Mary, a 57 year old adjunct professor in South Florida and professional speaker and trainer in communications and presentation skills has found herself caught up in the current economic climate. Working with Fortune 500 companies for the past several years as an independent contractor she now finds herself without many prospects as companies continue to downsize or go out of business.
Dr. Roslyn, a 60 year old professional who has also worked in the corporate arena training their clients on issues relating to diversity finds herself with very few assignments for the coming year. In fact, her two biggest clients have cancelled contracts with her indefinitely.
These two women are in a quandary. No visible means of support in the near or distant future and bills to pay. Sound familiar?
Both of these women are highly qualified experts in their respective fields, talented and well-educated. And even though they are struggling to make ends meet, they both realized that they needed help from someone who could see their situation, make recommendations and help them turn their professional lives around by showing them how to create a “new income stream, or several.”
I met Mary at a networking event and on the verge of tears she shared her story. She also told me about a website she had purchased that sells information/educational products which she didn’t think it was performing to its full potential.
Dr. Roslyn and I are members of the same professional organization and knowing I am a business coach she asked me for help. She too has a website which she has yet to use as a marketing and sales tool.
As a social media and Internet marketing strategist I was delighted to coach them and help them enhance their websites and web presence to start attracting new clients. They accepted! That was 2 months ago and each woman is now becoming a netpreneur. BTW, Dr. Roslyn was very skeptical at first but knew that she too must change with the tides or become irrelevant. Although she was scared about what the future would hold for her, she realized her fear of failure far outweighed her fear of change.
And Mary and Roslyn are not alone in their plights. Many boomer women are being downsized, let go or taking cutbacks at their jobs. Which is why coaches are fast becoming sought after by Baby Boomers as their counsel of choice for change. Working with the right coach can take boomer women from the depths of despair to a place of encouragement and growth in business and life. It’s the quickest way to shorten the learning curve and achieve your goals.
Baby boomers value the one-on-one individual attention a coach can give. And knowing there is more than one way to work with a coach makes it even more desirable. You can meet face-to-face, via teleconference, web conferencing and more.
So how do you know if working with a coach is right for you? The first step is to recognize that having someone to strategize with and bounce ideas off is important to achieving your goals. The next step is to know what your goals are. And then the third step is to find someone who has skills you lack or need help with and seek her (or his) advice and guidance.
In part II, I will discuss what a coach can do for you, what a coach should do for you and other things to consider when working with a coach. In the meantime, here are two great books I recommend: How to Create the Life You Want after 50 by Sara Brown Ph.D. and Joan Malling and Second Acts: Creating the Life You Really Want, Building the Career You Truly Desire by Stephen M. Pollan and Mark Levine.
