Changing Course Newsletter: Issue 195

By Valerie Young

Valerie and her rescue dog,
"Cokie Roberts"

While traveling in northern California a few years ago, I happened to tune into a local newscast. The newscaster was telling his co-anchor that the speaker at that morning's Rotary Club meeting had to cut his presentation short because he was being flown down to Disneyland to carve elaborate Halloween pumpkins for the park festivities. The newscaster wrapped up the story with the familiar quip, "Nice work if you can get it." He got the first part right. For a creative kid-at-heart, being a professional pumpkin carver is a dream come true. It was his serendipitous "if you can get it" thinking that missed the mark. The fact is, people rarely "get" great work; they create it!

Despite all the emphasis on growth in the "job sector," I am continually amazed at just how many fascinating alternatives there are to the whole 9-to-5 schtick. And just as traditional job seekers can't wait around for "Mr. Job" to knock on the door, people who want to do satisfying work – and call their own shots – need to be proactive as well. Francis Bacon defined a wise man as one who "makes more opportunities than he finds." Here are a couple of other wise entrepreneurs who made it by going for it.

Sports-lover Dean Schoenewald was just 18 when he went to the Philadelphia Eagles management wearing a homemade Eagle costume and asking for a mascot job. They weren't interested. Undaunted, Shoenewald kept showing up at Eagles football games. Pretty soon the fans adopted him as the unofficial (meaning, "unpaid") mascot. Thirteen paid team mascot jobs, four mascot character creations (including ones for the New Jersey Devils and the San Jose Sharks), and 18 years later, Shoenewald started Mascot Mania, the only professional training school for mascots in the world.

Despite what your high school guidance counselor might have told you, showing up uninvited in a bird costume isn't the only route to self-employment. For Dan Zawacki it all began when he was working as a sales rep for Honeywell and decided to give away 120 live lobsters as gifts to his customers. Dan was so bowled over by the response that he decided to open a small side business shipping live lobsters complete with pot, crackers, butter and bibs to crustacean-lovers from coast-to-coast. That is until his boss heard him pitching Lobster Gram, Inc. on a local radio station and promptly fired him.

In the beginning, Dan worked out of his bedroom, storing his lobsters in a used tank in his father's garage. His first year netted only $4,000. Now LiveLob.com offers an assortment of steaks, desserts, side dishes, accessories and, of course, lobster. All and all, not a bad tale.

If you dream of making the transition from employee to self-bosser, the first thing you need to do is believe that you can. Then, the next time you see some entrepreneur doing what they love, try thinking: "Nice work – now, all I have to do is get it!"

Add Your Two Cents

About the Author

"Profiting From Your Passions" expert Valerie Young abandoned her corporate cubicle to become the Dreamer in Residence at ChangingCourse.com, a career change website for people who want be their own boss and work at what they love. Her career 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 to over 30k people at such diverse organizations as Chrysler, Boeing, Intel, Harvard University, and American Women in Radio and Television and is the author of an upcoming book on the subject with Crown Publishing. Go to ChangingCourse.com to get your free report at Changing Course on how you can make a career change that lets you work from home or wherever you like.

To read more articles about how to work at what you love without a job go to ChangingCourse.com/articles

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Well, the success stories keep rolling in. The latest one comes from Lynn Baldwin from Michigan. Lynn attended my Work at What You Love workshop in August of 2007. At the time, Lynn had a great idea for a card game aimed at couples. As you'll hear from Lynn, she took many of the principles that my special guest presenter Barbara Winter and I shared throughout the workshop and turned them into action.

Read Lynn's letter and think about how you can apply these principles to your dream...

Dear Valerie,

I wanted to give you an update on my progress with Stop & Kiss: A Card Game for Couples and share a few things I’ve learned that may be of interest to other emerging entrepreneurs.

First on the progress front – since I launched online sales in June (less than a year after committing to doing so at the Work at What You Love workshop!), I’ve sold more than a quarter of my initial inventory through a combination of PR and “shoe string” marketing. In the process, I’ve picked up some lessons and tips I’d like to pass along, like…

Persistence Pays Off

I sent 90 press releases pitching my card game for couples as a gift for Sweetest Day, a Valentine’s Day-like holiday observed mainly in the Midwest. My efforts led to an article about my business in the Detroit Free Press – a publication that had ignored a previous pitch, proving that persistence really does pay off!

This exposure resulted in a 66% increase in games sold to date – all in just one week! Then I saw the power of viral marketing when a local radio station DJ mentioned the story on-air leading to more sales!

Know Your Target Audience

Keeping in mind Question #4 in Valerie’s Changing Course Formula, which is “Who wants what I have?”, I immediately identified newlyweds and engaged couples as a target market for my card game for couples. As Valerie says though, you need to think beyond the obvious market of customers and clients. So, through a combination of PR and direct mail postcards I cast a wider net.

It worked! Stop & Kiss was positively reviewed in both Brides magazine and in a Virginia wedding planner’s blog – both of which led to more sales and site traffic. Through research, discussion with others and watching who’s actually buying my game, I’ve identified two additional target groups – men looking for gifts and bed & breakfast owners. It all comes back to asking myself that key question: “Who wants what I have?”

Use the Tools That Are Available to You

There are so many great resources available to entrepreneurs. For example, Google Analytics lets me track how many people visit my site, which pages they view, where they come from, which search terms they use and much more – all for free! I also use Google AdWords to run low-cost search marketing campaigns.

My husband’s friend recently told me about this great resource that connects reporters with subject matter experts on every topic imaginable. It’s called Help A Reporter. In the first week of my free subscription, I found four opportunities to pitch my product for inclusion in holiday gift guides!

Oh, and those postcards I sent out to Brides magazine and elsewhere? I had them produced at VistaPrint.com for an incredibly low price.

Talk It Up

Whenever possible, I discuss Stop & Kiss with my husband, family, friends and colleagues. I also continue to email the people in the Success Team you set me up with at the Work at What You Love workshop. It’s amazing how willing people are to share ideas and pass along news of my product to their contacts. I’m also starting to make more use of social networking sites LinkedIn and Facebook to get my message out.

Possibilities Really Are Endless

I have longer-term plans for multiple versions of Stop & Kiss targeted at different audiences, retail sales and collaborations with people in different industries whose clients would be interested in my card game…maybe even a Stop & Kiss book! In the meantime, I’m focusing on PR and marketing for two upcoming Stop & Kiss gift-giving occasions: Christmas and Valentine’s Day.

The best thing I’ve learned in the past six months is that the possibilities are endless. You just have to be willing to go after them!

Lynn Baldwin
www.StopAndKissCardGame.com

Lynn's story is powerful evidence that taking small steps today can help make your big dream a reality tomorrow. How can you use Lynn’s lessons and tips to launch your dream business?

Note from Valerie:
If you're looking for a unique holiday or anniversary gift, I highly recommend Lynn's Stop & Kiss game for the couples in your life. I bought several myself to use for gifts.

Want to Work for Yourself?
Those Dream Jobs Don't Just Happen, They're Created

By Valerie Young

Turning Your Interests into Income:
The Opportunity Hour Teleclass With
"Opportunity Analyst" Valerie Young

Want to Work for Yourself? Those Dream Jobs Don't Just Happen, They're Created

By Valerie Young

Turning Your Interests into Income: The Opportunity Hour Teleclass With "Opportunity Analyst" Valerie Young

Want to Work for Yourself?
Those Dream Jobs Don't Just Happen, They're Created

Turning Your Interests into Income:
The Opportunity Hour Teleclass With
"Opportunity Analyst" Valerie Young