which of course helps
keep viewers entertained.
Some have complained
that the producers are rejecting some outstanding inventions for the sake of
comedy. While that is no doubt true, you can’t help but be inspired by the
creativity, the drive, and the heart of these determined inventors. The
show airs on Thursday nights at 9:00 p.m Eastern.
Whether you’re a fan of reality television or not,
if you want to ditch your job to do your own thing you may want to check out the
AOL Small Business site’s online reality series tracing real entrepreneurs
efforts to start their companies.
Without giving too much away…
Two of the entrepreneurs you’ll meet there are
43-year-old Dan Kastor and 54-year-old Gary Kostlan. Dan and Gary both
worked for the same multi-national company. In fact, for a while, Dan was Gary’s
boss. In the beginning both men enjoyed their jobs. But the constant travel
began to take a toll on their family lives.
One day the two former co-workers ran into each
other at, where else, the airport. They got to talking over a beer and the
conversation turned to the usual rant about workplace frustrations. That’s when
Gary told Dan that he’d been thinking of hopping off the fast track to spend
more time with his family. He also mentioned a business idea he’d code named the
“Rocky Project” after the beloved family dog that had recently died. But that’s
all he would say.
Like most business ideas, Gary’s idea didn’t come
to fruition until sometime after that chance meeting with Dan. Fed up with his
corporate job, Gary quit to start his own quality control consulting company.
When his first client sent him to California for three months, he started
thinking in earnest about the Rocky Project. So he picked up the phone and
called his old boss. That’s when he finally told Dan all about the Rocky
Project…
Today the two men work as equal partners but from
their respective homes outside of Detroit and Cleveland. And what is the Rocky
Project? Well what do you get when you combine dogs and ice cream? A winning
combination for a business idea that has a lot of people saying, “Why didn’t I
think of that?”
You’ll also be able to follow the entrepreneurial
ups and downs of Keith West-Harrison and Andre West-Harrison. Keith and Andre
owned two businesses in hurricane ravaged New Orleans – a day spa and a bed and
breakfast. As is often the case, sometimes disasters bring unexpected blessings.
The series tracks their efforts to re-start their businesses post-Katrina and
how the process spawned an entirely new business – and a whole new life.
The third business profiled is former trolley tour
conductor turned self-taught haute couture clothing designer named Grace
Edwards. When Grace’s husband’s job brought them to New York City, she got a
retail job at the high-end department store Henri Bendel. A lot of people find
retail boring, but it was here that Grace caught the fashion bug. The fact that
she doesn’t sew did nothing to deter her new dream of being not just a fashion
designer but a household name.
Watch as the 50-year-old mother went through the
emotional ups and downs of racking up $30,000 in credit card debt to launch her
clothing line to the drama of having just two weeks to get ready for a fashion
show in Washington, D.C. Will Grace’s company make it? Can her husband afford to
keep funding her creative pursuits? Will her new partner, a guy who is actually
working for free because he “knew from the start that this was going to be a fun
ride,” stick around long enough for the company to turn a profit? Roll over
Guiding Light – this is real drama!
To tune in to all watch episodes of these real
life stories right on your computer, read the ongoing blogs from the
entrepreneurs themselves, and see behind the scenes photos go to
SmallBusiness.AOL.com/thestartup
This is the kind of “reality” every aspiring self-bosser
will want to be in touch with. If you don’t have the good fortune to be
surrounded by entrepreneurs whom you can watch and learn from, check this series
out. If nothing else it will be a good reality check about what it takes to go
after a dream – the good, the bad, the amazing, and the utterly inspiring.
About the Author
Outside the job box expert, Valerie Young,
abandoned her corporate cubicle to become the Dreamer in Residence at
ChangingCourse.com offering resources to help you discover
your life mission and live it. Her career change tips have been cited in
Kiplinger’s, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today Weekend, Woman’s Day, and
elsewhere and on-line at MSN, CareerBuilder, and iVillage.com. An expert on the
Impostor Syndrome, Valerie has spoken on the topic of
How to Feel as Bright and Capable as Everyone Seems to Think You Are
to such diverse organizations as Daimler Chrysler, Bristol-Meyers Squibb,
Harvard, and American Women in Radio and Television.
Find more articles written by
Valerie at
ChangingCourse.com/articles/ |
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Life is about not knowing, having to change,
taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to
happen next. Delicious ambiguity. ~ Gilda
Radner |
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Featured Resources
Profit From Your Art
Who says you can’t make
money from your art? You don’t have to be a “fine artist” to have your images
appear on greeting cards, prints and posters, calendars, on collector plates, in
books, animation, for record companies, on coffee mugs, coasters, clothing and
fabric, gift bags, fabric, shower curtains – virtually any surface that has a
design. This comprehensive course by art licensing guru Michael Woodward spells
out step how to get paid for your artwork. He ought to know.
Over the past 30 years
Michael has licensed over $600 million in retail goods.
