New Year! New Game! New Direction!

Hello and welcome,

It has been many months since I posted a blog article on this site. From the end of 2010 to now, July 2011, I have been in the process of changing my business' direction. I have been working with VIP business coaching clients, but my main focus has been helping the long term unemployed, the recent jobless, career transitioners, and recent college grads plan and make changes in their search for a job.

Most of that time, I worked with my husband, Marty and my virtual assistant, Lee as well as other coaches and special experts to:

• Launch a new website about "The Art of Career Survival".



• Write a book, The Art of Career Survival: Navigate Your Job Search in Tough Times!



• Converting our book to a training program for community leaders who want to help their unemployed and underemployed citizens and constituents navigate their way through the job search and career change process.



• Creating and producing webinar bundles on finding job matches and interviewing.



• Public Speaking to various organizations about job search strategies and tools that can make a difference in searching for a job.



• Offer The Career Survival News, our blog and ezine.

Now, Marty is transferring our original workbook, The Art of Career Survival, to a printed trade paperback version. We plan to publish in the last quarter of 2011. An e-book version is available now.

To learn more about our career transitions coaching and job search support services, please go to http://www.theartofcareersurvival.com/.

Last, we will be re-designing this blog site to match our newest website, http://www.lifepathassociates.com/. This website will be our central hub to LifePath Associates' business growth and career transitions coaching. Also this website will be the main website for our business growth and expansion coaching and consulting to business owners and corporate managers.

Thank you and to a new beginning and taking LifePath Associates to the next level in 2011 - 2012.

Have a wonderful year!

Bette

Take It to the Next Level: Are You and Your Business Prepared for 2011?

Are you and your business prepared for 2011? That question has been going around in my head recently; my friends and business colleagues are asking the same question. I wanted to know what the next step would be for my coaching business, LifePath Associates LLC, and an event offered me ideas.



I attended a Mastermind Dialogue group sponsored by my local chamber of commerce. They presented three different business experts to share their advice on "how businesses can fail" and what to do to prevent failure (the implied remainder of that statement).

The first speaker was an experienced business coach and consultant. He was trained to use several tools such as the Six Sigma Model. He shared a diagram that he uses with his clients - a great visual model that showed us what business owners need in order to grow and maintain a successfully performing business. He emphsized that you needed all the parts of the model to be aligned if you wanted to prevent business failure. Should any of the parts be out of alignment, it could spell performance failure or at least make your chances of business success extremely difficult.

The second speaker shared how he used his expertise as an executive turnaround and project management consultant to lead, organize, and deliver national and international large scale project and events such as the last G-20 Summit in western Pennsylvania. It was fascinating to hear how his business success relied upon leadership as well as hiring and managing competent people to design and produce the events. He emphasized that working with competent people and building strong alliances and coalitions was critical to business success. He stressed that if a CEO or owner believes that they need to work alone, then they can cause a failure.

The last speaker was a Regional Vice President who had attained his position by working up through the ranks of his current employer and company. He works to help others succeed in business - their own franchise business. He represents an international franchisor and he recruits and mentors franchisees in a large region in the United States. A couple of his franchisee attended the meeting - one was his top producer. He shared information about how marketing online and through direct mail were both important to business success - doing one exclusively weakened the businesses ability to attract and maintain customers.

Why am I sharing this story with you? Whay are these ideas important?

Because it became evident that small businesses can still be and are successful in this tough economy. At the very least they can use this time to re-evaluate their company; the business practices they use; the way they connect and partner with their workforce and business colleagues; and how they manage their finances. Once they conduct this analysis, they adjust their operations and marketing plans to strengthen their market position and continue to build a successful business.

I left the meeting encouraged about the future of small business. I acquired more ideas and action steps that I want to take in my coaching business so I can help more clients succeed in 2011.

In summary, the lessons I learned that morning:

• Make time to network with others.
• Invest time in learning more and reviewing your business and life.
• You derive positive energy when you build connections and alliances with others.

Here is my challenge to you is that you use the end of 2010, November and December, as a springboard to prepare your business for success in 2011.

Please share your comments or add ideas below to the ones shared in this article. Thank you and let's rock in 2011!

Take Your Business to the Next Level: Don't Shut Yourself Off

Everyday I hear such "doom and gloom" news about small businesses and what may affect our future. As an owner of a small business, I find that I have to fight the urge to "hide" away from the rest of the world; stop networking because it costs money and time that I feel takes away from my work. And then I get this big surprise and a person calls me and asks about my coaching services; one that she or he saw via my social media networks and/or met at a women in business luncheon offered by my chamber of commerce or women's networking group.


When you are thinking that the future of small business, your small business may be bleak. Stop those thoughts, because small business owners are creative, hard-working and skilled people who believe in self-reliance, innovation, and committment to succeed. There are customers out there, we may just have to work harder to identify them and communicate how we can help them, what problem we can help them solve, and/or how much time we can save them in their hectic life. Last, there are many people out there who believe in you and your business.

