What Rose Went Through To Get Here
In the 1980’s Rose Hill was a technical
publications and corporate communications manager in
several high-tech companies. During that decade the
United States was experiencing an economic downturn
similar to what we’re going through today; and Hill
was moving from startup to startup as they, in turn,
cut expenses, salaries, and overhead; laid off employees;
and ultimately closed their doors.
Hill worked endless hours of overtime,
missing family events, ignoring her needs, and putting
the “good of the company” ahead of everything else.
Workaholism was rampant in high-tech—still is—and Hill
rapidly and easily slipped into it. It took total and
complete burnout to get Hill to consider another path
to success.
In 1990 Hill made the leap of faith
into full-time self-employment. Being self-employed
was both scary and exciting. She’d longed for this level
of autonomy for years, but until she'd completely burned
out Hill didn’t have the courage to make the decision
and act on it. She was probably like you — many solopreneurs
become “independent” when external circumstances pressure
them to do so.
Hill struggled with making the
transition from corporate manager to self-employed does-everything-in-the-business-herself
person. The systems, tools, and processes that worked
great in corporations just didn't cut it when she used
them in her small business...especially in marketing.
Although she had mastered her“craft” of being a technical
project manager and technical writer, and although she
had many contacts for gaining business, when Hill needed
to market her services to people or business that didn't
already know her, her rate of conversion from initial
contact to sale was less than stellar. The next couple
of years Hill ran through the “feast-or-famine” cycle
time and again. Part of her problem was also that Hill
was still thinking like a corporate manager — not as
a business owner.
In-between projects for her clients,
Hill studied everything she could get her hands on about
being self-employed or running a small business. Hill
now knows what really works in getting the clients and
projects she wants — and what doesn’t. And, she knows
how to help you create a system that helps you get the
projects and clients you want.
Rose's Background as Business Coach
for Solopreneurs
Hill studied coaching at a variety
of well-known coaching programs, including The Coaches
Training Institute, the Academy for Coach Training,
and the Graduate School of Coaching.
Hill has developed and presented
classes for the School of Small Business Coaching centered
on how to coach the solopreneur. Additionally, Hill
regularly presents her program entitled "Are You
Ready to Be Self-Employed?" at the Professional
Development Center of Portland State University.
