“If I were in charge, things would be different.” Who hasn’t said that at least once?

 

On October 3, career coach Annemarie Segaric led a NYWICI session* on starting and growing your own business. A specialist in career transitions and author of 107 Tips for Changing Your Career While Still Paying the Bills, Segaric helps women who want to do just that. Their reasons vary: fulfilling a dream, or job loss through a merger, downsizing, or relocation. We asked Segaric for some observations on changing roles in the workplace based on her experience and expertise.

 

Q. How do you find your niche in the workplace? 

Identify your passion; without it, you won’t make a name for yourself. We are born knowing what it is, but life happens, we become sidetracked and lose sight of our instincts. What expertise do you have that others seek out?   What do they come to you for most often? What do you enjoy doing? What do you enjoy doing for others? By detecting a pattern, you are on the way to finding your passion and defining your career.

Always take action, have a “nothing is impossible” attitude, and keep up on marketing techniques. Send out a newsletter to spread word of your services. Don’t isolate yourself with a computer and e-mails. Build your community. Network through organizations and get to know other small business owners. Connecting with people is fundamental to business development because we are limited in what we can do by ourselves.

The resource box on this page identifies excellent city, state, and nonprofit resources to tap into. The business sections of the New York Public Library are fantastic. Check out evening classes. A comprehensive business plan is often the best way to determine when, how, and if you should proceed.

Q. How well do people understand the full meaning of “being your own boss?”

It varies, of course. Some think that running their own business means spending time doing what they enjoy and avoiding jobs they disliked at the office. You can hire others for specific tasks, but never lose control of any aspect of your business by sloughing off what you don’t like doing. Everything has to be fitted in with other responsibilities. Being unrealistic about setting schedules and underestimating the time and effort involved in meeting deadlines are frequent problems. There is an old saying: You never work harder and longer than when you are working for yourself. 

 

Q. Do you have to be “an entrepreneur at heart” to be successful?

Entrepreneurial skills call for self-motivation; creating and recognizing opportunities; time management; juggling diverse tasks; and often, round-the-clock hours.If you are fulfilling a cherished dream, you have momentum going for you. If a diminishing job market is your reason for starting a business, then remember that necessity is the mother of invention. In either case, use the available help and resources essential to decision-making.

 

* The panel members for “Meet the Next Queens of All Media: Four Great Companies and the Women Who Own Them” were:

Annemarie Segaric, Coach and Motivational Speaker; coach@segaric.com

Rachel Allgood, President of Isocurve, Brand Consulting & Strategic Design; www.isocurve.com

Karen Taylor-Bass, President, TaylorMade Media PR; www.taylormademediapr.com

Marcia Cole, President, Ivy Communications, Inc., publisher of www.ambermag.com

Kim Van Dang, President, KVD-NYC; www.kvdnycinc.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Field Center for Entrepreneurship, Baruch College/CUNY: business counseling; help with writing a business plan;information on bank lending policies; loan packaging and other services; 646/312-4790

New York State Small Business Development Centers at:

Lehman College, 718/960-8806

Pace University, 212/618-6655

York College, 718/262-2880

 

 

Getting Business to Come to You
by Paul and Sarah Edwards

 

E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber