Latest figures put the US unemployment rate at approximately 10 percent.  That can be a daunting number for those hoping to find a job.  The nightly evening news paints a desperate picture of unemployed America.  Interestingly enough most of the job seekers I know are upbeat and hopeful.  Many have been at dead end jobs for years, just going through the motions of keeping that job.  They have told me that losing their jobs has been liberating.  One client who had been at the same mind numbing job for ten years said she was looking forward to reinventing herself and very optimistic about her options.  One thing that the 10 percent rate of unemployment has done is to remove any stigma about being unemployed.  Liberation and acceptance - unemployed is a powerful and creative place to be.

Many unemployed individuals are coming up with inspired ways to re-enter the work world.  Some are choosing to go back to school for an advanced degree or specialty, such as nursing.  Others are taking a closer look at what their strengths are and what makes them happy.   As a coach it is very gratifying to help someone discover their talents and passions and develop a plan to use those to earn an income.  One of the best ways to jump into unknown waters is to volunteer your talents.  “Volunteering and pursuing avenues where you excel…can ­help career-changers make the best of the situation”, said Mary Beth Sammons, author of “Second Acts that Change Lives: Making a Difference in the World.”  (Alban, 2009)  Not only do you get some experience under your belt, but the enthusiasm you feel when doing something that is worthwhile and exciting can really accelerate your career move.  Not being tied to that 40 plus hour work week allows you to explore, create and network. Take advantage and enjoy.

Unemployment may not be a welcomed situation, but we are learning that it is not always a bad situation either.  Remarkably, we are seeing a recent trend where some top managers of large companies are up and quitting their jobs without having another offer lined up.  These mavericks are announcing to the business world that they have higher aspirations and they have the courage and self confidence to pursue them.   “The decision to quit a senior position to look for a better one is unconventional, to say the least. For years executives and headhunters have hewed closely to the rule that the most attractive CEO candidates are the ones who must be poached.” (McGregor, 2009) Changing the rules of the game and making it your game- that is exactly the type of attitude I strive to uncover in people.

As a result of hard economic times we realize that employer provided health care coverage and 401K matching may be a thing of the past.  What we aren’t hearing is that now is the time for the American worker to define who they are and where they want to be.   Whether it is a career change, a company change or starting a small business, we Americans are overcoming fear and leaping towards advancement and self-fulfillment.  The shame of unemployment, the allure of company benefits and panic of the unknown no longer imprisons the American worker.  I find this an exciting time for all of us.  As history has taught us, Americans will persevere and inspire.  I urge you to think about your aspirations and encourage you to invest in yourself.  No time like the present to be proactive.  Define, commit, achieve – let’s do that together!

Alban, D. (2009, July 6). Laid-Off Workers Find Fulfillment in New Careers. Retrieved November 8, 2009, from CNN: www.cnn.com/2009/living/worklife/07/06/career.change/index.html

McGregor, J. (2009, November 5). Top Managers Are Quitting Without a New Job. Retrieved November 8, 2009, from Business Week: www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_46/b4155072824076.htm?chan=magazine+channel_what’s+next

Some people may wonder why they even need to call a Business Coach. After all, if your business is thriving and everything seems to be going very well, why should you spend the time or money in consulting a Business Coach?

Well, there are actually several reasons why talking with a Business Coach is useful even if your business is going well.

• First, a Business Coach has an outside perspective. He or she has no pre-conceived notions about your business, giving him/her a great view of how your company looks to an outsider. Your Business Coach can often see things that you overlook, and these are often things that would either cause problems in the future or can be changed to make your business more efficient.

• Second, a Business Coach isn’t consulted just to solve problems. In fact, many people discuss their very successful businesses with a coach. They want someone to challenge their perceptions and look for blind spots they might have when reviewing the business objectives, clients, employees, systems and results. They also want to simply talk about their business strategies and approaches. Often, the discussion takes a more personal turn, and the two discuss things like the owner’s managerial style, motivations and vision.