When you get stuck or feel like you are shutting down because of negative outside forces that you can't control, then work on those things you can control - you and your business.

Taking LifePath Associates to the Next Level Leads to Change

Take It to the Next Level is an important mindset for success. Sometimes when you embrace that mindset, you realize that you and your business and life may be heading towards great change.

Well, 2009 into 2010 reflects a time of powerful change for me and my company, LifePath Associates LLC. We have chosen to use this blog to offer a place for entrepreneurs and business leaders to find information and a forum to discuss topics and ideas that affect "Taking It [you and your business] to the Next Level."

LifePath Associates LLC and I have chosen to create a website that will also have blog articles that focus on topics from our newest book, The Art of Career Survival: Navigating the Job Search, Even in Tough Times (2010). If you are interested in this information, please go to www.artofcareersurvival.com.

On this site, I would like to seek discussions on leadership and business development topics. These topics would include models, strategies, skills, resources etc. that successful business owners and their companies use to remain strong and abundant during these tough times.

Please keep a eye open for our first blog article (May 2010) supporting LPA's new direction on this blog site.

If you have any questions or want to suggest some topic areas that need some discussion, I would like to hear from you. Please send your questions and suggestions in a comment to this post or send me an email to bznovak@verizon.net.

Happy Springtime.

New Teleclasses on Job Search 2010 Starting January 12 and 19!

Hello and Happy New Year!!

I hope that you have started 2010 with a big boost of energy. I am excited to announce that I am opening up my business year 2010 with a series of free preview teleclasses on the theme "Kick Start Your 2010 Job Search".

Read and Register NOW!

10436. Is Your Job Search Off Track? Give it a check up to boost its energy for 2010.

One Tuesday, January 12, 2010 from 7- 8 p.m. Eastern/NY. Tuition: Free

2010 is just around the corner and jobs are still hard to find unless you have a strong job search campaign and tools. There are five strategies and tips that you can use to give your job search a "check up" and a "tune up" to compete in a continuing tough market and economy. Learn one key strategy or tip for each of these job search actions: organization is key to successful start up; strong resume get interviews; networking nuances make a difference; understand the power of two different interviews; and letters emails or phone calls - which is more effective? Learning the "art of career survival" can help your navigate the job search, even in tough times.

http://www.teleclass.com/classdetail.lasso?-database=teleclass.class&-layout=lasso&-op=eq&id.class=28249&-search


10417. How to Survive Layoffs and Career Change: 3 Strategies to Fast Track You Back into the Job Game
One Tuesday, January 19, 2010 from 7-8pm Eastern/NY. Tuition: Free

If you have lost your job, want to change your career or advise job seekers, join us to discuss 3 critical strategies that will boost you back onto your job search game. Having an action plan and a set of strategies and tools that you can use any time you need to make a career change. Benefits for coming to this teleclass will include you being able to: Create your new fast track job search game plan. Identify tools and mindsets that boost your energy to get positive results. Identify new strategies that are critical to job search success. Understand how to set yourself apart from the other job seekers. Start creating and putting into place a job search game plan that you can use any time.
http://www.teleclass.com/classdetail.lasso?-database=teleclass.class&-layout=lasso&-op=eq&id.class=28265&-search

Let's go get 'em this year and find a job we love.

Bette

Take it to the Next Level: 3 Market Research Resources that Boost Competitiveness in Business and Careers.

Successful business owners and career professionals who sustain a competitive edge consistently rely on research and analysis of the market to make decisions and implement strategies that get results. As a business owner, I schedule time within my business schedule to conduct market research and analyze data to see how it will affect my coaching services. Most important, I encourage and guide my clients to use those skills in growing their businesses or in finding a new job.

When I talk to people who own businesses, want to start a business, or are seeking a new job, I find that they have researched and analyzed their competition in the business or job markets. As a professional business and career coach, I recommend that they:

· Use the Internet as an information source
· Read business periodicals and newspapers
· Network strategically

The reasons behind using these three resources are different and distinct; they also have important similarities. Understanding how to use these resources to analyze the marketplace, showcase your unique strengths and work hard to overcome the competition can be major assets to your success.

· Search and use the internet

Online technology is a quick way to search for trends, news, and data. If you own a business, you can “scope out” your competition and see if there are other companies, products and services that you and your business need to add. If your products and services compliment another company’s, you can think about building an alliance or joint venture with them.

The Internet provides job seekers and career changers access to job postings, tools, and resources that can enhance their job search techniques and strategies. Among the resources available are online career support organizations and listings of professionals who can help job seekers personally, e.g., career coaches, resume advisers, recruiters, training programs and videos, etc.

