BJ Gallagher It's Never Too Late to Be What

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.I’m lucky that I found a way to get what I wanted.On my last day at Madonna University—in February—I got a call from my friend Michelle telling me that she had just landed the grant she’d been hoping for.‘Are you available to work?’ she asked.So she became my second client.I was so excited when I got that phone call.Everything was falling into place.“In June I landed some employee communications work with a business unit of General Motors.By December, the end of my first year of full-time entrepreneurship, I was convinced I could make a go of it.My family balance was good.I was happy.”“Don’t you just love happy endings?”“You bet! I was forty-one when I started that business, with only five hundred dollars in start-up capital, a PC, an Internet connection, and my Rolodex.Now, ten years later, I’m fifty years old and living my dream!”“What advice would you give others who want to live their dreams?”“I’d give them the same advice that Sandy Burgess, my friend from the Association for Women in Communication, gave me:1.Keep your business and personal lives separate.Set up a business checking account separate from your personal account; get a business phone line; have a work area separate from your living area.2.Use your network to get business.3.Use your network to get help.“The central question is: Are you running a business or sustaining a hobby? If you’re running a business, you need to treat it like a business—keep business hours, get business cards printed, put up a website.You want clients to take you seriously, and it starts by taking your business seriously.”“Good, practical advice.”“I would also say that if you have the passion and commitment to succeed, it’s never too late.I think I was a natural entrepreneur all along, but didn’t know it until starting this business.“While my husband was going through his job search in 1999, I was reading a book titled Do What You Love, the Money Will Follow by Marsha Sinetar.That book really encouraged me to take that first step into business.If you really love what you do, you won’t mind getting up and going to the office in the morning.If you really love what you do, you won’t mind networking and making sales calls.If you really love what you do, you won’t find working hard.It’s true—if you do what you love, the money will follow.”“Any other advice?”“Be careful you don’t put all your eggs in one basket.Don’t become too reliant on one customer or client.Life is full of unexpected changes and if you don’t diversify your business, you can get the rug pulled out from under you by one major client.My business kept going after 9/11 while some other businesses didn’t.That’s because I had a variety of clients.“Also, don’t be afraid to say no to an opportunity if it’s not the right opportunity for you.I learned this the hard way.In the beginning, you say yes to everything because you need the business.But later on, I made a couple of mistakes by not picking up on cues that would have told me, This client is not a good fit for me.Over time, you have to learn to say no.“And at the same time, be careful not to say no too quickly—to opportunities that might seem a little off-track but that might lead to something really wonderful.For instance, in 2002 I was asked to develop an online journalism course for the local community college.I wasn’t sure at first, but I said yes because I loved journalism and it was a chance to share my passion with students.Now I teach that class one semester a year and I love it.“Another terrific opportunity came my way because I always keep my eyes and ears open.In 2005, I heard via my professional network about a business magazine that might be for sale.I passed the information on to my client, who was interested enough to acquire the magazine in early 2006.The best part is that now I am the magazine’s editor—working in journalism, which I love.“If you learn from your experiences, and ask smart people for advice, you’ll get good at knowing when to say no and when to say yes.”For more about Sue Voyles’s writing, public relations, and marketing, visit her website: www.logos-communications.com.Man, alone, has the power to transform his thoughts into physical reality; man, alone, can dream and make his dreams come true.—Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow RichNEVER-TOO-LATE TIPS FOR MAKING YOUR DREAM COME TRUE:1.Create a mental picture of what your life would look like if you were living your dream.The mind thinks in pictures, so make a “mental movie” of your dream come true.Play and replay this movie often.2.Manage your motivation.Read books; watch DVDs; listen to CDs that help keep your enthusiasm, energy, and commitment high.3.Keep your eyes and ears open.Opportunity is everywhere, if you’re alert enough to recognize it.4.Practice active gratitude.Take a few minutes each day to notice the things in your life that you’re grateful for—the place you live, your car, your pets, treasured possessions, friends, your job, etc [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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