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Take the attitude of a student,
never be too big to ask questions, never know too much to learn something
new. ~ Og Mandino
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Opportunity Knocks
An
Interesting
Business Opportunity
for
People with an Eye for Home Design
By Valerie Young
When I was a child one of my favorite games was
“house.” I was forever re-decorating my bedroom, turning corners of the attic or
basement into imaginary abodes, and re-arranging the doll’s furniture. Given
that the dolls themselves were optional suggests what I was really playing was
the child’s version of interior decorator.
As an adult I still love home decorating, but when
it comes to making major design decisions, I always call on my friend
Gail. Gail’s house looks like something out of a magazine. Although her job-job
is installing computer networks for a major airline, Gail’s passion and gift are
home and garden decorating.
Here are 5 ways to tell if you have a passion for
home decorating:
1) People are forever walking into your home and
complimenting you on your sense of home
design.
2) Friends frequently call on you for decorating
advice.
3) You’re hooked on the cable television channel
Home and Garden (HGTV) or magazines like Better Homes and Gardens, Architectural
Digest, Domino, Country Homes…
4) When, at a mall, you would rather browse
Restoration Hardware or Pottery Barn than Coldwater Creek, J. Jill, or other
clothing stores.
5) You could sit and admire the fruits of your own
home design handiwork for hours.
If you passed the passion test then you’ve
probably already thought about becoming an interior designer. The fact that you
haven’t pursued this as a career path suggests there’s something about it that
isn’t a fit for you. Perhaps it’s because becoming a licensed interior designer
means getting into more complex areas like structural issues and electrical
schematics.
Even though decorating itself is about color,
shapes, texture, and design, it’s also very much a people thing. This point was
driven home to me by a client named Robert. Robert’s passion was creating
ambiance. One big reason being an interior decorator never spoke to him was that
he didn’t want to work with people he couldn’t relate to. As Robert put it, “I
don’t want to spend hours helping rich housewives decide between this crown
molding or that crown molding.” What Robert really wanted was to get paid for
doing what he loved to do – helping average-income people create spaces that
feel good.
Getting Paid for Your Sense of
Design
Self-taught designer-turned-entrepreneur Stephen Fofanoff knows exactly where Robert is coming from. I first met Stephen when he
was a panelist at Changing Course’s annual Work at What You Love workshop in
Ventura, California.
Stephen’s entrepreneurial aspirations began when he and partner
Chris Warnock bought a house they planned to fix up and sell. Although neither
of them were trained as a decorators, their renovation job was so fantastic that
friends began asking for their advice. No one they knew could afford to drop
$100,000 on a pricey interior designer.
What the do-it-yourself types really wanted was for someone with a
“designer’s eye” to sit down with them for a few hours and tell them what they
should do. Someone who could come in and offer advice on what color to paint a
room or what kind of countertops they should buy or how to place furniture to
make a small room appear bigger or an oversized room feel cozier.
So Stephen and Chris made it their mission to find interior design
companies who were offering the kind of affordable, flexible home and garden
design advice that their friends were looking for. When their search came up
empty they knew they heard the unmistakable sound of opportunity knocking.
Seeking to ride the wave of
the do-it-yourselfer craze and acknowledging the fiercely independent and
style-savvy homeowner, they started their own company aptly named A Designer’s Eye.
Initially they structured the business on a percentage basis like interior
designers do. For a short time, they considered another popular commission-based model
that involves pushing a specific brand of
furniture or window treatment.
Neither felt right. Stephen and Chris put it more bluntly. “We
both tried doing it the old way, and it sucked. We felt like scam artists trying
to win clients’ trust, then overcharging them.”
Instead say Stephen and
Chris, “We really just wanted to swoop in, help clients come up with great ideas
and cool designs, then give them a hand pulling it off, not latching on and
draining them until the next juicy prey came around.
Once
we decided we were going to do it our way, it was easy. Clients loved it. We
just built our business around the things clients needed.”
Needless to say, A Designer’s Eye was a huge
success. The clients loved being able to control how much they spent by paying
for expert advice on an hourly basis. But the business attracted another fan
base – namely style-savvy people like Stephen and Chris who have a natural
talent and passion for decorating.
