Issue 207

May 7, 2009

About Your Subscription

Prefer the text version? Change Your Subscription

ChangingCourse.com since 1995 dedicated to helping people like you to:

~Live Life on Purpose ~Work at What You Love ~Follow Your Own Road

Inside Today's Issue

Opportunity Knocks

Time to Break Out of the Job Box 

Featured Resource

Start Your Own Green Consultant Business in 4 Days 

Special Announcement

You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you. ~ James Allen

Opportunity Knocks: Creative Ways to Make a Living Without A Job

Time to Break Out of the Job Box:
Readers Share Cool Ideas for Turning Your Everyday Interests Into Money-Making Small Businesses

By Valerie Young

Part 2 of a 2 Part Series
(Catch up on Part 1)

There is no limit to the ways you can make money doing something you love. All you need is an idea combined with action. If you haven’t yet come up with an idea, or need the inspiration to act on the one you already have… read on. 

In part one of this article, I told you about the "Opportunity Detective" contest I held in April. It was a way for aspiring entrepreneurs to compete for a free spot in my Outside the Job Box Career Coach Training Program. Contestants were asked to submit 10 unique small business ideas as well as how they would use the training they would receive to make a difference. All told, we received well over 200 very cool ideas!

Here are just a few of the many fascinating ideas submitted as well as some lessons from me on how you too can break out of the job box to become your own boss.

The Green Theme

Anyone who knows me knows that I am an insatiable recycler. As far back as 1989, I was one of those people who was forever picking cans and newspapers out of my co-workers' wastebaskets and dragging the stuff home to recycle. Now that the new U.S. administration is emphasizing the environmental and economic benefits of going green, more and more people and companies are getting into the green theme. 

No surprise then that a significant number of Opportunity Detective contestants cited opportunities for green-minded entrepreneurs. For example, Erika Harris at Joyful-Work-for-Sensitive-People.com came up with the idea to start a business as a Green Law Firm Consultant. "Law firms waste so much paper!" says Erika. A Green Consultant would "educate attorneys and staff about the benefits of digitized documents; encourage them to sponsor tree-planting; and inform them of incentive tax breaks for doing so." (To learn more about how you can become a Green Consultant see this week’s Featured Resource.)

Another creative contestant named Olivia turned me on to the green coupon business called Green Zebra. The company, she says, was conceived by two long-time friends who were looking to embrace a lifestyle that promoted the health of their families, community, and planet. Proof that great minds really do think alike, Raghu also submitted the same idea pointing out that anyone anywhere can "publish and sell a phone directory/Internet directory or coupon book of all the green business in your city thus encouraging people to patronize local green businesses." If you like this idea, look around your area. If nothing like this exists, then be the first!

Creative entrepreneurs also look for ways to combine two or more passions – for example, dancing and counseling or yoga, knitting, and travel (yes there are actually businesses that combine these types of diverse passions). One of Raghu’s other ideas is to combine the green theme with travel. What if, he says, you "organize offbeat, unique and exotic tours? These could be local, regional, national or even international depending on your tastes, passions, interests and expertise in a field. For example you can organize tours of organic wineries to wine enthusiasts who like organic or tours of green businesses and green factories to small investors who want to invest in green businesses or who want to get ideas…." Clearly a guy who understands the power of multiple income streams he adds, "You can make money from other areas too like selling them books, DVDs, training etc."

The Parent Theme

Among other enterprising ideas, Alicia suggested three businesses that center in some way on parents or teens. The first one she calls "Been There Done That" which she describes as a "by parents for parents" website specifically for parents of teenagers 13+. Alicia envisions it as a place where parents can go to share their experiences, offer suggestions, comments and advice. The key to making this idea work is to find a way to monetize it. You could for example, sell ad space to companies interested in selling to the parents.

Another idea she calls, "Mommy Dreams." This one she said could be geared toward Moms who have put their passion on hold. She’s envisioning it as a website and Webinar series to help Moms find their dreams again. Alicia’s second idea she calls, "Decisions, Decisions, Decisions." This one involves offering "seminars, workshops, and a website to present all the different kinds of vocations, careers and jobs available to students throughout their high school years to help them follow their natural path/talent/gift after graduation."

More on the Teen Theme

In part one of this article, you learned about some really creative business ideas. Many of them had to do with turning a problem into an opportunity – a key skill for anyone who wants to think outside of the job box! There was also a lengthy list of businesses that in one way or another had to do with teenagers. Some, like RenegadeCEOS.com supports and trains entrepreneurial teens. Others featured teen-run businesses like 16 year-old student entrepreneur Eric Forkosh's hand-held Bus Alert that uses radio signals to alert him when the school bus is coming.

