She may have cracked the glass ceiling with her executive rank in a male driven industry, but navigating cancer was her toughest challenge ever. Throughout her career at SPAR she was negotiating multi-million dollar contracts and traveling extensively. One year she clocked 298 days on the road and admits that she missed a big part of her young children’s lives because her focus was on work.

Priority Epiphany

After a year of surgery, aggressive chemotherapy, radiation, and the loss of her hair, Christine had a dramatic change in her priorities. She wanted a career that would enable her to cut down on her travel, spend more time with her kids, and still provide her with significant earning power.

Four weeks after surgery, she awoke in the middle of the night with a vision… cartoons. Over 50 cancer-related cartoons started popping into her head. Christine realized that in all the support, gifts, calls and messages she’d received, no one ever brought her anything that made her laugh. In fact, she noticed that people were actually careful to avoid humorous conversation or topics around her. Yet, she recognized that laughter provided a necessary release from the tension and even promoted recovery.

So, Christine decided to do something about it and created The Cancer Club® which is now the world’s leading source of gifts and inspiration for people dealing with cancer.  It took a little over 2 years for Christine to phase out of her SPAR career since she still needed the health care benefits until her new business venture was profitable. But she built a strong foundation during those early years and the company is still thriving today.

Don’t Forget to Laugh™

Not only is this tag line trademarked by Christine for The Cancer Club®, it represents the heart and soul of her company. She firmly believes that laughter is the best medicine and has written many books, with another one in progress, that will inspire and bring a smile to the face of those dealing with cancer.

Her books: Not Now…I’m Having a No Hair Day; Our Family Has Cancer, Too! (written for children); Cancer Has Its Privileges: Stories of Hope & Laughter; Your Guardian Angel’s Gift: Inspiring Breakthrough Secrets to Live Your Dreams; and her newest book, YOU, Inc. The Art of Selling Yourself are filled with award winning cartoons that are a signature of The Cancer Club® and Christine’s commitment to healing with a smile, a lift, and a laugh!

The Cancer Club® website is an amazing resource with tips for loved ones and products to help people cope with the realities of cancer. From healing hats to inspirational DVDs and an exercise video for women recovering from breast cancer, Christine also travels nationally giving talks and workshops to spread her message of healing and hope.

One Move at a Time

Always the savvy business woman, Christine had a breakthrough deal with The Cancer Club® when her exercise video (One Move at a Time), developed exclusively for women recovering from breast cancer, sold over 25,000 copies to a major pharmaceutical company. But the challenge of running your own business is that you also wear all the hats, all of the time.

Christine does everything for The Cancer Club® from the inspirational speeches to posting products purchased on her site. She called herself a 99.9% one-woman band but does have 2 graphic designers and a virtual assistant whom she contracts out for some tasks.

She shared that having her freedom is amazing running her own company and she can prioritize life and family around her work schedule. She walks 4 miles every day – in sun, rain, and even snow and is accountable to no one but herself. Christine also doesn’t take life for granted and feels so blessed to have this second chance.

Be Your Own Valentine

One of Christine’s mottos is that everything happens for a reason and she lives that philosophy in multiple ways. Now a two time divorcee, Christine is on a mission to empower other women who are divorced so they can heal, grow, and gain the confidence they need to be in charge of their lives again.

She is the co-founder of Divorcing Divas® and is working to help other women live happily ever after knowing that divorce this is not the end…it’s the beginning. Through support, education, resources, and hope, Christine and her business partner, Barb Greenberg present seminars and support groups to help women in need. She is also working on a humorous book about divorce.

They have developed 10 Divorcing Divas Tips that others may find helpful:

1. Don’t Panic
2. Take Four Steps Forward
3. Surround Yourself With Supportive Friends and Family
4. Realize Your Life Will Never Be the Same
5. Research all The Possibilities
6. Do Something Special For Yourself
7. Don’t Beat Yourself Up
8. You are the Source of Your Happiness
9. Learn to Forgive
10. Don’t Forget to Laugh

Making Lemonade

As if one successful business was not enough, Christine is at the helm of The Cancer Club®, Divorcing Divas® and Christine Clifford Enterprises® where she manages her public speaking career and consulting practice.  Christine has earned the prestigious Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) credential from the National Speaker’s Association and has received accolades from audiences and speaker bureaus nationwide. She has reinvented herself and her life to meet her specifications.

Having a disease like cancer gave Christine permission to make a change. She believes the trade- offs of the mega corporate career and salary is well worth it for her new multi faceted career. While the income is not the same, after 15 years she is healthy, which is priceless, and she is making a good living doing what she loves.

Christine shared with me that this is her one and only shot at life and she intends to make the best of it. She has prioritized herself, her adult kids, and never forgets to laugh. Waking up every day, Christine can’t wait to see what happens because life is grand!

Christine’s Advice and Action Steps:

• If you believe in your product, your service, and your company – anything is possible.
• Make good hiring choices with outside vendors and contractors.
• Solicit feedback but don’t let negative input stop you from moving forward – trust your gut.
• Use humor to deal with adversity.

Quote:

“It’s always ok in the end – if it isn’t ok, it isn’t the end.”   – Anonymous

Resources:

Christine Clifford Enterprises www.ChristineClifford.com

The Cancer Club www.CancerClub.com

Divorcing Divas www.DivorcingDivas.net

When Sheila and I first connected by phone, her fabulous Massachusetts accent brought a smile to my face. As a transplanted east coaster now in the Midwest, I often long for the delicious east coast dialects and Sheila has one I love.

Seeking Adventure

Sheila started our conversation by telling me that her first career goal was to be a Business Education teacher but when she graduated there were no jobs to be had in the field. So she moved to Los Angeles to seek out a new life and adventure but soon realized that California culture was not a fit for her.

She returned to Massachusetts and found a job in the travel business claiming she was “…always on the tail end of the glory.” – since group travel was beginning to pale. Unbeknownst to her at the time, her reference to being on the tail end of the glory was prophetic indeed.

