Do Not Automatically Trust the Experts

Even so-called experts sometimes get it wrong. I’m a big fan of the Public Television show Antiques Road Show. If you haven’t seen it it’s basically a roving antique appraisal fair featuring experts in anything from antique or vintage watches, furniture, pottery, paintings, books, and historical artifacts to just about anything else old. People show up hoping to get an expert opinion on the origins and value of anything from family heirlooms to an old movie poster they picked up for a few bucks at a garage sale.

In one recent segment a woman brought in a small green porcelain fish that had been in her family for many generations. According to a local antique dealer its only value was sentimental, adding that she could either keep it or put in a garage sale. Boy was he wrong. It turns out it was the earliest example of American porcelain that the Antiques Road Show appraiser – or any of his fellow experts – had ever seen. That small green fish was worth $30,000.

I once had a big time internet marketing guru tell me in no uncertain terms to change my home page. I did, and in the long run the change ended up costing me probably about $25,000 in sales. I still have the greatest respect for this individual whose results speak for themselves. But again, all experts get it wrong now and then – even me! So when in doubt, get a second and even a third opinion.

Don’t Take On Too Much

I know firsthand what it feels like to desperately want to flee a job that is sucking the life force out of you. I also know, too, that in our frantic attempt to get out of job jail we sometimes make the mistake of taking on too much all at once. “If I can read three books, attend four Teleclasses, sign up for six self-study courses, and listen to ten CDs this week,” we reason, “I’ll be able to reach my goal that much faster.”

But all too often just the opposite happens. In the process of trying to absorb too much information we become overwhelmed, with the result being the mental “memory full” message. And when that happens, just like when our computer is full, our brain actually starts to run slower. Even if you are a master at taking in massive amounts of information when you try to go in too many different directions at once you can end up going nowhere… fast.

Realizing a dream does require you to take action – lots and lots of action. Just not all at once. “For fast acting relief,” says Lily Tomlin, “try slowing down.”

Don’t Make It Harder Than It Really Is

A client named Billy wanted to start his own syndicated radio show. The problem? Like virtually everyone else on the planet (including me) he had no idea how to go about it. “Did you Google ‘how to start your own syndicated radio show’?” I asked.

This simple query led to a site called Syndication.net which offers consulting, a self-study kit, and other resources on how to launch a radio show. From here I hopped over to Amazon and found a well-rated book called The Radio Producer’s Handbook by Rick Kaempfer and John Swanson. I haven’t researched either of these resources, but still it is a great example of how something that feels so hard can be so easy.

Happily, that’s what fellow subscriber Andi Arndt just found out for herself. Andi wrote to say she’d started her own home recording studio this summer and had already found a regular client. “My realtor wants me to be the voice of all their listings, including virtual tours, HomeVoice call-in property info, their voicemail system, and narrating the weekly real estate show!”

But it gets even better. Andi says, “I also Googled ‘travel’ and ‘voiceover’ and found a great company in Brussels, Belgium that does audio city tours for iPods.  I’m writing their New York City audio guide, and then narrating it when we record, and I’ll get a 50-50 split of what is sold on his impressive delivery platform.  I’m pretty psyched.”

She adds, “I had such a great result from Googling the ingredients of my ideal job, now whenever I have a free moment I put my daydreams into browser language and follow my mouse through cyber-wonderland, picking up leads along the way!” Now how hard it that?

Don’t Do What You Usually Do

Sometimes the best way to jumpstart a dream is to not do the usual. If you usually listen to music while you drive or jog, next time you’re in the car or out for a run don’t turn on the radio or take along your iPod. Instead use the time to visualize your ideal life and the small steps you can take to get there.

Then, instead of rushing home to create yet another To Do list create a “NOT to do” list. Getting rid of things you feel pressured or obligated to do will free you up to spend time on the things you want to do… you know, like change the course of your life.

You’ve heard it a million times before, but small steps really do add up. The hardest part is getting started. “Whenever I get your newsletter,” says Andi, “it always makes me ask myself what I’ve done today to get one step closer to making my and my family’s dream a reality.” Now that’s a bit of advice you do NOT want to ignore!

“Turning Interests Into Income” expert, Valerie Young, abandoned her corporate cubicle to become the Dreamer in Residence at ChangingCourse.com offering resources to help you discover your life mission and live it. Her career change tips have been cited in Kiplinger’s, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today Weekend, Woman’s Day, and elsewhere and on-line at MSN, CareerBuilder, and iVillage.com. An expert on the Impostor Syndrome, Valerie has spoken on the topic of How to Feel as Bright and Capable as Everyone Seems to Think You Are to such diverse organizations as Daimler Chrysler, Bristol-Meyers Squibb, Harvard, and American Women in Radio and Television.

To read more articles about how to work at what you love without a job go to ChangingCourse.com/articles.htm  

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I wanted to thank you for everything you have included in our certification course. At first, I thought this was a costly course but you truly continue to over-deliver. Already our Website is looking the best it ever has (as we continue to implement the great marketing techniques we learned from your information and teleclasses). My business is steadily growing and I can see a huge leap about to occur as I launch another “profit center” thanks to your materials, classes and leadership! You really have put together a package that works. Keep up the great work and inspiration!
Teresa Proudlove

I just wanted to say that I love the classes… For years I have been clipping articles and writing down a slate of business ideas – many more than I can launch in one lifetime…but now I realize that these may be good for my clients at some point and I now see that I have been an “opportunity analyst” for a while – but your exercises are forcing me to stretch my limits and think even bigger and they’re also giving me what I have been lacking – the knowledge of how to move my ideas forward and help me help my clients figure it all out too – I love it!!! Thanks!
Susan Baker

I just wanted to take minute and let you know how much I am enjoying this course… I have been circling around it for years and for various reasons and fears haven’t moved forward full steam. Somewhere inside I think I still didn’t believe that people would actually hire me or find me believable.  I am so impressed with all of the information we have received and the caliber of guest hosts that you have included in the curriculum. I feel so much more prepared and informed than I ever have before. Of course I suspected I would feel this way because I have watched you for years and have always been impressed, which is why I signed up in the first place, because I knew I would learn lots, especially about marketing and sole proprietorship.
Lynn Burkholder

I’m totally pleased with how everything is going even though it all needs tweaking – this is such fun!!!  I just got a call from a group of stay-at-home moms who want a 2 hour program at one of their monthly meetings. 
Jane Kirsch

Again, we have temporarily closed registration for the program while Valerie’s at the lake; however, if you just can’t wait to reserve your spot, contact me at Lisa@ChangingCourse.comTo your dreams,
Lisa Tarrant
Vision Implementation Manager

I’ve been fielding phone calls and emails from people who are interested in the Certification Program all week. I was going to try to summarize things into one coherent (and shorter document). But then I thought it might help to read the questions written in their actual words.