• Finally, sometimes a Business Coach serves as a sounding board. As a business owner, you may have several ideas for your company but aren’t sure which path to take. You can bounce these ideas off the Business Coach to get an idea of how they will be perceived by your customers and your employees. This is a great way of getting feedback before you implement ideas at your company.

A large percentage of my coaching practice involves helping clients who are already successful to become even more successful. To achieve bigger goals. To expand their business. To grow from a freelancer to an owner of a marketing agency. To move quickly from a small business to mid-size business. To crystallize their vision.

If you’re already a successful entrepreneur or business owner, it’s important to realize the importance of having a Business Coach who can be an outside sounding board to help you quickly grow or expand your business. For your complimentary initial consultation, please call Carroll King Schuller at 804.288.0099 to set up an appointment at a time that works best for you.

One of the biggest trends in the business world is to seek Business Coaching. Retaining a Business Coach doesn’t mean your business is failing or that you necessarily have a problem to solve. Instead, Business Coaching is often used by business owners to create a collaborative opportunity to review ideas and create structure for improving their businesses, management style and professional skills.

Business Coaching is a growing trend for several reasons. It helps to have an outside objective person asking questions about what they are considering as you move forward in life or business, and at the same time looking at the other professionals that are necessary to encourage and position the business for the growth. Many business owners want a coach to have the focus to ask the questions, understand and challenge the priorities and create accountability for smooth moves going forward. This relationship creates the opportunity to evaluate what works for a company and what doesn’t. Business Coaches are perfect for this since many have experience with businesses and can objectively ask the hard questions.

Another reason why people are turning to Business Coaches more and more is because business owners want a confidant. They provide a great place to discuss the vision you have for your company, ideas for the future, and more. Business Coaches won’t share your ideas with anyone, so you can freely bounce ideas off of them. This is a great way to get feedback on ideas that you’re not certain of.

Finally, Business Coaching is a growing trend because, well, it works. You can actually see your business making more money after talking with a Business Coach. For that reason alone, it’s clear to see why more and more people are turning to Business Coaches.

For your free initial coaching consultation, please call Carroll King Schuller at 804.288.0099. You’ll be glad you did.

Using a Life Coach may not be something you have considered before, but it is something that can help a lot of people who may not realize they actually need it. Being more specific, Life Coaching can help guide you through your important life decisions while assisting you in prioritizing your goals and work on a path to achieving them. A lot of people do not even realize they are using up excessive amounts of time and energy in the hope of accomplishing their life’s goals. By working with a Life Coach you can learn to concentrate your efforts so that you can see a valuable change in your day-to-day life.

If you are considering whether you should use a Life Coach or not, then one thing you can do is to sit down and figure out where you are in your life and where you hope to be in five years time. You should be making some progress toward this goal but if you are not, you might consider asking someone who is involved in Life Coaching for assistance. You will also want to make sure you research the person you are considering hiring as your Life Coach so that you find the right person for you. Since there is no government regulation for coaching, you will need to rely on word-of-mouth and solid reviews from current and previous clients. Be sure to check out the references thoroughly before hiring your Life Coach.

And choosing the right Life Coach is an important decision. After all, you’ll be spending a lot of time together discussing your personal life and goals. This is why I make my client testimonials available on my website and refresh those about once a quarter. It is also why I am willing to give references to new clients. In addition, my first consultation is complimentary and can be conducted on the telephone or in person and the ongoing coaching can be conducted on the telephone or in person as well. If you’re considering hiring a Life Coach who is not able to provide results, references or flexibility, then you may want to reconsider. There are many coaches to choose from and you want to find the one that will work best for you.

Carroll King Schuller is the Business & Life Coach for Fast Thinking Adults. As your intuitive guide, creative inquirer and thought clarifier, Carroll is the coach most likely to “get you.” Fast! Please call Carroll on her confidential office line at 804.288.0099. She’ll be happy to schedule your complimentary first consultation at a time that is convenient for you.

Talking with a business coach can do a lot for you. It can make you more confident, give you a good idea of which of your plans will work and which may not, and more. However, as a business owner, you always have to keep an eye on the bottom line. To that end, you have to know the answer to a very important question: will using a business coach increase your business’s profits?

