Thursday, May 28, 2020

How Do I Resist Falling Back Into The Soulless Work I Know

“How Do I Resist Falling Back Into The Soulless Work I Know” Help from our Community “How Do I Resist Falling Back Into The Soulless Work I Know?” * Chris is tired of doing work he finds meaningless. But while he’s been given an opportunity to explore new ideas, he’s also got a young family to support. When it feels like time, and savings, are running out, how do you stop yourself from drifting back to the same old unsatisfying role? What's your career history and current job? I've worked in procurement for the majority of my career, mostly in the corporate finance sector. I started out as an employee, and I later became a self-employed contractor in the same field. Due to budget cuts, my most recent contract role ended earlier than expected, which has left me in between jobs. How do you feel about your work? I'm good at what I do, and it pays well. I like most of the people I work with, and I enjoy the deal-making aspects of procurement. But I'm not a corporate person at heart. Every day I put on my suit, I feel as though I'm playing a character that isn't really me. I don't want to keep joining the crowded commute into the City every day, with my face in someone else's armpit. I want to stop feeling as though all I do is work hard just to make more money for faceless corporations. What would you like to be doing instead? I dream about being my own boss, doing something interesting and meaningful outside of the corporate world. I'm just not sure what else I could do. I love European cinema, and I once volunteered at the Cambridge Film Festival for six weeks. I really enjoyed doing that, but it's hard to see how I could make a career from it. I've also thought about things like opening a coffee shop, or taking up a franchise opportunity. What's the biggest obstacle in your way? I don't know how to avoid going back to the same corporate work I've done for so many years. Finding myself unexpectedly in between jobs has opened up a real opportunity for me to finally find meaningful work I enjoy. Unfortunately, it also means I'm not earning anything. I've got some savings, which are helping to tide me over before I find my next opportunity. But I've got a young family to support, so I can't afford to take careless risks. I'm not afraid of hard work. I just don't know where to channel it, or how to start planning a realistic career change. The thought of doing the same meaningless work until the day I retire makes me miserable. But time is running out, and I'm starting to think I've got no other option. How can I resist the temptation to give up, and go back to the work I know? Can you help Chris? Have you been in a similar situation, or are you in the same boat right now? How do you think Chris could move his shift forwards? Do you know anyone he could talk to? Share your thoughts in the comments below and click the thumbs-up button to show your support.

Monday, May 25, 2020

These Are the 7 Most Successful Business Women in Britain Today

These Are the 7 Most Successful Business Women in Britain Today Though they may come from different backgrounds and have different areas of specialization, the following seven women all have one very important thing in common: they have each ascended through the corporate ranks to become some of the most powerful executives in Britain today, breaking down long-established barriers in the business world. Here are the some of the most successful business women in Britain today. Denise Coates CBE, Founder and Chief Executive of Bet365 Denise Coates attended the University of Sheffield where earned a degree in econometrics, but she also grew up in an environment that would pave the way for  her success with Bet365.com, an online gambling company, which she launched in 2000. Chrissie Rucker MBE, Founder and Board Director of The White Company Chrissie Rucker, born Belinda Christian Rucker in Kent, was inspired to become an entrepreneur after her attempts to purchase white linens for her boyfriend’s apartment were thwarted by a lack of availability in local shops. Rucker began a mail-order business,  The White Company, which grew into a shopping empire. Baroness Dido Harding CBE, Chief Executive of TalkTalk Diana Mary “Dido” Harding  has been upwardly-mobile since she the day she received her MBA from Harvard University. Harding moved through the executive ranks of the Woolworths Group, Tesco, and Sainsbury’s before being named the CEO of TalkTalk Telecom Group in 2006. Ann Cairns, President of International Markets for MasterCard Ann Cairns began her career as a research engineer for British Gas, becoming the first woman qualified to go offshore in Britain, before moving into banking in the 1980s. Cairns led the estate management team overseeing the Chapter 11 process for Lehman Brothers International Holdings from 2008 to 2011, and joined MasterCard  in August of that same year. Cilla Snowball CBE, Chairman of AMV BBDO Pricilla Snowball left Birmingham University with a BA in French and went directly into advertising, rising through the  Abbot Mead Vickers BBDO  chain of command until she was named Chief Executive in 2002. Since then, Snowball has taken the helm of Britain’s largest advertising agency and become one of the most powerful executives in the United Kingdom. Amanda Sourry, Executive Vice President of Unilever’s global hair category Amanda Sourry began working at Unilever as a brand manager directly after graduating from the University of Cambridge in 1985. For the next thirty years Sourry would occupy a variety of senior positions beneath  the Unilever umbrella, including a seventeen-year sojourn in America where she served as head of global spreads and dressings. Alison Cooper, Chief Executive of Imperial Tobacco Currently serving as the  CEO of one the world’s largest tobacco companies, Alison Cooper began her career as an auditor for Deloitte, Haskins, Sells shortly after earning her degree from Bristol University. Cooper joined Imperial Tobacco in 1999 as Group Finance Manager, and was promoted several times before becoming CEO in 2010. Gone were the days when only the male population succeed in business. Women from all over the world are enjoying their own success. Recently, Lagan Construction hosted a National Women in Engineering Day event wherein young girls from different schools were invited. The purpose of this event is to encourage them to consider Engineering as a career. Indeed, with the right opportunity and skills developed, any young woman can be as successful as these persons featured.