Obviously you’d like to hear the answers too, so I have cut and pasted my replies. Again I wanted to spiff these up as well but you know what it’s like before leaving on vacation and an old friend from my corporate days is driving up from DC to spend the night so there is much scrambling to clean the house and get dressed in real clothes instead of the sweat pants and slippers I live in!

All of this is to say — this post is bound to have some typos and my replies are definitely is not grammatically correct to never mind proofed. But I hope you find these questions and my answers helpful.

QUESTION

A bit of context… Karen (not her real name) is a career counselor at a large university. Following last year’s Work at What You Love workshop, Karen sent me a box of gourmet chocolates and a note that read, “Thanks to you I can never think about work the same again.”

Karen was on the fence about the Certification last year and ultimately decided to wait. Once again she is considering signing on but had a few questions:

Dear Valerie,

One of my questions is: I’ve been to a Work At What You Love workshop, and I’m a member of the Fast Track community. So, I’ve got access to a lot of resources already. How much more will I gain from doing the certification program? I’m sure part of the answer to that is “tons of support,” and that’s certainly worth a lot.

Are there testimonials available from the people who were in the first certification program?  How many of these individuals are on their way to making a living at career consulting? Are any of these people mothers of a small child? 

I’m also just really curious to know how many hours a week (average) you work. Or is that one of those personal questions, right up there with asking someone how much he/she makes? You seem so incredibly busy, and yet happy with your quality of life.

I really admire what you do, and I’m very happy for you that you’re so successful at it.  Thanks for your hard work.

ANSWER:

Hi Karen,

I will definitely be reinforcing concepts you learned at the workshop and via Teleclasses I have conducted as part of Fast Track. It is my experience that just because you learn something once, it doesn’t always stick. There are certain concepts that are just ingrained in how I think and therefore how I work with clients. Unless you are working with these concepts day in and day out as I am, they take a while to integrate into one’s consciousness.

Specifically I am thinking of the “5 Sources of Ideas for Income Streams,” the “Life First-Work Second Approach,” and the “20 Ways to Quit Your Job and Get a Life.”

I’m not sure if this is spelled out anywhere in Fast Track or not, but also central to what I do and therefore teach, is something I call simply The Formula. It’s a series of 4 questions clients need to explore (1. What do I want? 2) What do I have? 3) Who wants what I have? 4) How do I turn my ideas into actions?) Personally I think one of THE most important techniques to master is becoming adept at helping clients ask and answer the third question, “Who wants what I have?” beyond just customers and clients.

Since you are already a career counselor (or frankly even if you weren’t) there is no reason why you could not take everything you learned at Work at What You Love and in Fast Track, integrate key concepts into your own approach (obviously crediting any of my work to me), and start seeing clients next week if you wanted to. And maybe that is a way for you to test the waters to see if you even like this work!

I work at least 40 hours a week – occasionally less and often more. I am an idea person and I have this habit of acting on ideas which of course creates a steady flow of projects! Career consulting is one of 7 income streams for me. Part of what we’ll be covering in the Certification is how to create multiple income streams. The consulting is a place to begin. But as Barbara Winter reminds people, “The business you start out with will not be the business you end up with.”

As for the current consultants, I would say about half are on their way to making a living at this work. For many “life” got in the way – three people relocated, one is taking care of aging parents, one was planning a wedding… Much of what people are focusing on now is developing their blogs, or we sites, or newsletters and other means to make people aware of who they are and what they have to offer.

Several have realized that they would rather focus on doing workshops than working one-on-one. One has decided to actively pursue a lifelong love of black and white photography and is at a 10 week training program as we speak before moving to the mountains and will do consulting on the side. Two are creating an information product together. One is going to specialize in people who want to live and work abroad. And another is an introvert who is going to work with other introverts. Several have young children.

No one is earning a living at it nor would I expect them to be – especially since none of them either chose to or are able to be building their business full time. Here is a link to an audio recording of an interview I did with 7 consultants. I gave them all the master so they can turn it into their first free bonus product or sell it if they like:

http://ChangingCourse.com/dreamteamfall06.mp3

I am also giving the CD of this away as a seminar bonus to give them more exposure. Their URLs will be on the version I’ll be handing out at the seminar. I did not put it on this version because a) some of them are still scrambling to get their sites up in time for the workshop – pressure works and b) I did not want to put them in the position of having to field a bunch of emails or calls from people with questions about the certification. (Separately I have included Carrie’s phone number – you and she attended the same workshop so she would be good to talk to.)

I have also invited the 9 consultants who are coming to the Work at What You Love seminar to design and run a Friday night brainstorming session. They’ve been meeting via conference calls to plan the agenda. Again it’s about giving them practice and exposure.

You are right I should have added more testimonials – I just ran out of time. If it helps, here is an email I received from Lynn B. this morning:

Valerie,

I am so grateful to you. I have heard from 4 people via email, and 35 people so far have signed up for my newsletter. This is exciting. I knew taking your course would be the right move. I just knew it on so many levels. I will definitely document this because it is a perfect example of what happens when you follow your strong instincts.

And not only the course itself but all the directions it has lead me in because you have exposed us to so many different people and possibilities. So thank you again my guru. Have a great day.

Lynn

Update:

Karen and I spoke my phone today. She is still undecided in part because the fall is a really busy time on campus. And yet, it seems to me that if she knew this was right for her that she would know it. I think she was relieved to have someone give her permission to consider other paths and decided to schedule an individual session with me instead.

QUESTION

Note I have edited Elaine’s question a bit to disguise other parties. Again this is not her real name.

My name is Elaine and I am interested in your program but am hesitant to sign up because of a past experience in another very similar program. I enrolled in a “coaching” program at a cost of $5000.00 for training much like yours.  I found the “program” to be extremely frustrating because of the lack of structure with regard to specific steps, scripts and steps to follow to “coach” clients.  It was obvious after I joined that the main purpose of the program was to promote the program director and her seminars.  If you questioned the lack of structure, you were told you were being negative and not “coach” like. 

I am an intelligent woman, however, I do need some structure with regard to scripting and what words to say to clients during a phone session.  I struggle with that.  It seems easy when you hear a master life coach go through a session on the phone but when you are faced with a client starting out the words do not just flow into my head.  Perhaps I am not suited to this type of work but I am drawn to it again and again. .

ANSWER

Hi Elaine,

You ask a very good question. I am not familiar with that particular coaching program but I can understand why for $5000 (or any price really) you’d be frustrated.

While I do have a script of what to say when a prospective client calls that I do recommend people follow pretty closely – and I have another script for kicking off the session and some others for when certain things come up – it is essentially a brainstorming session. And when you’re brainstorming, you never know what will come up so there is are exact words “say this when they say that.” Also each client is different so there has to be a certain amount of winging it and seeing where it goes.

One the students in my last class is an introvert who wants to specialize in working with other introverts. She told me recently that, like you, she is not best thinking on her feet… instead she often thinks of ideas after the fact. To her this was a bad thing. To me, it is an example of brainstorming what I call “Work Arounds” (something we will cover in class).

