From Classrooms to Cruise Ships

From Classrooms to Cruise Ships Success Story > From: Job To: Solopreneur From Classrooms to Cruise Ships “I didn't really feel like I had a life. I was just existing.” * From Classrooms to Cruise Ships Sarah Chandler was bored and uninspired, stuck in a cycle of early starts and long commutes. Here's how one brave decision transformed her life, and set her on a remarkablecareer path combining travel, music and inspiration. What work were you doing previously? I was a peripatetic flute and saxophone teacher for Kent Music School. What are you doing now? I'm now a professional saxophone player. Being a professional musician, I have a range of jobs. I perform in clubs around the world with famous DJs, using the UK's only sax covered in over 2,500 Swarovski crystals! I have a one-woman sax show, which I perform in theatres on cruise ships around the world. I've also created 'Saxation', the all-female sax brand which provides the UK's top female sax players as soloists and also as a four-person production show. How did you feel in your work before you decided to make a change? Bored and uninspired. I wanted to perform rather than teach. I also wanted to help inspire women in music. Why did you change? I was given an opportunity to perform in a band on a cruise ship. This ticked all my boxes: I wanted to travel and to play sax more. When was the moment you decided to make the change? I had to make a decision within a day (more on that below). I think if you don't have much time, you just have to take the plunge (pardon the pun!). Are you happy with the change? YES. What do you miss and what don't you miss? I missed my boyfriend at the time, and jacket potatoes (they never have baked potatoes on ships!). But I completely changed as a person when I started travelling, and realised that I was more interested in sorting out my career than in staying at home. How did you go about making the shift? I wanted a change. I wasn't happy in my job: getting up at 6 a.m., driving for four hours a day and teaching. So, I auditioned to perform in the band for PO Cruises. I passed. I was then given two days to make my decision, and to pack and fly to the Caribbean. I had a lot of commitments at home, a boyfriend, and a house, but I had to take courage and give it a go. I told myself I could always quit and go back to teaching if I needed to. As it turned out, I ended up staying there for three years. My career then catapulted. This is how it started. I backed famous people by performing in the band onboard. I used to work with people like Paul Daniels, Jayne McDonald, etc. I learned everything I could from these people and then, each night, I used to work on my own saxophone show act. After three years, I started doing my own show on cruise ships. This was a real game changer for me. I still do this now, but my main passion is performing with DJs. I started this about six years ago after seeing Lovely Laura (a phenomenal sax player in Ibiza) performing with a DJ in a club. It was great! I started networking and developing my sound and look. I now perform with top DJs all over the world. I've played for all kinds of events, from performing forGoogle's CEOs to performing alongside Tim Minchin. I've also performed for Hed Kandi (the UK dance label). I quickly realised that I wanted to develop my show work to complement all this, and seeing a gap in the market I started Saxation. This began with auditions in London, where I was able to create a group of the top female sax players around. I put together a show, and we've been performing this on cruise ships for the past three years. We also work with female DJs, providing glamorous and sophisticated roam-around sax solos. Now, I'm a mixture of performer and agent. I absolutely love it! I also love the fact that I'm inspiring women to travel and perform. What didn't go well? What 'wrong turns' did you take? It was obviously upsetting leaving my whole life behind. Then again, I didn't really feel like I had a life. I was just existing. The first few weeks on the ship were hard. But then I adjusted. I met people, and we became a family. Everyone looked after each other. How did you handle your finances to make your change possible? I was lucky because on a cruise ship you get free food and accommodation. I didn't own a house in the UK so I managed to save. This was enough to start working on my own one-woman show, and then the Saxation brand a few years later. What was the most difficult thing about changing? Leaving my whole life and being scared. What help did you get? I didn't really get any help as such; I just embraced every opportunity. I had to explore different cultures and meet people. This helped me decide what I wanted in life in general. What resources would you recommend to others? I would recommend anyone to get on a cruise ship and work. You need to network and find out who the bookers are, or employers. Work in the shop, work in the salon, work doing anything on the ship. You travel the world, meet amazing people, grow as a person and get paid. What have you learnt in the process? That life is for living and not existing. Also, that you can do anything if you put your mind to it! There's no way that ten years ago I would have thought I'd be travelling the world, with a fan base and my own agency for female sax players and DJs. To find out more about Sarah's work, visit www.sarahsax.co.uk or www.officialsaxation.com. What lessons could you take from Sarah's story to use in your own career change? Let us know in the comments below.