All in the Family

Her dad encouraged her to join him in the family business – a successful restaurant in historical Marblehead called Maddie’s Sail Loft. In Old Town Marblehead, the streets whisper about days gone by when George Washington and his mariners helped win the Revolutionary war. The town harbor is one of the oldest working ports in the country and locals and tourists alike enjoy big drinks and big adventures in this landmark restaurant established in 1946.

When Sheila’s father passed away in 1989 after a battle with cancer, she took over the restaurant. It was a difficult time since the economic climate was tough and the culture of eating out had changed. People were more health conscious so the famous fried clams at Maddie’s were tougher to sell to those concerned about their cholesterol. The alcohol consumption even waned which affected the bottom line in the revenue generated by the business.  The liability of serving liquor was daunting at best; and the days of people looking out for each other at a neighborhood tavern were simply gone.

Walking the Plank

As if the economy and the health food craze were not difficult enough, customers literally had to walk a plank at times to enter the restaurant due to massive construction on the streets for a three year period. Parking became literally non-existent.   Ever tenacious, Sheila endured these set-backs but eventually decided to sell the business in 2001 and forge a new path.

Friends always told Sheila she was a good listener and now it was time for her to listen to her own inner voice to decide what her next career path might entail. She pursued life coaching; and found it somewhat limiting.  Life seemed to get more difficult as time went on since her mother passed in 2004, the same year her beloved dog also died of cancer.  In addition, her niece, Kendra, lost her dad during the same time period.

Divine Intervention

One evening, Sheila was watching the St. Jude telethon with her then 12 year old niece and a video documentary was shown that profiled the St. Jude kids in serious need.  Her niece was visibly moved and jumped up off the couch. She grabbed pen and paper and sketched a dog.

Kendra said “I’ve got to help those kids”.  Her belief was that kids could use some help during difficult times… whether it was an illness, dealing with a bully at school, or simply being afraid.

She then decided to dub this drawing “Trouble” the Dog.

And so Trouble the Dog was created. Working with her niece, Sheila designed a children’s book which tells Trouble’s story of abandonment, rescue, and hope and teaches kids how to be tough when times are hard.

Trouble on a Mission

So when she least expected it, and with the help of young Kendra, a new mission and a new career began for Sheila to spread the inspiration of a brave little stray dog called Trouble. His calling is to help kids and dogs in need by sharing his unconditional love and a little bit of magic.

Sheila became so excited about this new venture that she connected with an artist to develop a coloring book and a medallion necklace for kids. The concept was that kids rubbed their Trouble medallion when times were tough to give them strength and courage to carry on.

Soon after, Sheila met a toy licenser who works with big brands (like Curious George™) but he was dubious about the dog’s name – Trouble. Sheila knew that Trouble’s name was meant to be so she resisted changing it even with the advice of the toy industry expert.  Once he actually saw Trouble however, he said – “You know, I think you’ve got something here.”

She came up with slogans like – Trouble says be tough! And knew the meaning behind this little pooch was much more than branding a new toy for purchase. She did take the expert’s advice about developing a plush toy dog version of Trouble and he advised her through the manufacturing process.

No Safety Net

While some friends thought she was out of her mind, Sheila self financed the production of 1500 plush Trouble dogs. It was a scary proposition with no safety net, but Sheila knew in her bones that this was meant to be.  And so the Trouble tour began and Sheila felt like a gypsy selling dogs everywhere from schools to hospitals to childcare centers. Not a day goes by when Sheila does not hear from a parent who shares a story about how their child cannot sleep without the precious dog.

Scientific research shows that kids respond to certain comfort objects and Trouble has found his niche as a cuddly dog that brings peace, joy, and hope to kids of all ages. The children relate to his name since many of them are struggling with troubles of their own.

Trouble is also on a philanthropic mission. To date, he is in the hands of over 4,000 children located as far away as Mali, Africa, and Iraq. Trouble has donated over $20,000 to charities helping children and dogs in needs such as St. Jude Children’s Hospital, Boston Children’s Hospital, Children’s Miracle Network, Hasbro Children’s Hospital, CancerCare New York, SPCA of Tennessee, New England Assistance Dogs for Deaf and Disabled Americans, just to name a few.

Sheila reports that preliminary anecdotal testing has overwhelmingly shown that Trouble does elicit hope and joy in children and adults.  As a result, there is now a scientific survey underway to capture the magic of Trouble.

Believe it Or Not

One day when Sheila was selling her wares, she met an old world psychic who observed her distributing Trouble to kids in need. The psychic unsolicited shared that Trouble has a soul and that children realize it. She urged Sheila to stay the course and not give up on this mission with Trouble as it would prove to be an adventure beyond her dreams.

Whether you believe in psychics or not, the palpable energy and inspiration that Trouble brings to children in need is visible to all. This is a sustaining force for Sheila who has taken a large financial risk with this venture but feels the emotional rewards to date are priceless.

Here’s Trouble – the book, created by Kendra and written by Sheila was illustrated by Annette Nicolas. The story shows how this little dog learned to be tough and have hope and serves as an inspiration to young and adult readers alike.

Sheila has plans to eventually turn the adventures of Trouble the Dog into a television cartoon and a DVD series to show children all over the world how to be resilient and have hope during difficult times with humor and kindness. She is currently working on a music video to teach kids to be empowered.  A newly released audio CD is now available with a bedtime story called Trouble on the Moon that tackles the challenge of bullying.

Unconditional Doggie Love

While the philanthropic and spiritual mission of Trouble is clear, creating a new business venture from a plush toy was a new challenge for Sheila. She employs guerilla marketing strategies and is now utilizing social media, predominantly Facebook, to get the news out about Trouble.

Sheila says the mission of helping others and making a difference with Trouble is meeting her values for a new career but the financial reality is scary. She has bootstrapped the venture with her own funds and anything she makes goes right back into the business. She knows the creation of the cartoon series and the DVDs will give her financial security so she can continue on her philanthropic mission with Trouble.

