First Year Survival Guide

I always thought I would make a great entrepreneur because of my vast experience, skills, and education. I look GREAT on paper! Combined with the self-employment course I took – I envisioned an easy flow to my days. During the first year I learned quickly that looking good on paper doesn’t cover it all, nor did the course I took. Here are the top 6 “realities” I picked up along my journey. I wish someone had shared these with me to help reduce my anxiety and improve my efficiency:

1) The Golden Rule 

Everything will cost at least twice as much and take five times longer to do than what you think. Ok, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit, but do prepare your mind and your bank account for things not to go as planned. Technology will break down, traffic will make you late for meetings, and the one littletinymicroscopic admin thing will take you an entire day. A small business is a vacuum. Time and money seemingly disappear. Make a budget for both – then double it!

2) Get Your Systems In Place NOW 

Spend the money and take the time to do it now, then quality test it. Nothing is worse than being up until 3am because you’re trying to figure out how to get a promised invoice to someone before 9am and your software isn’t working properly. The first year you will be working ON your business more than you are working IN it.

3) Build A Mental And Emotional Support Network 

One other than close friends and family; they tend to be too emotionally invested and their support can be biased. Connect to mentors, other entrepreneurs and people you meet at networking events and social media groups, as all of this helps. I have heard from many entrepreneurs that they are SO surprised when people withdraw their support temporarily or permanently because you can’t make it to the game, or a dinner party, or the park…etc. You need additional outside support, and you will need it daily.

4) Networking And Social Media 

I LOVE social media. However here is the key – it is only the mortar that keeps you cemented to your contacts between speaking – not the bricks. The only way to truly make a contact of value is to do that face-to-face in person, on the phone, or Skype. Build a tribe of people you authentically connect to and know – building a list of people who neither care nor really know about your business is futile. Networking is all about creating a connection to people who like you and want to see you succeed.

5) Research, Research, Research, ACTION! 

 Getting three opinions or perspectives on a business activity is enough for you to marry that information with your intuition and take action. Results from action are the only things that will validate if what you are doing is on track. Make informed decisions, but also recognize that being an entrepreneur is all about taking calculated risks. There are no failures, only feedback and new information to shift your next actions.

6) Celebrate Your Accomplishments

Brag about them; let your support network know. This keeps your energy up and your mind programed to the positive and productive things. Successes may be thin the first year, so stretch them out.

Everyone will have their own unique experience; however the one thing that binds us together is that every day is a new experience. And even when we are in a challenge, there are rewards. The reward of experience, knowledge, renewed courage, and most of all – the reward of being able to share all of it! 

Connie Augustus is a Vancouver based Career Coach, Life Strategist and avid Neuroscience Practitioner. She loves connecting to business owners and continues her own entreprenuerial journey. She invites you to join her at http://www.connieaugustus.com.

Tweeting About Self-Employment

Friday is a great day for chatting for career development practitioners, especially in Canada. Every Friday at 11am PST, career management professionals and recruiters come together on Twitter to chat through the hashtag #HireCAN about relevant topics. On Friday, April 13th I hosted the topic “Talking To Clients About Self-Employment.” I posed a series of questions and different people weighed in with their perspectives. Here are the questions and a summary of responses.

Research conducted by Life Strategies suggests the amount of career development practitioners (CDPs) engaging clients in self-employment discussions correlates with the CDP’s self-employment self-efficacy; how confident they feel to discuss it. Considering this,

Do you feel confident to support clients considering self-employment, why or why not?

• CDPs who have been self-employed feel more confident to discuss the topic with clients 
• Those with little or no experience tend to avoid the topic or refer to other professionals that specialize in self-employment 
• The other option is for CDPs is to take an introductory course like Look Before You Leap which covers the top survival strategies of the successfully self-employed 
• Does the idea of self-employment need to originate from the client or can it be suggested? 
• Treat the topic of self-employment similar to other topics that come up with clients 
• Encourage them to do some research, complete assessments, network with other professionals, and write down ideas 

How do you assess clients for self-employment readiness?

• It’s not a CDPs job to assess the self-employment idea because they are not business experts, rather CDP’s can guide clients to assess their own readiness, research their idea, and access resources 
• Self-employment success is a combination of knowledge, skills, and attitude. Online self-assessments are helpful for clients to consider their preparedness:
• http://www.mazemaster.on.ca/selfemployment/traits.htm, 
• http://www.mvp.cfee.org/en/selfassessisentforme.html, 
• Entreprenuerial Readiness Inventory, 
• http://alis.alberta.ca/pdf/cshop/Self-Employment.pdf
• The Look Before You Leap workbook also contains a self-employment assessment among other tips 
• Informational interviews with self-employed individuals is a great way for clients to find out about the realities of owning a business 
• The Career Wheel is useful for assessing how self-employment will fit into clients’ lives ow.ly/agAWM 
• Brainstorm how the business idea may fit into current economic climate, encouraging market research 

If a self-employment program isn't an option, and the client can't afford a coach, then where can the wannabe self-employed clients turn for help?