Writing a Resume Writing Declaration

Writing a Resume Writing DeclarationA resume writing declaration is a critical part of your resume and in fact it is not the only part of the document. This means that there are other crucial elements like the cover letter and the biography. To get the most from the document, the above two must be written to create a package that best matches your skills, achievements.It is vital to ensure that you have all the elements in place before you begin your writing declaration. You should be aware of how to develop the document that is going to stand out from the rest. However, before this happens, you need to know the components that form the core of the whole resume writing process.First, you need to be sure of the information that you want to include in your declaration. Remember, this is the declaration that tells the employer or recruiter about your expertise and abilities. When you take the right decision to put your knowledge and abilities on paper, you have to be certain of what is good enough for you to include in your writing declaration. The employer is going to give you your resume for a reason so make sure that the content of your declaration is all-inclusive and not miss any information that is important to your resume.Second, you need to be careful about the type of work experience that you include in your declaration. Remember, this is the core of your resume so make sure that you have everything and anything that you can possibly need in order to get an interview. Therefore, if you have experience working with the company or organization that you are applying for, include it in your writing declaration. Remember, the employer or recruiter is going to find out how much you have done with this employer or organization and this will help in the process of getting the job.Next, you need to make sure that the writing declaration is targeted at the specific employer or organization that you are applying for. Of course, you can include a general statement ab out yourself, but you need to be sure that it is tailored to the employer or organization you are going to be interviewing with. For example, if you are working for a bank, you may want to consider including a personal statement about how you started working with the bank. On the other hand, if you are working for a non-profit organization, you may want to try and include statements about the causes that you support and how this company or organization can benefit people in your community.The resume itself is the most important component of the writing declaration. This means that you should be sure that you have clearly written the opening statement. This is the first portion of the document that your potential employer or recruiter will see. It is therefore important that you capture their attention right away so that they can see the job description of the position that you are applying for.Finally, a resume writing declaration should be brief and to the point. Remember, this is the first thing that the employer or recruiter will see when they are reviewing your application. They will go through it line by line so make sure that your writing declaration is as short as possible. It is also important that you do not waste their time because as mentioned earlier, the employer or recruiter is going to look at your resume line by line to see what they can do with it. If you are not able to get them the job as soon as possible, then the least that you can do is to put your best foot forward and make sure that you deliver a great resume.A resume writing declaration is essential if you want to get the job that you want. Make sure that the information is all in place and ready to go and the writing declaration will be a success.

