Company Of One With Dale Callahan

There are four obstacles keeping you from starting your own business. In all my coaching of business startups, these four continue to show up keeping would be business owners from starting their own business. Today I will examine the fours issues - and in the next few weeks I will provide you with the common steps I have seen work for others - as well as for me - to get past these obstacles. "Winning is finding the obstacles in your way and then how to overcome them. #entrepreneur #obstacles"]While other issues are often talked about - fear of the unknown, insecurity, financial situation, and family conflicts - I find the ones that show their ugly head are really about how we think about business.Thee Four Posts To Help with the Details I do not have enough money to start I have no idea about what to do I cannot charge for that I do not have any timeIn this podcast we address these subjects and attempt to debunk them. But, in the next few weeks I will give you practical plans to literally kill th

Today I cover the four steps in starting a business. But, I am excited to be sharing these steps along with Debra Mastic - who took these steps to create her business and leave her day job in just a few months time.This is so critical. So many times we listen to people tell us how to do things - but we doubt it will work for us. Debra doubted too, but she acted. She joined up for our business coaching and followed the steps even when she doubted. Today Debra has a  thriving business called Virtual Resume Coach. The Right Steps in Starting a Business  (listen to the podcast for details about how Debra Mastic did these)1. Discover Your Passion Before You Start a Business - No one wants to buy from someone who does not put their heart into what they do.2. Define and Engage Your Ideal Customer3. Create Products or Services for Your Business - Now that you have customers and have talked to them, listened, and used your experience, make an offer to SERVE them.4. Create a Business Structure and Processes - for most

Do you need another degree to start a new career? Most of the time we assume the answer is yes - of course. As a result, colleges are making a fortune from career changers. (Which is good for us!) But before you jump in and sign up for a new degree program or new training, you need to look closely to get the facts. Here, I will help you do just that! Photo by Joshua Earle is licensed under CC BY 2.0 [/featured-image]Click to ListenDo I need another degree to change careers?Even as a university faculty, I rarely get people asking me this question. In fact, I find few people ask anything. They assume. They show up at a meeting asking all the wrong questions such as:Would an MBA or Engineering Management be better to get a new job?Which degree will help me get promoted?What degrees are companies hiring more?Should I get a masters or another undergraduate degree?How do I get another degree faster?Which degree is best for getting into ....?Many variations. It is AWESOME. Think about it - when they show up at the

How can you go about finding your path and doing what you love? Perhaps it is not by working harder, but instead you should do what you love even if you see no path to money. In 18 Minutes  author Peter Bregman explains that we often find something new when we stop looking so hard. Think about it. Do you know someone who wanted to get married, but only found a spouse when they gave up? What about that guy looking for the perfect job who spent hours per day looking and only found the job when he relaxed? We often find the result we are looking for when we stop pushing for the what and enjoy the now. What am I saying? Stop trying so hard. Have fun. Do what you love even if you see no path to money. Today I will interview the person who found his path by just doing what he loved. Something I love - My Reading List[/featured-image]Click to ListenFinding your path and doing what you loveI met Jeff Brown at a conference. He is a fellow podcaster who does Read to Lead. In this interview you will hear his story of g

Lean Startup is a term I hear often. Recently, I was asked to talk about Lean Startups to a corporate group, followed by being asked to speak to a high school class on the same subject. So I wanted to share with you. Lean startups is about about starting or growing a company without going broke. It is a process for entrepreneurship. Image is by Stephen Radford (modified) is licensed under CC BY 2.0[/featured-image]Click to ListenVideoValidating Your Business Idea - Quick Notes from the Podcast The myth and reality of entrepreneurship – Life in a Van down by the river. What is a minimally viable product (MVP) and why does it matter? Why we need an MVP and the resistance! How to use the Lean process to get to the MVP. Our own examples of being in scope creep mode and how we got out. No matter how much you plan, you will be wrong. How to size your startup by determining the potential revenue. "Starting Lean helps you avoid entrepreneurial scope creep. #entrepreneurship"]Resources (Some of my favorite