How can you “work around” this apparent barrier? Well, she can structure her business so she works with someone for say 45 minutes then does a follow up session in a week or two. I would actively promote this as a benefit of working together: “In between our sessions, I will be thinking about you and your passions. I’ll be jumping on the Internet to do some research and coming up with more ideas.” In other words, turn the fact that you need time for things to percolate into a benefit – which it is!

I guess the key question to ask yourself is, “Why do I want to do this kind of work? Do I naturally like thinking outside the box? Do I enjoy brainstorming and helping someone think through their options?”

I hope this helps, Elaine. Take your time and make sure it is right for you. (I am rushing so this is not proofed – please forgive me – call if you’d like to talk more!)

Valerie

BOTTOM LINE

I leave for the lake tomorrow. We will be leaving the description up at http://ChangingCourse.com/certification.htm — but closing down the registration process until I return on 8/20/07.If you are certain you want to register, and do not want to wait until I return, contact Lisa Tarrant at Lisa@ChangingCourse.com or 413-594-2522 and she will send you the registration link.

In the meantime, if you have additional questions I have not answered here, please contact Lisa or me when I return. 

To your dreams,
Valerie Young
Dreamer in Residence
http://ChangingCourse.com

I’ve heard from an introvert, a “scanner,” an engineer, a college career counselor, a military recruiter, even a Christian missionary. I’ll be spending the better part of tomorrow writing up what I hope to be thoughtful responses to all of your questions.

Questions like…

“Do I have the skills or characteristics to do this kind of work…?”

“What if I’m an introvert…?”

“Are the people who took the 2006 Certification program making a full time living yet…?”

Since I know a lot of you are as inspired by real life stories as I am, I thought I would share a few of the letters I received this week from people who answered already answered the question: “Is this my calling?”

Dear Valerie….

It seems you are indeed having a profound influence on my life!  And it just sort of sneaked up on me!

First of all, after reading my intro, you sent me an email about the up-coming Pet Photography Workshop in Hershey, which I signed up for, and am really looking forward to, as I did that for about a year, and am dying to get back into it. (Rich Wagner lives about a half hour away from me, although I have not met him, as yet…)

Then, I find myself getting into the Membership Program, and NOW,  Outside the Box Consulting Certification!  WHEW!  

That’s three THREE STREAMS OF INCOME RIGHT THERE!

I work for the government at the moment… and I can’t WAIT to say au revoir, bon chance, and I’ll see ya later!   I’m burned out, traveling constantly, one hotel after another, blah, blah, blah.

So you have thrown me a life ring, which I am swimming toward and will grab onto for dear life!

Thanks!
Scott

Then there was the letter from the very enthusiastic New Yorker!

Dear Ms. Young,

Today I have signed up for the Outside the Job Box Certification program. Somehow I missed the first certification class and was determined to be part of the upcoming one. In fact I’m the one from NY who called about sign up link not working. (I was so surprised when you picked up the phone!)

Just wanted to send a quick note to introduce myself. First I am so excited to be part of the program. A long time ago I found your website. Originally I just wanted to find a way to make more money.  Now I’ve become determined to leave my 9 to 5. I haven’t quite managed the latter but I have learned lots of ways to do the former.

While trying to find my own course I’ve done tons, Tons of research on ways to make money, how to find one’s passion, and how to turn interest into income. I become a bit of a serial entrepreneur doing lots of little jobs from pet sitting, running a dinner club, publishing an e-book, and real estate investing. (And that’s just the stuff I’ve actually made money doing.) I managed to pay off 19K dollars in debt from my endeavors – a feat I am most proud of.

Now I find myself spewing out facts and information whenever anyone comes close to saying “Oh I wish I could make money doing this…” or “I would love to be able to do that…” Recently I finished a Success Team (led by Barbara Sher’s assistant Andrea) and I was surprised when the others noted how many resources I knew of.  I have even written an e-book on simple ways (and hopefully doing something one enjoys) to make money. I’m in the process of getting it up online.

I look forward to your class with hopes I can channel some of my creativity into a focused business. (Focusing is a Big problem ‘cuz I’m a creative idea junkie.) Unlike the other things I’ve done to create income, being an Outside the Box Career Consultant will allow me to be creative beyond the initial startup phase. And I get to make income! And I get to help other folks!  And I get to learn about new stuff all the time! And I get to pursue my other passions once I don’t have a 9 to 5!

Your site has been a great tool. Thank you, thank you. 

Yours truly,
M.E. Harmon
New York, NY
www.extramoneytips.com 

p.s. I’ve also been accepted to the Long Ridge Writers Group.  Thanks for the referral!

Finally, this exchange with a guy named Craig. Craig was one of the 100+ people who complete the Certification pre-survey. On Tuesday he wrote with a request:

Could you read thru my survey and see if you believe I fit.  [The] reason I ask is because I enjoy helping others discover themselves however the old conditioning of follow the rules does speak to me at times thru my old paradigm.

I’m an engineer by day and there are lots of rules to follow.  Your program has lots of rules to break.  Kind of feels good. I just completed a Bob Proctor consultant course for doing platform speaking. So I’m still learning a lot of things while continuing to work a day job and commute

Being a consultant and helping people find their purpose with your material is one of the top 3 goals for me to accomplish this year.  So do you believe I fit?  I feel like I answered my own question but I’m aware people need to be given permission to act or not act on something.  What do you think and what does your intuition say about me?

Craig

Here is my response:

Hi Craig, 

I remember your survey well as I thought 1) how great it was that you were already doing something entrepreneurial with the Bob Proctor work and 2) how your answers to the questions about why you want to do this work and why you would be good at it make you a natural.

I think you answered your own questions in the survey:

You said:

My purpose is to provide coaching and consulting to encourage and support people to grow personally and spiritually using different talents and venues for teleconference calls, workshops, and seminars. I help people learn what their purpose is and direct a path forward for them to reach their goals using multiple resources of inspirational music, books, cds, and dvds.

I enjoy helping people and seeing them realize they can do what they want. Seeing or hearing their light ‘come on’ is my buzz when their awareness grows. And something I just recently learned. People are grateful for my help and my head is in the clouds when they say thanks, I appreciate you.

If there is a way that you can attend at least some of the live sessions or at least the Dream Team sessions with other consultants? It would be a big help for you. That’s where the networking happens, the connections where people perhaps create information products together, and the opportunities for practice are. Even every other one would help.

I think making engineers your niche would be very interesting. The Proctor stuff is a good fit too as men especially respond to wealth building and goal setting messages. Surely there are other engineers who ask themselves – what am I doing here? Look at Bob Bly (www.BobBly.com)!

I hope I covered everything. I’m in all day so feel free to call the toll free number if you want to talk more. It won’t sell out before Wednesday so don’t worry about that.

My gut says you would be great at this but it’s your gut that matters!

Valerie

I heard from Craig again the next day:

Gut says go! Registered tonight.