How Experienced Consultants Can Help Employers Achieve Recruitment Resolutions

How Experienced Consultants Can Help Employers Achieve Recruitment Resolutions With the New Year just around the corner, there’s likely to be plenty of advice aimed at job seekers who are looking to secure a new start, as well as tips for employees aiming to take their next career step. So I’d like to focus on employers instead. My New Year tip is to use this time to plan ahead for any recruitment needs in 2016, and beyond. Employers should set themselves a resolution to become more proactive in their recruitment strategy. Planning ahead can increase the quality of your recruitment process. It can also help to minimise any expensive hiring mistakes, as appointing any new member of staff is always a significant investment for any company. More in depth planning could become increasingly crucial in 2016. If the economy continues to become more buoyant, more businesses will have the confidence to implement growth strategies and to recruit new people. Employers could potentially face an ‘applicant drought’, with competition increasing amongst businesses to secure the best talent for long term success. If you’re unsure how to plan ahead, a good recruitment agency can provide additional support. Experienced consultants will work with you to ensure your business is well equipped for future growth. They can help to forecast your needs, in line with your business plan, by looking at what areas your organisation is expanding and what functions will be needed to support this growth. Even the most experienced in house HR teams can benefit from the added value a good recruitment agency can bring. Here’s a few more examples of how an experienced consultant can help you to ensure that 2016 is a successful year for recruitment. 1) Industry insight A good recruitment consultant will have their finger on the pulse of the industry they specialise in, acting as an employer’s eyes and ears in the market place. They can provide everything from an understanding of the jobs being advertised by competitors, through to any shifting trends in salaries or job packages. This valuable insight will help make sure that your organisation offers the right package to attract the best talent, within the timescales needed. 2) Enhancing your employer brand A consultant can also provide additional resources to help promote your company as a great place to work, which will help you to attract high quality candidates. Consultants will advise candidates directly on the benefits of working for your organisation, and can also provide additional ideas to make your business stand out as a good employer. This could include tips on showcasing your organisation as a socially responsible place to work, something which is becoming increasingly important to the younger generation in particular. Or a review of the job packages offered, and suggestions of any benefits such private medical cover, flexible working, or training and development opportunities, which could help to make your organisation more competitive. 3) Wider reach Consultants are networking within their specialist fields every day and the relationships they build will help ensure you don’t miss out on the best candidates. They will have access to people who may not consciously be looking for a job and wouldn’t necessarily have seen that you were advertising. They will also be aware of talented people who may currently be looking for a similar role, but in a different location. With the right relocation package, which a consultant will help to advise on, they could be tempted to take their next career step in a new area. 4) Culture fit Finding someone with the right skills, qualifications and experience is incredibly important. But for the placement to work in the long term, it’s just as important to find someone who will also be a good fit for your organisation’s culture. A good recruitment consultant will provide additional, complementary services, such as psychometric testing, to help identify the candidates who share your company’s values. Remember a consultant will also already have interviewed candidates and developed a relationship with them. This means they have a clear understanding of who they are and what they are looking for. This can save internal HR teams some precious time as a consultant will provide a shortlist of only the most appropriate candidates for the role, and for the company itself. 5) Added value Potentially one of the most important areas in which a good recruitment agency can really help employers is through the added value provided in the long term. Its important that you  don’t just place someone in a role and then walk away. Continue the relationship to ensure the candidate settles in to the new role as quickly and effectively as possible. This includes offering services such as induction support and transition coaching.