The teen theme obviously sparked a lot of interest, because since then I’ve heard from others who are combining their passion for teens with their passion for entrepreneurship, like fellow Changing Course reader Nicki Sanders. Nicki wrote to say she’d changed course to realize her dream as the Chief Visionary Officer at The Teen Toolbox, LLC. The organization provides youth with life skills programs and activities that enhance the strengths and experiences of teenagers and empower them to take charge of their lives and develop into their potential. In addition to learning about workshops and mentoring opportunities for teens, you can nominate a teen who is making a difference in the world for the Teen Toolbox Spotlight Teen of the Month.

I vote for Karen Washington Heck’s 13 year old niece Mariah! Mariah is President of a new enterprise that’s all about getting teens involved in activities related to entrepreneurship and volunteering. At this point, she and her girl pals have set up a leadership team with co-Vice Presidents Whitney and Alicia, Secretary Kenya, Healthy Foods Advisor Anaya, and (in a fabulous act of faith), Addie has already stepped up to be the Fan Club Leader! The site is very much in development, but once the girls are a little farther along, I’ll include a link so you can see what they’re up to.

Aunt Karen is the power behind Give Yourself Power. Karen knows a thing or two about overcoming adversity to pursue a dream. After her doctor gave her six months to live, she overcame her prognosis, and her fears. "In that six months of hanging in life-or-death limbo," says the retired United States Air Force sergeant, "I realized I deserved to do something that would allow me to take care of myself and love what I do. Even before she completed the Outside the Job Box Career Coach Training Program, Karen and her family encouraged her niece and nephews to consider becoming entrepreneurs. Mariah and all the other girls there at the soon-to-be corporate headquarters, are shining examples of what can come from a little encouragement!

From Idea to Action

The thing about ideas is that unless you take action, it’s just all wishful thinking. One reason people get stuck is they don’t know where to begin. Let’s say you love Raghu’s idea about running tours for example. For starters, if you’re going to be an entrepreneur, then you need to be a proactive problem solver too. To me a problem is like an interesting puzzle. Instead of saying, "Oh dear, I just don’t know where to begin," try putting on your Opportunity Detective hat and thinking, "Hmmm… interesting problem. Now if I was the answer, where would I be hiding?"

What you’ll find is that most solutions are hiding in plain sight. Like -- if you want to start a business then learn from someone who has already figured it all out for you.

Travel maven Cynthia Morris has put together an outstanding guide on how to lead tours for run and profit. This comprehensive manual covers all the steps necessary to design, market, and lead tours locally or abroad. I’ve read this guide and for an incredibly small investment I can personally guarantee that you save considerable time and money you would have wasted trying to figure it all out yourself. Best of all, you could be running your first tour in a matter of months! (If, Cynthia’s name sounds familiar she’s one of the guest speakers on the Making Dreams Happen audio program with Barbara Sher, Barbara Winter, and me).

You can use the same strategy to start your own green coupon business. Since Green Zebra is already doing this in San Francisco why re-invent the wheel? If this – or any business idea – interests you then find someone who is already doing it and learn from them. Or, go one step farther. If, for example, Green Zebra hasn’t already thought about licensing their model to people in other locations then why not approach them to see if they’d be interested? Heck, if you are an organized, can-do kind of person you could even promote yourself as the person who can help them pull the whole endeavor together… for a fee that is.

George Bernard Shaw once said, "The possibilities are numerous once we decide to act and not react." If you need help finding ways you can turn your own interests into income then consider hiring a career coach who specializes in working with people like you who want to do their own thing. Visit ChangingCourse.com/ojbcareerexperts.htm and schedule an appointment with a trained Outside the Job Box Career Coach today!

Add Your Two Cents

Want to comment on this article? Click here to hop over to the Changing Course Blog!

Nature and wisdom never are at strife. ~ Plutarch

Featured Resource

Start Your Own Green Consultant Business in 4 Days 

If you read my article (above) then you saw Outside the Job Box Coach in training, Erika Harris’s brainstorm about starting a business as a Green Law Firm Consultant.

That got me thinking about how this same idea can be recycled to other niches. For example, you could market yourself as the Green University Consultant, the Green Hospital Consultant, the Green Restaurant Consultant, the Green Funeral Home Consultant, the Green Beauty Salon Consultant – the possibilities are endless!

If this idea appeals to you then obviously the first step would be to get the training necessary to be a green consultant!

