When you think of famous entrepreneurs, do you often think of those with against-all-odds success stories such Steve Jobs, Elon Musk or Richard Branson? Do you ever stop to think about what other skills or attributes they have had that has helped them become well-known business moguls? Did you wonder if they were natural entrepreneurs in the crib or if they learned these skills, and if you could as well?
“Scholars, business experts and venture capitalists say entrepreneurs can emerge at any stage of life and from any realm, and they come in all personality types and with any grade point average,” wrote Joe Robinson, author of Work to Live, in Entrepreneur magazine.
Shawn Osborne, CEO of Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, said that, previously entrepreneurs were people who started new companies, but that now, “the concept of being an entrepreneur has definitely changed. When it comes to entrepreneurship, it’s not what you do but how you think that matters.” Now, he says, people are more likely to see entrepreneurs as people who use an ‘entrepreunial mindset.’
According to Osborne, this mindset can be broken down into eight key parts:
Even if you don’t have a burning idea that could change the world, don’t see yourself as an entrepreneur, or prefer the stability of a regular paycheck, learning and harnessing the entrepreneurial mindset – ‘passion for an idea, perseverance, resourcefulness, open-mindedness, and a ‘sponge-like nature,’ according to Nathan Resnick, CEO of Sourcify – will still benefit you tremendously. In the face of the growing ‘gig economy’ and the unpredictable, highly changeable nature of business, everyone needs to develop an entrepreneurial mindset.
Paul Brown, the author of Own Your Future, puts it best. “Everyone will need to master entrepreneurial thought and action to thrive in the increasingly uncertain world in which we live,’ he wrote in his best-selling book. ‘Obviously,’ he said, ‘If you are out of work, you may be forced to become an entrepreneur … or add entrepreneurial skills to your job-hunting repertoire.” He also warns that people who have an entrepreneurial mindset will forge ahead, even within conventional business or corporate environments, leaving behind those who don’t use such thinking. “Even if you work for the best company in the world,’ he cautions, ‘Someone could acquire the firm tomorrow or a new invention could render your entire industry obsolete.”
Sounds easy enough, right? But, what if you are not born with this mindset? Can it be developed? Are these traits that can be taught?
Osborne, who has been studying entrepreneurs since the 1980s, believes emphatically that the answer is yes. Brown goes even further. ‘It’s relatively easy to become an entrepreneur,’ he said, ‘It simply involves remembering and employing a style of thinking and acting that you’ve probably been neglecting since you were a child.’ He believes that the skills that go into making up the entrepreneurial mindset are in all of us; most of us have just forgotten how to use them.
One way to (re)learn these skills is to enroll in a course or program. Many universities with business schools, such as Harvard University or The University of Maryland, have centers devoted to teaching entrepreneurial skills. You could also seek out a mentor or coach to help you (re)acquire an entrepreneurial mindset.
You can also sign up for one of hundreds of online courses available, on sites such as Udemy, Udacity or Coursera. Coursera partners with many schools and universities around the world, to offer courses in a variety of languages. (Udemy alone has 533-course results for a search on their site using the word ‘entrepreneur.’)
Or read. Books such as The Lean Startup or The Startup Way by Eric Ries or Own Your Future: How to Think Like an Entrepreneur by Paul B. Brown.
Check out The Obstacle is the Way, by Ryan Holiday; $100 Startup by Charles LeBeau; The Hard Thing About Hard Things, by Ben Horowitz and The Achievement Habit, by Dr. Bernard Roth. If you’re unsure how your own entrepreneurial skills rate, try the Entrepreneurial Strengths Finder by Jim Clifton, which includes an online assessment test.
There are many tools out there these days to help you (re)gain an entrepreneurial mindset and perhaps give you the confidence to launch your own company (or consultancy or startup). Even if you prefer to work for someone else, an entrepreneurial mindset will still be valuable in a rapidly changing business world and the growing gig economy.
We have studied the art of job search for 20+ years, and have designed a program with everything your affected individuals need to land their next job, including:
We also offer a customized option for those with budget constraints. For one low price, this package allows your individuals to choose the package that best meets their needs:
Please contact me here for more info about any of the packages above.
Are you just leaving your 9-to-5 job in favor of a more flexible lifestyle?
Have you discovered that you have the entrepreneurial gene and realized that you cannot live without satisfying it?
Are you finally ready to be your own boss?
Or, are you still unsure whether self-employment is for you?
“Should I be self-employed” is a question you need to answer before you endeavor to start your business. Our coaches can help.
Entrepreneur Coaching is designed for the person who is committed to creating a thriving, successful business.
If you are even considering self-employment, we can support you through the necessary next steps. CONTACT US
Our BOOST Career Transition Coaching Program has been tested by hundreds of job seekers and is backed by 20+ years of data tracking job-seeker behavior.