Paysa Interview

Paysa Interview Recently, Paysa asked me to share  insight on career planning, including when to switch careers and asking for a raise.  You can see the original post here. Can you tell us about your professional background and your interest in helping people advance in their careers? My interest in career development comes from my background as a military spouse. I followed my husband throughout his military career; we moved every three years or so. We were stationed in eight states and once in Europe. Each time we moved, I had to rebuild my network, reimagine my career and reinvent myself. Eventually, I became more and more efficient at figuring out what comes next. I developed resilience and confidence, and I’m thrilled to have the chance every day to pass some of my hard-earned wisdom on to others. What’s your philosophy or approach to career coaching? How do you advise your clients on charting their careers? I believe that everyone should have three jobs: one that pays the bills, one that builds your skills and one that gives you chills. So even if your day job is not exciting, you can view it as a way of funding your dream career. You should always have a master plan that outlines where you’re headed, and you should be working on acquiring the skills and experience that will put you on that path to success. (Building your skills can even take place in a volunteer job or apprenticeship, since your day job will be paying your bills.) And you should always have a side gig that you do for the joy of the work itself. I’m a firm believer in diversification of your income stream; when you have several ways to make a living, no one person can put you out of work. You control your economic destiny. I practice that philosophy myself. I have a day job with CareerSource and I teach at a local university several times a year. I also have my writing and editing practice that brings in revenue and allows me to expand my skills and sphere of influence. I love the work, which brings me great satisfaction, so although I may be busy, I almost never feel stressed feel stressed. What do you think are the most common mistakes individuals make when navigating their careers? I think the most common mistake is allowing themselves to become complacent in their careers. They slip into a comfortable job, stop networking and forget to grow and learn. When the market changes, or their company makes a decision to go in another direction, they’re caught flat-footed. They find themselves without a support system or network outside their industry. They have to start over again, and it can take years to rebuild their careers and income. It’s important to think like a consultant, even if you’re tethered to a company. Stay hungry and think like a gig worker, even if you’re not basing your income on gigs. What are the best methods for individuals to grow their salaries in a given field? Your value goes up when you develop a specialty or expertise that’s rare and valued. Taking on the most challenging projects builds your experience and your reputation, which will in turn build your value. Expanding your skill set to include writing about or training within your profession will also provide opportunities for consulting or other side gigs, which, as you can see by now, I always recommend for any professional who wants to increase or diversify her income. What advice can you offer on approaching your boss about a raise? What are the dos and don’ts? I recommend that professionals keep a career journal as a way to remember your accomplishments and outcomes. That will be a great way to build your case for an increase. There are really only two reasons for a manager to justify a pay raise: increased value to the company (a bigger role or more valuable skills set) or an adjustment to meet current market value for your role. Either way, it’s your job to collect the data and package it for your boss to consider. It’s important to make your case on data and not personal needs or wants. It’s always harrowing to ask for a raise, but the asking itself makes you stronger, even if you don’t get what you asked for. What are the best reasons for considering a career switch? If you feel that you’re not growing or being challenged any more in your current role, you should definitely start planning a change. (Which may not always mean leaving your current company, by the way.) Becoming stale is the worst thing that can happen in your job. You should also leave if your company doesn’t treat you as the valuable asset you are. No one should work for a company that doesn’t value its people. Life is too short to stay in a toxic work environment. Where should individuals start when planning a career switch? What shouldn’t they do? Research is a critical first step. Learn about the current market for your skills, then decide in what direction you’d like to move. You can make a lateral move in which you do what you do in another industry or new company, or you can decide to move up to a more challenging role. Invest some time in meeting with people who can give you insights into the careers you’re exploring; ask them what lessons they learned along their career path. Ideally, you can also have a frank conversation with your manager about your plan to consider other opportunities. Presumably, your loss will make a difference to the company, and you may be able to negotiate changes that improve your job satisfaction without leaving. There’s even a term for this: a “stay” interview (rather than an exit interview.) Give your boss a chance to make you want to stay. If it doesn’t work out, at least you’ll both be clear on your goals and the company will be more prepared for your eventual exit. How should job seekers use sites like Paysa to improve the quality of their job hunt? Since research is such a key part of planning your career, sites like Paysa should play an important role in your decisions. Knowing your market value is critical to your success, whether you’re planning a move or asking for a raise. And Paysa offers resources to help you in negotiating a salary offer, asking for a raise, and understanding your value to the company. You’re never alone in the process when you have that kind of powerful information available to you. What career advice do you find yourself repeating to clients over and over? You are responsible for your career growth. Not your boss, not your company. You. If you’re not growing, learning and being challenged every day, you’re not headed in the right direction. We’re all like sharks. (I’m from Florida; we know sharks.) If you’re not moving forward, you’re sinking. When you’re in charge of your own professional development, you’ll grow your confidence as well. You’ll be able to say, “I have something better than job security. I have talent.” Looking makeover your career? Make sure you know your worth.Sign up to personalize Paysa.

