This is a special guest post from the pros at VerifyProtect.com that I thought would be interesting to you: 

Ten years ago, this business was just a hope, a dream.  But it was one about which I was passionate.  Fast forward a decade and JAD Coaching & Consulting has grown by leaps and bounds!

Recently, a colleague interviewed me about my start-up experiences.  I’d like to share the results of that dialogue with you now.  Enjoy!

Question:  What were you doing 11 years ago?

I was the Area Marketing Manager for Nextel Partners, overseeing the marketing and public relations for Pennsylvania and part of New York. In addition to my “regular” position, I also wore the hat of National Sales Trainer, flying to new markets and training the sales team.

Question: Why did you make the decision to launch your own business?

Ten years ago, I was attending a business meeting in Seattle. In a posh room, overlooking the beautiful shores of Lake Washington, I sat surrounded by marketing professionals that were supposedly “hand picked” to be on this team, and I found myself wondering:

A.  Why these people were earning the same amount of money as me but only doing half the work.

B.  Why I spent my time working at least 80 hours a week only to hear my manager tell the top brass what creative ideas the “marketing department” was generating and tout how the latest campaign produced more results than any other. It wasn’t the “marketing department” producing. It was me! 90% of those ideas were mine and I wasn’t being compensated or acknowledged for them!

It was at that moment I made the decision that enough was enough.

Question: What were the biggest challenges to opening your business?

Dealing with self-induced pressure.   I was (and sometimes still am) my own worst critic and measured myself against people who had 15+ years more experience than I did.

Setting realistic goals. I didn’t believe the facts I read… that most businesses don’t show a profit for 3-5 years…I thought I’d set the world on fire and make boatloads of money in year one!

Identifying what I needed. It seems that young business owners feel the need to have the best office products and equipment and will also spend money on lots of marketing materials that aren’t going to generate immediate revenue for them. (And they need immediate revenue!)

Identifying my USP. I couldn’t figure out what made me different from my competition and what type of clients were a good fit for me. This was, in part, due to lack of experience but also because no one ever got me to think about my business that way.

Question: What was your first year in business like?

Difficult, yet exciting! I still remember the feeling I got each time I told someone what I did… that I owned a business.  I got butterflies in my stomach.  I remember working all of the time and in retrospect really didn’t spend my time as wisely as I should have.

Question: What would you change if you were to go back and do it again?

I would have spent less time networking at local chamber of commerce events and more time networking at trade organizations or at specialized events.

I would have identified my USP much sooner.

I would have spent my limited resources on cutting edge, results-focused marketing programs instead of traditional marketing programs that worked while I was in the corporate world.

I would have plugged into a coaching group or mastermind group to learn and surround myself with more experienced business owners.

Question: What have been the biggest benefits to having your own business?

Flexibility. I’m able to work anywhere as long as I have my laptop and blackberry.

Sense of Accomplishment.Owning a business has been one of my greatest accomplishments. I am very proud of myself and am ok saying that.

Question: Will you launch other businesses in the future?

Yes! I just launched Your Written Book which is a business focused on helping business owners and entrepreneurs write and market a book in order to increase revenues and open up new possibilities

Question: What suggestions do you have for people who want to start businesses in 2010?

Have a 12 month plan.

Start marketing immediately.

Carve out your own niche. Identify a need and fill it.

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Join my Marketing Made Easy for Small Businesses Program today! 

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Is it possible to thrive in an uncertain economy?  Absolutely.  But you have to be willing to take some bold steps to make it happen.

To help all entrepreneurs who want to make certain that 2010 is a year to remember (for positive reasons!), I’m launching an exclusive group coaching program for small business owners in January.  My program runs throughout the entire year and addresses everything from marketing to goal setting to public relations. 

Included in the program are group and individual telesessions perfect for your busy lifestyle.  You’ll have the chance for one-on-one interaction as well as opportunities to brainstorm with other eager enpreneurs who want to make 2010 their best year yet! 

I’m accepting individuals into the program now and I invite you to check it out here. 

I really believe that every entrepreneur can shine… all it takes is a little mental “elbow grease”.  Be a part of a dynamic group that’s dedicated to ensuring that success is the only option in 2010.  Join today!

Two years ago, I sent out a press release to traditional media outlets.  It was well-written and pointed.  It was clever and creative.  So I distributed it widely and waited.