Bottom-line: when it comes to job search, we know what doesn’t work and, most importantly, what does.
Our program is comprised of eight (8) one-hour sessions. Sample coaching topics can include the following:
If you are struggling with your job search strategy, this program is for you.
The program is rigorous and structured and will help you develop aggressive job-search strategies, get in front of hiring managers faster, and land more offers in a shorter time.
Long, frustrating job search—you’ve been put on notice. CONTACT US
When you realize that your job is no longer making you happy, sometimes the answer isn’t to stick it out or try harder. The answer could simply be to get out.
But, how? Career transition is far easier and quicker when you get support.
Our coaches will help you clarify what you want to achieve; identify solutions, tactics, and strategies for selecting an ideal career target; and build you a bridge to help you get there.
Our coaches are nurturing, powerful listeners and artful communicators who will hear both what you are saying and what you are not saying, to help you paint the picture of not only what you want to do, but what you never want to do again. (That’s almost just as important.)
Via a blend of inquiry and assessment, we’ll invent a personalized blueprint that can help you uncover limiting beliefs (thoughts that are preventing success), shift your mindset, and clarify your career direction. TALK TO US
You got a job offer! That’s great news, and we’ll be the first ones to pop the champagne. But, first, let’s make sure the offer is as fabulous as it can be.
Our compensation and salary negotiation coach will help you build a sophisticated, win-win negotiation strategy, to include:
In addition, of course, we’ll address other areas of the offer including:
And, more.
THIS TIME….GET PAID WHAT YOU’RE WORTH.
Spend just 4 hours with us and we assure you that you’ll learn how to master the interview.
Our ELEVATE interview coaching program is designed to cover all aspects of the interview, including pre-interview preparation, special interview tools and formulas you must use to convey your message and minimize risk, and post-interview guidelines for continuing the conversation even after the interview has ended.
You will work one-on-one (either in-person or via video) with a nationally renowned, expert job search coach. Every ELEVATE Interview Coaching Package includes several rounds of practice, feedback, and coaching to enable your full mastery of the program.
After working with us, you’ll be able to:
To learn more or to sign up for the ELEVATE Interview Package, CLICK HERE.
We know you have other things to think about, so why should writing your own resume be one of them? Let us take that off of your plate, so you can get busy landing the job that’s right for you.
When you purchase our GOLD Resume Writing Service, we create a stunning, targeted marketing document that will literally compel employers to take notice. We take you through a comprehensive process designed to deliver a phenomenal resume each and every time.
During the process, we conduct a deep-dive interview designed to help us articulate your accomplishments and uncover your unique value proposition so we may “sell” you better on paper.
At the end of our comprehensive intake process, you will receive a compelling and completely customized resume that you will love (and employers will too).
As part of this package, you will receive:
Get expert help from nationally certified, award-winning resume writers. Why wait? We can help you stand out, move up, get noticed and get hired.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW RESUME SAMPLES.
To learn more or to sign up for the GOLD Resume Writing Service, CLICK HERE.
As Chief Executive Officer of The Career Strategy Group, a boutique career management and outplacement firm headquartered in Bethesda, MD, Laura and her team teach a powerful methodology for career, communication and networking success.
Experience and Expertise
With national job search expertise as an award-winning career innovator and resume writer, combined with human resources experience inside Fortune 500 companies including The Walt Disney Company and America Online, Laura M. Labovich is often affectionately referred to in the media as “a job seeker’s best friend.”
Laura’s national job search and networking expertise, passionate delivery, and easy-to-implement approach has garnered attention from such national news media as The Washington Post, Sirius XM Radio, Fox 5 (DC), NBC 6 (Miami), U.S. News and World Report, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, Yahoo, and Monster.com, to name a few. And, as a former amateur nightclub singer, she certainly knows how to tackle, inspire, and entertain a tough crowd.
Laura is in the top 1% of all Amazon authors for her book, 100 Conversations for Career Success: Learn to Network, Cold-Call and Tweet Your Way to Your Dream Job, a 2013 top career book selection by FORBES.com. Laura recently completed the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program along with 40 hard-working business owners in the Washington DC and Baltimore area.
Personal
Laura can often be found reading a thriller on her Kindle, planting vegetables in her garden, or planning her next European family vacation with her husband and two incredible children.
Vital to The Career Strategy Group’s leadership team is the skill and talent of our Operations Manager, Michelle Glick. Michelle spearheads The Career Strategy Group’s corporate outplacement program, implements and enhances client satisfaction processes, and directs payroll and benefits.
As an organizational efficiency expert, technology guru, and customer-service devotee, she ensures the seamless delivery of our resume writing and outplacement projects.