Resume Templates: What to Look For in Resume Templates

Resume Templates: What to Look For in Resume TemplatesMany people find that they have a great deal of difficulty choosing which resume templates to use. They have no idea what they should be looking for when it comes to the components of a resume and are unsure how to tell if a template is going to work for them.Knowing what certain elements are going to do for you will help you make an informed decision about which template you want to use. It is also very important that you remember to look over all of the information contained in a resume template before you begin using it.The first thing that you should look for in a resume template is the type of format it uses. There are some that use bullet points while others use bulleted lists, and some that use only a single page of material and others that make use of two or more pages.It will help you to determine which template you want to use if you can see the types of formats that it uses. You will then be able to tell if it is someth ing that you would be comfortable with or something that will have you running back and forth between the computer and your computer and trying to find the formatting tool that you need.There are also some resume templates that have been created by professionals. These are the types of templates that you will want to look for because these types of professionals have made sure that everything that goes into the template is of the highest quality.The last thing that you should look for in resume templates is the amount of space that they use. Remember that a resume template is going to be being used to give you the first impression of you.That means that if a certain layout is not right for you, then that is going to be a huge problem because you are going to not get that first impression. Therefore, you should look for resume templates that give you a wide choice of layout.With this information, you will be able to select the resume templates that you need. This means that you will be able to get a good idea of what is out there and what will make you look good when it comes to your resume.

Legal Professionals What Makes a Great Lawyer

Legal Professionals What Makes a Great Lawyer Photo Credit â€" Pexels.comWhether you want to become a lawyer or you’re looking to hire one for your business, there are many qualities that distinguish an average lawyer and a successful one. There are many different areas of law so it’s important that lawyers specialize in a specific field, be it commercial copyright or domestic cases.To help you become a great lawyer, or to help you distinguish which of your law candidates best suits your business, here are some points to look out for.1) Successful Lawyers Are PassionateAs mentioned before, lawyers tend to specialize in specific areas of law.evalAlthough you can hire a coach for lawyers, most great lawyers have plenty of experience in their field and their education comes second to their invaluable expertise. Since they’ve been exposed to a variety of different cases and situations, they know how people react to being asked different questions, how to make a client feel safe, and how to win their cases.Confident lawyers wil l project an air of professionalism and you’ll instantly feel their personality shine through. Most people will call it a “gut feeling” when they sense a lawyer that knows their stuff, but a lawyer that speaks confidently and makes you feel understood is probably the best type of lawyer out there.2) Successful Lawyers Are PersistentLawyers don’t care about short-term wins and lossesâ€"they’re after the big picture. If you’re requesting help from a lawyer to secure a business deal, then they won’t let a lost battle affect their morale because they’re aiming to win the war.Keep in mind that being persistent doesn’t just mean they will relentlessly try to win a case or win over clients. Their persistence shows in the fact they’ve become a successful lawyer because law school is a grueling and stressful time.3) Successful Lawyers Have Research SkillsLawyers are very resourceful people. Not only can they do their research alone and in their own time, but they’ll als o scour every source they can just to get the information they need. They’re not afraid to confront people about various issues, and they’re no stranger to digging through archives worth of information just to find a nugget of information that’ll help their case. They’re ruthlessly efficient when it comes to analyzing information, and their creative skills will help them reach their goals in the quickest time.Preparing a legal strategy for your situation will take a lot of time and effort, but an experienced lawyer will cut that time in half with excellent research skills and resourcefulness.4) Successful Lawyers Know How to CommunicateLawyers deal with people on a daily basis, so it’s no wonder they’re great at making people feel at ease. The law isn’t just some abstract concept where people react like machines. They’re people that have feelings and a lawyer knows how to soothe those feelings.evalThey’re masters of talking and they’re excellent at persuading. Bu t most importantly, they also have iron wills that are simply unshakeable. This makes a great lawyer immune to intimidation tactics and they aren’t afraid of small failures.