Even though she experienced every problem you could imagine with this new opportunity, Sheila remains focused and determined.  This summer, she had a meeting with a business manager who basically advised her to give up on Trouble or at the very least; simply realize the reality that success in this arena was almost impossible.

Since that fateful day, Sheila has connected with people who not only believe in the mission of Trouble and are there to help; but who have observed first-hand the effect that Trouble has had on their own children.  Giving up is simply not an option.

Sheila is doing what she loves and that is priceless. But letting go of the worry (thanks to Trouble) has been liberating and friends have always been at her side to help in times of need.  She knows that Trouble is definitely Divinely Inspired.

Sheila’s mom is even immortalized as a character in the book. Her character encourages others to live a good life and to help others and be tough when times are hard. The book and all of Trouble’s messages are consistent in empowering kids to deal with life’s challenges. These are lessons Sheila’s mother taught her and they live on through Trouble.

Tail End of Glory

Little did Sheila know that her tail end of glory would lead her to an actual canine hero, and a new career! In addition to the plush toy version of Trouble, Sheila has always had real dogs in her family and works with the SPCA of TN and animal shelters to educate people about the importance of spay and neuter programs.   She has also personally rescued 25 dogs that were literally homeless in TN through the SPCA and found them loving forever homes in New England.

Sheila’s own dog, Skye is now a Registered Therapy Dog and will be visiting hospitals and hospice centers to help kids and adults smile and serve the mission of Trouble.

So as Sheila continues to visit schools, hospitals, and various care centers throughout New England and beyond, she is on a mission to share the bravery of a little dog that was inspired by her niece, Kendra.  Ultimately, Trouble will be a universal symbol of hope and resilience. Here comes Trouble…and that’s a very good thing!

Sheila’s Advice and Action Steps:

• You need to find your own journey.
• Connect yourself with a group of people that raise your spirits.
• Get quiet with yourself to really think about your passion.
• Believe in yourself.
• If you feel you’re on the right path; never give up.

Quote:

“Trouble Says … Be Tough.” A quote from the book inspired by Sheila’s wiry Irish mom,

Resources:

Trouble Says Be Tough website: http://www.troublesaysbetough.com

Trouble’s Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100001631614885

But Barbara Ann left her thriving legal career to pursue political office. First, an unsuccessful run for a Senate seat, she is now in the midst of a campaign for Texas Attorney General. This unflappable career woman has a call to serve and is determined to make a difference as part of her Texas career legacy.

Have a Game Plan

Barbara Ann’s decision to pursue public office was very well thought out.  She studied how it could be done by reading and speaking to many, many people. She wrote a business plan and then implemented her plan. After the Senate race and 650 trips with wonderful new friends, she laid the ground work for her political future and formed two Political Action Committees. She kept her key personnel active and waited until polling data determined a state wide race would be winnable. Barbara Ann sat out an election cycle, but thoroughly enjoyed planning for this Attorney General race with her former Communications Director who now serves as her Campaign Manager, in addition to key consultants she enlisted very early.

Networking is just as important in politics as it is in business and Barbara Ann used every contact she could think of to fit into her business plan. The most daunting effort continues to be fundraising.  Having already made more than 14,000 fundraising calls in this campaign, Barbara Ann tapped into every person and resource she thought possible. She was also inspired by her late father, who was an escaped prisoner of war, a tailor, a NASA scientist and a huge believer in public service. Barbara Ann’s mother is the best inspiration for keeping it all in perspective and Barbara Ann considers her the smartest person she’s ever known. Her mother now lives with Barbara Ann’s family and is battling Alzheimer’s disease.

Connected to the Community

Barbara Ann has always valued hard work, honesty, and intelligence and has built her campaign on the platform of serving her community. While she admits there was a learning curve to a political life, most of the challenge came from accepting that which she could not change.

“Some people will oppose you no matter what. The remainder of the challenge is in remaining committed to the everyday hard work of raising money. Maintaining perspective, sense of humor, recognizing the need for others and retaining faith in your own judgment stands anyone in good stead, too.”

She encourages others considering a career change to do it, plan and work hard, and make sure you enjoy the journey!

Know Your Strategy

Barbara Ann’s strength has always come from having a plan and being prepared. She relates to a mantra from Admiral Chester Nimitz that she finds useful in almost any operative analysis. It outlines points to consider before launching an operation: Objective, Offensive, Surprise, Superiority of Force at Point of Contact, Simplicity, Security, Movement, Economy of Force, and Cooperation. In a nutshell, this describes how Barbara Ann operates and why others appreciate her Texas tenacity.

While her most pressing goal is to win the Attorney General race in November, Barbara Ann is taking the time to enjoy the upcoming marriages of two of her children and a family reunion before the election. A pioneering professional woman, Barbara Ann has achieved two important firsts in her career, thus far. At her former law firm, Vinson & Elkins, she was the first woman to have children as an associate and attain partnership. After her 2006 retirement from Vinson & Elkins, she became the first woman in history to serve as the Texas Democratic U.S. Senate nominee.

After an unsuccessful race for Senator, Barbara Ann refocused her sights on Attorney General – the state’s elected chief legal officer. Utilizing her legal skill set, she aims to reign in the high insurance and electric rates in the state of Texas as well as the franchise margin tax. She has also proposed an $18 billion lawsuit to the current Attorney General to file against the Wall Street Banks that brought down the economy in September 2008.

Taking on the Scoundrels

The lawsuit, supported by law professors, former Governor/Texas Attorney General Mark White, University of California, Irvine Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, former President of the State Bar of Texas, Bill Whitehurst and prominent statewide lawyers, sues to protect the physical and economic interests of Texas under well established Supreme Court law.   Barbara Ann is launching a petition drive at www.SueWallStreet.com today to collect 100,000 signatures urging States Attorneys General to sue, using the materials at SueWallStreet.com.  Barbara Ann offered the lawsuit and her legal services at no fee to work on the case in a letter to the Texas Attorney General.