Experience and Expertise
With a master’s degree in special education, Michelle began her career as an elementary school teacher with special education kindergarten, first grade, and second grade students. Post teaching, Michelle earned a reputation as the go-to person for all things organization, and was recruited as an administrative assistant at ChanTest, a biotechnology company that manufactures cell lines. In her role, she became respected for whipping the office into shape. (A trait she still wholeheartedly uses here at The Career Strategy Group!) While at ChanTest she went on to execute training programs, manage executive schedules, and run the office in full. After ChanTest relocated to Cleveland, Michelle transitioned to her management position at The Career Strategy Group (fortunately for us).
Personal
When Michelle is not working, she can be found reading a book about time travel, baking, spending time with her family, or organizing somebody’s junk drawer!
PROVEN CLIENT SUCCESS. Our clients range from nonprofits and associations to small businesses and Fortune 500 companies. Our success stories include individuals from such companies as Marriott, University of Virginia, AERAS, MGAC, Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ), Hostelling International, CSIS, eGlobalTech, Communities in Schools, D+R International, Capital Bank, and more.
FULL-SERVICE WRITING AND BRANDING TEAM. Back in 2006, we built our reputation as a resume-writing firm. Since then, we’ve finely crafted thousands of resumes for professionals all over the world. And, via our customized workshops, we’ve taught thousands more to do it themselves.
EXPERIENCED TEAM: As a team comprised of former HR executives and recruiters, we understand what makes a candidate unique. Our team is uniquely qualified to transform even the most challenging job searches and help your loyal employees get back to work fast.
WOMEN-OWNED. We are a 100% women-owned and operated firm.
EXCELLENCE EVERY TIME STANDARDS. Everything we do is in the best interest of our clients. We abide by strict CARING standards of community, genius, nurturing, accountability, respect and integrity. And, with EXCELLENCE EVERY TIME STANDARDS, you and your displaced employees reap the reward without any of the risk.
CONTACT US to see if we are the right fit for your needs.
Our coaches are here to help your displaced employees with any kind of career challenge they encounter. In addition to traditional job search and career coaching, we are here to support them, even if they desire something other than traditional employment. TALK TO US
A sampling of the many coaching topics we address are below:
Career Transition Coaching | Receive 1:1 coaching with an experienced career coach. Not sure what the right career path is for you? Want some advice around career options or identifying a target that feels good for your personality and motivated skills? Whatever you need, talk to an experienced career coach to ensure you are on the right path. |
Career and Life Wellness Assessment + Debrief | Take the Career and Happiness Inventory Assessment and work with one of our career coaches to debrief it. Your follow up coaching is based around how you scored, identifying what is fulfilling and what is not, and coming up with an action plan to increase your overall wellness and happiness. |
Job Search Strategy | Every effective job search starts with a well-designed strategy. Learn how to tap into the hidden job market by completing a personal marketing plan (PMP), an essential tool in any job seeker’s arsenal. Use it to help others help you better by giving them very clear instructions about what you need in your job search. Get better quality leads. Land more opportunities. Understand how and with whom to network with the help of a clear strategy. |
1:1 LinkedIn Profile Review | Whether you are trying to find your next role or position yourself as a thought leader in your field, having a strong LinkedIn profile is an essential career tool in the 21st century. Our career experts will review your profile and provide advice on changes you can make that will help you stand out. |
Managing Change & Developing Career Resilience | Losing a job is an event for which most people have little preparation. It can seem overwhelming with so much to do; telling friends and family, taking care of finances, making new plans for benefits, and starting a job search. In this workshop you will learn how to:
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Communicating Your Authentic You – A Branding Conversation |
Having a well-developed value proposition enables you to convey your professional identity, values, attributes, skills, and achievements you bring to employers and members of your network. During this session you will learn:
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Effective Networking |
Building connections and developing your network is essential to your job search. In this session you will learn:
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Working with Recruiters | Your resume is market-ready and your Interview skills are sharp. So, it’s time to start your search, but where do you begin? In this workshop, you will learn how to approach and establish a relationship with recruiters and placement agencies. |
B.A.N.K. Networking & Career Assessment + Debrief | B.A.N.K. is the world’s only methodology scientifically validated to accurately predict buying behavior in real time. The simple, personality-based B.A.N.K. system can pinpoint anyone’s personality in nanoseconds and can give you real-time intelligence on how to communicate, network, and negotiate easily with anyone using their own values. Knowing the language of B.A.N.K. can help you increase your job satisfaction and optimize your future career prospects. |
Self-Employment Coaching | Work with an executive coach to determine if self-employment is for you by clarifying your goals, unlocking your potential, and more. |
Ready to get started? CONTACT US