Crime Scene Investigator Requirements The Complete Guide

Crime Scene Investigator Requirements The Complete Guide Investigating a crime scene is an extremely tricky job. Along with scouring the scene for â€" sometimes minute â€" pieces of evidence; the police must also collect, preserve and then use this evidence to come to a conclusion about the crime. So, how do they do this? The answer, is via crime scene investigators.What is a crime scene investigator?Crime scene investigators, also known as Scenes of crime officers (SOCOs), work alongside the police, to help solve crime. They are responsible for collecting and then processing key evidence. This can then be used in forensic and post-mortem analysis. Crime scene investigators are generally employed by the police/constabulary itself. Many of the largest UK police forces employ a large number of scenes of crime officers. A crime scene investigator will spend the majority of their time attending investigations. However, they may also spend time back at police headquarters/divisional constabularies.Key Crime Scene Investigator RequirementsTV giv es the impression that scenes of crime officers are constantly attending murder scenes. While murder is a big part of the job, scenes of crime officers also attend a variety of other crime scenes, including burglary, arson, vandalism and sexual offences. In order to do their job successfully, the crime scene investigator requirements include:Responding to calls from police officers.Collecting and processing evidence from crime scenes.Taking photographs of crime scenes.Preventing crime scenes from becoming contaminated.Taking fingerprints from victims and suspects.Producing written reports based on their findings.Giving evidence in court.Along with all of this, you absolutely must be someone who is emotionally capable of doing the job. Crime scene investigators will encounter scenes where horrific events have occurred. If you can’t handle this, then this isn’t the right job for you.Crime scene investigator qualificationsThe entry requirements for crime scene investigators varies, depending on the force that you are applying to. Some may ask for more qualifications, some may ask for less, but the following is generally true for all forces:You won’t need a degree to apply for the role; but a science based degree (or forensics) could be extremely useful.You will be expected to have high grades at GCSE, and A Level.You will need to be able to demonstrate your photography skills, meaning that a photography qualification is extremely beneficial.You must be able to demonstrate that you have good (colour) vision.Remember that while having a degree and other such qualifications isn’t an essential for the crime scene investigator requirements, the majority of serious candidates applying for the job will have these already. This will give them a massive advantage, so you need to do everything that you possibly can to level the playing field.Core competenciesSo, now that we’ve looked at the crime scene investigator qualifications, and the expectations you’ll ne ed to meet, let’s take a look at the core competencies. If you aren’t familiar with this term, it simply refers to the key behavioural expectations of someone working as a crime scene investigator. These behavioral expectations will be key, both during your application to the role, and your time working in the role.Able to cope with pressure and difficult situations. It’s essential that you are able to manage your emotions when working in this position. Crime scene investigators are required to investigate murder scenes, where the dead bodies have been left behind, and this can be quite distressing. It’s essential that you are able to keep a cool head, and perform to the best of your ability, regardless of how terrible the scene that you are investigating might be.Attention to detail. To fulfill the crime scene investigator requirements, you will need impeccable attention to detail. Crime scene investigators need to be able to spot the things that nobody else would spot, an d then process and analyse this information. You need to be absolutely meticulous in your ability to spot tiny clues. Every piece of information that you can glean from a crime scene, will help to solve the wider puzzle.Problem solving ability. Most of the time, the answer to a crime won’t just fall into your lap. Crime is a puzzle to be solved, and crime scene investigators are an imperative part of this process. You won’t just need to collect and process evidence, but you’ll need to think in great detail about what you have seen; and form ideas on what you think might have happened. The more logical you are, the better job you can offer the constabulary for which you are working, and the better you can adhere to the crime scene investigator requirements.Communication skills. Good communication skills are an imperative part of working as a crime scene investigator. As mentioned, many forces will employ a number of crime scene investigators at any one time, meaning that you mi ght even be part of a team of investigators working on one case. There will often be a huge number of different departments and teams from the constabulary working on the same case. In order to solve a crime, it’s essential that all of these components and different parts/units come together and communicate.Furthermore, it’s not just about verbal communication. Crime scene investigators are required to file numerous written reports based on what they’ve found, and the conclusions that they have reached. This could be really important, especially if these notes are later used in court, so it’s imperative that you can communicate well in written form too. Demonstrating your ability to use concepts such as grammar during the application process will go a long way to helping you secure the role. This entry was posted in Career Advice. Bookmark the permalink. Jordan Cooke Best Way to Revise for GCSEKey Stage 2 History: Vikings KS2

