The Transition Chick Blog

Information products, what are they & why do I need any...

I had no clue what information products were or even that they existed!  Not unusual.  Whether I'm coaching on transitions or marketing-career-wise...your resume, presentation ie. interviewing & first & last impressions... "selling yourself"!

For the solopreneur, marketing takes on a different emphasis-what can get your name "out there"-let folks be aware you exist!  Get clients, if, like me, you offer services...I can't give you a cup of coaching...But, I can have & do, a book you can buy!  A tangible, physical product!

Information products are tangible...sorta.  It's in that world of internet marketing!  That, now is the world in which I live most of the time.  Several times, in 90 little days, I've completed several information products (info-products to those "in the know") :)

Talk about transitions!  Nowhere in my Business plan, do I have the word e-commerce!  Yet, that's now a big part of my 7 step Marketing Action Plan.  I learned this through my Guerrilla(as in lone soldier, not the ape!) My Guerrilla Marketing Plan, a great class series-Teleclasses.  So now, I market my Get Hired Now! or Hire Yourself! Teleseries differently.  Click here for more info. 

You've heard me praising the products class! It's opened my eyes, helped me think of barter, no cost or low cost marketing... 

The sales cycle, the marketing funnel-all those concepts eluded me til now.  All I knew was trading my hours for my clients' (mostly midlife women)  my hours for their dollars!  Now, I use automation.  I have a shopping cart system that works when I'm not there or asleep...Check it out here

I still suffer from solopreneuritis-I feel tons of creativity, yet I want to do it all...Automation & outsourcing has given me back the freedom to spend my time coaching and authoring books & doing public speaking...and creating information products-mp3s, ebooks, videos, audios, teleclasses...How cool is that?

In Abundance!
Marcia the Transition Chick
sign up for my FR*EE Transition Triumph Toolkit! www.eCareerCorner.com 

Bartering for time...

Outsourcing & bartering aren't just for the solopreneur.  Baby-sitting is outsourcing.  The dry cleaners is an outsource circumstance-you're not dry cleaning your shirts yourself, right?
I coach midlife boomer women on how to balance work & life-Home, friends, other things they want to do...
could be a new job or career, but, just balance is needed, too.  I can't sell them some extra hours! :)  But, I can help set intentions/goals and move toward life/work balance.

But, we can brainstorm ways to FR*ee up some time...
in no particular order...
1.If you work at home & have small children-have a neighbor who also works from home with kids watch all one day-so you get chance to run errands, see clients, network or take a bubble bath!

2.Trade your PC knowledge for help with lawn care, cooking dinners,-the sky's the limit!  Technology know-how is commendable & tradeable!

So, outsourcing doesn't need to only be for businesses!
Be creative!  What could you barter/outsource?

In Abundance!
Marcia -Listen at my Media Room-I'm on another radio show!  Listen at www.v1370.com or WomanTalkLive.com, too!

Marcia Merrill,CCMC,JCTC
Marcia the Transition Chick!
Career/Life Transitions Coach
http://www.eCareerCorner.com
410-467-0811  (cell)410-303-6371   (fax)1-443-836-2402

Fall in love with your LIFE & your work! (in that order!)

**Starting next classes Sept 18 @7pm EST-Get Hired Now! or Hire Yourself! Sign up to get notified when you can register!
Includes seven -one hour sessions & a cookbook-approach manual to help with your career search...This small group teleseries is designed to decrease your stress, increase your happiness, keep you on track, prevent overwhelm & get unstuck, move forward to a Job/Life that FITS!
Easy to follow 28-day Action Plan & Proven System-Guaranteed to produce results IF you put in the effort & follow through!
Sign up at www.eCareerCorner.com/transitions/gethired.htm

___________________________________________
Contact me for your complimentary 25 min. coaching strategy session
marcia@ecareercorner.com 
Sessions by phone with follow up emails/mail/fax.  Appts. arranged to Suit Your Needs!!