Not surprisingly, an entirely new field to emerge out of the green theme is that of Green Consultant. There a number of green training programs out there. So I did a bit of research and if you are serious about making a career change in this direction, the Green Business League offers a very comprehensive four-day live training.

I spent some time on the phone with Michael Richmond who runs the course and was really impressed with what he had to say. The course itself covers a wide range of topics from the role of a Green Consultant™, to carbon emission and carbon credits, EPA and environmentally-preferred purchasing, green ethics, the paperless office, water management, green pest control, alternative energy considerations, how to start your business, easy ways to market, deciding on what services you want to offer, setting your fees… and a whole lot more.

One really big benefit is that once you satisfy all of the requirements of the training you earn the designation of Green Consultant™– a term this company very wisely trademarked. So if you want to call yourself a Green Consultant™, you need to get certified with these guys to get your designation.

Class size is intentionally limited to 35. Not surprisingly, all of the previous classes sold out quickly.

There are upcoming classes still available in New York, Chicago, Berkeley, Seattle, Denver, Philadelphia, and Toronto (the only Canadian class). It also looks like the price is going to more than double in September so if you are serious, you should get on board soon.

If you are passionate about the environment, recognize the opportunities ahead in the green field, are looking for a way to be your own boss, check out ChangingCourse.com/recommends/greenconsultant 

P.S. Obviously you don’t have to specialize in an industry to succeed in this or any business. But if you already have an insider's view, building on the Green Law Firm Consultant idea, it could be a great place to start. After all if you already work in a law firm for example, then you know the language, the culture, the needs, what kinds of professional associations the decision maker in the field belong to, what conferences they attend, what publications they read, and so on.

To learn more about whether training to enter the rewarding, growing field of Green Consultants™ go to ChangingCourse.com/recommends/greenconsultant 
 

Change and growth take place when a person has risked himself and dares to become involved with experimenting with his own life. ~ Herbert Otto

The Changing Course Newsletter
Copyright 2009 
Lisa Tarrant, Editor
Valerie Young, Publisher info@ChangingCourse.com www.ChangingCourse.com 7 Ripley Road
Montague, MA 01351

All About Your Subscription

You're welcome to forward this newsletter in its entirety to other dreamers.

If someone sent this to you, don't depend on your friend for this great information. Get your complimentary subscription at ChangingCourse.com/ezine.htm

Please do not reply to this message.

Subscribe or Change Your Address: ChangingCourse.com/ezine.htm

Previous Issues: ChangingCourseArchives.com

Special Announcement

Turn Your Knack For Helping Others Discover
Their Calling By Training to Become a Home-Based “Outside the Job Box” Career Expert

In Just a Few Short Months You Could Be Well on Your Way to Working From Home Getting Paid to Help Other People Discover Creative Ways to Profit
From Their Passions…

What if you were to…

• Discover proven consulting and creative brainstorming techniques you can put to immediate use to help clients or workshop attendees see ways to turn their interests into income

• Learn at your own pace, on your own schedule  

• Learn simple, low- and no-cost marketing techniques to attract paying clients

• Launch yourself into a whole new career – and life – running workshops or consulting with individual clients as an “Outside the Job Box” Career Expert

Last month, I asked you to think about what it would be like to sit at home (or anywhere in the world really) and brainstorm with people over the telephone about creative ways they could make a living without a job − and actually get paid to do it!

Or maybe you’d love to run workshops teaching people how they too can turn their passions into profits…

Or to run workshops on how to turn interests into income…

Or to make money 24-hours a day by selling your own eBooks, CDs, or other information products that help people do work that feeds their soul…

If you are a creative thinker, are entrepreneurial, love to brainstorm, and want to get paid to do what comes naturally, I can show you how to become a career advisor, specializing in consulting with people who want to "do their own thing."

Since 2006, I have trained over 100 people from the USA, Canada, the UK, Singapore, Sweden, Kenya, and Australia how to start their own small businesses being Outside the Job Box Career Experts. And our newest student just signed up from Kazakstan.

Quick Marketing Tip: Sometimes your niche market is right in front of your face. Like the former IT consultant in Canada who plans to specialize in helping other downsized IT workers discover new ways to make money. Since she’s one of them, she knows their world – and where to find them. She can post on IT blogs, write tip sheets for IT newsletters, attend IT conferences, and on and on.

Other consultants love running workshops. One ran her first Teleseminar within a month of finishing the course. Another just picked up a cool $200 for a 90-minute workshop offered by her local library. All the essential concepts are right in my course – all these consultants had to do was share them!