Dear Future Me The 2011 Edition

Dear Future Me The 2011 Edition Everything You Can Think of Is True by iotaillustration I dont know bout you, but New Years Day is a bit of a sacred one for me. A day that begs to be anti-alarm, pro-pjs, where Me Time takes, oh, the entire day.This year went a bit differently, since I was outta my pjs by 11a (the horror!) to have a lovely brunch with Luke his sis before she caught her flight back home, but as always, the one commitment on my agenda is my Dear Future Me letter. Basically, the Dear Future Me letter is one that your future self writes to your present self to describe everything that happened to ya that year as if it already happened. I know, its a bit confusing to explain, so you can read mine from last year here. That was the first time I did that exercise, and even though Id eyeball it say that only about 50% of the things I wrote about happened, it so wasnt the point. Writing that letter was just the most amazeballs, perfect, sweet, positive way to start my year off on the best daydream-y foot ever.   So, of course, this years is below. I actually did nt read last years letter until after I wrote this one, and youll see that I referred to my present self as you instead of me. Theres no right or wrong here its just what I did. Yes, I still feel crazy for posting something so personal for the whole world to read, but I think its important! The greater good and all. Right (she says nervously)? Right! Sohere it be. I admit I did leave the personal, non-business stuff out of this version as well as some of the numbers I threw out there that I wanna hit this year. I just wasnt comfy sharing that stuff, and I knew youd understand. Eek! and Enjoy! Jan 1, 2012 Dear Future Michelle, It’s fitting that you’re writing this letter from your local coffee shop, as its become your haven in a way. Not only have you used this space throughout the year to write, but you finally recognized the ROI you get from doing work out of the house. The one day each week you took in 2011 to build your business or use as a writing day turned into a sacred one, where you could clear your head and your To Do List and make your projects nay, your dreams! happen. And make your projects happen you did! I know it was fuzzy at this time last year, in terms of how you were going to get everything done you wanted to without hiring a full-time assistant or working 100 hours/week. But by the time the summer rolled around, you were in a groove and really embraced your 2011 word: INVESTMENT. You invested in yourself, your services, your products, and it all lead to a super worthwhile investment in your business. I know how scary it was to trust it, especially the commitment to use 4 whole business days/month for business building and writing (as opposed to 1/month in 2010) and therefore cut yourself off from conducting sessions (and earning money directly!) on those days. But it SO paid off financially, mentally and emotionally. I’m not gonna lie â€" 2011 was an amazeballs year. With it being the first full year as a business lady of the world, you were still a bit green but thankfully kept embracing it. Its a gift to be this new to it all, to make decisions based on whats scary-exciting and experiment with, well, everything. Ugh, youll never turn into those hard-ass, cold business ladies, dont you worry.I know that each and every year will give you the opportunities to do something new and fresh and yes, scary-exciting! But Im getting ahead of myself. I cant spill the beans for the next decade quite yet! Well, 2011 started off with writing your book proposal and your digital workbooks, along with working with new clients (50 or so sessions/month) and conducting another round of The Declaration of You. The Declaration of You e-course actually ran 3 times this year, with an early 2012 retreat on the books already! So, so exciting. And yes, you’re allowed to say how proud you are of you and Jess, both collectively and together. You make such a great team, and working with her is anything but! You and Jess have already launched Part 2 of the e-course with as much success as Part 1, and you can’t wait to keep building that Empire. Yay, fun! TDOY 4 Eva. Oh, and the digital workbooks! Finally, finally, some sit-back-and-relax income once the initial work is put into it (I hate   calling it “passive” income â€" it’s anything but!).  