I wrote because I wanted to know if I am on the same frequency as you.  I could not attend last year.  This year feels right and it’s in the direction that I want to go in.  Hop on before the train leaves!

I have not made any money from the other consulting program yet but I will find my niche.  You sound like you really care and will actually help when a person is stuck or in need.  I’m relying on that.  Looking forward to master minds calls among the other consultants and participating in the program.

If you need assistance with anything, like a vacation spot on a white sands beach, I can fix you up here on the gulf coast.   HA! Couldn’t resist, you may not be a beach person but really if I can be of assistance call or email me.

Regards,

Craig

Not everyone has made up their mind. I’m rushing to meet a friend for dinner but I promise to post answers to all of your frequently asked questions.

If you want to speak to me directly, feel free to call me at 413-367-0222 or 800-267-6388. And don’t be surprised when I answer the phone myself – it’s just me and the dog – and he won’t lift a paw around here!

To your dreams,
Valerie

Before I get into the registration details, I need to say a quick word about the cost. I know some people were rattled when I talked about how much attendee’s paid to attend last year’s Certification and about my early predictions as to what the program might run this year.

If you kept reading, you also heard me say how hard I was working on finding a way to make the program as accessible to as many people as possible.

Well, I thought you might like to know that since my last update I’ve figured out a way that you can get started for as little as $333. You’ll hear all about this and other payment options in a matter of hours.

Which leads me to the point of this update…

The Outside the Job Box Career Consulting Certification Program is designed to be up front and personal. You will be working directly with me (and with a small tight-knit group of other students) over a period of many months. Unfortunately, that means that I have to limit the number of training slots available.

So, in order to make the process as fair as possible, I’ve set up a specific time for the registration process to begin. That way everyone has pretty much an equal chance of signing up for one of the slots who wants to.

The registration process will begin Monday August 6, 2007 at 12:00 noon Eastern Time.

“But Valerie, I hate deadlines!”

I know whenever there is any kind of time factor, that some people get anxious. In fact, some get downright mad about it.

Since there IS a legitimate time factor involved with the Certification Program, I want to address this issue right up front. If for no other reason than to let you know where I’m coming from on the whole issue of deadlines in marketing copy.

Let me come at this by way of a recent true life example…

In June, I sent out an email letting people know that before leaving on vacation, Lisa had forgotten to take down the link to the early bird registration page for the upcoming Work at What You Love workshop. Since the only person who can get into the website to make changes is Lisa, the deadline was extended for a few more days.

The same day I sent out that announcement, I received a angry reply from a fellow named Bob.

I’ve posted both Bob’s angry email as well as my response on the blog. So if you prefer the easy-to-read format of the blog, you can read it there. You are also welcome and encouraged to post any of your own thoughts on the subject of time-specific offers there.

As you’ll see in a moment, I take all comments – the good, the bad, and the ugly – very seriously.

Here is Bob’s letter followed by my reply:

Valerie,

Just a suggestion: This is the kind of sales tactic that sends me running for the door. Aren’t you just a LITTLE bit ashamed of yourselves? I’ve been reading Barbara Sher’s stuff for years, and formed the impression that there’s somebody with a little integrity behind the books and tapes.

And now she’s connected with a company using the hoary old, “Hurry up and buy TODAY, before this special price is GONE FOR GOOD!!!” hype. I’m disappointed.

Now, I suppose that it is possible that your response could be one word: “Whoosh!” Which is geek-speak for, “That joke went right over your head, didn’t it?”

Anybody could have said, “We’ve decided to extend our special offer a few days.” Where’s the fun in that? NOBODY, (except you, obviously) took this literally. But you run a risk, at least among us humor-impaired folks, of looking like your garden-variety huckster or pushy salesman.

On the plus side, this DID make me aware of the program, which I otherwise would have overlooked. Maybe I’ll look it over and decide to go. If I do, a $100 discount is a pretty minor item, alongside airfare, hotel, meals, etc. And maybe that’s what pushed my button on this one, the notion that manipulative sales tactics work best on the people who can least afford to be taken in.

Yeah, yeah, in this case, the product could change their whole life, and they’ll be glad they came. But in general, I have my doubts that an excess of salesmanship is good for

anybody. Well, the salesman, sure. The customer, not so much.

Regards,
Bob H.

Truth be known, it took me about five hours before I was able to respond to Bob. I think sometimes the anonymous nature of the Internet makes people forget that on the other end of that “Send” button there is a real person with feelings.

Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m wide open to feedback. But sometimes the tone in which the feedback is given can be hard not to take things personally.

Once the sting wore off, I wrote what I hoped was a thoughtful reply thanking Bob and addressing both of his complaints:

Hi Bob,

Thanks for taking the time to write. I will try to address your concerns…

I’m sorry you are unhappy that I placed a deadline on the early bird registration offer as well as with the dollar amount of the offer itself.

From my research, establishing a price deadline is a standard marketing/business practice. For example, last weekend Sears held a one-day sale. As a further incentive they offered gave an extra 20% savings for early bird shoppers who came in before 10:00 a.m. Two weeks ago I grabbed a lower priced airline ticket from Delta because the discounted price was going to end at midnight.

From the customer standpoint: I can only speak for myself but as a consumer the choice to take advantage of any time-limited offers is of course always mine but I do appreciate knowing about these opportunities so I can make that decision. In this case, I wanted any readers who may have missed the early bird deadline to know that they had a few more days to decide.

From the event planners standpoint: In the case of a live event, giving people an incentive to make a decision early allows me as the event producer to determine whether an event will be profitable — and therefore if I can pay my vendors who are themselves small business owners.

I understand that not everyone who does not live close to an event will be able to afford to attend. This would be true even if the workshop was free.

I’m not sure though, what the solution is. Given the geographical realities, the only option would be to never hold a live event because by definition some people will not be able to afford to travel.

Last year by co-presenter Barbara Winter and I worked very hard trying to put on events in three locations around the country to make it more affordable for a greater number of people. In fact, we did change quite a few lives. As personally satisfying as that was, the financial reality was that we just barely broke even. When you factor in the time to plan and organize the events we in fact lost money.

Currently the early registration offer is one-third off the registration price — which is a $100 savings. I always appreciate input from potential customers like yourself so when you get chance I would be very interested to hear what you think would be a fair price for a two day event of this nature and given that, what would be a fair early registration incentive price.

I continue to have the utmost respect for Barbara Sher and Barbara Winter — both of whom offer the standard early bird registration savings. Barbara Sher also recently offered a seminar that cost over $5000 and another one that required travel to Greece. I take great pride in my integrity as a business owner where I always strive to over-deliver to my customers and workshop attendees.

Best Regards,
Valerie Young

I never did hear back from Bob.

I wanted to share this letter because I want you to understand that there really are reasons for deadlines. Sometimes it is as simple as using a tried and true marketing practice to entice people to action. Other times, there are very real time lines involved.

