Let me ask you a question ...

Who's in control of your future as a professional?

Consider these facts ...

• Fact 1: Professional jobs like yours are being sent offshore or outsourced to freelancers at an unprecedented rate.
  
  
• Fact 2: Companies are downsizing and rightsizing white-collar professionals like you right out the door.
  
  
• Fact 3: Once-stable industries such as high-technology, airlines, and telecommunications are collapsing and consolidating -- eliminating duplicate functions and those who provide them.
  
  
• Fact 4: More H-1B Visas are being issued to cheaper foreign professionals. (Heck, why would a savvy department manager keep a high-priced senior professional when he can hire two or three from India, Russia, or Brazil for the same cost!)
  
  
• Fact 5: Unemployed professionals are finding it harder to secure employment. Regardless of your proficiency or skill set, it can easily take more than a month for each $10,000 of desired salary to locate your next employer. That means it can take you a year or more to locate a job that will pay you a salary of $120,000.

Let me tell you my personal story ...

In 1990 I faced many of these same conditions. I was a mid-level manager in a well-known and long-established high-technology equipment manufacturer. The hours were long, reorgs were a monthly event, the stress was astronomical, and rumors of layoffs were rampant -- and usually true.

One morning I arrived at my desk to find a note about a mandatory manager's meeting to start in ten minutes.

Here's how it went:

Director of Engineering: "The company has decided to close down our division in 24 hours. That means we in this room have one hour to decide who will be kept on the sustaining team, which will be no more than six people. The sustaining team will be offered bonuses to stay on for one year, after which they will receive a complete severance package. I've already decided who I think those six people are. But I want to hear reasons why other people might be considered. Everyone else in our division will be laid off immediately."

Me Thinking to Myself: "Crap! Well at least everybody will get severance. Hey, I've never been laid off. Could be nice to get a severance package and some time off! I'll actually have some time with my family."

After laying off 24 awesome people that day, my manager told me that I wasn't being laid off, nor was I being kept as a part of the sustaining team. Instead, I was being transferred to another division. No severance, no bonus, no time off, no negotiation.

I knew there had to be a better way to get the bills paid, secure my retirement, and have a life -- but what?

Any of this sounding familiar?

Exactly 34 hours later I declared myself self-employed as a freelance technical writer/editor and publications project manager. "Yippee!" I thought... "Free at last!"

Heck, what could be more natural, right? I'd just hang up my shingle doing what I'd been doing since I was 19 -- technical writing. And I'd make more money -- because we all know the freelancers make the big bucks. And I'd be working out of my home office so I'd also be there when my teenage son got home from school. What could be easier?

Little did I know that...

• My first client, a well-known high-tech company in Silicon Valley, would try to stiff me for $25,000.
  
  
• Subcontractors would report me to the Employment Department and try to claim unemployment benefits from me.
  
  
• Clients would arbitrarily decide to delay payments by months in the middle of a project.
  
  
• Clients would shut their doors and declare bankruptcy, stiffing their freelancers and vendors out of all monies due them.
  
  
• Competitors would turn out to be my best marketing buddies.
  
  
• Changing my mindset from that of an employee to that of a business owner would be the secret that would propel me to the profits I desired.

Fast forward to 1998 ...

I'm running my own virtual technical publications company out of my 400 sq. foot home office. I'm still the sole employee -- but I have a cadre of 27 freelancers doing much of the work for me.

I'm making over $250,000.00 and never again having to face layoffs, reorgs, or downsizing. In fact, I'm now profiting from these events!

I have a new, modest yet custom-built 2,500 sq. foot home in the hills west of Portland, Oregon. With a maid to clean it for me and a gardener to keep the weeds at bay in the yard. (Don't you just hate it when you're relaxing on the deck and see a weed staring at you?)

I have a new, bright red, convertible 1995 Izuzu SUV to run to the beach, the mountain, and the cat shows. I actually have time for hobbies, relationships, and fun!