The answer is almost always yes, but it’s sometimes hard to see. If you and your business coach discuss your business and he or she notices areas where you can improve, then you may tangibly see an increase in profits. Making your business more cost-effective is one thing a business coach can help you with that will obviously result in profits. Your business coach may be able to uncover places in which you can slash a budget or change a business practice so that you can make more money.

However, you may not always be able to see an actual dollar increase from your business coaching sessions. This is because business coaches often work on areas that don’t directly correlate to budgets. For example, they may help you work on your management style or discuss some of your visions for your business. These abstract ideas can’t be measured in profits, obviously, but they can be measured in other ways. The continuing success of your business is often the best measurement.

When I work with my Business Coaching clients, the results are often directly related to their bottom line in terms of increased sales and/or profits. But for every time I can help a client financially, I can help them many times over in less directly-measurable ways such as hiring the right positions and people, leading more effectively, better managing of work load and work flow, or utilization of outside resources to best leverage my client’s time. All business problems have some level of impact to the bottom line and often it has to do with something that my client can’t accomplish because roadblocks are in his/her way. Quickly figuring out how to remove those barriers is often an essential aspect – maybe the most important aspect — to improve business profitability.

If you’re thinking Business Coaching may be right for you and your company, please call Carroll King Schuller at 804.288.0099 to set up a time for your complimentary first consultation. My client’s success is critical to my success and you can read testimonials on my website.

There are many different ways to receive business coaching. One way, of course, is to schedule a one-on-one phone call or visit with your business coach. This is the most common way of conducting a business coaching call, but there is another alternative that you may be interested in: group business coaching.

In group business coaching calls, you join other business owners in the discussion. The business coach directs the call, with everyone adding his or her own ideas or asking questions during the discussion. There are some advantages to group business coaching. Instead of just hearing the ideas of the business coach, you can get feedback from the entire group. Often one person will have a completely different view on a subject, which can be very valuable. Because the business owners in the group are often in different types and sizes of businesses, they can provide viewpoints outside of your own. Hearing these other business owners discuss their problems and how they do things can be very insightful and may help you avoid roadblocks in the future.

The biggest downside to group business coaching calls is, of course, the group. You don’t have the one-on-one time with the business coach like you normally would. This means the conversation will not be as focused on your own concerns. In fact, since the call is on a time limit, the group may not get to your concern at all. However, most business coaches do keep this in mind and stick to a schedule, so that everyone gets time to speak.

In my coaching practice, I offer group sessions by phone and also in person at my office. The groups are kept small, no more than 6 people, in order to keep the conversation flowing and still give everyone the chance to ask questions and get what they need. Many people like the group sessions because of the benefits of working with other business owners and professionals, as well as the reduced per-person cost. But some business executives prefer a session with just one or two of their own business partners, in order to more quickly solve their own business problems.

Whatever you prefer – group sessions, partner sessions or individual coaching – the discussion will be valuable to you, perhaps in different ways. Please call me, Carroll King Schuller, to discuss which coaching option will best suit your present needs or to customize a business coaching program in your office or mine. My confidential office line is 804.288.0099.

Most people have probably heard about life coaching, but are unsure of what it is that a life coach actually does. The truth of the matter is that there is no one clear answer because a life coach will work with individual clients to help them achieve their personal goals. The way that someone will accomplish this could easily vary and would depend, for example, on the methods employed by the life coach and how the individual will react to these methods. Life coaching is something that is intended to help people in a way that works best for them: therefore, a coach could try a few methods before finding the right one for a particular client.

Life coaches are not intended to work with people needing therapy or medical treatment. Instead, they focus their life coaching techniques on the people who have the capacity to deal with their life, but often lack the motivation or desire to achieve their goals. The form of life coach that we know today originated in the upper levels of business management when it was known as executive coaching because it would help high-powered executives prioritize and achieve company goals.