Get 7 FR*EE Lessons from Teachers in The Secret!
http://www.lawofattractionthinking.com

Help! I've been the victim of Identity Theft!

I haven't been around much...See, I've been dealing with credit card customer service folks, recurring payments that had a card Ihad to cancel & generally, trying to get my life back in order. I always say LIFE/Work balance-in that order...But, I've definitely been living work-life balance...and not much balance!

In between, I went to an EvolutionaryWomen Retreat-all about conscious co-creation & it was 55 women sharing how a new world with peace & the things we want to see-better education systems, more concern for the environment...Very empowering-Barbara Marx Hubbard's teachings are followed.

I had one part of my brain on this and the other around my ID Theft woes!  I'm getting ready to go to a week-long conference & dreading the first time I use my new credit card!

Identity Theft is just awful-but, it's all good...I found a 0% APR deal when switched a balance!

Anyone had ID theft happen?  Please share!

 

In Abundance!

Marcia

 

Marcia Merrill,CCMC,JCTC

Marcia the Transition Chick!

Career/Life Transitions Coach

http://www.eCareerCorner.com

410-467-0811 (cell)410-303-6371 (fax)1-443-836-2402

 

Get 7 FR*EE Lessons from Teachers in The Secret!

http://www.lawofattractionthinking.com

 

Fall in love with your LIFE & your work! (in that order!)

 

Contact me for your complimentary 25 min. coaching strategy session

marcia@ecareercorner.com 

Sessions by phone with follow up emails/mail/fax. Appts. arranged to Suit Your Needs!!

Are you a Woman of Purpose?

My On Purpose Networking for women honored Patsy Anderson, creator/coordinator of the Womens Expo!
It was a fantastic event!  Here are some photos of some of the gang! :)

Patsy does radio, the Womens Expo-promoting it all year long & making constant referrals-showing support for baby boomer women and the solopreneur/small business owner!  Heck, even when we were honoring her-she referred people to sign up for my ezine!  "She is so funny & knows her stuff!"  Thanks, Patsy! :)

The energy & enthusiasm is so healing for a depressed woman or man-not convinced, she/he will ever feel better-having many transitions at one time!  Just feel overwhelmed!

I am a Woman of Purpose-tho' not an awardee...I love what I do-it is my purpose & passion.

Are you a Woman or Man of Purpose?

Please share!

In Abundance!
Marcia The Transition Chick!
www.eCareerCorner.com  Sign up for "5 Secrets to Career/Life Triumphs & get 2 more BONUSES + my ezine!

The Transitions of our friends...

I received an email from a former student-angry that I'd lost touch-she did, too.  But, it's all good-I am not blaming!  Friendships come & go and what once was...sometimes has to change.  The transition from employee to small business owner...an entrepreneur & a solopreneur-makes time even more precious...Friendships are a very vital part of my life.  I want to keep them all & add more!

When my coaching clients are changing, some of their friends change, too.  New ones that support her new outlook...goals-dreams enter & those that don't/can't or won't exit...You won't be able
to say all you wanted to, and mourn this loss.  But, this is a natural & sometimes necessary part of the transition process!

Our lives can be so crazy busy that it seems we lose people along the way.  But, we also gain others.

My supporters/friends are mostly entrepreneurs and encourage me to stretch as I delve into Internet Marketing & eCommerce!

Can we hang on to our friends from a previous life?  I'm not sure.  What do you think?  Please comment!

In Abundance!
Marcia the Transition Chick!
Sign up for my 5 Secrets to Career/Life Triumphs! & get my ezine & other surprise BONUSES!

www.eCareerCorner.com

Womens Expo!

I'm really psyched--I get to meet baby boomer women/midlife women & their daughters, boyfriends, husbands & fathers at the 6th Annual Womens Expo www.womensexpomd.com  It's Sat-March 10 & Sun-11th at Catonsville in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.  Been creating handouts on transitions & coaching, my free Transition Chick Chat--Weekly Mon. call at 1pm EST or EDT!