The Outside the Job Box Career Certification Program begins on Tuesday, September 11th. In order to get my order into the printer and the CD duping company, I need to know how many people will be registering.

I leave next Saturday for vacation. When I get back, I have four days to get ready for the Work at What You Love workshop and subsequent Mini-Mastermind. These two events run from August 24-26. It’s going to be a very busy couple of weeks.

Right now I’m looking at the registration process running from Monday, August 6th at noon Eastern through Saturday, August 11th.

If, after the initial registration period, there are still seats available I will open up registration again. But given everything coming up, I can guarantee that if there is an additional registration period it will not be until after the Work at What You Love workshop is over on August 26th.

I’m incredibly excited about this upcoming Certification program. Part of why I’m so excited is because I KNOW how many additional training tools, marketing resources, and opportunities for ongoing support I’ve build into the 2007 program.

If you truly love the idea of escaping the j-o-b box and making good money working from home doing something that comes naturally to you, I am 100 percent confident once you read the complete program description you will be VERY impressed with what you see.

To your dreams,
Valerie Young

P.S. Make a note in your calendar now to check your email box on Monday, August 6, 2007 at noon eastern for a special link to the program description and Priority List Notification registration page for the Outside the Job Box Career Certification Program.

If you have any questions or comments after reading the description, feel free to call me any time next week at 413-367-0222. If the first day of registration is anything like last year, it’s going to be hectic here. I’ve already made plans to work late on Monday so again, if you do have questions, feel free to call me up until 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

How do you determine the cost of freedom?

What would you be willing to invest – not just in terms of money, but also in terms of your time – to build a business that could lead to the ultimate freedom of becoming your own boss?

The reason I’m bringing up the time issue is because I just heard from a woman who is totally dreading going to back to her fall teaching job. She wanted to know if she could earn enough by September to be able to resign. I’m really glad she asked because it would have never occurred to me that someone would expect to start and build a profitable business in a few weeks.

So, let me be really clear. If anyone is looking at the Outside the Job Box Certification program as a fast, easy short cut to freedom, you should unsubscribe from this Priority Notification list right now.

Learning any new skill set takes time. Starting any new business takes time. Succeeding at a new business takes time. There are ways to go faster of course… which is the whole point of this Certification. But still, it does take time.

Some of you will take what you learn and run with it. Others will absorb it more slowly. The point is that the more you put into growing your business, the faster it will grow.

There’s something else you should know. Through the process of attending this Certification, a few of you may even discover that your primary passion actually lies elsewhere. I understand how the idea of taking a class on how to start one business could actually lead you down an entirely path might scare the heck out of you. It shouldn’t.

What you’ll discover is that all the tools and techniques you learn in the Certification program can easily apply to growing any income stream – and you’ll still have a new expertise you can use if and when you decide you want to bring in extra money.

For example, one of the 2006 trainees is using what she learned in last year’s program in her new role as part-time marketing director for a fiber arts studio. She’s also writing a grant on using weaving to teach kids about math and science.

Another graduate got the courage to resign from her teaching job, move to the mountains of North Carolina, and enroll in a 10-week intensive photography course in Maine. Her plan is to combine photography with career advising.

But I’m getting off the subject. So back to the question: How do you determine the cost of freedom?

Easy. When my own clients are figuring out how to price their new SAT tutorial business, what to charge for their walking tours in Rome, or their proof writing services, I tell them the same thing I’m going to tell you…

Do your homework. In part, this means making sure you compare “apples to apples.”

For example, there are lots of self-study courses out there averaging anywhere in price from $99 to $1,000. Most are worth every penny. But as a “self-study” course you get some written materials in a binder and maybe some CDs or DVDs.

Unless you are highly motivated, these courses often end up sitting on the shelf. All that money down the drain.

The Outside the Job Box Career Consulting Certification is NOT a self-study course. This is a highly interactive, live, hands-on training and mentoring program. It’s also set up to help you generate paying customers − fast.

Given the level of training and support you’ll be getting, this Certification Program could easily have been set up as a formal franchise. But making you do things “my way or no way” flies in the face of everything I believe about designing your business to fit your life − and not the other way around.

So while not a franchise, this program gives you the same – and in many cases – significantly more, training and support than you would if you bought into a traditional franchise.

So now that we’re comparing apples to apples − do your homework. Go to http://FranchiseGator.com and click on Home Based Businesses.

Here are just a few examples of what you’ll find:

START UP COSTS

~ All About Honeymoons Franchise- $9,000-$29,000

~ DVD now Franchise $17,995

~ Club Z In-Home Tutoring Franchise – $29,500 – $31,500

~ Barkbusters Home Dog Training Franchise $71,100

~ Gymboree Franchise – $141,000 – $246,000

The Outside the Job Box Consulting Certification won’t cost you anywhere near that much. In fact, once you see the full extent of training, tools and support that you’ll be receiving, I think you’ll agree the cost of freedom is actually pretty darn low.

Whether you seize this particular start-up opportunity or not, when it comes to changing course, this simple truth remains…

All change is scary – even positive change. Fear just comes with the change territory. Period. But the more you know, the less there is to be afraid of. So do your homework.

Last year I offered the Certification program at the introductory price of $2,979. A lot of people rushed to sign up because they knew in advance that this was an introductory price and that the 2007 program would cost a lot more.

Back then I predicted that the 2007 Certification would be at least a thousand dollars more. I’m kind of scrambling here to nail down what the final price will actually be… which is not as easy as you’d think.

We’ve run into a bit of a last minute snag with the people at my credit card processing company. It seems they have a new process for handling changes in credit card ceilings. I just faxed 40 pages of information to Tiffany at Online Data Corp and who promises to run it by the powers that be ASAP.

The bigger pricing challenge for me is that the people in this year’s Certification class are going to receive a lot more in form of printed materials and CD duplication, ongoing support from and with me, and even a marketing copywriter who is working on some creative ways to help you start generating paying clients faster.

At the same time, I’m trying to make this as affordable as possible to as many people as possible which is why I’m working on that 12-month installment plan.

So all I can tell you right now is that I’m working really hard to not go too far over the $4,000 mark. But right now some of the estimates are coming in a lot higher than I expected, so I’m trying to find a few less expensive vendors and consultants. But hopefully this gives you a general idea of what you’re looking at so you can start doing your home work.

The next logical question is, “How much can I make?”

You’re going to hear what I’m about to say again when the final program description is ready, but it never hurts to be thinking about it ahead of time…

What makes the “How much money can I make?” question tough one to answer is that when you work for yourself, the sky really is the limit.

Besides, even if legally I were allowed to speculate on your projected earnings (which I’m not), I wouldn’t pretend to know how much you will personally earn. There are just way too many variables and options involved in a business like this to speculate.

You might think being unable to nail down a specific dollar figure up front is a bad thing. Trust me, it’s not.

As someone who now earns close to four times my former corporate salary, let me tell you – having lots of options is a very good thing. Why? Because “options” equal “opportunities.”