Friday, May 22, 2020

7 Business Plan Tips To Create A Better Business Plan - Classy Career Girl

7 Business Plan Tips To Create A Better Business Plan A good business plan is one of the first steps in breaking free from your day job. It will help you clarify your purpose and give you a cohesive vision of the future of your business. What are your goals? Who will you serve? Why should those people want to work with you? Why is your business different? These are all questions your business plan should address. Building a Better Business Plan I have written about building a business plan before. It is a step that I see many people get hung up on, and I dont want to see this hold you back! I highly suggest checking out our Business Plan Template, which will give you everything you need to get started creating a plan. Today, I am sharing seven tips for building a better business plan. These are questions or points you should be sure to include in your business plan. 1)Make sure you include your personal story in your purpose plan. The internet is a noisy place, and getting personal will help you break through that noise. What are some of your struggles? Why are you doing this now? Why do you want to start this business? Share who you are, which will attract the right types of clients to your business. Related Post: The Moment That Changed Everything #MyStartupstory 2) Determine the cost of people not working with you.   Potential clients may think they can figure it out on their own. You are going to have to dive in and show them the cost of not working with you or not buying your product. What is the cost of your client continuing to live like they are now? Are they going to actually lose something by not taking action and moving forward? Are they going to lose money? Are they going to miss out on their family? That’s priceless. What is the true cost of not taking advantage of your product? This approach will help you be more passionate about what you are selling and help your clients see they really need what you have to offer. 3) Focus on one product to start. There is so much stuff online and it’s easy to get distracted. I would recommend focusing in on one thing. You have a lot of things you can help people with, but it is important to become an expert at one thing. The market saturation is caused by people selling broad offerings. What kind of expert do you want to be? You can always expand later on and sell additional items or services. 4) Pick one social media platform and engage. If you pick Instagram first, you have to be commenting and networking like crazy. Spend at least an hour a day commenting and liking other people’s Instagram accounts and creating 4 posts per day. It takes a lot of work to build up your connections on Instagram. If you are focusing on Facebook, do consistent Facebook Lives and connect with your listeners based off sharing your own stories. Dont try to be everywhere all at once. Focus on quality, not quantity. 5) Dont just post on social media and wait for people to come to you. Just by putting a blog up, they aren’t automatically going to come. YOU have to be the one to actually go get them. You have to be out there engaging with others. Don’t blog and hope they come.   Aim to build a connection. Ask questions and engage with your audience. 6) If you are providing a service, individual coaching is a great place to start in the beginning. In the beginning, individual coaching is important because you can charge a higher fee, so it’s a quicker pathway to quitting your day job. You will learn so much, including how to create your systems and how to identify what your client’s frustrations are. If you have more time to earn a higher income, you can start selling a low priced course or membership site. It’s going to take a lot longer and you’ll have to sell a lot more products if you have a lower ticket item. 7) If you get on the phone with someone, your conversion rate will increase. Try to simplify your revenue targets and put a target together for next month. What is doable to get you to the $6,000 per month? How can you make that happen as quickly as possible? Do the math. If you want to make $5,000 per month, you just need 12 people to pay you $500 per month or 24 people paying you $250 per month. It’s up to you and how quickly you want to grow this. If these tips help you, I would love to hear about it! Share your success on Instagram and be sure to tag @classycareergirl!