• Self-employment doesn’t need to be a full leap; it could be in combination with other incomes while the business grows to a self-sustaining income level. 
• A big obstacle for some is a family member’s beliefs and fears of the risks of self-employment. May be helpful for family to go to an information session on self-employment too 
• Skills swapping is a great way to access supports for free and build collaborative relationships 

What key resources do you refer clients interested in self-employment to?

• Suggest a client to get a business coach, someone with business start up insight 
• Small Business BC is a useful site smallbusinessbc.ca, as well as Community Futures bit.ly/Ihy1PM 
• The Look Before You Leap course and the corresponding workbook guide people through the process of preparing for self-employment. They are useful for CDPs wanting to learn more about how to support clients, and for clients themselves. There is also a PowerPoint and Facilitator Guide for those who want to use the Leap curriculum to host self-employment workshops. 
• The local Chamber of Commerce will be helpful, also Small Business Canada http://www.canadabusiness.ca/eng 
• The Leap website and blog have lots of resources 
• The book “Business Model You” is a good read 
• Understanding how to use social media effectively is key to self-employment success
• Go to Twitter!  @lookb4leaping is there and sharing resources throughout the week

Top Mistakes Of The Self-Employed

© Georgie Johnson

I was 23 when I started my first officially registered business as a wedding and event planner. I operated it for a year and I made zero; that’s nothing, not one paying gig. The problem was I opened the business before I knew how to operate a business. I didn’t take the time to look before I leapt into self-employment. Wedding and event planning was one of a number of different business ideas I tried before I found my current success in self-employment.


Next I became self-employed as an independent consultant of a leading direct sales giftware company. It was the type of business based on home parties and corporate support; I was sort of like a franchisee. Everything I needed to operate my business was handed to me in a neat little kit with bi-weekly training meetings with other independent consultants. I was a recruiting machine and grew a large team, but consistently was the lowest earner of the bunch. What was my problem?


I have my suspicions of where I went wrong. Take a look at this interesting article on the top 50 mistakes entrepreneurs make. http://business.financialpost.com/2012/02/13/fifty-ways-to-screw-up-your-business. Which one are you most guilty of?


Miranda Vande Kuyt is a self-employed project and communications consultant. She is also the facilitator of the "Look Before You Leap: Self-Employment Survival Strategies" online course through www.LifeStrategies.ca.

Who's The "Boss" Of The Self-Employed?

© cliff1066™

I’ve heard the phrase, “be your own boss” so many times that it appears to be synonymous with the term “self-employed.” But, is that really an accurate description? The formal definition of “boss” is, “an employer or supervisor” or “one who makes decisions or exercises authority” (Nelson Canadian Dictionary, 1998). Although self-employed people have authority over their business activities and make decisions on what work they accept, they still have to answer to a number of others. Let’s take a look at who else has some authority or influence on the work of the self-employed, the ones that keep the self-employed accountable for their business activities.

Clients: One of the largest influences of the self-employed is their clients. Without clients the self-employed are just working, which, in itself, does not generate any income. Business activity is only worth something if there is someone willing to pay for it and unless clients are happy with the product or service, they won’t buy it. Therefore, in a sense, the self-employed answer to their clients. I think of each client as one of my bosses; this keeps me accountable.

Family: The successfully self-employed know how much they need to make in a month to cover expenses and make a profit. The standard of living their family is used to will have some authority over how much money they need to bring in each month. Also, the demands of family responsibilities will impact the time the self-employed have available to dedicate to their business.

Colleagues: Observing the activities of colleagues and competitors can help the self- employed gauge if they are doing all they should be doing to run a successful business. Networking through events and social media is an effective way to keep up to date on their activities and glean feedback on business ideas and practices.

Accountant and/or Bookkeeper: Without reputable financial guidance, the self-employed could find themselves in a nightmare when tax time comes. The self-employed must submit to the authority of the revenue experts to find financial success.

Professional Associations: Joining professional organizations are an effective way to build a positive reputation in the marketplace. With membership comes the adherence to ethical codes of practice and the authority of the professional association.

Mentor/Coach: A coach or mentor is only effective if the advice is considered and acted upon. Without compliance to their subject matter authority, meeting with them is an expensive and timely façade.

Investors: Some start-ups require financial backing of investors. Whether its subsidies, family, friends, or venture capitalist–they probably invested because of a convincing business plan. Therefore, the plan and the investors will influence the business decisions of the self-employed.

Board of Directors/Business Advisor: Similar to investors these people are committed to seeing the business of the self-employed succeed. Adhering to their guidance is paramount to self-employment success.

There may be other influences that have authority over the self-employed. Can you think of any others that keep the self-employed accountable?

Miranda Vande Kuyt is a self-employed project and communications consultant. She is also the facilitator of the "Look Before You Leap: Self-Employment Survival Strategies" online course through www.LifeStrategies.ca.

The Leap To Self-Employment

© Eric Fernhout    

Understanding self-employment is more important than ever. Over 2.5 million Canadians are self-employed, making up over 15% of the Canadian workforce1 and the number keeps growing. As large as those numbers are, very few career practitioners understand what it takes to be successfully self-employed. Most career practitioners work within government-funded programs2, and for many, self-employment is not on their radar, for themselves or their clients.