Think about it… In a j-o-b, someone else decides how much you’re “worth”. No matter how hard you work, or how long your commute, or how many overtime hours you take from your life and give to your employer – your paycheck is exactly the same.

The beauty of working for yourself is that you are in control. In control of your time, in control of your schedule, and ultimately in control of your earnings…

You get to decide things like…

►        How often do I want to work?

►        How many clients would I like to see each week?

►        Who would be my ideal client?

►        How will I price myself? (Depending on your market, you can charge anywhere from $75 up to $300 or more for a single session and thousands for a multi-session package).

►        What kind of information products or other services will I add in the future?

►        Would I like to take summers off or spend the winter some place warm?

Don’t worry if you can’t answer these questions right now. When you sign on for the Outside the Job Box Career Consulting Certification program, you will receive all the tools you need to design the perfect business model for you.

As your own “changing course vision” starts to become clear, you’ll be able to answer the “How much can I earn?” question for yourself.

That’s because, as part to your certification, you’ll learn an easy way to project your own future earnings based on what you want your life – and your bank account – to look like.

We’re going to get into this in a lot more detail in class, but let me give you something to at least start with. Taking myself as an example…

Starting out five years ago, I charged $85 for a 90-minute session. My current fee is $195. These numbers are real. The scenario I’m about to lay out for you is one I created so you can get an idea of how to crunch numbers for yourself.

Let’s say I want to give myself eight weeks of vacation every year. And since I want to smell a few roses the rest of the year, I decide to take Fridays off.

So now I’ve got this 4-day work week. But I only want to do career consulting part-time. That way I can use the other time to work on various other income streams like creating eBooks, running workshops, or developing various passive income streams.

Now that I have an idea of how I want my life to look… if I set up my business to see one client in the morning and another one in the afternoon or maybe the evening that’s a total of eight clients a week. If you pull out a calculator you’ll see that comes out a weekly income of $1,560.

Keep in mind that I still want to give myself two months vacation each year and enjoy my three-day weekends. So if I multiply $1,560 x 44 weeks that comes to $68,640 a year.

Naturally, when I do these earnings projections for myself I also add in all the other ways I generate money (you’ll be learning more about how to create additional income streams in the Certification). But just on the consulting side of the business, do you see how to start estimating your own earnings?

If I decide to add a Saturday morning consulting slot (great for working clients) or to take only every other Friday off, I’ll make more. If I want to take three months vacation or only see one client a day, it still comes down to pulling out a calculator and doing the math.

Again, this example is based on my ideal lifestyle and my fee. In the beginning, I guarantee you will earn less – especially if you’re starting this business while you’re in the process of transitioning from your job-job. Depending on how much effort you want to put in, over time you could earn substantially more. But like any building project, you need to lay the foundation first.

In other words, what you need to understand here – and this is really important – is that when you’re self-employed, how much you earn is limited only by your own imagination. When you look at the million dollars that self-employment expert Ernie Zelinski’s creative mind has made for him, it’s clear why he considers it to be his “most valuable asset.”

I promise to be in touch as soon as we’re able to get everything ready for a smooth registration process. In the meantime, I’d LOVE to hear any comments or questions you have about this and/or my previous blog posts.

To your dreams,
Valerie Young
Dreamer in Residence
Changing Course

p.s. One of the themes that will come up over and over in the Certification program is that information is the key to freedom. To read more about how information can spring you from job jail, read my article: Trapped in a Job You Hate? Where to Search for Freedom”

Not surprisingly, your most burning questions fell into 3 main categories:

~ Training and support (what’s covered, program length, ongoing support)

~ Marketing and getting clients

~ Investment (i.e. time and money) vs. expected return (i.e. how much can I make?)

There’s a lot to say about each of these questions. In fact, I’m actually in the process of putting together a Certification description to answer these and other questions in depth. But let me at least touch on these questions now so you can begin to decide whether it’s the right program for you.

Before I answer some of your burning questions let me quickly address a few other simmering questions and concerns:

QUESTION: What if I miss a Teleclass?

ANSWER: All calls will be recorded so you can easily catch up on anything you may miss.

Considering that 71.3 percent of survey respondents said they are “Very interested” in this training program and 75.3 percent want to get started “the sooner the better,” it’s looking more likely that I’m going to have to add a Tuesday morning session to meet the demand.

When you register, you’ll be asked to select which session you want to attend. However, if you can’t make your scheduled session, you are perfectly free to drop in on the other session whenever you like. In fact, you can listen in to both sessions if you want.

QUESTION: Are you going to be limiting the number of students in the Certification?

ANSWER: Yes.

I’m going to be as accommodating as possible. But since part of the Certification involves one-on-one sessions with me, I need to make sure I provide good service to everyone and limiting the number of students is the only way to do that.

The last Certification had 24 people. I’m looking to keep this year’s class size in that general ballpark.

QUESTION:  When will registration begin?

ANSWER: Soon!

My Vision Implementation Manager, Lisa Tarrant is busy setting up the registration system now. It’s a bit complicated because we need to work things out with our credit card processor so we can offer an unusually long installment payment option (credit card companies hate that). But since I want to make this as affordable as possible, that’s the only way tot do it.

While Lisa is busy setting up the “back end,” I’m equally busy writing up the final Certification description. If you’ve ever had to sit down and try to put into words something with as many components as this training program has, then you know what I’m up against.

If I continue to make good progress, it looks like I’m going to be able to open up the Certification registration by this weekend. To give you first shot, this initial registration period will be open ONLY to people who are on this Priority Notification list. The general public will not be able to register until next week when the newsletter comes out.

Okay now for your big 3 burning questions:

BURNING QUESTION 1: Will I receive the skills, information, tools, and ongoing support I need to do this kind of work effectively?

ANSWER: Absolutely!

The certification will consist of 10 weeks of instructor-led training delivered by me and a few guest experts. Each session will run 75 minutes. The 10-Teleclass series will begin on Tuesday, September 11 and after the first three sessions will run every other week through January 8th.

These sessions will be a complete brain dumb of everything I’ve learned over the last decade about how to be a successful Outside the Job Box Career Consultant. You’ll learn the exact words to say when potential client calls, the two words to say to people who are too afraid to act on their dreams, how to prepare for a client session, key questions to use during a consultation, proven techniques for helping clients see how they can turn the things they love to do into one or more viable income streams, and much, much more.

Support – both during and after the Certification program – is integral to helping you keep your business development plan on track.

That’s why the Certification consists of an additional 7 student-led sessions. Starting in October, during the non-instructor led weeks, you’ll be working in smaller groups with 5-6 other trainees. This is your opportunity to practice key consulting techniques, discuss topics, complete group assignments, work on your business development plan, network, and generally get and give support so you can master the concepts (and therefore start earning income) faster.

Once the Teleclass portion of the training ends in January, you’ll receive lots of ongoing support to include three individual consultations with me. Plus, I’ll be facilitating a series of special group brainstorming and problem solving meetings to keep you on track.