So after receiving 79 unsolicited requests for
franchises in a matter of months, Stephen and Chris decided to franchise their
business. “We knew we were on to a winning idea,” says Stephen. “What has
surprised us in the test phase of the business model is how responsive customers
have been to our ‘no pressure’ philosophy. This approach has won us a trusting
customer base that keeps working for us in return business and add-on services.
This element is making our franchise model even more viable.” The company’s goal
is to franchise 500 units in the next five years.
Stephen and I have talked on and off since meeting
in June. Given the high interest in home decorating, I wanted to learn more
about what’s involved in becoming A Designer’s Eye franchisee. Franchisees are
no small investment. So why, I wanted to know, wouldn’t someone with a flair for
design just strike out on his or her own? One of the biggest reasons says
Stephen is while creative types are gifted design-wise they hate dealing with
the business side of self-employment.
To help with things like planning, organizing,
client and time management, each franchisee is partnered with a personal Business
Development Coach. Part motivational “life coach” and part “business coach”
this person has one job and one job only – to do everything they can to make his
or her franchisee successful faster. Toward this same end, Stephen and Chris are
already in the planning stages of additional revenue streams for franchisees.
Each week the designer and his or her coach get
together for a phone meeting. During that meeting the coach helps the designer
create a weekly activity plan, decide how best to prioritize and manage their
time, problem solve, and more. In addition to the human support, franchisees get
a state-of-the-art Web-based business management system that automates all the
key design and business functions.
Having an innate talent for home decorating is
just the beginning. As part of their 160 hours of training (which, according to
Stephen, is considerably more than the 80 to 100 hours interior designers
typically receive) franchisees receive a week of onsite training at the company
headquarters in Woodland Hills, California.
In addition to learning about various aspects of
design, the training includes role playing, technical training, marketing and
networking, class shopping trips, and negotiating with vendors. Designers also
receive ongoing training where they learn, for example, how to work with the
yearly color forecasts. Even though each franchisee has a protected territory,
they are encouraged to network and learn from other decorators via regional
meetings and monthly phone calls with a coach.
Going the franchise route requires an initial
financial investment. The advantage, though, is that what you spend in money you
make up for in time. It’s kind of like taking out a loan to get an MBA or other
advanced training verses trying to acquire the same level of training and
experience on your own time. As a franchisee you’re also buying into a proven
system, which in the end can save a considerable amount of time and money that
can otherwise get eaten up through individual trial and error.
For those who are drawn to the creative side of
home and garden decorating but have trouble being self-motivated, another huge
advantage of becoming a franchisee is support. Between the initial training, the
ongoing training, the one-on-one coaching and support, and the live customer
support available to clients when you’re out of the office, you get to be
in business for yourself, but not BY yourself. For people who want to focus on
what they love to do without the stress of figuring out how to build and manage
a business on their own, a franchise might just be the way to go.
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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Keep in
touch with your soul by developing your technique. There are no mistakes, so…
just work. The more you work the more you’ll figure out if that’s your bliss.
~
Fernando De Araujo |
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Special Announcement
Find Your Calling by Helping Others Realize Theirs
In Just a Few Short Months You
Could Be Working from Home Getting Paid to Help Other People Live Their Dreams
A few weeks ago a small
group of regular
people just like you completed the Changing Course Creative Career Consultant
Certification Program. Today these new “Outside the Box Career Consultants”
are finding out fun it can be to get paid to help clients come up with creative
ways to make a living without a job.
If you are a creative
thinker and want to get paid to do what comes naturally, then starting soon, you
too could train to start your own business as a Creative Career Consultant.
I’m still nailing down a
couple of last minute details about the upcoming Spring 2007 Creative
Career Consultant Certification Program. In the meantime I thought you might
like to read just a few of the many unsolicited emails I received from
recent grads:
I wanted to thank you for everything
you have included in our certification course. At first, I thought this was
a costly course but you truly continue to over-deliver. Already our Website
is looking the best it ever has (as we continue to implement the great
marketing techniques we learned from your information and teleclasses). My
business is steadily growing and I can see a huge leap about to occur as I
launch another "profit center" thanks to your materials, classes and
leadership! You really have put together a package that works. Keep up the
great work and inspiration!
