I have been in business for over 20 years with People In Progress but it took me a long time to feel confident enough to call myself a businesswoman. It actually all happened in July, 1989 after I had been retrenched from my job as National Training Manager for a National Fashion Retail Chain based in Sydney Australia. The company went into liquidation and I was out of a job. My self esteem was at an all time low (and in those days, think low and then quadruple it!). I did have a great work ethic though and always prided myself on adding incredible value to every employer I had worked for. It didn't matter what I was doing, whether it was scrubbing cupboards in a cafeteria or heading up a training department for an entire company, I always left the place better for me having been there - I made it my goal early in my life that I would be a CONTRIBUTOR wherever I went.
I'll talk about CONTRIBUTION/MAINTENANCE/DEPLETION in a later blog but for now; always leave a positive fingerprint on whatever it is that you do. You will certainly reap the rewards. We can so easily miss an amazing opportunity right before us because we are so busy waiting for something better to come along. What you have is what you have and it is what it is. Those greazy cupboards were exactly that, greazy, smelly cupboards but they gave me an opportuntity to show who I was and what i could do. I scrubbed until my hair was drenched with sweat and my hands were red and sore but I can tell you now, those cupboards SHONE! I was milkshake maker in three weeks! Straight up that corporate ladder for me! :)
My past commitment to working hard and always giving more than was expected paid off. I was very employable and quickly found a job with a recruitment agency. I excelled, mainly due to the strong relationships I formed with my clients and my past experience and talent at finding “talent”. The main reason my success happened with this company though was my willingness to go out and meet my clients face to face. I still am a great advocate of "seeing" people. People have connections with people. I think with todays technology it is too easy to hide behind an email, even a phone. By making an effort, clients see that care and have an interest in them as a person, not just a transaction. It was here that a few of my clients started asking me about training and if I would be willing to do a few evening sessions for them. PIP
Not long after this I began People In Progress Pty Ltd with $167 to my name, a rickety old computer that was held together with rubber bands (borrowed from a friend who later sold it to me for $500!) and a very fancy desk made from a $40 card table!
Let's remember, I had no self-esteem, I had no money and I had practically no contacts or networks, as I had only relocated to Sydney a little over 12 months before. I also had my fair share of naysayers telling me that I was crazy to be starting a business in such circumstances and that I would be more secure if I got myself a “real” job.
Perhaps they were partially right because trust me, when I say that I had no idea what I was doing - it was really through sheer desperation that I was able to get my business off the ground. I had NO MONEY and anyone in business will tell you, CASH is KING! I didn't even have a credit card, as I was a risk to the bank back in those days and I always seemed to spend more than I earned, regardless of how much I earned. As a girlfriend of mine said once, who needs to eat when you look this good!
But an amazing thing happens when you have a passion that spills out of your every pore and a fire in your belly to make something happen. Aside from the fact that I needed to start making money right from the start as I had bills to pay; like rent and food for a start, I so wanted to make a diference in people's lives!!!
So…. after writing long hand and then two finger typing my entire three day C.A.R.E. (Customers Are Really Everything) Intensive Sales & Communication Program, I had something to sell at the end of two very long and tiring weeks.
Once I had the program in my hands (which was a culmination of all my experience and research over the previous 8 years) I opened a big, fat yellow book called the Yellow Pages and started calling businesses. Now, of course I didn’t start from page one … and work my way through! I had done enough sales training to know that there is a process. I had my product (C.A.R.E) and my sales expertise so I created my first “list”, picked up that phone and didn’t stop till I had made an appointment.
I had also established an excellent reputation in the industry for my training skill and ability to get results so I was able to use this history of success as leverage. My first client actually came through word of mouth – a friend of a friend of a friend had heard about me and he wanted to see me. His name was Tom Tsipris, the original owner of Surf Dive 'N' Ski in Sydney and that man took a chance on me and changed the course of my life. After the first training session with his team, I had to ask for part payment so that I could pay my rent and buy food. That was a humbling moment for me and I will never forget it. Nor will I forget looking at that first check and thinking, “Wow, I have never had that much money in my entire life.” It was $2670 and it was to be the first payment from my first client who remained so until he sold his company 15 years later. The reputation I built from that 1 client turned into many and the wonderful people I was fortunate enough to train still contact me years later to say how they still remember what they have learnt.
So, I was in profit within 3 months because I had very few overheads. I didn’t need a fancy office or a car, or stationery to start with (my cards were always at the printers!!) so before I knew it, I had a list of clients and my business was thriving.
I can’t wait to share in future blogs how I built this business over a 21 year period, where I intend to take it over the next decade in Australia, here in the USA and in other parts of the world. I want to give other people the same opportunity I have had; building a sound business that contributes to the well being of all concerned, but minimizing the mistakes i made. I see huge potential for a new breed of business owners who can vastly add value to this country through the development of others both professionally and personally.
I would love to also share some of the clever and crazy business decisions I have made along the way - I cringe just thinking about them!
Having worked with some of the greatest shakers and movers in business and in life gives me that wonderful opportunity to share their wisdom with you as well. I give thanks everyday for the people that have shared my path with me. It is because of them that I am where I am and do what I do.
Till next time …
