Consultant and Coaching, recovering from the non-profit world....

I think it would be a great idea to find others on this site who do what you do & ask them directly. I believe you will be surprised at how your 'competition' can actually be your ally.

You might even end up starting or joining a consulting/coaching community. Sharing ideas would benefit everyone.

Some tips from me on the for-profit gig:

1 - understand your customer. 2 - maintain absolute integrity. 3 - be fearlessly honest.

If you do these things, you will always be useful. Good luck! :)els

Welcome to the world of entrepreneurship! Lots of excitement and lots of fun and your investment creates great returns for you! Network, network, network and you will find people guiding you along the way happily!

Cheers, Judi Finneran

It's funny. All of the great tips above, in my opinion, apply to the nonprofit world as well. I transitioned from a management position at World Vision, an international relief and development nonprofit, to owning my own business. I learned that in both arenas, marketing and promotion are crucial to growth, whether you are talking about increased sales or more donors to fund your programs. (Know your target market, uncover your Universal Selling Proposition, identify the core needs and desires of your customers, etc.) I think that your nonprofit experience could actually help you. Anyway, welcome to Biznik!

The basic difference between for-profit and not-for-profit businesses is that no market can be made for not-for-profit businesses. Unlike for-profit businesses, non-profits cannot be bought and sold. Otherwise, the issues are quite similar. Both need to address finances, goods/services, resource allocation and core knowledge. Cultural differences stem partly from reality and partly from myth. Individuals employed in both types of enterprises can be equally generous or unsymathetic. Neither has a lock on nobility or political motivation.

My advice--focus very quicly on your core knowledge. Target your services to those most in need who can afford to pay. Build from long term relationships while developing new ones.

Corrina,

We'll have to chat offline sometime. I was Manager of Writing Services at WV and it was a constant balancing, considering the quite different needs and perspectives of the promotional/marketing division and the program staff in the field. Their mission was most important, of course, but they couldn't do it without the grants and other funding we brought in.

I learned so much at World Vision it is difficult to choose one thing, but I guess I have to say the people skills and the customer service ethic. 6,000 projects in 126 countries, phones constantly ringing, getting up at 1am to go to the office (this was in Los Angeles) to conduct a phone interview with a project manager in Senegal, that sort of thing. And I learned to respect and meet deadlines.

I think you'll do great running your own business because you undoubtedly picked up skills like that, too.

It is up to you to put a value on what you do, Corrina. If you don't put a high value, no one else will. I suggest reading the Way of the Accidental Entrepreneur by Molly Gordon. Her website is authenticpromotion.com. Mark Silver at heartofbusiness.com is another useful resource. I have found both useful as I too am new at coaching...a branching out from clinical practice. The best to you and your business.

Thanks for the plug, Aamer!

Corrina, I agree with everything I've read above.

The communication and management skills required for success are very similar. Yet, the emotional and spiritual relationship of an owner to her business and its clients can be quite different than the relationship of a non-profit board or staff member to the agency and its clientele.

"Accidental entrepreneurs," people who have responded to a calling by working for themselves, can experience more stress and fear as entrepreneurs than they do in even high-level roles in non-profits.

Yes Aamer- thanks for the plug, too!

I spent years in the nonprofit world before going indie business owner, so I understand the transition. You actually are well-equipped to succeed- much as people said above. The vision and values that drive nonprofits are actually indispensible in the for-profit arena, where there is such a deficit of trust. The kind of sincerity that nonprofits bring is a tremendous asset in a for-profit business.

You might like this article: How long does it take to get a business going?

Or this one: Why you don't need a business plan.

Let me know if those are helpful, or if you have any more specific questions that you're facing.

Great points, Aamer, Molly and Mark. I need to check out Molly and Mark's websites!

This is a topic near and dear to my heart. With our first (and still existing) business, Cat's Eye Group, we included in our business plan not just economic and service missions but a social mission, as well as our core values of course. Maybe it was I because I had come from the nonprofit world, or maybe that's just how we decided we wanted to operate. But we have never regretted it. I think you're right, Mark, about the "deficit of trust" in the for-profit environment.

Interestingly enough I come from the for-profit sector and have just started taking a look at the non-profit sector. It seems most of you went the opposite way. I'm wondering if there is something to that. I'm assuming that the same challenges occur in both sectors. I have learned that the best approach is to focus more on my reaction to each new challenge. While you may be able to influence others the only thing you truly control is your own emotions. It's not always easy but it is vital to success.

Find your niche. Figure out what your target market is and where your expertise, strengths and passion lie and go after those clients. It may be scary because you may think, "oh my, there are not enough of this sort of company. Or, there are already people in my field" but once you start building your reputation and having success your little world of influence will open and people will come to you. It is better to be fabulous at 1 thing than mediocre at 99 things. This was a hard lesson for me- when I first started I would take on clients no matter what- even if I didnt love their business model or if they were not in my area of expertise. Know when to turn someone down- refer them to another consultant, say you are not the best girl for the job. Once I started doing that I found that clients who are in my area came calling because I was directed at them, not all over the place. And then it grows from there.