Teresa Proudlove
I just wanted to say that I love the classes… For years I have been clipping
articles and writing down a slate of business ideas - many more than I can
launch in one lifetime...but now I realize that these may be good for my
clients at some point and I now see that I have been an "opportunity
analyst" for a while - but your exercises are forcing me to stretch my
limits and think even bigger and they’re also giving me what I have been
lacking - the knowledge of how to move my ideas forward and help me help my
clients figure it all out too - I love it!!! Thanks!
Susan Baker
I just wanted to take minute and let
you know how much I am enjoying this course… I have been circling around it
for years and for various reasons and fears haven't moved forward full
steam. Somewhere inside I think I still didn't believe that people would
actually hire me or find me believable.
I am so impressed with all of the
information we have received and the caliber of guest hosts that you have
included in the curriculum. I feel so much more prepared and informed than I
ever have before. Of course I suspected I would feel this way because I have
watched you for years and have always been impressed, which is why I signed
up in the first place, because I knew I would learn lots, especially about
marketing and sole proprietorship.
Lynn Burkholder
I’m totally pleased with how everything is going even though it all needs
tweaking – this is such fun!!! I just got a call from a group of
stay-at-home moms who want a 2 hour program at one of their monthly
meetings.
Jane Kirsch
To read additional
comments from official program evaluation
click here.
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Talent is long patience, and originality an
effort of will and of intense observation.
~ Gustav Flaubert |
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Featured
Resource
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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Figuring
out our gifts in life is part of our journey to becoming enlightened human
beings. ~
Allison DuBois |
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The most
beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all
true art and science.
~ Albert Einstein |
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Guest Article
The Art of Creative Business Success
By Cynthia Morris
The Starving Artist myth
proliferates because it is often accompanied by that other myth: creative people
aren’t good at business. With these ideas circulating, it’s easy to see how
artists struggle to succeed professionally.
But I don’t buy these myths.
In fact, I believe that artists and creative people make the best business
people. Here’s why.
Artists are experts in seeing the big picture.
They can hold
an expansive point of view. This creative perspective, this ability to see what
isn’t there and to relish possibility, is key to business success.
Good
artists are adept at pinpointing the details.
A painter knows
the difference between cobalt and azure, a writer uses specifics to describe a
character, and a sculptor’s strokes will make all the difference in the end
expression on a sculpture.
Artists and business people are willing to risk.
There is no guarantee in art,
business, or life, but creative people take risks every time they go into the
studio. In fact, any art worth its salt takes the artist and the viewer outside
the realm of the known and shows them something new.
Artists are able to dwell in the unknown.
Art making is the biggest
adventure there is. If you do not know what you are creating, if it will appeal
to anyone, or if you will make any money at all, you’re in good company with
both artists and business people.
Business and art are fueled by a high level of passion. Any advice on running a business will preach that you need to be
passionate to fuel the long stretches of challenging times. Artists thrive on
passion.
All of these characteristics
give artists an edge over others in the business realm. It’s great to be fueled
by the knowledge that you do have what it takes to succeed, and you also need to
operate in a business-like way to make it happen. Here are the keys to business
success that I have used and enjoyed.
Vision
You have to want your
creative success from a deep, deep place. What is this about for you, anyway?
Have a vision for yourself and your business. Write a vision statement that
springs from your values and passion for your art.
Commitment
In a business or art career,
there will be plenty of ups and downs. It’s important to have a solid commitment
that you can return to when times are tough. You will question this commitment
again and again, but if you have a clear sense of your commitment at the
beginning, the dips will be navigable. Write a mission statement for how you
will fulfill your vision.
Follow Through
Most success can be
attributed to those extra actions we take – sending a thank-you note, making a
call, going the extra mile, or researching a tip. Follow through is a key factor
in being able to maximize opportunities, build connections and deliver on your
promises. It’s also a key to being perceived as professional and on top of
things.
Authentic Relationship Building
Do business with people that you want to be around. You
want to be able to be yourself with your support team (accountant, banker,
coach) and your clients (gallery owners, editors, clients). Connect with people
who share similar values, interests and art forms. Some people say that building
relationships is the key to success, so become a master at being a good human
with others.
Self-Care Practices
Making art and building a
business is a lot of work. There can be a lot of stress involved with art and
business, so having a stable personal life is key. Know your needs and do what
you can to get them met. Know what helps you release stress. Make sure that you
have play time, too, since it can be easy to work all the time at your art
business.