Most importantly, business owners and job seekers can get current, critical data that will help them create their contact approach to get their foot in the front door.

· Read business periodicals and newspapers

Today, I renewed my most valuable resource, the business journal in my city. The site http://www.bizjournal.com/ offers 40 or so business newspapers that are published weekly in print and online. I use my city’s business journal to help me read about up and down trends in my cities’ market, which businesses are succeeding, and who are the “mover and shakers” spotlighted and honored for achieving leadership success. I look at the list of events different professional and local groups are offering and register to attend them. I read advice articles on how to growing a business or how to conduct an effective job search.

About six months a go I started reading the Wall Street Journal. I start by reviewing the “agenda” on the left side of the front page. It provides an overview of the story along with the section and page location of the story, so I can quickly turn to those that interest me. Sometimes, I can see a trend or forecast that has helped either my business or those of my clients. Your area also may have a great local newspaper. Look in the business section for information.

As for magazines, I am careful about buying and reading them for a couple of reasons. First, there are so many to choose from. Second, magazine articles may take as much as three months to appear in print, making the information stale by the time you read it. But some issues of magazine offer educational CDs while others offer special reports. Look at magazines that can help your business or your job search.

· Network strategically

Networking with individuals, groups and organizations is extremely important to promoting you, your business, and your career experience if you are seeking a job. How you do it is the issue.

I networked by: (1) joining professional organizations whose purpose is to network with other business professionals and give out referrals; (2) joining professional associations with a large membership, educational and developmental resources, and different network groups, and (3) co-starting different personal network and development groups in both career change and/or business development. Sometimes this was necessary because I could not find a group that addressed my needs as well as the needs of others with similar goals.

Recently a group of small private business owners got together and started our own business development group that meets once a month. At each meeting we briefly introduce ourselves and tell a short commercial about our business, but most of the time is spent on a business topic will help us grow our businesses and help each other. Try it yourself.


Please post your thoughts and comments in a post. Also, if you want to publish this blog article or print to share, please keep this copyright permission statement with the article. These articles in http://lifepathcentral.blogspot.com/ are joyfully shared to help others, but not to be used for profit or selling to others. Copyright 2009 Bette Novak, LifePath Associates LLC.

Take It to the Next Level - Economy Going UP and I Am Still Unemployed; Now What Can I Do?

I read a recent article in the Wall Street Journal and it is stuck in my brain. The article said that “Bernake [Federal Reserve Chairman] sees an end to recession...but doesn’t see many new jobs soon.”

So what does that mean to those of you who are still looking for a job? It means that we still need to do our own work to search and find jobs in a competitive and tough market place. I work with people who are frustrated and worried about getting a job soon. To help them see what they can do to boost their job search, I use two check lists that help them see a system in searching for a job. I divided the two check lists into terms of traditional and non-traditional job search strategies. I define non-traditional in terms of new and creative job search strategies that are emerging or those that job seekers over look.

I want to share these check lists. Each shows the top 5 strategies.

Traditional Job Search Strategies

• Resumes (Chronological, Funtional or Combination)
• Network/Referrals (friends, colleagues, family and professional organzations)
• Research Job Postings (online, newspapers, professional magazines, etc.)
• Skilled Interview and Job Offer Negotiations
• Follow-up and Correspondence (cover letters, thank you notes, broadcast letters, cold call letters, etc.)

Non-traditional/New Job Search Strategies

• Online Connecting and Networking (Online Job Posting Site and Social Media Networks such as LinkedIn and Facebook)
• Electronic Career Marketing Website (your own electronic portfolio)
• Job Fairs and Special Events (“Pink Slip” Parties)
• Personal Professional Business Card (your mini-resume or calling card to help others remember you and refer you to job opportunities)
• Informational Interviews (make contact, learn about different jobs, and create a connection and build rapport to get good quality referrals)
  

These are only 10 strategies that will help you re-energize your job search. There are many more considerations and ideas that you may use too. One extra strategy is “branding you”. It can be a key element to market yourself so you stand out from your competition. Another extra strategy is to find a “survivor job”. It is recommended by some of the nationally known headhunters and recruiters interviewed on major news station. Finding a “survivor job” is a temporary employment solution that accomplishes two things: (1) provides income to meet your life expenses and (2) it helps people get out of the house and keeps them open to meeting people who can refer them onto a job opportunity in their chosen career.

Seeking a job can be seen as a challenge and an opportunity to reflect and grow, or it can be seen as a crisis and nightmare. Seek the positive path. You will find your reward.

Please post your thoughts and comments in a post. Also, if you want to publish this blog article or print to share, please keep this copyright permission statement with the article. These articles in http://lifepathcentral.blogspot.com/ are joyfully shared to help others, but not to be used for profit or selling to others. Copyright 2009 Bette Novak, LifePath Associates LLC.