Talking on my chapter in "The Spirit of Women Entrepreneurs" on the ten deadly mistakes to avoid as a solo-entrepreneur, like me-- what I've learned! :)

I get to share my passion for helping midlife/boomer women fall in love with their LIFE & work!  Come join me, if you're in the area!  175 exhibitors, tons of free talks-chance to meet women business owners & connect!  Men, too are welcome! :)

Have you attended a Womens Expo?

In Abundance!

Daylight Savings Time

I took a sabbatical-longer, than planned, fell in my office!  I'm ok-just bruised & killed my laptop!

But, time is sooo important an issue-had to write!  As a boomer woman/coach, I talk to my boomer women clients about there not being a set time for dealing with transitions!

As a solo-entrepreneur, my time is spent transitioning from "the boss" back to being a supportive spouse, friend, catparent, Managing Director of a virtual community &...You all know the juggling & multitasking...

But now, Time is changing!

Daylight savings will now start three weeks earlier beginning on this Sat, March 11, and ends one week later, April 1 (and again between October
28 to November 4). Hey, the media says don't worry...be happy-you're saving Energy!  This won't be anything like the potential nightmare that Y2K could have been, but, there might be minor irritation - an Outlook calendar, for example...

Change is the only constant!  It's All Good...

What do you think about all this?

In Abundance!

We all get overwhelmed, right?

I'm so overwhelmed-just spelled overhelm! :)

Been thinking lots about what we do when we are feeling the overwhelm!

I told you about my products class team-some are farther along being an entrepreneur, doing Internet Marketing-dealing with shopping cart programs & often, we are solopreneurs-so it's just us!

But, what happens when you "throw in the towel"?  You stop!

"A confused mind does nothing!"

If overwhelmed-often we've thought of an impossible goal-you can't help but feel like you're starting out behind the 8-ball...& each passing day feels worse. Then, the comparing begins-She's already got a web site! He already has products! Look at her-done teleclasses-(Insert your own comparisons...) But, comes the question:"How can I match them?  How can I compete?" Here's the great news! You don't even have to!! You are in the exact spot for you-there are always gonna be those miles ahead and you'll be further along than those just starting!

"Non T'a worry ta brain!" My New Brunswickian friend tells me constantly-Don't worry about it! I say-don't sweat the small stuff...and by the way, that's all "small stuff"...

How do you do "overwhelm"?  I'll share your replies or, better, yet-comment below!

In Abundance!

Accountability, do we need it?

What is accountability?   Here's a tip I've had great success with!  In my product class, we have teams and we have Accountability Days.

This involves telling at least one other person what you're going to do.  This is so powerful!

I use it all the time in my coaching-I ask my clients to commit to getting or doing some things at the end of our session each week.  And I commit 1. to supporting them  2. to provide it on an ongoing basis  3. Any follow up steps I need to take on their behalf-an introduction, critiquing their resume, sending sample networking scenarios...reviewing their business brochures, business marketig plan...whatever is needed.

Making that commitment to another person keeps you on track in action & reaching your goals.  My goal is to finish my audio product on Transition Triumphs-more about that later!

But, like many of my coaching clients, they want to make a change-have more or any work/life balance, grow their business, get that meaningful job, transition to a new career...whatever!

Do you think accountability works?  Share your tips & tricks!

In Abundance!

What is work?

Is work a "4 letter word"?  Will Rogers said he was a happy man cause he'd never worked a day in his life! 

I'm still in my "Thanksgiving mode..."  I know that only about 20% of the people are happy at work...That means 80% are what I call "living for the weekends."

I am thankful that I love what I do-I provide guidance, knowledge of how to not be the miserable 80%, & ways to find/uncover what'll make sense-give meaning & purpose to your life & career.

So work, to me, is an expression of love.  How 'bout you?  What does work mean to you?

In Abundance!