However, we live in transformational times where job security is shaky at best. Self-employment is a very real option that should be considered by everyone facing a career transition. That is not to say that self-employment is the right option for everyone; characteristics such as knowledge and skills are important, as is the right attitude (e.g., passion, drive, vision) and proper preparation. Read More...

This is an expert from a recent Life Strategies article that was published in the www.ContactPoint.ca Bulletin.

Establishing Your Online Presence Without Social Media

© office.microsoft.com

Whether you are ready to leap into the world of social media or not, people are already talking about you online—and they may not be saying what you want them to say about you. It might not be that they are saying bad things; they just might not be saying what you want them to. By establishing your presence online you are able to influence what people are saying about you, by framing who you are and what your business can do for others.

There are two types of online profiles. In previous posts we discussed interactive profiles (aka social media) and the basic elements of an online profile. This post discusses non-interactive profiles (aka static profiles), places for one way sharing of information; you talk and your audience listens.
Some static profiles to consider are:

• Online Business Directories: These are like listings in the phone book except they are online. Many postings are free and many sites may already post your information from what they can find out about you on the Internet. Start by doing an online search for your name and see what comes up. If you find yourself or business listed then you can then “claim” your profile and update your information. You can also create a profile on other popular business profile sites. Take a look at YellowPages, Goldbook, Hotfrog, Manta, CanPages, and ZoomInfo. Also take a look at listings that professional associations you are affiliated with may have. Be sure to record your login information for posting updates. As well, make note of the sites that have interactive features such as reviews and recommendations. You can encourage your happy customers to recommend your business for other customers to read. 

• Website: A static website is a traditional website that posts company information and/or articles. It may or may not be updated frequently and differs from a blog in that it does not include any interactive functionality for engaging your customers—although some static websites do link to a blog hosted on another platform or other social media sites such as Facebook.

Social media profiles take time to maintain on a daily basis, but static profiles take time to set up initially, and then require maintenance only when something changes about you or your business. I recommend setting up profiles on as many free static sites as you can so your customers can easily find out what you have to say about your business wherever they look.

Miranda Vande Kuyt is a self-employed project and communications consultant. She is also the facilitator of the "Look Before You Leap: Self-Employment Survival Strategies" online course through www.LifeStrategies.ca.

7 Social Media Sites For Building Your Online Presence

Establishing your online presence is essential to influencing what others are saying about you on the internet. Previously we discussed the basic elements of an online profile. Now we’re going to move into the types of profiles to consider: interactive and non-interactive. Interactive profiles are built on Web 2.0 technology and are often referred to as “social media.” These are platforms for you to interact with your target audience, virtual meeting places for people to get to know each other.

Some popular social media sites to consider are:

1. Facebook: A platform for sharing information of a personal nature on your Facebook Profile or business nature on your Facebook Page. Pages are great for sharing tips, articles, videos, promotions, and other valuable information. It’s also a great place to ask questions, post polls, and get feedback from customers that you can incorporate into strengthening your company. It is the most widely used social media platform in the world. 
2. LinkedIn: A platform targeted to professionals for sharing portfolios and resumes virtually. It has a unique area on the profile for your contacts to leave recommendations of your work for others to read. You can also join or start LinkedIn discussion groups where you can share your expertise. 
3. Twitter: Twitter is a networking platform that allows you to share your expertise, interact with others, and search what others are saying about you, your company, as well as your competitors in 140 characters or less.  
4. Youtube: An online video sharing and viewing site. Users create their own Youtube “channel” to upload and share videos, while viewers can comment and share the videos with their networks. 
5. Blogs: A blog is an interactive website that usually is updated regularly in reverse chronological order. Others can comment on blog posts and share them with friends. It also can have non-interactive pages to house common information such as your “Contact Us” or “About” pages.  Blogs are useful for demonstrating your knowledge base and expertise.  Some popular free blogging platforms are: Wordpress, Blogger, and Typepad. 
6. Google+: This is a powerful profile page that increases your visibility in search rankings and acts as a central location that links to all your online profiles, websites, alternate spellings of your name, contact information and much more. You should link to your Google+ profile on all your other profiles and include it in your email signature. Sooner than later, when someone does an online search of your name they will find your Google profile at the top of the search results.
7. Forums: Forums are virtual discussion platforms that are targeted to specialized groups. They are a great place to share your tips and set yourself apart as an expert in your field. Search Google or ask other professionals in your field where they go to connect with others virtually. 

You should set up accounts on most of the popular social media sites even if you don’t plan to use them, as this prevents others from taking your desired username. Your profiles will require ongoing maintenance that can be very time consuming. I recommend choosing the top one or two that will have the most impact for you or your business, and learn to use them well. To ensure success, try accessing the help pages on each respective site, reading articles, doing webinars, watching videos, or asking another professional for tips. In my next post we’ll discuss non-interactive profiles.

Miranda Vande Kuyt is a self-employed project and communications consultant. She is also the facilitator of the "Look Before You Leap: Self-Employment Survival Strategies" online course through www.LifeStrategies.ca.