Perspective
This
is the secret weapon. Perspective is the most powerful tool we have. How you see
the world, yourself, and your enterprise all have an enormous impact on how
successful you will be. If you can shift your perspective easily, you’ll have a
much broader range of options available to you in your art and business.
Practice noticing throughout the day what perspective you are operating from.
Does it feel good? Bad? In between? How does the perspective of any moment
contribute to your work?
Systems
And, of course, for business
success, you’ll want systems for operating your enterprise, for marketing your
work, and for handling all the money that comes your way. Contact systems,
marketing systems, bookkeeping systems, and ways to catalogue your art and
record your sales are all essential for a thriving business.
If some of these essentials
make the artist in you cringe, take that as an opportunity to see where you
could grow. I can’t think of any other work that challenges us to grow more than
art and business. If you want to stay safe and unchanged, you’ll want to choose
another path. But why would you? Art and business are grand adventures!
About the Author
Cynthia Morris, CPCC
unleashes her creativity in her business, Original Impulse, where she helps
writers, artists and visionaries make their brilliant ideas a reality. Author of
Create Your Writer’s Life: A Guide to Writing with Joy and Ease, Cynthia
shares her expertise on creativity with individuals, groups, and in creativity
tours in France. Subscribe to her free e-zines at
OriginalImpulse.com
Note from
Valerie: Cynthia is also a featured guest speaker on Changing Course’s
Making Dreams Happen (ChangingCourse.com/makingdreamshappen.htm).
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If we
knock on the door until it opens, not taking no for an answer, our lives will be
transformed as we step up into a higher awareness.
~ James Redfield |
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Upcoming Workshops and Teleclasses
How
to Use All of Your Interests, Passions, and Hobbies to Create the
Life and Career of Your Dreams
Are you drawn to so many things that you can’t choose just one?
New York Times best-selling author Barbara Sher has a unique
solution - do EVERYTHING!
“Scanners” as Barbara calls them are genetically wired to pursue
many areas. Rather then zeroing in on a single interest,
scanners possess a unique type of mind
that scans the horizon, eager to explore everything they see.
If you are a Scanner then you’ve probably been told all of your life
to “just pick something and stick with it.” There’s a reason Barbara
titled her latest book “Refuse to Choose.”
Listen in to this special live Tele-class as Barbara explains why
some people simply cannot, and should not, decide on a single path.
You’ll learn:
-
what’s behind a Scanner’s "hit and run" obsessions
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when (and how) to finish what you start
-
how to do everything you love
-
and more…
Even if you’re not a Scanner, by the end of this Teleclass you’ll
understand why
just 30 pages into Refuse to Choose I called Barbara to tell her I
now have
“Scanner Envy!”
We expect this Teleclass to fill fast.
About
Barbara
Sher
Barbara Sher is a speaker, career/lifestyle coach, and the
best-selling author of eight books on goal achievement including
Refuse to Choose,
I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was, and
Wishcraft.
Her books have sold millions of copies and been translated into
dozens of languages. She has appeared on Oprah, Today, 60
Minutes, CNN, and Good Morning America, and her popular
public television specials air nationally throughout the year.
Barbara Sher joins Barbara Winter and Valerie Young as part of the
groundbreaking program
Making Dreams Happen.
Monday, April 9th from 12:00-1:15pm
Eastern Time
Fast Track Your Dream Community Members: Free
Non-members: $29*
* The Fast
Track Your Dream Community is currently full. To be notified
when new member openings become available click here
ChangingCourse.com/fasttrackyourdream.htm
**
All proceeds from this Tele-class will go to support Barbara’s
non-profit organization
KilimWomen.com,
an organization Barbara created to teach e-commerce to women in
a village in Turkey.
Register
To learn more or to register for
this or other Teleclasses and courses
click here or go to the Workshops & Teleclasses page at
ChangingCourse.com
Marketing for New Entrepreneurs
How to Market Your Product, Service,
or Expertise on a Shoestring
Budget
Tap into Valerie's 7+ years
working in the strategic marketing department of a Fortune 500
company and her 20+ years as an entrepreneur and self-employment
coach.
