Now What?® Coaching

from Laura Berman Fortgang

Inspiration to Follow Your Blueprint

Vern and his Molecat

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by Kirsten Meneghello, Now What® Facilitator

Our family went to the state fair this weekend and had a great time. I love to see the cows, pigs, llamas, and the proud 4-H kids showing off the animals they have raised. It’s a big deal.

While we were visiting the commercial exhibitors/vendors, we passed the requisite guy selling knives while slicing and dicing veggies and telling corny jokes. But I also met a really interesting guy who was selling an invention called the “Molecat.” It’s a device that kills moles instantly with percussion. It’s a pretty clever device and as I was talking with the salesman, I could tell he was really jazzed about it. I asked him, “Are you the inventor?” and he said proudly, “Yes.”

Since I’m a curious person, I asked him his name and how he came up with the idea. Vern said he used to work for Intel as a “troubleshooter” but was laid off a few years ago. He was helping his wife in the garden and they encountered a big mole problem. He put his troubleshooting and engineering skills to work and created a solution — the Molecat. Now Vern has a patent pending on the device and he and his wife run a business selling Molecats.

I was so touched by his story because when he got laid off from his job, he didn’t see it as the end of the world. He put his same skills to work — troubleshooting and engineering — and looked at opportunities to use them in his daily life. When Vern saw this opportunity, he took action and did something about it.

Since the economy has taken a downturn, there are a lot of people who have been laid off and have not taken it as well as Vern. But even if you have lost your job, you have to remember you have not lost your skills, creativity, work ethic, and knowledge that you have gained along the way. It’s important to step back, realize all you are and all you have accomplished and then apply it in a different way. I know all of us aren’t cut out to be entrepreneurs or inventors. But we can “re-invent” ourselves, if we are OPEN to opportunity and take ACTION when we are presented with options.

P.S. I’m not affiliated with Vern’s product in any way, but if you are curious (like me!) about Vern and his Molecat, his website is www.molecat.com.

College Student with an Idea turns Business Owner

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While an online business isn’t for everyone, these tips from Genevieve Thiers, founder of Sittercity.com, stem from her experience following through with an idea.  She was bold enough to start her business while still a college student and during a recession.  

Have you ever heard yourself say, “That would be a great idea for a business”?    Maybe it’s time to give one of those ideas a serious look.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

“Turn Your Dream Business into a Reality.”

Internships as a Way to Career Transition

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According to a recent CareerBuilder survey, there has been an increase in experienced candidates applying for internships. Along with volunteering, internships and other apprenticeship opportunities can be a viable way to gain experience during your career transition. Equally important, they will expand your network at the same time. Check out this article for some good examples and resources. 

“Lessons From A 60-Year-Old Intern.”

Cooking Up a Change: Lessons from a Lawyer Turned Chef

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by Ginny Kravitz, Deputy Editor

Pre-Cooking

As a kid, Andy Broder spent his Saturday mornings watching Julia Child on TV, but a career in cooking wasn’t even on the radar. It’s hard to imagine now but this was before celebrity chefs and Food Network. Viewing cooking as a hobby, Andy chose the field of law for his career and became a litigator.

Change Brewing

After five or six years, Andy had the vague sense that he would not be practicing law for the rest of his life. His dissatisfaction grew and he began to entertain the idea that by age 40 or so, he would transition to a new career, whatever that might be. A few years ahead of schedule and after 12 years practicing law, a potential change in his firm’s partnership arose and it became a natural time to leave. With no specific destination in mind, Andy sold his interest in his firm and decided to take some time off. “Because sometimes not doing anything is really doing something.”

He thumbed through books in the library and contemplated various professions. “But I always kept going back to the food section.” Andy’s decision to enroll in Scottsdale Culinary Institute was made with the rationale that even if he ultimately chose not to have a food career, he would be happy to have the knowledge. In that case, he would call it a sabbatical and could always go back to practicing law.

He followed his instincts and, rather than take a kitchen assignment at a hotel or restaurant, Andy obtained an internship on his own, writing for the Food Section of the Los Angeles Times. There he felt he would learn the most and be able to do what he loved: develop recipes and test them. Stating that he studied as hard for the culinary exam as the bar exam, Andy graduated with a 4.0 GPA and was a graduation speaker. “I wanted to get 100%.”

A Career That Cooks

Andy describes his process after graduation as part Zen in approach. “I continued to do what I liked and test the waters of what I thought I was going to like.” After five years of teaching around town, he decided to pursue the vision that was taking shape: his own “culinary studio” — a term he has registered as a trade name. To do this, he added some very practical disciplines into the Zen mix, namely a 20-page business plan and precise design specifications that would transform a former Pilates space to the kitchen and studio he envisioned.

AndyFood opened in 2003 and today offers cooking classes to the public, team building for organizations, client appreciation events, and private parties. Operating with the mantra of “the art of a good meal”,  Andy has observed that people like being part of a creative process. Classes culminate with a buffet of the students’ collective culinary creations which Andy says produces the feeling of being part of “something bigger than you”.

Commenting on how house parties usually end up with everybody in the kitchen, Andy says that part of his own enjoyment with AndyFood is that on a daily basis he gets to be “in the kitchen where people are having a party”.

When I asked Andy what he would say to someone who is contemplating a career change, he offered: “I think people should do something they really care about.” He then added that it’s important to be wary of “ruining your hobby” because not every hobby is meant to be turned into a profession.

“So, you haven’t ruined it for yourself?” I asked, “You still love to cook?” Andy’s answer: “I do.”

“I didn’t find a place where my peg fit into that shape hole.
I sort of created my own space to do what I want to do.”
—Andy Broder

See Also: How Careers Are Made, 8 lessons we can take from Andy’s story.

Complete interview posted here. 

A Lifetime Passion Lights Up a New Career

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Michael Leigh started looking through telescopes as an 8 year old and his interest in astronomy stayed with him in the form of a lifelong hobby.  After losing his job as vice president in a manufacturing plant, Leigh took temporary employment with a telescope manufacturer, while making plans to run a bed-and-breakfast with his wife.  The Observer’s Inn, located in Julian, California is designed for star gazing, with a  private observatory that Leigh built by hand with a friend.  In reading Leigh’s story, we’re struck by how one’s interests and passions, when nourished over the years, can germinate and come forth in unexpected ways.  Kudos to Leigh for creating a new career he loves and for sharing his sense of wonder with others.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

“Star Gazing as a Second Career.” 

When It’s a Dream That Won’t Go Away

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It was too serious, back-to-back car accidents  that caused Neda DeMayo to ask herself “What if I won the lotto… What if I had all the money I ever needed – what would I do with my life?”  Posing that question resulted in Neda’s decision to leave her career as a costume designer and wardrobe stylist and create Return to Freedom, a non-profit that provides safe haven for relocated wild horses and burros.  Protecting horses was a long-deferred dream from Neda’s childhood.  Once she decided to pursue her goal, Neda conducted three years of research and planning, as well as “plenty of second-guessing”.  Once the sanctuary was operational, Neda encountered various challenges and even prayed that the desire be taken away from her.  “But my passion drove me forward.”  

Now, 13 years later, she encourages others to “just get started” with their unfulfilled goals.  “I think when it’s a dream that won’t go away, you owe it to yourself to pursue it and be committed.”  She says: “As challenging as it is – and it’s the biggest challenge I’ve ever had – it’s the most rewarding experience of my life.” 

 “Finding Sanctuary: From Stylist to Wildlife Preservationist.”