Quick Marketing Tip: Look for win-win situations. You could partner with a local bank to offer free or for-a-fee brainstorming sessions in their conference room. You get free meeting space, the credibility of partnering with the bank, and the opportunity to pick up paying clients. The bank gets to introduce itself to people who may someday need a business loan. Community-minded local newspapers or television stations might be open to hosting a free workshop for recently laid-off workers. Another win-win!

Limited Spots in the Spring 2009 “Outside the Job Box” Career Expert Self-Paced Course

Important Registration Information

This course has always been delivered as either a 16-week Teleclass or as a 5-day live workshop. But late last year, I made available a new Self-Paced version. Not only was it far more affordable to far more people, but being self-study meant the program was no longer time-zone dependent - something my International students love. Plus, people could go at their own pace, learning a new career on the side while still keeping their day job.

To make sure I could adequately serve this new round of trainees, I limited sale of the Outside the Job Box Career Expert Self-Paced Course to 50 people. Once the course filled, I closed the program to new students. That was in January. But since then, there has been a huge pent-up demand for the program.

So I decided to open the doors to more people. I still need to make sure we can adequately serve everyone. For that reason, I am once again releasing a limited number of courses before closing down once again.

Earlier this week, I offered a pre-registration period exclusively to the 937 people who signed up for the “First in Line” priority notification list. I opened the doors at 3:00 p.m. Eastern and the first order arrived at 3:05, the next at 3:06, and it pretty much snowballed from there.

The registration doors had barely opened when we started receiving a barrage of emails like this one from Debbie who wrote…

“I LOVE IT! You have NOOOO idea how excited I am… I'm just so darned excited to find something like this! It's something EVERYone should experience. I think I'm already making my list of potential clients! : )”

REGISTRATION UPDATE: Easy Micro-Payment Plan Extended to 9 Months

The thing I really didn't expect was to have so many people thank me for making this program so reasonably priced. Obviously, the $500 discount came as a welcome surprise.

Due to popular demand, I extended the micro-payments from six to nine months. One person who took advantage of the micro-payments summed it up this way... "Where else can you get trained in a whole new business AND get all the marketing and business start up tools for the same price as a fast food meal a day?"

Course Closing SOON

In about a week I’ll be heading to Stamford, Connecticut for a Marketing and Networking Meeting where I’ll be meeting and strategizing with 27 Outside the Job Box Coaches from the USA and Canada on how to grow their businesses even faster.

Once I get back, I’ll be closing the training program to new registrations so if you love the idea of getting paid to brainstorm interesting ways to make money – I urge you to grab your spot soon!

To learn more about whether the Outside the Job Box Career Expert Course and Business Launch System is right for you, go to OutsideTheJobBox.com. Watch the video and read the course description. Then, follow your gut.

As Charles Handy once said, “For the first time in the human experience, we have a chance to shape our work to suit the way we want to live instead of always living to fit in with our work... We would be mad to miss the chance.”

There’s never been a better time to take action. The world needs career advisors who are trained to think “outside the job box” more than ever before. Bring your gifts to the world and start your new life today.
 

Life can be pulled by goals just as surely as it can be pushed by drives. ~ Viktor Frankl

Learning Opportunities

Turn Your Interests Into Income Tele-Brainstorming Call with Your Host, Valerie Young

Have you ever wished that you could sit down and have a one-on -one brainstorming session with Valerie? You know you want to do work you love, you just don't know how! Here's your chance!

Join us this month as we feature three (possibly more) business ideas or challenges that Valerie and her special guests will focus on.

*This series is free to current members of the Changing Course Club.
**100 percent of Non-Members registration fees go to the non-profit micro-grant organization TrickleUp.org

How To Make Money Month after Month Like Clockwork: Create a Small Business With a Big Monthly Cash Flow

One of the most challenging parts of being an entrepreneur is the unpredictability of cash flow. Well, what if you could set up a business where you knew there would be a steady stream of revenue each and every month? It’s called "continuity" income and major organizations like Consumer Reports, the Red Cross, and others have been receiving regular monthly payments charge directly to their customer’s credit cards for years. Now you can learn how to put the power of the continuity model to work for your current or future business to work for you!

In this first-ever "Continuity Summit," friend and mega Internet Guru, Ryan Lee, has put together and all-star line up of incredibly successful online entrepreneurs who have agreed to share their secrets for generating steady monthly income with you.

Whether you already have an online business or are in the "dabbling phase" – there are lots of different ways that small one-person businesses can create continuity income that can fit your "passion, niche and lifestyle" including…

• Paid membership sites (build a strong loyal tribe)

• "Micro Memberships" (create a membership site in 2 days)

• Print newsletters (easy to create and creates great buyers)

• Tele-Coaching (crack the 7-figure monthly ceiling with coaching)

• CD or DVD of the Month (simple creation. High profits)

• Hybrid continuity (unlimited income potential)

In most cases, it’s even easier to create continuity programs than it is regular one-time products.