Seminar attendees and previous Certification graduates who have made the greatest strides are those who have continued to meet regularly with other members. So Lisa is also working out the logistics so you can continue to attend regular check-in meetings with your Dream Team for at least a year… longer if you choose.

As part of your Certification, you will also receive an entire binder full of immediately useful tools and information including scripts, email and form templates, case studies, action lists, and exercises.

But by far the most valuable part of your Certification Tool Kit is something brand new…

It only makes sense that the best ways to really master a new skill is to learn from someone who has already mastered that skill. So, when you sign up for this year’s Outside the Job Box Certification program you will have the opportunity to basically “ease drop” on over 15 hours of recorded consultation sessions I personally conducted with my own clients. These recordings alone are worth the price of admission.

On the business side of starting a business, you’ll also learn how to set up the back end operations including accepting credit cards, getting a website, managing paperwork, and other logistics to make your life easier and get moving faster.

Plus – and this is a huge benefit – if you are not already enrolled in the Fast Track Your Dream Community, you will automatically receive password-protected access to all of the tools and resources available to members – including a very full Fast Track Kit.

If I took the time to list all of books, CDs, Teleclasses, and online resources that are a part of the Kit and ongoing Membership program here, it would take over 30 pages. So if you want to get an idea of what’s included I suggest hop over to Fast Track Your Dreams and browse the lengthy list for yourself.

The moment you register for the Certification, an order will be placed for your Fast Track Kit. That way, if you want to start building those “changing course” muscles right away you won’t have to wait until September.

If you are currently an active Fast Track member, you won’t be at all surprised when I tell you that interest in the Certification program is pretty high. FYI, Lisa will be setting up a separate Certification registration page just for Fast Track members with a special discounted price.

BURNING QUESTION 2: How will I marketing myself and get clients?

In my last post, I talked in really broad strokes about how the Certification program will provide you with the knowledge and skills to be a great Outside the Job Box Career Consultant. Next to this, the biggest thing people want to make sure the Certification covers is how market yourself and get clients. Here again I could write a dozen pages.

In brief though, let me say that the whole point of training you to be an Outside the Job Box Career Consultants is so that you can GET PAID to do what comes naturally to you!

I want you to be successful.

And being successful means getting clients. Before I started Changing Course, I spent seven years in corporate marketing. For the last thirteen years, I’ve successfully marketed myself. I don’t mean to brag but my career change tips have been featured in…

• The Wall Street Journal (twice)
• Entrepreneur magazine
• Inc. magazine
• Kiplinger’s magazine
• Women’s Day magazine
• Redbook magazine
• Glamour magazine (UK)
• USA Weekend magazine
• Parade magazine
• The Chicago Tribune
• The Boston Globe (twice)
• The Globe & Mail
• The Sydney Morning Herald
• MSN.com
• iVillage
• Careerbuilder

A number of people asked about becoming credentialed to do this work. “How,” they asked, “can I establish credibility with my clients when I have no prior experience?”

Okay I’m going to go on a small rant here…

This is a valid question. But, as you read through the list of magazines, newspapers, and mega web sites that have cited me as an expert, keep in mind that not once has a reporter asked me if I had any formal training or credentials in career counseling. In fact, I can count on one hand the number of prospective clients who wanted to know if I had a degree in career counseling.

I’m not training you to be a traditional career counselor because you will not be offering traditional career counseling. What your clients are paying you for is your ability to brainstorm ways they can turn their gifts and interests into income and to then point them to the resources to make it happen. You don’t need a fancy credential. You just need someone to channel your natural gift for helping people see possibilities.

Okay, end of rant.

Suffice it to say I know a thing or two about marketing and PR. And I will be passing along everything I know to you. And just for good measure, friend and colleague Barbara Winter author of Making a Living Without a Job has agreed to personally lead a session on How to Establish Yourself as an Expert.

But by far the most valuable marketing benefit is something new that I’m adding for the first time this year. You see, I want you spending your valuable time developing your expertise as an Outside the Job Box Career Consultant. I don’t want you spinning your wheels writing marketing copy.

So I’ll be working closely with a specially trained copywriter who will be putting together material that you can literally just cut and paste onto a future website, blog, or brochure. Plus you’ll get a customized bio that positions you as a credible resource even without a track record. Now that’s what I call marketing made easy!

Good copywriters do not come cheap. But I have seen far too many great business ideas fail because of lousy descriptions. And I don’t want that to happen to you. If you paid for copywriting services out of pocket it could easily cost you $2000 to $3000. Instead these marketing tools will be included as part of the Certification.

Okay this is as far as I got before I had to leave to meet my family. Today is my Intel gig, so tomorrow I’ll send out another update answering Burning Question 3 which is “What will the program cost and how much can I expect to earn?”

To your dreams,

Valerie

P.S. I’ll be answering burning questions 1 & 2 in FAR MORE depth in the actual Certification description available hopefully this weekend.

I know what it’s like trying to catch up after being out for a
week. So, to give everybody a chance to complete the
Certification Survey, I’ve extended the deadline to this Sunday,
July 29th.

Here is the link again:

http://ChangingCourse.com/survey2007.htm

I know a lot of you are chomping at the bit to get into this
program. But I want to make sure that when I do answer all of
your frequently asked questions that I haven’t missed anything
really important. So I’m going to wait another week to get all
the surveys back.

But there is one really important thing that came up in the
survey that I need to clarify right away….

Someone wanted to know if the Certification would cover
executive career counseling and salary negotiation. The answer?
Absolutely not!

This Certification Program is 100 percent focused on training
you on how to help your clients figure out how to identify the
things they love to do and then how these gifts and interests
can be used to make a living WITHOUT A J-O-B.

The very thing that will distinguishe you as a potential Outside
the Job Box Career Consultant from the 99.9% of career
counselors or life coaches is that you will be working
EXCLUSIVELY with people who are actively looking to escape the
9-to-5 (or more likely 8-to-late) world.

In fact, when a prospective client calls me, the very first
thing I tell them is (and these are my exact words), “You need
to know that what I do is not for everyone.” (FYI, as part of
the Certification you’ll be getting all of my “scripts” so you
know exactly what to say when a prospective client calls.)

I would say 1 out of every 100 callers take me up on my offer to
refer them to a traditional career coach. The other 99 percent
are thrilled to know that someone actually “gets” that they want
to love their work AND their life.

If you are looking to become a traditional career counselor with
an emphasis on how to write that winning resume or how to nail
the job interview… this is not the right program for you.

From the surveys received to date, it looks like the vast
majority of you know exactly what I’m talking about. Based on
the answers to the survey question: “Why do you think you would
make a good Outside the Job Box Consultant?” it looks like a lot
of people have a natural gift for thinking creatively and a
genuine passion for helping….