I spent the last few days at the Tribe Conference. It was great to hang out with old friends and meet new friends. While the conference was about entrepreneurship and information marketing, I took away things more about life. The speakers and the side conversations really changed my view on some issues -  and I want to share some of them with you. After all - the first takeaway was "just help people" - So I am trying to do that here.  My take-aways - listed below - are a reminder of things that I have seen generate success and freedom. Courtesy of Jeff Goins and the Tribe Conference[/featured-image]Click to ListenToday I am going to skip the series I am doing with Anthony Witt from The Champion Entrepreneur. Will be back to it next week! Anthony is my partner in the Entrepreneur Dream Academy (See below). Check out the podcasts we have done in this series to date. Episode 102 - Finding Your Why Episode 103 - How to Find Your Passion and Your Why Episode 104 - Validating Your Business IdeaMy Take-Aw

There are ideas, and then there are opportunities. How do you find out if your business idea is a true winning opportunity or a dud? In this podcast, Anthony Witt and I help you find ways to validate your business idea, connect passion to profits, and find significance along with revenue. "Validating Your Business Idea" by Todd Quackenbush is licensed under CC BY 2.0[/featured-image]Click to ListenValidating Your Business Idea - Quick Notes from the Podcast Passion is not enough when it comes to business. You have to have skills and a viable market. However, skills can be developed or hired and a market can be found, but we cannot create passion. Many new business owners fall in love with their ideas and yet fail to do their homework. Over 60% of startups (in the US) never make over $25,000 per year. Doing an opportunity analysis tells you if you have a viable and sustainable business. An opportunity analysis consists of 1) determining the size of the market, 2) getting a percent of the market you

To succeed in business you need to do something you love -  you need to find your passion. It is the driving factor or "WHY" of your work. But, finding your passion is something that many find hard to do. Today, Anthony Witt and I, do the second in our series on getting started in your business by addressing the question "How do you find your passion?" "Turning Passion Into Profits" by Alex Wong is licensed under CC BY 2.0[/featured-image]Click to ListenHow to Find Your Passion and Your WhyI talk a lot about passion. Many think it is a touchy-feely issue and not worthy of discussing - especially in the hard world of innovation and engineering where I live. But I am talking passion because I know it can connect you to profit. I am reminded of the need to connect to your passion daily with the living dead - those people working in jobs they do not enjoy.  They are suffering from that corporate lobotomy. "If you feel like you have had a corporate lobotomy, you need to redisco

Why do you want to be an entrepreneur? Sounds like a silly question, but finding your why can be a big part of your long term success. Your why will get you through the rough days, teach you when to say yes and when to say no, and will keep you laser focused on serving your customers. In today’s show, Anthony Witt, of The Champion Entrepreneur, and I discuss finding your why. "Finding Your Why" by Tiago Aguiar is licensed under CC BY 2.0[/featured-image]Click to ListenFinding Your WhyIn today's show we discuss some of the issues we discuss with new and hopeful entrepreneurs.Why do you want to be a business owner?Why should you even ask why?What does passion have to do with it?What about skills? How important are they?What about following the market? Should I just do what is hot today? "Finding your why can sound touchy-feely, but the reality is any good business venture has a powerful why."] "Without a powerful why, you are likely to grow to hate your business venture."]H

Are you thinking about starting a business? Over 3000 new businesses are started each day in the United States alone. But, most new owners are not prepared for what they are getting into and have failed to prepare - which is the reason many will fail. I am not talking big issues or big strategies to get started - but some common sense things each person who is looking to start a business needs to do to improve their chances of success and increase their enjoyment when they become the boss. "Creative Commons" by Luis Llerena is licensed under CC BY 2.0[/featured-image]Click to ListenWhat to Do Before Starting a Business1. Know your goalsWhy are you starting a business? Is it to control the money, more time with the family, to make your fortune, or just because it is a lifelong dream? Knowing your WHY will prevent you from starting a business you learn to hate. For instance, if you are wanting to be with the family more and love to cook for the family, you might think owning a restaurant is in order.