I personally know an
artist who partnered with a manufacturer and earned a 10% licensing fee. The
company sold over $800,000 in products netting her over $80,000 for her images.
Given that the artist
earns a percentage of these sales, suffice it to say, Michael is not your
stereotypical “starving artist.” By combining his personal “tricks of the trade”
with a storehouse of information on the art licensing world, he’s compiled the
most comprehensive course available today to guide artists and photographers
through the licensing maze so they can start earning money from their art and
beautifying the world in the process.
Read my complete review of
Michael Woodward’s Art Licensing Course at
ChangingCourse.com/artlicensing.htm
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It is what you do from now on that will
either move our civilization forward a few tiny steps, or else... begin to march
us steadily backward. ~ Patrick Stewart |
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The trouble with being in the rat race is that
even if you win, you’re still a rat.
~ Lily Tomlin |
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Guest Article
The Gift of Change
By Chris Stewart
I just received Marianne Williamson's new book,
"The Gift of Change," one
week after some huge changes in my life; it couldn't have come at a better
time! It reinforces my belief that I'm moving in the right direction. I'll
be using this book as a guide along the way.
Feeling that my writing life and career were stagnating, I started this new
year with a purpose: 'change or bust.' I'd spent too much time drifting
along, waiting and hoping something would happen, but not doing much
about it. I'd moved to Los Angeles in January 2004, and now I see that I expected
that alone to change my life. Guess what? It didn't. I did finish a novel,
and gained valuable teaching and volunteering experience working with kids,
teens, and adult writers, but I still had no clear direction. I wasn't
building towards anything.
So, in January of 2005 I started applying to and for anything and everything
for which I could afford the application fee - conferences, fellowships, as
well as jobs-locally, and back east, where I'm from. I felt compelled to
search for opportunities on both coasts. My thinking was: may the best coast
win. And it did. Now I'm headed back to Baltimore, after being awarded a
two-year artist residency with a community based non-profit organization
that presents and promotes the arts and humanities. There, I will have the
opportunity to create a writing program for writers of all ages, with a
primary focus on underprivileged, inner city youth. Once I said yes to that,
despite not having a job lined up, a great job fell into my lap. I said yes
to that and shortly found out I'd been awarded a scholarship to a writing
conference in August. I said yes to that and am waiting for the next gift,
however small. I'm just following the breadcrumbs!
I thought I had it all figured out last year. I had a plan. But I've learned
that the true plan was for me to gain perspective, skills, and contacts, in
order to prepare me for the next stage of my life and career, one I hadn't
even dreamed of, one back where I started. I learned to let go of my plan,
and say yes to what was actually happening. And now I'm being shown the path
that will best prepare me for my ultimate goal: offering private workshops
and mentoring to teen writers.
Change will come in large and small ways no matter what you do, but if you
are active and present in your own life, you will not only be better able to
accept it and understand it, but also choose the best way to react to it,
which greatly affects the outcome. Change is a kind of grace in our lives,
leading us to our real talents and work. Whether it's about your career,
your health, your relationships, your creativity, your mental and spiritual
well being, or your home, what change can you recognize is needed and help
take place in your life today?
About
the Author
Chris Stewart is now a Baltimore based writer/poet and teacher who offers
workshops, mentoring, and editing/proofreading services (on and off line) to
writers of all levels. For inspiration, writing tips, and resources, go to
her website at TheRealWriter.com
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If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.
~ Milton Berle |
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Upcoming Workshops & Teleclasses
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 Find out how you can escape the
J-O-B box…
and uncover a whole new world of possibilities.
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Tap your wildest dreams...and create a
step-by-step plan to make them happen right now...
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Discover the powerful secret to becoming a
successful "Opportunity Analyst"...and learn to transform your passion
into your job...
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Come away with the tools you need to
create work – and a life – you really love.
Join "Outside the Job Box" expert Valerie Young
and Barbara Winter, best-selling author of Making a Living Without a Job for
what promises to be an extraordinary two days – filled with energy, enthusiasm,
wisdom...and practical, life-changing know-how.
June 2-3, 2006 Ventura, California
July 14-15, 2006 Madison, Wisconsin
August 11-12, 2006 Northampton, Massachusetts
Learn more at
ChangingCourse.com/workshop.htm
Turn Your Everyday Snapshots into Cash
This May in Paris,
You Can…
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Learn from
professional photographers the techniques they use to shoot pictures
that sell for $150, $400, $600 -- and even higher…
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Get hands-on
practice applying your new skills -- while you explore one of the
world's most enchanting cities…
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Discover how
travel photographers create a need for their photos
-- and double or even triple your photography income…
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Find out just
how easy it is to turn your snapshots into cash… and enjoy the
freedom, independence, and travel that freelance photography
delivers…
The Ultimate Travel Photographer's Workshop
May 24-27, 2006
Paris, France
Visit:
ThePhotographersLife.com/paris2006/changingc
for more details or
call (866) 879-2924 or local at (561) 278-5557. Spaces are limited. Reserve your seat before April 17, 2006 and you'll save $300.