In fact, I'm having so much fun that I decide to teach one of my favorite subcontractors, Patti Loverink, now the owner of the Mesh Communications Group (www.meshgroup.com), my system for running this type of company so I can work even less.

Zipping along to today ...

Can you say "semi-retired?" You know the concept...

• Work when you want,
• Doing what you want,
• For whom you want,
• Making the money you want!

No, it's not a fantasy -- it's reality for many of my students. It can easily be your reality too -- if you're willing and ready to go for it!

Here's What My Clients Have to Say ...

But why the heck should you listen to me just because for 15 years I've been living, breathing, and creating my own successful business via self-employment and helping others do the same? Maybe that's not enough for you. Maybe you want to hear from some of my clients ... here you go ...

Real-World Success Story #1 — Patti Loverink

Patti Loverink is doing very well with her business today. Of course, Patti's been developing and building her business for years now -- and she works her butt off for her clients!

"I started working with Rose six years ago, during a key time of transition for my business. Rose offered tools and techniques I used to grow my business to the next level. Rose is a strong, successful businesswoman and has served as a mentor for me and others. She's worked on both sides of the fence: as an self-employed professional and as a corporate manager who hired freelancing professionals, so she's able to offer a unique perspective that others can't. One of the key take-aways you'll learn from Rose is that to be successful and attain your goals, you have to do the work. You can pay a business mentor hundreds or thousands of dollars, and you can buy all the "How-To... " books and courses on the market, but if you don't do the work, you won't reach your goals. Rose breaks building your business down into a system of realistic, attainable steps." Patti Loverink Mesh Communications Group www.meshgroup.com Uncommon Clarity

Patti won't let me tell you how her lifestyle has changed or how much money she's making, but you can bet she's doing well each and every year -- even during the recent downturn in the economy.

Of course, if you're just thinking about becoming self-employed, or have just declared your freedom, you have work to do before your success will match hers.

Patti is now solidly in Stage 4 of her business. But before I tell you about the Five Stages of Successful Self-Employment... read on...

Real-World Success Story #2 — Karen Kuklinski

Here's a story about Karen Kuklinski... Karen became a student of mine on May 16, 2004.

Karen declared herself self-employed as a marketing consultant and freelance copywriter six months prior to starting work with me. (And after she'd been laid off from a major soft-drink manufacturer.)

When Karen started working with me she had one client who was providing most of her income, but it wasn't all that much because the client was paying her a pittance and limiting Karen to 15 hours of billable work per week. Karen was losing ground fast. And her client was taking advantage of her -- badly!

Today Karen has jettisoned her Client from Hell and replaced her with several higher-paying, more appreciative, and more appropriate clients in her niche -- small entrepreneurial companies. She's doubled her fee and is now working 40 hours per week doing what she loves.

"I felt like a car spinning my tires in the snow -- until I started working Rose's system. What I really love about Rose's business system is that she does not expect you to "find the answers inside yourself" -- instead, she gives you the step-by-step nuts and bolts of how to run your business successfully. Rose 's business system can help you -- whatever YOUR questions are. For me, she has helped me set priorities, make business decisions, establish a time-management system, set up referral agreements, conduct informational interviews, establish pricing, manage my customers, approach different tiers of customers, and on and on... You owe it to your long-term business success to start working with Rose today. She's brilliant!" Karen Kuklinski Uptwist Marketing www.uptwist.com

Karen is building on her base expertise, working in a lucrative niche, establishing her reputation and credibility, and well on her way to the success she desires.

Real-World Success Story #3 — Hari Thummalapalli

Think you can't create a successful business with your technology, Internet, or computer expertise?

Meet my student Hari Thummalapalli.

In late 2000, after successfully completing a critical project for one of his company’s largest clients, Hari quit his job as a Project Manager in a software services company.

Hari had carefully planned his education and career so that he could one day achieve his dream of starting his own business. By nature and training, Hari is meticulous in his planning and execution of details in everything he does -- including his career and business activities.