According to Barbara Ann – “Texas and every other state can obtain justice from the scoundrels of Wall Street and achieve what the federal government has failed to do.” Texas has never had a woman Attorney General and if Barbara Ann wins this fall she will prove that she knows no fear in serving the citizens of her state.

On a Mission

It’s clear that Barbara Ann is passionate about making a difference for the citizens of Texas. She has dedicated her life and her career to helping others. From the law firm to the political stump, Barbara Ann has reinvented her career goals capitalizing on her legal skill set and her commitment to helping others.

A political campaign involves great risk and determination in addition to significant financial support from constituents.  A public servant loses all anonymity, especially during an election cycle so Barbara Ann is “on” 24/7. But her mission is energizing and rewarding and it’s clear that she is determined to make this career move successful. We’ll check in with Barbara Ann in November to see how things play out. For now, her career reinvention is an exciting journey.

BAR’s Advice and Action Steps

• Plan for it and then do it!
• Let go of what you cannot change.
• Fight for what you believe in.
• Find your call to serve.
• Always maintain your sense of humor.

Resources

Barbara Ann Radnofsky   http://www.barbaraann2010.com/suewallstreet

A Shift in Fortune

Her reinvention started with listening. It occurred to Debra that before she lost the weight she wasn’t listening to herself and succumbed to all the naysayers in her life. With a new clarity of purpose, Debra was motivated to earn money to provide for her kids who were three and five at the time. She happened upon a job posting for Colorado Free University, an adult continuing education annex in Denver that was looking for a teacher to facilitate a course on small talk.

The formerly shy and tongue-tied “enginerd” was now going to teach others how to communicate effectively in a variety of situations from the board room to the office holiday party. Her first class enrolled 6 students and the next class attracted 20 students. Word spread and soon there was a waiting list to get into Debra’s small talk class. An enthusiastic student asked if she could condense the course into a 60 minute talk and present it at a conference she was organizing and Debra’s shift in fortune began.

Doing It All

That first public speaking engagement led to others and Debra also worked as a trainer to build her brand and make ends meet. Her scrappy nature and willingness to make face-to-face connections, as well as cold calls was the key to her success early on and still today. “If you are not willing to sell you, then you will not be successful.” according to Debra.

Even though her career as a public speaker and trainer was gaining momentum, Debra still had to juggle the realities of raising two small children on her own.  She worked nights and weekends when she could have babysitters watch her kids and she made phone calls during their nap times to secure future engagements during the day.

After dealing with the reality of no income and a mere pittance for child support after the divorce, Debra learned valuable lessons about how to invest her earnings in her future. The kids were the number one priority and she was diligent about finding opportunities to promote her business for free.

A New Meaning to Boot Strapping

Subscribing to her philosophy of not spending money until you earn it, Debra was creative in finding ways to grow her business. She joined the Rotary Club 18 years ago and became very involved in the organization. She had passion, an interest, and the energy to serve the organization which empowered her to spread the word about her business. Debra has spoken at Rotary meetings nationwide and is currently the President Elect of her Rotary Chapter in Denver. By getting involved with an organization like Rotary, Debra became connected to decision makers who helped her move forward with her business plans.

Do What You Know

Debra learned early on that it’s best to start cultivating relationships with people and organizations you know. Today, her bread and butter engagements come from engineering companies, law and accounting firms as well as connections from analytical minded individuals she worked with during her tenure as an engineer.

Debra has credibility with this audience as an engineer and most analytical types are in serious need of small talk coaching so it makes for a perfect union. Developing this media hook and special sauce gave Debra a unique niche market in the industry that has served her very well. She established her Denver based company, The FINE Art of Small Talk to teach professionals of all stripes the knack of conversation.

She Speaks and She Writes

Soon people who heard Debra speak began asking if they could buy her book and in typical Fine fashion, she taught herself the ropes of self publishing. She learned the valuable lesson early on that if you know you can do something yourself – do it yourself! And so the writing journey began.

Self publishing is becoming very main stream today but when Debra first launched The Fine Art of Small Talk, she earned her way over the self publishing hurdles with grit and determination. Distribution was paramount for sales and Debra learned so much by doing it herself that her future plans include authoring a book on self publishing.

Ever tenacious, Debra published the book on her own after multiple rejections from national literary agents. She turned her negative responses into a positive by once again taking control and doing it herself.  She began selling books at her speaking engagements and eventually through Amazon and steadily sales spiked. Soon the traditional publishing houses were calling with offers to reprint the book under their name for a lucrative contract. But Debra also learned the fine art of negotiation and did not take the first offer. She later secured a sizeable contract from Hyperion who remains her publisher to this day.

Results from a Risk Taker

Debra’s motivation in the beginning came from being broke and the absolute necessity to provide for her children. She got herself out there and made things happen and she did so by taking risks. The hunger to do something is a great motivator and Debra still finds that she has the passion to pursue her business because she really enjoys what she is doing even though she is financially solvent.

She has designed a career that is very flexible and targets speaking engagements to coincide with adventures she wants to pursue. When we spoke by phone, she had just returned from an Asian speaking tour and was able to coordinate a week of vacation as part of the trip to take advantage of the exotic locale.

A member of the National Speakers Association and the Colorado Chapter of the National Speakers Association, Debra receives high accolades from her clients, which include Cisco Systems, Wells Fargo Bank, Vail Associates, The US Treasury Department, Toyota, Lockheed Martin, and hundreds of associations including insurance, real estate, legal, financial, engineering, health care, and chambers of commerce and civic organizations across the country. In addition, she is a past member of the Advisory Council of the University of Colorado – School of Engineering.

Her risky self publishing venture led to a very successful career as a bestselling author. Debra’s books The Fine Art of Small Talk: How to Start a Conversation, Keep it Going, Build Rapport and Leave a Positive Impression and her newest book in the Fine Art series: The Fine Art of Big Talk: How to Win Clients, Deliver Great Presentations, and Solve Conflicts at Work released in 2008. Debra’s recent media appearances include The Today Show, CNN, The Early Show, and NPR Morning Edition.

