Right Out Into Entrepreneurship—Without A Parachute

It was a matter of timing—and trusting my own inner knowing.

I didn’t know anything about running a business. I just knew that working in corporations was killing my soul.

I spent six months as a technical writer in a mainframe company. There, I learned FrameMaker which was the premier software for technical manuals at the time. I converted all the company’s software manuals into FrameMaker and became an expert in designing FrameMaker book templates. That fluke of luck positioned me for my leap into my own business.

At this point, I had a decision to make. To stay on that job, I’d have to do some serious work learning the mainframe. My technical-writer mentor advised me against going this direction (good thing). We negotiated an exit from that business that was mutually beneficial.

And I Was Smart Enough To Know I Was Ignorant About Business

Within a few days, I had my first contract as a technical writer. From that point, I was consistently working on technical writing contracts. I got work through agencies. Tech writing was so hot in those days that once I knew my current contract was ending, I’d have multiple offers for new contracts.

The only thing I knew for sure was that I never wanted to work in a corporation again. So—I had to learn how to run a business. With that first contract in hand, I immediately went to San Francisco Renaissance (a small business “incubator”). I registered for their six-month entrepreneur program, where we focused on writing a Business Plan.

I tied for the top prize in writing the Business Plan. That program was three hours in-person class, 2X a week for six months. Our homework filled a 4” binder. By the end of the course, I had a fully developed business structure, with a retirement plan, medical insurance, and disability insurance. Most importantly, I was confident that I knew what I needed to know to have a successful business.

Remember the dot.com crash—from one week to the next, everything changed. The business evaporated, and I suffered a debilitating computer injury at the same time. Even if there had been work, I was unable to sit or work on the computer—at all—even for 30 seconds.

The Doctor Said I’d Never Be Able To Use A Computer Again

After a lengthy time of self-examination, I decided to train as a coach. This was something I could do without a computer. Even if I was in pain on the floor, I could still speak to and help clients on the phone. I researched various coaching programs and chose CoachU’s 2-year program and graduated.

That Led Me To A Quest To Learn How To Market

I needed to change—without the easy availability of contracts, I had to learn marketing. At this point, I discovered Robert Middleton’s Action Plan Marketing. His information made so much sense to me that I signed up for his year-long coaching program.

During that year’s training, writing website content became my primary focus. Robert had a wonderful approach, and I adopted it and started providing these services. He coached me one-on-one to write websites. I found something I really loved. I became a Certified Action Plan Marketing Coach.

Here Are Some Of The Relevant Trainings I’ve Done

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