You’ll learn:
-
How to
establish credibility and a track record when you have
absolutely no experience
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How to
jumpstart your online business by “hiring” a “no salary”
sales force eager to sell for you
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How to
get the media to give your business free exposure
-
How to
get a professional website designed for free
-
And more…
Monday, March 26th from 12:00-1:10pm
Eastern
Fast Track Your Dream Community Members: Free
Non-members: $29*
* The Fast
Track Your Dream Community is currently full. To be notified
when new member openings become available click here
ChangingCourse.com/fasttrackyourdream.htm
** A portion
of all revenue from this Tele-class will go to support the
entrepreneurial aspirations of impoverished people in the US and
internationally via the micro-grant organization
TrickleUp.org
Register
To learn more or to register for
this or other Teleclasses and courses
click here or go to the Workshops & Teleclasses page at
ChangingCourse.com
"How to Become Joyfully Jobless"
Teleclass Series
hosted by Barbara Winter
If you're
not yet familiar with Barbara Winter, author of
Making a Living Without a Job,
be prepared to be amazed.
Barbara is a vivacious and wildly popular speaker,
and you'll understand why as soon as you tune into the first of
the monthly, hour-long HOW TO BECOME JOYFULLY JOBLESS
TELECLASSES she'll be hosting for
Fast Track Your Dream Community
members.
She'll focus
on topics like --
·
How to start
thinking like an entrepreneur
·
Why starting
small is the smartest (and most profitable) way to launch your
new enterprise
·
The power of
multiple income streams…
·
And more…
Like
mini-workshops, these monthly Joyfully Jobless Teleclasses are
interactive, which means
you can ask questions and benefit from firsthand feedback
from the woman I call the “Muse of Self-Bossing.”
Wednesday,
April 11th from 8:00-9:00pm
Eastern Time
Fast Track Your Dream Community Members: Free
Non-members: $29*
* The
Fast Track Your Dream Community is currently full. To be
notified when new member openings become available click
here
ChangingCourse.com/fasttrackyourdream.htm
** A
portion of all revenue from this Tele-class will go to
support the entrepreneurial aspirations of impoverished
people in the US and internationally via the micro-grant
organization
TrickleUp.org
Register
To learn more or to register
for this or other Teleclasses and courses
click here or go to the Workshops & Teleclasses page at
ChangingCourse.com
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I didn’t
know how to manufacture an opportunity, but I was determined that when a chance
came my way I would be ready.
~ Sheila Chandra |
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The View From
the
Other Side
"You don’t have to have an MBA be an entrepreneur. Tap
into your life experience; build your business plan from there. "
~ Nyakio
Kamoche Grieco, the 32-year-old founder of Nyakio Bath and Body Products, Los
Angeles
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Resources for
a Change
There is no
better way to wet your entrepreneurial whistle than to surround yourself
with people who are where you want to be. Here are three upcoming events to
help you get in the game!
Motorcycle Enthusiasts Unite
Cycle Worlds’ 26 Annual Cycle Shows
are happening right now in major cities across the U.S. If you are a
cycle enthusiast, shows like this are a great place to meet, learn
about, and learn from people who have turned their passion for
motorcycles into their livelihood.
eBay Live! 2007 Conference
Join over 10,000 enthusiastic entrepreneurs
June 14-16 in Boston to learn the secrets of
successful selling on eBay. The
event features hundreds of classes, discussions, and exhibits plus special
presentations by founder Meg Whitman, financial planning guru Suze Orman,
even a closing gala where you can “get down on it” with disco legends Kool &
the Gang. After hearing Barbara Winter rave about the great entrepreneurial
energy at last year’s event I decided that at the amazingly low early-bird
price of just $60 (if you register before April 6th) that I had
to be there (not to mention that I love to dance!). Like the eBay folks say,
“Share tips and tricks, make new friends, and have a blast!”
Multicultural Business
Conference
DiversityBusiness
is holding its 7th National Multicultural Business Conference April 11–13 in Las Vegas. In addition to education, training and networking
for
minority and small business entrepreneurs, women entrepreneurs, government
decision-makers, diversity professionals, and others, attendees have the
opportunity to share
their business ideas with top decision makers heading up diversity
initiatives at Fortune 500 companies.
In
the 1980s I traveled around the country speaking to thousands of university
dorm counselors (RAs) on the topic of diversity. If this kind of work speaks
to you this conference is a great way to “get in the game!”
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live
life on purpose