Are You Hungry?

Debra’s hunger for reinvention created a new person from the inside out as well as a new career. She is the epitome of self motivation and turned a very difficult situation into a thriving new career and unlocked her self confidence in the process.

The Denver Post calls her presentation style “A mixture of stand-up comic, therapist and teacher.” This savvy former engineer has turned the art of conversation into a career and that is indeed a Fine thing.

Debra’s Advice and Action Steps:

• Use what is free to promote your business or service.
• Become very involved in some organization where you can spend time and showcase your strengths.
• Get in front of decision makers who can help you move forward.
• Do it yourself, if you can.
• Don’t get yourself into debt.

Quote:

“Every no is one step closer to a yes.” Tom Hopkins

Resources:

Debra Fine www.debrafine.com

The Fine Art of Small Talk: How to Start a Conversation, Keep it Going, Build Rapport and Leave a Positive Impression by Debra Fine (book or CD available)

The Fine Art of Big Talk: How to Win Clients, Deliver Great Presentations, and Solve Conflicts at Work by Debra Fine

Colorado Free University http://www.freeu.com/

Jo was successful in the sciences and in the British system under Margaret Thatcher; she was paid to attend university (free tuition plus a stipend) and earned a BSc (Hons), a degree with honors in Psychology. While Jo was stimulated intellectually, she yearned for a more creative outlet. So she left England and headed to New York City to reinvent herself and test-drive a new world.

Millinery Mania

For two years she explored her artistic side, working a total of 17 different jobs from modeling to jewelry making and restaurant work. She taught herself how to cook and sew and she discovered a passion for making hats. Her millinery creations took off and Jo hit the big time when her hats were picked up by the exclusive three Bs department stores in New York City: Barney’s, Bergdorf Goodman and Henri Bendel, and soon after, 70 stores worldwide.

While the hat business was successful for a good while, Jo’s artistic wanderlust led her to try additional opportunities, styling props and creating environments for photographers. In her bones she knew that she did not enjoy working for other people in a corporate or structured environment. She longed to be her own boss and match her creative talents with her scientific skill set. Friends asked her to consider designing a bar for them back in London and that was the beginning of Jo Laurie Interior Design.

Values of a Dual Citizen

Jo enjoys the best of her American and English worlds as a dual citizen and her design firm is home based in the USA to capitalize on the significance of New York City on the global stage. She shared with me her frustration about the American system of a typical two-week vacation allotment for most employees in an organization and thus, she really values being in control of her own time as her own boss.

This globe-trotter doesn’t live to work but works to live. She subscribes to the continental work philosophy of enjoying six-plus weeks of vacation annually. This is the norm in Europe, Australia and Canada but it saddens Jo that most American companies offer only a paltry two-week vacation period. There has been significant research that indicates European executives are more industrious per hour, as they are more rested mentally and physically. This translates into better productivity on the job. Jo is in touch with what she values and has made priorities in her life accordingly to live these principles.

The Reality of Being Your Own Boss

Jo has come a long way from her millinery days and established a multi-discipline design company, with projects ranging from corporate and hospitality to high-end residential. Located in downtown Manhattan, she has been operating internationally for over 15 years, and has developed an extensive portfolio of award-winning projects.  As an interior designer, she has developed an understanding of the specialized needs of her clients worldwide by creating visually stimulating surroundings that produce unique, flexible, and functional environments.

But success does not come easily and even though Jo prioritizes multiple-week vacations each year, she works around the clock to keep her business thriving. Ninety-five percent of her business comes from referrals and satisfied customers. Her website is a powerful marketing tool and offers a delicious taste of the types of interiors Jo has created.

Her personal Board of Directors includes an old friend who has a very successful architecture firm who helps Jo navigate the business side of interior design.  This mentorship has helped Jo identify and market her special sauce in the design arena. Another friend developed her website, brand, and identity.  Her team is rounded out by an accountant, a marketing specialist, and another friend who has achieved great success in the financial industry. Jo has assembled a great resource team.

Dollars and Sense

While Jo is flexing her artistic muscles, she must always be concerned about the nuts and bolts of the business. Like many creative individuals, her first passion is the creative process, which in itself was not initiated by the desire to make money. With the help of some good mentors, Jo has seen a steady increase in clients as the businesses continue to grow – even in the recession. Cultivating new business is a constant need, so she also adheres to a realistic budget and a business framework that keeps her in the black.

The recession has hit the design industry as a whole, and for Jo, it has made cultivating new business more important than ever. She is always prepared to take a risk and try new things to make her business viable. Inspired by her grandmother, who always told Jo to go for it, she believes that taking a risk forces you to go to the next level. According to Jo, “You must continue to take risks to build your business and your dream. When you fail, you pick yourself up and start again because that’s what it’s all about.”

The Belle of the Bar

While Jo has achieved international recognition for her pub and bar interior designs from Sydney to London and beyond, she remains grounded in what is important to her. Personal life situations have helped Jo put it all in perspective, keep her focus on what is important in life, and to truly live what she values.

Jo continues to travel internationally to build her clientele and her inspiration for new designs. This straight-talking modern Englishwoman, whose formal education is steeped in the empirical sciences, has found a way to blend form, function, and art to build a business that meets her values and her passion. I have every confidence that Jo will continue to grow her career in different directions because blended within her inner scientist is the true temperament of an artist.

Jo’s Advice and Action Steps:

• Unorthodox is good – don’t be afraid to be different.
• Get other people to do what you can’t so you can concentrate on what you love and what you do well.
• Develop a resource team of experts to rely on when you need assistance. It’s a worthy investment.

Quote: “Your generation of women should do because you can!” – Jo’s Grandmother

Resources:

Jo Laurie Design www.jolauriedesign.com

LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/jolauriedesign

Upworld www.upworld.com/jolauriedesign

Turning and Avocation into a Vocation

Anne knew she needed a change from the monotonous filler jobs that were not honoring her passions or her values. She longed for a career that stimulated her intellectually, artistically, and financially, so she took the plunge and decided to make playing the harp her livelihood and not her avocation.

