“People don’t buy the drill bit;
they buy the hole in the wall”! 
Unknown

June 2023

Hello Renée,

Have you ever had an “itch” to do something different, to shake things up, to get out of your rut? That was me when I turned 50 – I guess you could call it my “mid-life crisis”. While I was already running my own consulting business in the capital markets arena for 13 years, I was getting bored. I wanted a change; I wanted to be excited again about what I do and who I help. My main premise was I wanted to start an online business to allow me more freedom to travel.

So, I decided to create an online course for fresh university graduates on how to become an equity research analyst and secure their first job. After all, I loved training and I loved financial modeling (yes, I geeked out that way!) and I had been doing in-person corporate equity analysis training for over 15 years. 

As you likely know, that’s not where I ended up. I started down that track but after over a year trying to get it off the ground, my business coach and a newly introduced friend made me realize I wanted something new altogether (I am deeply grateful for their influence). As a result of this experience, I determined what excited me most was helping entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses. Consequently, I pivoted and trained to became a business coach.  And here I am over 7 years later, still loving what I do! There isn’t any “7-year itch” to scratch here!

When I speak to “would be” entrepreneurs about starting their own business, one of the main concerns is, “I don’t know what I want my business to be about.  How do I know what to choose?”  My most common response is, “Just pick one for now – you won’t know for sure unless you start”.  Just like a car cannot change direction unless it’s moving, you won’t know if you found the “right” business until you start experimenting with what works and what doesn’t. 

I give some tips below to help think about what ideas might work for your new business venture. Download the worksheet to help you reflect and generate ideas.

• Be creative, don’t think about reasons why it won’t work. Think about why it will work!
• Think about the impact you will have and the legacy you will build as a result!
• Think about the problems you will help solve.
• Think about all the learning and personal growth you will also experience by trying something new, expanding your world.

Are you up for the challenge?

Please feel free to share this information within your network. We need more entrepreneurs in this world!

Always be curious,

P.S.Establishing your Niche will be the topic of the next newsletter.

Embarking on a new entrepreneurial journey is an exciting and fulfilling endeavor, especially when you're armed with experience, knowledge, and a desire to leave a lasting impact. The online world offers endless opportunities to create a business that aligns with your values, expertise, and desire for impact.

When working with people wondering about how they can start an online business, I ask them to think about these five areas to help them generate business ideas. 

1. Reflect on Your Passion and Purpose: What are you passionate about and why?  Are there certain causes you care deeply about? Are there issues in the world that you have successfully dealt with that your community would benefit from your experience and knowledge?  Think about the times when you have felt most energized and engaged in your professional or personal life. Reflect on the skills and expertise you possess. Think about how you can leverage that expertise and align it with your purpose. This self-reflection will help you narrow down potential online service business ideas aligning with your values.  I recommend you write your self-reflection on paper while enjoying the outdoors. Science has proven we are more creative and open-minded when we do so.

2. Identify Problems You are Good at Solving: A powerful way to discover potential business ideas for your online service is to reflect on the problems you have solved throughout your life.  Your experiences, both personal and professional, have likely presented you with challenges that required your expertise, leadership, and problem-solving skills.  Also consider how you have a unique approach to solving these challenges. What steps did you take? Look for a common theme amongst these challenges. Are there recurring issues or areas where you consistently excel?  By examining these instances, you can uncover valuable insights to help you identify the type of business you want to build.  Afterall, businesses are built to provide solutions to problems.

3. Determine Transferable Skills: Consider the skills and competencies you utilized when solving these problems. Are there particular skills critical to your success? It could be strategic thinking, effective communication, project management, leadership, or any other transferable skill that helped you overcome challenges. Identifying these skills will enable you to leverage them in your online service business.

4. Identify Market Gaps and Trends: Research the current market trends and identify gaps or unmet needs within your areas of interest. Think about how you can provide value and solve problems for a specific target audience. By analyzing the market and understanding your potential customers, you can position your online service business to cater to their needs effectively.

5. Seek Feedback from Friends, Mentors and/or Family members: Reach out to trusted friends, mentors, or colleagues and seek their perspective on your passion, problem-solving capabilities and transferable skills. They may provide valuable insights or help you uncover aspects about yourself that you hadn't considered. Engage in conversations with people who inspire you and share their own journeys of purposeful entrepreneurship. Their stories and advice can fuel your reflection process.

By following these five tips, you will have a good start on what type of business you might consider.  Once you know this, you can take the next step to get even more clarity on what is the right path for you! 

Reflection Exercise: How to Generate Business Ideas

Download the worksheet: If you are wondering if starting an online business is for you, this worksheet will guide you in the reflection process and help you generate ideas!

I recommend that you find a comfortable place outdoors to do the exercise. Science has proven we are more creative and open-minded when we do so.

Let's talk!

I'm here if you'd like to dig a little deeper or talk about next steps... Schedule a complimentary discover call! Click here to schedule.

FREE GIFT

If you know it's time for a change in a specific area of your life, but you aren't sure how to make it happen, this is for you - Courage, Risks and Reward: Taking a Chance to Change Your Life -  a 5-part Coaching Program compliments of The LEAP Network!

Click here to download the program.

Let's connect...
Join me in a one-hour complimentary strategy session to help determine how you can move forward in getting unstuck, and gain momentum to move in the right direction for you. During our session, we will go over one or two exercises and determine the one next step you can take on your own after the call to keep the momentum going. Click here to schedule your session

SOCIAL MEDIA

Renée Blasky is the Founder and CEO of The LEAP Network Ltd.

Renée discovered her business and mindset coaching super powers when she was approached by a woman looking for assistance in developing a business opportunity.  She hasn’t looked back since.  Coaching women fits with her passion to empower women so they live a fulfilled life and make choices from a foundation of personal power, financial freedom and a deep sense of accomplishment.

Through her own experiences, as well as coaching women entrepreneurs and women in finance, Renée understands women often undermine their confidence and self-esteem. Consequently, they jeopardize their success paths, and mental fitness. As mindset accounts for an estimated 80% of success and happiness, Renée helps her clients to understand the lies they are telling themselves, how they are sabotaging their performance, wellness and relationships and helps them to establish a new journey to thrive utilizing their superpowers.

Renée helps her clients find clarity, regain their passion, set stick-worthy goals, stay focused, create the right mindset, and be accountable.  She also gently pushes her clients outside of their comfort zones and helps them face their fears so they can achieve their dreams. Renée works with her clients through various online courses, webinars, one-on-one coaching, and group coaching programs.

Renée, who trained as a life coach with Tony Robbins and Cloé Madanes, is also a certified trainer for Marci Shimoff's Happy for No Reason and Susan Jeffer's Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway courses based on their respective books of the same name. She is also trained in the Positive Intelligence^® program to increase her client’s mental fitness.

Renée is aptly qualified to coach women entrepreneurs and women in investments having founded two of her own businesses; investment management consulting services and business coaching. She loves multi-cultural environments, having lived abroad for 35 years with assignments in 13 countries. She obtained her Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Charter in 1990, and has over 30 years of experience in the investment/finance industry.  She is listed in Marquis Who’s Who in America, Who's Who in the World and Who’s Who in Finance.  She has also received various awards and recognition in the investment industry through her work with the CFA Institute and the development of capital markets in East Africa.

Learn more about Renée and The LEAP Network by visiting her website here: www.reneeblasky.com

You can also send an email directly to Renée at renee@reneeblasky.com