A few years ago I was consulting with a telecom startup. One day the chairmen of the board (and primary investor) called me to ask a quick and simple question. “Dale will you take over as CEO?” I did not answer immediately - but somewhat out of obligation felt I needed to step up and take the reigns. I really enjoyed the people and the company. I became VERY busy. But one day I looked in the mirror found myself asking “Why am I doing this? I hate telecom?” Have you ever looked in the mirror and asked yourself a similar question? "Finding Your Why" by Mikael Kristenson is licensed under CC BY 2.0[/featured-image]Click to ListenAsk Why OftenNow I have learned to ask WHY often. The question brings clarity. But more importantly to you - I  find I am often asking my coaching clients WHY. Not only do I need to know they have clarity - but knowing their why helps me direct the conversation.Recently a good friend of mine shared his WHY with me. He called it his LIFE model. Wow - it hit home with me - and a

I hate A or B decisions. You know, those times when you have to decide to take a job or not, move or stay, and/or sell your business or keep it. Yet I have I counseled with multiple people recently caught in the “whether or not” trap. One person had a job offer which was going to pay him significantly more money - but in a job he would not like. He told me “I think I am going to literally throw up because I feel I have no choice but to take this job.” Another told me he was going to sell his business to another company because he did not know how to grow it and they did. Both needed to step back and look at more options. We do this WAY too often in our own lives. How can we learn to automatically broaden our options? "Creative Commons" by pippalou is licensed under CC BY 2.0Army[/featured-image]Click to ListenIn their book Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work, Chip and Dan Heath call these A or B decisions narrow framed because we tend to narrow our view so we “see only a small sli

Do you just hate networking? Does the word feel slimy. Yeah - me too. So don’t network. Instead, do something that matters more. Listen in today to my interview with John Corcoran as we discuss why networking does not work and what you should think about instead. Click to ListenIn this episode John and and I talk about networking in a way that just makes more sense to me. Forget shaking of many hands and showing up at events trying to meet the right people. Here are a few points from the interview.Good networkers can be introverts. See the 2011 best networker in Fortune Magazine where Adam Rifkin is profiled. He is also mentioned in Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success.Why you need to network even if you are in the corporate cubicle and want to stay there.You should be intentional. You would never show up on a college campus and randomly walk into courses. Instead, we are intentional in what we do and where we go. In networking we should also be intentional.Challenges for new startupsTrying a

Do you have the technology skills, but feel left out of the leadership and decisions? Do you feel under appreciated? Is it as if all the important decisions go on with limited input from you - even when they are stupid decisions? How can you become part of the bigger conversation and get the bigger salaries to go with it? Do you need to do some engineering for your career? "Creative Commons" by pippalou is licensed under CC BY 2.0[/featured-image]Click to ListenContactually!Todays podcast is brought to you by Contactually. A great tool for managing all those social media and email contacts!AnnouncementsHave questions you want answered? I plan to start a Questions and Answers segment of this podcast soon. So here is how to ask YOUR questions!ORShoot me a Twitter or Facebook message with hashtag #COOQA. Key Principles for Engineering Your CareerIt isn’t about technology stupidNo one talks about a hammer. The hammer is the technology.People care about the result of using the hammer.Only those who get

Are you suffering from doubt, fear, and indecision? I am. In fact, I have been for some time. It is a dark and deep hole. I have been wondering where to go next. It is not a matter of work alone - it is much deeper. For the past few years I have even turned into a sorta hermit. I quit meeting and networking. I was just sick of it all. Everything seemed empty and hollow. Some of the steps I took I think actually prolonged the misery. I was burned out and bored with the entire game, so I just checked out. While we all struggle with these very feelings from time to time, staying here for a long period of time can result in depression, anxiety, and physical pain. Get Active! -- "Creative Commons" by Joshua Sortino is licensed under CC BY 2.0[/featured-image]Click to Listen5 Steps to Conquer Doubt, Fear, and IndecisionThe kicker came when I tried to leave my mastermind group. They pursued me and would not leave me alone. I was irritated at first, but that lifeline has jerked my chain. I had to make some