You were able to launch the first one, chock ‘full of your career change exercises, by February, and that was quickly followed by the workbook to help peeps make their dream careers a reality. You were pretty amazed by how easily it came (note to self: stop building stuff up in your head when youve barely done anything with it yet!), and how you had your very own “shop” with 2 fantabulous products by the summer! It’s really thrilling to know that you’re able to help almost everyone that wants to work with you, regardless of the amount of money they have to invest in this journey, from the low-cost of your workbook. You set out at the beginning of this year with your goal to make your work available to anyone who needs it regardless of the size of their wallets, and the workbooks are such a great reflection of that. And talking of opening your coaching to lower price points, the group coaching sessions were a hit this year you ran up 15 of em! Not only did it bring up your hourly rate while lowering it for those that needed it, but it enabled you to work on even more custom exercises while establishing your group coaching structure. And yes, while you did get a lot of people from your annual scholarship (you had over 200 entries!), you also got non-scholarship peeps in there, too. Aah, success. And, um, you can hardly believe it, but your private rates are all at $300+/month regardless of the package. It’s insanity. You definitely struggled this year with not pricing out your ideal client â€" the creative types you love working with â€" but you also felt good with raising this price point when you have so many other options available for your potential clients. And you know that with all you’re doing to invest in your business monetarily, that your clients need to invest in themselves monetarily, too! It comes full circle indeed. OK, I’ve been building up to this a bit because it’s been the scariest but…you have a book deal. Squeal! You worked your ass off to get the first draft of the proposal to your agent by March 1, and between the work you did with Brass Knuckles on building your platform (more on that later!) and the cleaning up you did on the proposal, it was being shopped around by the summer. It was tough to wait for the right fit and not just jump at the first taker, but you’re loving your editor publisher as much as you love your agent, which is a lot. She’s just been so helpful with her notes and encouragement, it’s just great. And the work you did on your platform…. …well, that totally helped land a big advance! Yes, you worked on your own with building your platform via your workbooks, The Declaration of You, and posting on your blog daily (yes, daily) along with having at least 1 guest post/month out in Big(ger Than You) Blogland. And Jess Larsen was such an asset, keeping the admin stuff at bay and taking over the business building projects that you didn’t need to do myself, but needed to get done. You were smart to make the INVESTMENT in her so you could be freed up to make the money and go to town with the PR stuff! Thanks to Brass Knuckles, you saw your name in print 10 times, was interviewed on TV, and feel like youve established yourself as a bit of an expert (believe it on not!)! It’s also awesome to have your own press packet, ready to go for any media requests that come your way. And did I mention that your blog is now steady at 800 hits/day (!!!!) and you charge for ads?!   It took most of the year to get it there, but my god w oman, you did it! It’s also worth noting that your Twitter followers are now creeping up to the quintuple digits (did someone say 10,000?!) without your being a douche-y douche about it. Nice going.  Oh, and you have a speaking gig lined up, too! It was totally nerve-wracking, but you knew that , by the end of the year, you were ready for it. And come on, you know it’s totally where you belong â€" up there on stage, speaking about your experiences and helping others get closer to figuring our what they wanna be when they grow up, and making it happen. Could you even a thunk it? It’s so big, so exciting, so fulfilling, so surreal that your life coaching business, nothing but a seed just 4 years back, is now fully in bloom and standing five feet tall. In your wildest dreams, would you have believed that making a real, true, viable living as an entrepreneur was even feasible? The old Michelle wouldn’t have let you believe in it, staving off the impending, inevitable  disappointment. But New Michelle believes it because, well, she saw it right from the get-go on New Years Day. Yes, it was a stretch and didn’t come easily, but you did it. You’re here. Bottom-line, it was all about: practicing what you preach going with your gut remaining vulnerable and authentic making choices and building your intentions around your INVESTMENTS treating your self (no, that’s not a typo) well with exercise and nutritious foods and Me Time and doing what you need to look feel gooood So here’s to 2012, Future Michelle, because 2011 was every bit as fulfilling, as fabulous, as scary-exciting as 2010 â€" and the world is still wide open to you. Just slow down and savor every moment, every win, every step. Take some time and read over your Line a Day journal that you wrote in each every day this year. Breathe it in, and cry, and smile, and celebrate. You’ve found your way. Love, Present Michelle