P.S.
On a personal note,
I've had the good fortune to see Rich Wagner in action (that's Rich
Wagner in the photo here) and was thoroughly impressed with his depth
of knowledge, first hand experience, and unique approach to turning
photos into cash.
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If you want to succeed you should strike out on
new paths rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success.
~ John D. Rockefeller |
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Work at What You Love
Workshop Update
Learn From People Who Have Done It
Ask any of our past workshop participants, and
they’ll tell you that one of the most inspiring and informative
segments of the program is the panel of local entrepreneurs. In this
week’s Work at What You Love Update, I’d like to introduce you to one of
the inspiring entrepreneurs who will be on hand to share how he
changed course at the Ventura workshop.
Stephen Fofanoff
How does someone go
from being an assistant principal in a private school to launching a national
franchise? How long would it take to make such a dramatic transition? For
Stephen Fofanoff, founder of A Designer’s Eye, it’s only been a year since he
went from being an employee to being an entrepreneur with a big dream.
The story really began
when Stephen and his partner Chris bought a house that they planned to fix up
and sell. “The big mistake we made,” he laughs, “was to live in the house while
the work was being done.” Although he wasn’t trained as a decorator, the
renovation was so terrific that friends began asking for his advice. Interior
design might have just remained a fun hobby for Stephen, but an unexpected
remodel in his career life was called for when he was fired without warning from
his school administration job. For this former teacher and youth pastor, it was
a time to consider changing course.
He decided to take some
time to reassess his life and figure out his next career. One day as he was
browsing in a bookstore, Stephen came across Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad,
Poor Dad. He read the book and was influenced by Kiyosaki’s thoughts
about business being a vehicle to help a lot of people. Perhaps there was a way
that his little sideline could grow into something substantial. He began by
taking his tiny decorating avocation and creating a clear business model and
philosophy. In March, 2005, A Designer’s Eye was officially launched. The
business offers a wide spectrum of design and planning services for a range of
budgets. Stephen also was determined that his business would give back to the
community in tangible ways such as supporting local Habitat for Humanity
projects.
While A Designer’s Eye
continues to grow as a local business, Stephen is moving into the next phase and
plans to franchise his concept. Now he’s working to make this what he calls “the
next Big Design Brand.” He’ll share his story and the lessons he’s learned as a
budding entrepreneur.
Important
Notice about Booking Your Hotel in Madison
Are you
planning on coming to the Madison workshop? Then act soon! Even though the
Madison event is not until July, hotel rooms during that week are scarce.
The Concourse
Hotel, where the event is being held, is holding just 20 rooms at the special
Changing Course rate of $144 for a single or double, $154 for a triple, and $164
for a quad. This special room block is only being held until April 30.
After that, reservations will be based on the best available rate and
availability.
We expect
this event to sell out. So register before June 11 to take advantage of the
special early bird rate of just $199. And, whether you're staying at The
Concourse Hotel or at another of the local hotels where we've negotiated very
special workshop rates I strongly recommend you book your hotel room ASAP!
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The biggest mistake people make in life is not
trying to make a living at doing what they most enjoy.
~ Malcolm S. Forbes |
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View From
the Other Side
[When my husband died 12
years ago] “I sat down at the kitchen table and said, ‘What do I want to
do with the rest of my life?’ I decided I wanted to dance.”
Sixty-five-year-old
Susan Swartz, who drives up to 40 miles from her family farm in Savoy,
Massachusetts four nights a week to attend ballroom dances and classes.
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Resources for
A Change
Get Your Art Work on a
Calendar
ArtWanted.com is now
accepting submissions for their 2007 calendars. They are making several
different “theme” calendars this year and there is no cost to submit your
artwork. You can also pre-order a calendar and pick the date you want to
show up on and be guaranteed a spot. For more info, or to submit your
artwork, check out
ArtWanted.com/ps/calendar/
Sell Your Greeting Cards Online
ArtWanted.com also
launched a new website at the start of the month that is dedicated to
buying, selling and trading art cards (ACEO/ATC). They describe it as a very
fast growing art movement. The site is dedicated to those that collect these
2.5 x 3.5" art cards. Membership is free and unlike eBay, they don’t charge
any fees/commissions if you sell your art cards when the buyer pays you
directly. Learn more at
ArtCardsWanted.com.
Calling all Unsigned Bands,
Artists, and Song Writers
TAXI is the world's leading Independent Artist
& Repertoire Company. Since 1992, they have specialized in giving artists,
bands, and songwriters real access to the people in the music business in
order to help unsigned bands, artists, and song writers get record deals,
publishing deals, and placement in films and TV shows. I think you’ll find
the success stories inspiring. Let’s all cheer for Chris (see my article)
being on the list soon! Learn more at
Taxi.com.
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live
life on purpose