Do you like who you are when you are with your friends? Jim Rohn, business philosopher, says that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with. I totally agree with this, and I have seen it modeled in my own life. If you look around, I am sure you see it in yours. But, who SHOULD you be spending your time with and who should you be avoiding? And how do you get around those people you want to be around? "Creative Commons" by Luke Chesser is licensed under CC BY 2.0   [/featured-image]Click to ListenIf Who You Spend Time With Is Who You Become  then .... Who Do You Want to Be AroundChild Test - Next time you are hanging with friends, ask yourself “would I want my kids (even if you do not have any) to be with these people?” If yes, you may have a winner. If no, then you need to ask yourself why you are not comfortable.Encouragement Test - You want to be around people who encourage and motivate you. Not that they need to complement you constantly, but they somehow inspire you to b

A recent message to my voicemail (message played on the podcast) was challenging me on why I charge for my service when so many people were in need. The question reflected what I often hear from people starting in business “Should I Charge for my services?” "Creative Commons" by Sonja Langford is licensed under CC BY 2.0[/featured-image]Click to ListenThree Views on "Should I Charge for My Services?"We can view this question “Should I charge for my services?” from three different views:The person who needs help and does not have the money to payThe business person who needs to feed their family, but wants to help those in needThe non-profit, who sees it as their job to serve for free.Here are some realities of this question:No money = no value: I do not mean that your free and volunteer services are not worthy, but when people do not pay, they do not value. Just look at any neighborhood where government money is used to support or supplement the rent. Only a few of those homes will be wel

[guestpost]This is a guest post from Howard Ward. Howard writes a blog about turning critical thinking into critical doing called "The Critical Doer" and you can follow at criticaldoer.com. [/guestpost]For anyone looking to start a new career or a new business, what you want to do and how to do it are not the most difficult decisions in putting your dream in motion. In reality, the most difficult decision is when to begin and the answer generally revolves around one thing...risk. Opportunity Knocks "Creative Commons" (edited) by lobnaSaleh is licensed under CC BY 2.0[/featured-image]Click to ListenFor the purpose of this discussion, risk will be defined as the difference between two points that exist in any decision...known and unknown. Most people understand this concept, and even follow the natural extension of the thought that risk mitigation is the process of critical thinking that shrinks the difference between known and unknown.Where many struggle however, is the point in the proces

Last week in Episode 91- Who is Hiring -  I talked about who is hiring. Today I will give you some detailed examples about how to find a job. These are real examples. And last I leave you with a few hints to find new opportunities in every conversation. ”Creative Commons" by DeduloPhotos is licensed under CC BY 2.0  [/featured-image]Click to ListenReview My PodcastIf you offer me a review of the Company of One podcast on itTunes, I will do a free 30 minute coaching session with you. In these coaching sessions I will help you with any questions you need. To get some ideas of how I work with others, see my coaching page.Here is how to leave an iTunes Review:How to do a Podcast Review from your iPhone or iPadHow to write a podcast review from your MAC or PCOne you leave a review, shoot me an email telling meThat you left a review under your id.What country you are in. (I need this because iTunes is country specific)I will send you back a link to get on my schedule for a coaching session. The link will incl

Who’s hiring? That is one of the most common questions I get when I speak to career transition groups. I will start by asking them what questions I can answer that will help them quickly move from unemployed to employed. Someone usually says “Who is hiring? That is what we need to know. And how do we find those employers who are hiring?” The answer to their question is simple, but takes a little explaining. ”Creative Commons" by StefaninLA is licensed under CC BY 2.0  [/featured-image]Click to ListenWho is Hiring?The fast answer is everyone is hiring. There is not one single company or individual (besides those totally destitute) who is not open to hiring someone. The trick is finding out what they will hire you to do.How do I know everyone is hiring? Assume you are out of a job and frustrated with the search. You are feeling demotivated and feel like you could give up, but you know you cannot. I approach you and offer you this proposal:I can get you a good paying job that you will enjoy in at most 3 mo