In college, Anne studied music theory and received her formal music education at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). When the Celtic harp piqued her interests, she studied harp techniques from world-renowned harpist Sylvia Woods and contributed to her book Music Theory & Arranging Techniques for Folk Harps. Anne also studied professional stage performance with Ed Hooks (San Francisco, CA) and at the Living History Centre (Novato, CA). Fully trained as a professional musician, Anne didn’t pursue the Celtic harp as a career option right out of university but is now enjoying the opportunities to perform, market, and promote herself as a freelance musician.

From the Wedding March to Frank Sinatra

Her performance career started with Renaissance fairs, and she quickly became a favored soloist for many other types of events. Anne is especially popular for weddings and corporate events. Her concert performances attract international acclaim—Anne’s music has been featured on United Airlines in-flight Music Service. Her music repertoire spans traditional Celtic (Irish, Scottish, Welsh), English, folk, religious and secular, Early, Renaissance and classical music, to Broadway, contemporary modern, popular movie music, Beatles, rock and jazz, and her range is virtually unlimited.

Anne can easily provide the traditional “Canon in D” and “Here Comes the Bride” for a wedding processional, but can also play classic Frank Sinatra or Metallica at a reception. Her ability to faithfully play this broad range of musical styles has made here a popular and much sought after musician for all types of events.

Anne also has a number of CDs available on the market. Her recordings are unique—Her recent releases are actually little books with CDs tucked neatly into the back page. This way, instead of simply buying downloads, her customers have the option of buying souvenir of Anne’s performance that has added value as a gift item.

Risky Business

So why didn’t Anne start out her career as musician and bypass teaching and all the other jobs? At that point in her life, being a musician seemed too risky and not a practical way to earn a living. But over the years, Anne developed a true sense of what she really values on the job and all things kept pointing back towards what she really loved – the Celtic harp.

She now appreciates the opportunity to make her own decisions. She chooses her own bosses in the form of clients for whom she performs. When she made the commitment to give the harp a go seriously, she kept a part-time job at a book store until her scheduled gigs became a full-time endeavor. These baby steps allowed her to pursue guerilla marketing to get the word out about her offerings and made the transition financially feasible.

Since Anne is her own agent, publicist, and marketing specialist, she has become an expert at building professional relationships. Much of her work comes from referrals so it is imperative that she make each client happy, especially the brides, in order to keep the business moving forward. Brides talk to each other so this network has become very valuable in building her business.

Keeping the Brides Happy

Anne is also a published author and considered a wedding music specialist with her book “The Musician’s Guide to Brides”, published by Hal Leonard books as a how-to manual for musicians who are interested in performing at weddings. She also wrote an upcoming book, through the same publisher. It’s for brides and is called “The Bride’s Guide to Musicians: Live Wedding Music Made Easy and Affordable”, due on the market in December of 2010.

Anne counsels and mentors musicians and entrepreneurs to help them make a living by gigging and provides amazing information and resources on her blog: What’s Up With That Gig? This is a wonderful way for Anne to pay-it-forward to others who are paving their way as a professional musician. She covers topics like writing a press release, marketing tactics for musicians and tapping into your business intuition.

Anne also hired a virtual personal assistant to do much of the administrative work for the business so she can focus on making music and meeting with new clients. The human touch is what distinguishes Anne’s business. She takes pride in meeting with prospective clients in person to get to know them and design music for their event in a more personal and customized way.

While business has steadily increased, Anne remembers the early days when she would take any job she could get because she needed the money. She later developed a 6^th sense, an intuition of sorts, about which clients she would enjoy working with, ensuring that they would derive maximum benefit from her performance.

Anne really appreciates being her own boss and being able to take time off when she needs it. She has also learned to hire others who do what she cannot to make her business more successful. Her website is her best marketing tool and includes audio and video examples of her work plus an online store where clients can buy her books and many recordings.

A Tweeting Harpist

The rise of social media has helped Anne connect with clients on Twitter, Facebook, blogs, and elsewhere on the ‘net. She is a Celtic harpist with an online presence and finds these resources incredibly beneficial to continue to build her brand and client base.

While classroom teaching was not a good fit in a previous life, Anne now enjoys working with students presenting a number of educational demonstrations for school assemblies annually. She presents workshops and teaches private lessons when her busy performance schedule permits. Anne enjoys teaching students one-on-one, and even does so utilizing computer teleconferencing software, such as Skype. Her public performances include appearances in venues both small and grand: from book stores, private clubs, and café concert venues to resort hotels, cruise ships, Highland Games, Celtic and Renaissance fairs, wineries, meditation retreats, and convention centers. She has accepted invitations to perform for many dignitaries at home and abroad, including, the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Ireland!

Join the Club

Anne told me that she will know she has made it when she can book a private plane to take her and her harp to play gigs wherever she wants around the world! But seriously, she always welcomes new opportunities. At present, Anne is located in the Lake Tahoe region but she aspires to grown her business to take on more international performance opportunities.

For now, this Celtic harpist is very happy playing to her strengths and living her passion. While most musicians transition the other way from a musical career to something else, Anne has taken her musical role to new heights and is thriving with a multi faceted career that includes performance, consulting, teaching and advising other musicians. She even formed a Celtic Harp Club for fans who can follow her travels and receive a free download of her music.

Anne’s Advice and Action Steps:

• Hire professionals to do what you can’t. It will save you time and money in the long run.
• Seek out resources and support from trusted referrals.
• Don’t quit your day job. When transitioning into a new career as an entrepreneur, retain and income until you know it’s time to move on.

Quote: “Take baby steps to realize your dream. It will happen but be patient and always ready.”