By working as an employee for a software services company, Hari had gained the necessary experience, competence, and confidence in his technical and management expertise to be able to take the step to start his own technology company.

Hari had surveyed his competition and built his technology company (Thummas Corporation) around a very unique idea. His idea was to offer software solutions to medium- and large-sized companies at fixed prices. Very few competitors were taking Hari's bold step in offering fixed-price service offerings.

Hari started with a solid business plan and executed it with extraordinary expertise. But after proving out his business ideas with a medium-sized client, Hari fell into many of the traditional traps that businesses face at this point. That was when Hari contacted me for assistance in resolving his business issues.

When Hari and I started working together, we started him with defining his services and niche markets. During this process, Hari realized that his original market of medium- and large-sized businesses was not viable at that time due to the recessionary pressures on those companies. Hari did his research and identified a new market for his business -- small businesses.

Within four months Hari had re-defined and re-launched a new profit center (www.SmallBizNiche.com) within his company, positioning his expertise for a hungry and ready market. Hari spent the next 12 months testing this new business model and then began scaling it up to meet the market's needs.

Hari now has 7 full-time computer experts and several independent contractors working for his business, has forged strategic partnerships with several companies, and has a portfolio of internal products that are ready to be launched in early 2005.

Hari's company has acquired office space in one of the most prestigious locations in Dallas, Texas. He commutes there a few days a week to meet with his clients, while working remotely from Austin the rest of the time.

On the personal side, Hari is enjoying life in Austin with his wife and new baby, traveling around the country and the world, and well on his way to the lifestyle and success he always desired.

"I had reached a point in my business where I felt confident about my ability to excel on the technical side of things, but something was missing on the business side. I desperately needed to consult with somebody that could be more objective and knew the business side. Rose filled that role perfectly. In less than 4 months, Rose helped me align my daily actions with my business goals and with the opportunities in the marketplace. I changed my business strategy and I grew my company at an incredible pace over the next 18 months. Because of her help during such a critical time in my business, I have great respect for Rose's business-development skills. If I woke up with amnesia and suddenly forgot everything I knew about setting up and running my business, Rose would be the one person I'd call because I could re-learn everything I'd need to get my business up and running again.” Hari Thummalapalli, PMP President & CEO hari@thummas.com (512) 335-0066 www.SmallbizNiche.com and www.thummas.com Smallbiz Niche – Technology Outsourcing for Small Businesses. AFFORDABLE. Thummas Corporation – Showcase your business online in 10 days or less, GUARANTEED.

Are You Making These Mistakes in Your Business ...?

It would keep you awake at night if you knew some of the ways you can screw up your business. Here are some of the common mistakes I've seen self-employed professionals do to kill their businesses ...

• Not identifying a hungry and ready market niche.
• Not operating from the mind set and frameworks of a successful business owner.
• Not consistently, persistently and appropriately promoting their business.
• Not managing their cash flow.
• Not managing their clients' expectations.
• Not controlling project scope creep.
• Not planning their business activities.
• Not identifying their 10 most important business principles.
• Not using a profitable business model.
• Not systematizing their business operations.
• Not leveraging their expertise.
• Not systematically providing unexpected value.

Any of these mistakes can kill your business, regardless of how successful you've been in the past.

According to the US Census Bureau, less than 20 percent of those who start a business are still in business five years later. You can bet that those who are still in business after five years are not making these mistakes!

What about you? If you're making any of these mistakes, read on ...

Who else wants the freedom, independence and control of being successfully and profitably self-employed?

How much money could you make if...