Because the demand is so high to learn about building continuity income (and there’s so much terrible information floating around) Ryan is doing something completely out of the box. The "Continuity Summit" is the FIRST 3-day large-scale event to focus solely on building your recurring revenue.

In this special 3-day event in Stamford, Connecticut Ryan Lee and some of the top Internet marketers on the planet will all come to one place, with one mission – to help you develop your very own continuity program.

Whether you already have information products or you are completely new to the business, this 3-day event will change your financial future forever.

Internet marketing seminars typically cost a minimum of $2,000 to attend. But not this one….

The (Big!) Continuity Summit
May 15-17, 2009
Stamford, CT
Click Here to Learn More

P.S. I’ll be there, speaking on one of the panels. Plus, because I know Ryan, I was able to barter free seats for 25 people I trained in my unique Outside the Job Box Career Expert Course and Business Launch Program. They get to learn all about setting up continuity income and, in exchange, they’ll serve as on-site idea joggers to the expected 1,000 workshop attendees. And I’ve reserved a room the night before for a networking and marketing strategy meeting. I love these kinds of win-win barters!

P.P.S. Click here to watch Ryan’s short new video (www.RyanLee.com) all about why you don’t want to be the smartest person in the room!

Click Here to Learn More

Imagine Having Your Very Own Internet Business...
By Helping People With The Knowledge Already In Your Head!

On this groundbreaking, free event, using the latest Webinar technology, I will be interviewing Stephen Beck as he shares the "Can’t Miss" Formula for creating your very own product to sell on the Internet.

Stephen made a full-time living on the Internet part-time while attending seminary and here are just a few things that he’ll be reviewing in this call:

• How a home school mom of three created a $27 eBook and made $11,206 in her first 15 days almost by magic...

• The 6 steps to creating a "Can't Miss" information product, and how each step plays a specific role for neutralizing the risk of starting an online business!

• As many different ideas for an information product as we can squeeze into a 60 minute Webinar!

• The 4 biggest obstacles that stand between you and a fat monthly income (and how it keeps you in the minor leagues, instead of up swinging the big bats with the heavy hitters online)...

• How to turn EVERY information product or affiliate product into a continuous stream of monthly income!

In this 70-minute Webinar, you'll discover more about how to create your very own product... how to choose a profitable topic... and how to put ALL of this on auto-pilot (making more money than you have ever dreamed of)... than you've ever heard anyone reveal before!

Tuesday, May 19
9:00pm Eastern Time
Click Here to Register

There are two things to aim at in life; first to get what you want, and after that to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind has achieved the second. ~ Logan Pearsall Smith

The View From the Other Side

"Training never stops. I still continue to train in different ways - I feel, at this stage in my life, I need a particular kind of training. Five years ago, I was looking for something else - just so you don’t become stagnant. And you must also be very open to what’s happening. You continue evolving with the society. You don’t just get locked in a particular kind of time bubble."

~ Preeti Vasudevan, Artistic Director, Thresh, TheThreshDance.org and DancingForTheGods.org 

Resources for a Change

75 Green Businesses You Can Start to Make Money and Make a Difference by Glenn Croston, Ph.D. describes green business opportunities for people from almost any background to join the booming green economy. For the many entrepreneurs eager to join the green business revolution but uncertain how, 75 Green Businesses shows the way.

EcoMomAlliance.org When a group of other Moms on a picnic started sharing ideas about how to save the planet, Kimberly Danek Pinkson says, “I suddenly realized the power moms have to effect global change.” The group’s 11,000 members are meeting in local communities to come up with small but important ways they can make a difference in their schools, organizing kids clothes and toy swaps, and more. They already have an online EcoMom Marketplace and an event calendar. So my guess is that once you join a group you’ll start seeing unmet needs that an inspired wanna-be entrepreneur like you could meet! Dads are welcome too!

Take a Trip Around the World Without Leaving Washington If you love international travel or are just enjoy learning about other cultures, now through Saturday May 9, 2009 embassies in Washington, DC are hosting open houses where visitors can experience the music, crafts, dance, and foods of their nation. This is an annual event. Go in with an entrepreneurial eye this year to see if you can come up with some ideas for next year! For more information visit www.PassportDC.org

Note: Changing Course does not accept paid advertisements from any of the resources listed here. This list is provided to expand your thinking about just how many interesting ways there are to make a living without a job!