Resources:

Celtic Harp Music www.celticharpmusic.com

What’s Up with That Gig? http://whatsupwiththatgig.blogspot.com/

A Nurse in the Kitchen

Always comfortable in her own skin when working with patients, Sable experienced a variety of settings in the medical field from bedside nursing to intensive care, and outpatient clinics. But, she developed a love for oncology care working with cancer patients. With 15+ years under her belt as an oncology nurse, Sable understood the immense struggle of those fighting cancer and the nutritional challenges they uniquely face. Proper nutrition is paramount during cancer treatment but many patients suffer from loss of appetite and taste preventing them from receiving the nourishment they need. Sable feels strongly that patients should be able to thrive while continuing with their daily lives during cancer treatment and recovery. Championing the cause in 2006, she stepped into her kitchen and began baking up a solution, and Sable’s Foods was born.

Knowing that cancer patients needed food that met specific nutritional requirements as well as flavors and textures that would be appealing and easily digestible, Sable started experimenting in her kitchen. She also wanted something portable so patients could maintain a sense of normalcy and an active lifestyle while in treatment. Sable developed the first iterations of a nutritional bar that was baked like a brownie and bursting with flavor and nutritional empowerment – Sable’s slogan and branding platform.

The Proof is in the Pudding…or the Nutritional Bar

Sable introduced her bars to her patients to get constructive feedback and the ultimate taste test. They gave very helpful suggestions about flavor and content. For example, she discovered that consuming granola and whole nuts, like in a traditional health bar, caused digestive problems in her patients. She was on a quest to develop the balance of flavor, texture, and nutrition that would make her bars unique and beneficial for her patients.

It was time to call in the experts and Sable consulted with nutritional and oncology specialists as well as an executive chef and food product consultant to develop the ultimate version of the bars that are now on the market. The bars are widely sought after by cancer patients and athletes, as well as others in search of nutritional empowerment.

The journey doesn’t end with Sable’s great tasting and nutritionally sound bars. She is dedicated to keeping the ultimate goal of curing cancer in sight. To that end, a portion of her profits from product sales are donated to non-profit organizations actively pursuing solutions to cancer care issues, including prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and symptom management. In her words, “A bite of every bar is donated to cancer research.”

A Labor of Love and Experience

It may sound like Sable just waltzed into her kitchen and created her empowerment bars over night channeling her inner Betty Crocker, but the reality is that it was a long and intense journey from conception to product development and eventually, sales. The business officially launched in 2009 as Sable worked 80+ hours a week as a consultant to pay the bills in order to bring Sable’s Foods to life during the evening and weekend hours.

In addition to being a Registered Nurse, Sable also earned her MBA so she would have a full understanding of the business world. She founded the Edwards-Hunt Group, LLC to facilitate basic and clinical research by implementing contemporary solutions for today’s translational medicine challenges. She provides multi-level consulting services to the non-profit arena, commercial bio-repositories, and technology companies. This is a fabulous illustration of how she tapped into her transferable skills and maintained an active consulting practice while growing her new business.

Sable admits that the empowerment bar business idea was a leap of faith. She is a linear thinker, a cerebral person, and she found it difficult to work with the artists and product consultant experts she sought out to develop her website, marketing materials, and company brand.  But she believes that “Every time a door closes, a window opens.” And she believes that Sable’s Foods was meant to be.

Her Patients are the Inspiration

She advises others interested in starting a new business to “Write a business plan and let someone else challenge your assumptions.” It’s a brutal test but an important part of building your brand and a viable product or service. Sable learned early on to check her ego at the door and believes that she tapped into her woman’s sense of survival to make her business and consulting firm happen. She has no fear and realized that if she doesn’t work, she doesn’t get paid.

Sable has a favorite mug that says: “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?” This has become a mantra and helped her forge ahead with unbridled energy and enthusiasm. Ultimately, Sable is still inspired by her patients and created Sable’s Foods to help others. She is proud to nurture herself and her loved ones with her nutrition bars and is responding to increased patient demand to develop new flavors and additional products.

Sable’s Advice and Action Steps

• Have the guts and confidence to take a risk.
• Interview people in-the-know in your particular line of work and tap into their expertise.
• Define what you don’t know and then find experts that do!

Mantra “Why not!” Sable

Resources

Sable’s Foods www.sablesfoods.com

Savor the Success www.savorthesuccess.com

Edwards Hunt Group, LLC www.edwardshunt.com

• An Entrepreneurial Mindset. The ability to problem solve, create opportunities, think outside the box, market remarkably, and manage your own projects.
• Leadership and Vision. Individuals who possess a strong sense of vision and the courage to lead with influence are rewarded on many levels.
• Collaboration. Successful professionals value working with others, creating projects that are greater than themselves. Consider joining forces with the not so obvious constituents in your circle of contacts: community members, educators, business leaders, neighbors, etc.
• A Strong Brand. A brand is much more than your name or logo. It is the sum total of how others perceive what you do. What distinguishes you from the pack and how will potential clients or colleagues know that?
• Risk Taking. Most people are terrified of failure, playing it too safe and buying into the myth that anything less than perfection reflects poorly on them. An overly safe approach often results with a failure of the largest order – professional goals. If you crave success, be willing to fail and learn from it.
• Internet Mastery. The web offers unprecedented opportunities: social networking, blogging, podcasting, news releases, viral sensations, etc. It’s simply not enough to do these things – you must do so strategically for the greatest impact.
• Financial Literacy. Prospering financially doesn’t simply mean raking in piles of cash. Success requires a deep understanding of how money works – earning, spending, and saving.
• Research Skills. The most successful professionals do not reinvent the wheel. They take advantage of pre-existing resources. They establish relationships with mentors, embrace creative modeling, and devour resource materials in their field.
• An Understanding and Interest in the World. Only those who are engaged in the challenges, values, and realities of their communities are able to create products and provide services that fill gaps and resonate with others. Successful professionals are relevant.

When you play the career game with these rules in mind you will be well prepared for success.