And waited.

And waited. 

In the end, I received very little in return for my efforts.  It quickly dawned on me that I needed to change the way I advertised my message.  Today, I consistently use the Internet as my main public relations tool and I regularly see incredible results.  (I’ve been able to work with some amazing individuals, too!)

Though mine is just one person’s experience, I believe it indicates what many of us know to be true — traditional marketing methods have a place, but are usually not as effective as online mediums.  In an age of article submission directories, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, affiliate marketing and blogs, a press release in a printed newspaper seems almost quaint.

If you’re still clinging to traditional marketing methods to get the word out about your business or boost sales, it’s time to make a change.  To help you get started on a profitable path, I’m offering anyone from America or Canada a free (yes, you heard me correctly — FREE!) 30-minute consultation via telephone.  Just leave a comment on this blog and I’ll get back to you via email to set up your appointment.

I truly feel that most businesses don’t even scratch the surface when it comes to online opportunities.  In fact, I’ve had plenty of entrepreneurs and executives tell me that point-blank.  They know they aren’t maximizing their public relations dollars with a solid strategy, but they just aren’t sure where to begin. 

Make sure you aren’t left behind.  Leave a comment right now and we’ll set up our FREE 30-minute discussion today!

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For every entrepreneur, the world is wide open — perhaps a little too wide when it comes to marketing options.  There are billboards, TV ads, print ads, Google ads, pay-per-click (PPC) advertisements, blogs, Twitter accounts, Facebook fan pages, LinkedIn accounts, mailed postcards, emailed newsletters…  How is anyone supposed to know what the right way to get your company “out there” should be?

Guess what.  If you’re an entrepreneur, the good news is that you don’t have to have a clue how to market; you just have to be willing to allow yourself to be led to a good marketing strategy.

You see, there are plenty of trained marketing consultants (myself included) who can help direct business people to the proper ways of building a brand, advertising an event or otherwise making (positive) waves and inroads.  By hiring someone who can create a marketing and/or public relations plan, any entrepreneur can take some of the weight off his or her shoulders.

Notice I said “some”, but not all.  That’s because building a marketing plan has to be an ongoing process.  Even when a marketing consultant is used, the entrepreneur must still be cognizant of what’s happening and take an active role in the process.

For instance, I recently saw an advertisement — The Work at Home Woman (a site with a decent Alexa ranking and Google page rank) is offering to host blog posts from (presumably) females who are working out of their residences. 

For entrepreneurs who fit into this “WAH” category, it seems an excellent way to get some buzz… or at least tell the cyber universe: “I’m here!” 

It’s these types of opportunities that entrepreneurs have to be willing to uncover.  Then, they can bring them to their marketing consultants as potential ways to further “flesh out” their marketing endeavors.  Now, perhaps the marketing consultant will advise against doing them, but even if that happens, the entrepreneur will still have played an important role in directing the future of his or her organization.

So… how will you get your company “out there”? 

If you haven’t already started brainstorming the hundreds of different ways for you to “break in” to your market, it’s definitely time.  And if you need some assistance, give JADCC a call.

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As a business coach, I challenge clients to think.  And today, I’m challenging you to do a little soul-searching of your own. 

Now, I know most of us who are entrepreneurs have a strong drive to be “The Best” — but most of us never analyze what that really means.  Instead, we strive for “Best”, but we have no idea how we’ll know when we get there.

As a quick exercise, I’d like to offer some free business coaching to you.  If you really, truly want to be “The Best” in your business, ask yourself these important questions:

If you were the best in your industry:

1. How would you answer the phone?
2. How would you sign your emails?
3. What hours would you work?
4. What kind of first and last impression would you leave on prospects and clients?
5. What would your marketing materials look like?
6. With whom would you associate?
7. What kind of clients would you have?
8. What would your office look like?
9. What would your website look like?
10. What kind of work would you do?
11. How much of your work would you outsource?
12. What credentials would you have?
13. What community organizations would you support?
14. How would your public relations work?
15. What kind of communications would you have with clients?
16. How would you physically feel each day?
17. How would you mentally feel each day?
18. How long would it take you to return a phone call?
19. How long would it take for you to return an email?
20. How many clients would you have?

Good luck on the exercise.  If you do it with sincerity, it will absolutely help you envision what you know can become true.