There is no regulatory board for life coaching, so probably the best way to find a good coach is through a referral, preferably from someone you know and trust. And certainly you should ask for testimonials from both current and past clients before signing on. Current clients should be making progress and getting specific results in just a few months of working with a life coach.

If you have any questions about how I work with my life-coaching clients, please call me, Carroll King Schuller, at 804.288.0099. And you can always visit my website for my recent client testimonials.  Clients’ own words are proof-positive that life coaching works.

You may have heard about business coaches but are unsure if you need one. While most people can benefit in some way from working with a business coach, here are the four most common reasons for calling a business coach:

1. You find yourself unhappy with your job. 
Some people may actually be in the wrong career. However, others may simply need to learn to look at their jobs differently. A business coach can help you evaluate if you need to learn to approach your job in a different way or if you should make the jump into a new career.

2. You can’t seem to get work done on time.
Business coaches can help you develop better time management skills. If you’ve noticed that you’re taking longer to get projects done or that you’re always up against deadlines, you may need to work on your time management abilities. A business coach can teach you multiple methods for doing this.

3. You think you’re underpaid.
If you’re unhappy with your salary, a business coach may be able to help you learn how to get ahead in your job and increase your salary. There’s no miracle answer to making more money, but a business coach can teach you several ways to get ahead that can result in a higher salary.

4. You need to make better connections.
A business coach can help you learn how to make friends and acquaintances in the business world. Networking is one of the most important things in business, and learning how to successfully meet people can turn your career around.

If you find yourself in one of these situations, working with a business coach can be the answer to your problems. Call Carroll King Schuller today at 804-288-0099 for your free consultation!

You may not be sure of what working with a business coach will entail. In fact, many people don’t realize that a business coach isn’t going to simply tell you how to change your life to make it perfect. Instead, a good business coach will work with you to identify issues on which you need to work.

Business coaches don’t always meet face to face with their clients. In fact, you may never actually meet your business coach in person. You may choose instead to have all of your business coaching sessions over the phone. This method can actually be just as effective as sitting down with your business coach in an office.  However, you must be willing to focus on talking with your coach—don’t allow yourself to multitask during this time.

When working with a business coach, don’t expect everything to change right away. You may need to work with a business coach for several months in order to work through all the issues you wish to cover.

In fact, some people maintain their relationship with their business coach for years, although they may decrease the frequency of their meetings. Keeping in touch with your business coach can help you constantly evaluate your business and life decisions.

Don’t expect to look too much at the past beyond identifying behaviors. Business coaching is not therapy, after all—it’s much more focused on moving ahead. You will need to examine past business decisions and behaviors, of course, to learn what you need to work on. However, once that’s done, you’ll start focusing on your future and on moving ahead.

Ready to start working with an experienced business coach? Call me today at 804-288-0099 for your free consultation!

Some people are uncertain if they need a business coach. After all, if you can’t get ahead in business on your own, isn’t that a sign that you aren’t meant to succeed? Experienced business people know better—asking for assistance is always a smart business move.

Working with a business coach can be challenging at times. You must make a commitment to yourself to keep an open mind in order to get the most out of your sessions.

You must be prepared to listen to what someone has to say about your business and your life in general. A business coach will make suggestions on how you can change your life, and if you aren’t open to hearing any sort of criticism, you will spend more time arguing with your business coach and not enough time discussing how to work on your weaknesses.

Likewise, a business coach may make suggestions that you simply don’t like. However, these suggestions may be the best advice you could get on a topic. If you’re not willing to at least consider them, you are wasting both your time and your business coach’s time.

Be ready to listen to everything your business coach suggests, even if it’s something you initially think is not a good idea. You may be surprised to realize that something you at first thought was horrible is actually the best solution.

One of the biggest parts of working with a business coach, especially at first, is learning about your weaknesses and areas in which you need to improve. While no one likes to hear that they’re doing something the wrong way, you can’t get back on track in the business world without learning what you need to change.

Keep an open mind and be honest with yourself and your business coach, and you might see your career—and your life—turn around faster than you ever thought possible.

Ready to start working with an experienced business coach? Call me today at 804-288-0099 for a free consultation!