It Pays to Experiment

Her physician admitted her to the hospital and prescribed a battery of steroids, physical therapy and medications along with the grim prediction that even with the meds, Rebecca would become wheelchair bound, experience deterioration of her motor skills and possibly even blindness in a matter of years as the disease progressed.  Rebecca was a tenacious patient with many questions and the desire to take control of her own health. After intense research, she discovered a connection between MS and other diseases that respond well to dietary change. She figured she had nothing to lose because the best medicine available only offered a 30% efficacy rate so she was determined to find a more holistic approach to healing. Against her Doctor’s wishes, she refused the medications and started the healing process with diet.

In the beginning she eliminated dairy, wheat/gluten, red meat and sugar from her diet and although she still felt weak – she was functional. After viewing an episode of Diet Wars on television, Rebecca learned about the concept of raw foods. She started eating raw foods that same day because of the claims of increased energy, but much to her surprise within 5 days of beginning the “raw experiment” Rebecca regained her energy and her health. All of her MS symptoms had vanished. She was blown away with the results and is now a firm believer that our bodies can heal naturally if cared for properly – they were designed this way.

Be Part of the Solution

Aware that her former “normal” American Diet was filled with refined carbohydrates, sugars, animal protein, caffeine, alcohol, artificial sweeteners, sodas, and fats, Rebecca was feeling incredibly energized with her new clean eating regimen with foods such as raw fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, sprouts, grains, healthy oils (olive and coconut) and superfoods like raw chocolate and goji berries. She was also amazed that she was able to lose 38 pounds effortlessly in the process, something she had been previously unable to do.

She found that she was telling anyone who would listen and people were amazed at her story and wanted to know more. So she committed to spreading the word and being a part of the solution rather than adding to the problem. Rebecca used her newfound energy and amazing health turnaround to co-found the business 123Raw.com and is also the publisher of Purely Delicious magazine.  Both are founded on the principle of taking baby steps towards a healthier body, planet and community. Both the online store and magazine feature healthy and gourmet raw food recipes, organic and earth-friendly products for pet, home and body, fitness tips and articles about the growing raw foods movement. Nothing extreme, just regular people looking to live a little better.

It’s Ok to be Afraid

Rebecca had the idea of starting a raw magazine before the online store, but was a little overwhelmed and intimidated by the idea because she wasn’t sure how to get it off the ground by herself. She decided to start out with an online store first because it was something she could do from home and the hope was that it would provide the necessary funds to eventually start the magazine. Since stress exacerbates MS symptoms, she really wanted a low stress work-from-home business plan. The magazine opportunity came quite out of the blue in October of 2008. The previous publisher Anna Tipps was experiencing a medical emergency and contacted her to see if she was interested in taking over the publication.

According to Rebecca:

“The lesson I learned from this is, it’s ok to feel fear (it’s normal) but don’t let it stop you in your tracks. Say yes and keep moving forward. The amazing part is that as soon as I said yes and got off the fence, people started coming out of the woodwork offering to help. Resources came to me – as they were needed.”

Determined to build a business with a conscience, 123Raw.com contributes 5% of its profits to charities including: Habitat for Humanity and The Arbor Day Foundation and offers one page in each magazine to a charity to bring awareness to their cause. Rebecca utilizes her skills from the advertising arena in her new businesses including project management,  hiring freelance talent, organizing photo shoots, designing, negotiations, brainstorming, client relations, writing, meeting tight deadlines, pitching ideas, radio, television, press checks, etc.

Support comes from all sides and so did opportunity. She spoke the desire of starting a raw food magazine and Purely Delicious “…literally fell in her lap.” according to Rebecca, which re-affirmed that this was meant to be.

Set Practical Goals

It all sounds great but what about the challenges of starting a new business venture? Rebecca underestimated the cost and time of starting a business, the state and local fees, the cost of filing for a trademark, web design, advertising, opening a merchant account, etc. She thought she was prepared but in reality knew nothing about the business end of starting a business. It was extremely difficult financially, not so much in the beginning but as months dragged on and money was going out but nothing was coming in. She used up her savings, utilized her credit cards to get 123RAW started and then even dipped into her already dwindling 401K to pay for the first issue of Purely Delicious.

Her main mistake was assuming that as soon as they were open for business that customers would flock to the door. It takes time to build a brand and attract a loyal customer base. She assumed that since she had a large following on chat sites and her blog that those would automatically translate to sales. And for a large part they did, but not in the large consistent volume that was needed. With Purely Delicious, the problem was a little different, because she took over an existing publication and therefore was responsible for fulfilling all of the subscriptions that she didn’t receive payment for, so she was starting out well in the red. Luckily, the magazine has been extremely popular and well-received and sales have increased by 25% since October 2008.

Looking back, Rebecca would make some adjustments in her business launching plan.

“I think I would have searched for a business mentor to help guide me through the start-up process. I would have set more money aside and sought an open line of credit instead of relying on my personal credit. Most importantly I would have trusted my gut instinct more. Each time I have gotten off track has been when I’ve ignored that “I don’t think this is right” feeling. It is a very humbling experience to realize how little you know but exhilarating to be in a constant state of learning and growth. Growth is rarely comfortable, but necessary. I wish I would have understood this earlier.”

I’m happy to report that Rebecca is thriving, feeling fit and healthy and 123Raw and Purely Delicious are gaining momentum and solvency. This little raw food experiment not only provided her a healthier life but a new and exciting career.

Rebecca’s Advice and Action Steps:

• Fear can be good if you realize it’s normal. Move beyond your comfort zone and test your strengths. Have courage acknowledge the fear and then take a small step forward anyway.
• Give yourself practical, attainable, daily goals. Baby steps are important in the long run journey. Try not to let yourself get overwhelmed by the enormity of the task. To climb a mountain you first have to take one step.
• Exercise random acts of kindness and pay-it-forward! Look for ways to give daily, this act also opens you up to receive.
• Consider giving back in some way with your business in your community.

Quotes: “When you are willing to try, amazing things can happen.” Rebecca Carlson

“It takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else.” ~ Erma Bombeck

Resources:

123 Raw and Purely Delicious Magazine  www.123Raw.com

Savor the Success  www.savorthesuccess.com

Organic Consumers Organization www.organicconsumers.org