One person said:

“I get excited when brainstorming opportunities. The ideas and
passion that come through is contagious. Plus I have been there,
still there actually, going through the Fast Track goodies I
just got. It has resonated from the beginning and with this
sense of frustration I have felt for years, finally making sense
and progress puts me in a position to empathize and understand
where a client is coming from. One of my gifts is encouragement
and helping others help themselves. Another gift is creativity
and the ability to dream big. Now I want to pursue my big dreams
and would like to help others pursue their own.”

Others wrote:

“In all the dreams I’ve had since childhood, everything I’ve
ever loved has been outside of the job prison. I admit I never
achieved success independently, mainly because I could never
figure out how to ‘break in’ to something independent — until
now.”

“I love helping people to discover their passions. I think that
we are all here to help each other grow, some of us are better
at watering than weeding and I am looking for the tools to be
able to do both more effectively.”

“I truly believe that if you can dream it you can do it. I think
we’re all born with innate gifts. I think it’s a shame that so
many of us go our whole lives without sharing our gifts with the
world at large.”

“I’m intuitive, creative, have a strong business sense, great
listener, and always interested in motivating and helping people
succeed.”

And in the “most succinct answer” category:

“Because I am naturally built and think that way.”

A lot of people have already been doing this kind of work… they
just haven’t been getting paid for it…

“I already help people by giving them the info they are looking
for or by telling how to get it. Helping them will fulfill my
dream of owing my own business and helping people to live their
dream.”

“I seem to give other people like friends intuitively the right
hints for their ways and even tell them what to do and for which
companies to work for and it always comes out right for them.”

“Last week, I flipped a personal phone call with a dear friend
into a coach session. She said, ‘Wow, you should do this for a
living.'”

And winner of the most unique answer is…

“Because I am living outside the Job box as it is. I quit
working in the field of criminal law in 2003 when I realized
that I would be stopping by the side of the road to vomit every
morning if I continued to work in that field.”

I can see the headline now: Sign up for the 2007 Outside the Job
Box Certification Program and Never Vomit on Your Way to Work
Again!

Talk about your benefit!

There is still time to tell me why you would make a good Outside
the Job Box Consultant. And more importantly to let me know what
you want to make sure is included in the Certification.

But you must complete the survey by Sunday, July 29th. Here is
the link again:

http://ChangingCourse.com/survey2007.htm

I’ll be in touch next week to answer all of your most frequently
asked questions.

To your dreams,

Valerie Young
Dreamer in Residence
ChangingCourse.com

P.S. I almost forgot… one person asked if I would cancel the
Certification if not enough people sign up. I can’t remember if
I mentioned this before or not, but four people already plunked
down a deposit last fall to hold their place.

Plus, when asked the question, “How interested are you in this
training program?” 77.8 percent of the survey respondents
indicated that they are “Very Interested.”

Bottom line – I guarantee the Fall 2007 Certification is a go.
The program begins on Tuesday, September 11, 2007.

So after telling you on Tuesday that the Fast Track Your Dream Community was going to close to new members tonight (Thursday) at 9:00 I’m happy to be able to deliver both good news AND a free gift.

To quickly bring everybody up to speed…

Apparently my announcement that we are on track to fill all 200 member seats caught a lot of people off guard. Since then I’ve been bombarded with requests to open up more spaces.

Just to be clear, I’d like to help everyone who wants to get out of job jail to do so. Helping people like you to figure out what you love to do and then coming up with a concrete plan to make that happen is the whole reason I started the Fast Track Your Dream Community.

Again, the main reason why I had to limit the number of people who could join Fast Track was to make sure that the Outside-the-Box Career Consultants could handle the volume of questions on the Q&A Forum. After all, the whole point of making a team of consultants available was to make sure that everybody’s individual questions get answered.

Well I’m happy to tell you that despite a whopping 338 posts in less than a week, the “Dream Team” has been able to rise to the challenge… and then some. In fact, in most cases they’ve been able to answer individual member’s questions in less than 24 hours.

Burned out workers from Australia to Alaska have been getting personal advice on everything from how to make a living doing what they love… to what to do about an unsupportive spouse…to whether it’s better to launch an idea as a non-profit or as a for-profit enterprise.

So here is the good news…

Given the ability of the Fast Track coaches to meet demand, I’ve decided to open the community to an extra 100 members. I should tell you though that I already promised Barbara Winter that I would hold back 50 of these seats for her “people.” So basically that leaves just 50 spots for Changing Course folks.

The way things are going I know even these additional seats probably won’t be enough. But to be fair to everyone (and to make sure I have enough lines for the Tele-seminars) it’s the best I can do.

Oh, and about that gift…

I know some of you might like a little more information before you take the plunge. So I dipped into the Fast Track Tool Kit to put together a free “Information Will Set You Free” Special Report.

The free report covers some common questions and concerns about changing course, like…

>> Having trouble picking that one passion to pursue? Use the handy worksheets to put the “Power of Multiple Income Streams” to work for you – starting today.

>> Forget all that nonsense about how, “It takes money to make money.” Learn what it really takes to make money doing what you love. (The answers may surprise you.) And speaking of money…

>> This Special Report includes some surprisingly good news for the aspiring self-bosser on dealing with health insurance and taxes. For instance, you’ll hear straight from the Internal Revenue Service why the cost of your membership in Fast Track could qualify as your very first tax deductible business expense.

To get your free gift click here: http://ChangingCourse.com/fasttrackexcerpt.pdf

Like I said, worse case… if it turns out that you can’t get into Fast Track, at least you’ll have another tool you can use to try to get there on your own.

FAST TRACK YOUR DREAM TELE-SEMINAR SCHEDULE

Again since we have an even more limited number of phone lines for the live “Jumpstart Your Dream” Tele-seminars I am posting the dates for the first three seminars here:

FYI, if you want to attend the January 31st class – even if you already enrolled in Fast Track – you still need to register for a seminar seat in advance.

TELE-SEMINAR 1:

There Has to Be More to Life Than This! Finding the Money, Time, and Courage to Quit Your Job and Get a Life, Wednesday, January 31st 8:00-9:30pm Eastern Time

TELE-SEMINAR 2:

Turning Interests into Income: The 5 Hidden Places to Look for Income-Generating Ideas Tuesday, February 27th 12:00-1:00pm Eastern Time

TELE-SEMINAR 3:

Marketing for New Entrepreneurs: How to Market Your Product, Service, or Expertise on a Shoestring Budget, Monday March 26th 12:00-1:00pm Eastern Time

To get one of the additional 50 places in the the Fast Track Your Dream Community go to:

http://www.changingcourse.com/fasttrackyourdream.htm

To your dreams,

Valerie

p.s. Launching Fast Track has been pretty all consuming. I haven’t gone grocery shopping for a couple of weeks now and I need to rest my painfully over-used “mouse hand.” So if you’re trying to reach me with a question about Fast Track I promise to get back to you as soon as I return from running some very long overdue errands. Just so you know, because of the situation with my hand, the answers may be shorter than I’d like but I will try to do my best. I hope you understand.