1. You knew how to determine the best professions, associations, industries, niches, and specialties on which to build your specific business.
2. You knew how to determine a profitable niche from a mediocre niche.
3. You knew how to determine the financial viability of a potential niche before committing to it.
4. You knew how to determine the trends influencing your market niche ... and what that has to do with your long-term business success.
5. You knew how to determine the most important problems facing your niche today.
6. You knew how to identify the results your niche most wants — and how to turn those into the solutions you provide.
7. You knew how to use your most important business principles to distnguish yourself from your competitors.
8. You knew the nine frameworks for solopreneuring success.
9. You knew how to identify your a foundational strategy for your business.
10. You knew how to apply a business model that leveraged your expertise and systematically grew your business.
11. You knew how to use a decision matrix to reduce risk and resolve resource conflicts.
12. You knew how to use checklists to increase your productivity and position your business for future sale or franchising.
13. You knew what to do with difficult clients.
14. You knew how to create a winning business proposal.
15. You knew how to get and use client testimonials and case studies to promote your business professionally.
16. You knew exactly how to get referrals.
17. You knew how to quickly & easily create a Marketing Plan tailored to your business.
18. You knew which business policies to establish in your business and why.

Well, it's about time you found out.

Are you a self-employed professional who is struggling to create the business success you desire?

If you're like many struggling solopreneurs, you're facing increasing pressure from your family, friends, and creditors to "get a job." Giving up and closing down your business is one option. Another is to learn a new way of being and operating as a solopreneur.

Let's face it, if what you've been doing isn't working,
doing more of that isn't going to get you the success you want.

It's time for a change.

Are you ready to:

1. Focus on the three or four areas that will matter most to creating a thriving business for yourself?
2. Upgrade your client base to those who are easier to work with, love what you do, have projects that inspire and challenge you, and are happy to pay you well?
3. Get off the feast-or-famine roller coaster by stopping that yo-yo marketing and implementing a marketing program that works consistently and naturally to grow your business?

Being good or even great at what you do for your clients is no longer enough. You can't build a successful solopreneuring business by merely being great at your service. Yes, you must be able to perform your services with excellence, but today's clients are looking for more—they're looking for you to help them in their business—they are looking for you to move up and work with them collaboratively, synergistically, and in partnership.

Make the transition to a profitable business with this five-step process:

1. Assess what's going on in your business right now—what's working and what's not.
2. Determine the 3 business areas that, if changed, will have the biggest impact on getting you the clients and projects you need to create the success you desire. Create an action plan to change these areas.
3. Determine the 3 frameworks or proficiencies that, if you learn them, will have the biggest impact on your relationships with your clients, resulting in increased work and bigger, more lucrative projects. Create an action plan to shift you into operating from these frameworks and proficiencies.
4. Determine the 3 primary alliances you can make to give you the highest credibility and visibility with your target market. Create an action plan to create these alliances.
5. Implement the action plans created in steps 2, 3, and 4.

Whatever your field of expertise, I can help you create the thriving business you want by getting the clients and projects you need. By partnering with me in implementing my customized, 5-step business-development process, you'll find yourself re-energized, working with clients who love you, on projects that inspire you, and generating the revenue you desire.

Here are some of the results my clients have achieved:

• Getting 10% to 25% more billable hours without working harder or longer.
  
• Spending 25% to 50% more time doing what you do best.
  
• Increasing annual revenue between 20% and 100%.
  
• Creating an easy-to-implement, personalized marketing program.
  
• Upgrading your client base so you get more of the clients and projects you love.
  
• Enjoying a renewed passion and excitement for your business.
  
• Delivering proposals that double your success in landing the projects you want.
  
• Breaking the isolation and partnering with people who encourage and support you.
  
• Learning to use cross-promotions and referral partners to maximize your marketing results.
  

If You're Ready to Take Charge of Your Business Success...

Call me at 503.245.4188 to discuss your business goals, strengths, opportunities, and threats. Let's discuss if my 5-step business-development process is right for you. Or I might not be able to help you at all -- I'll tell you that when it's true too! You can bet that whatever path you walk with me as your business coach will be centered around your needs and your business goals. Call me soon -- I'd love to help you maintain your independence by creating a successful and financially viable business!