Showing posts with label official Escape From Corporate America. Show all posts
Showing posts with label official Escape From Corporate America. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

FAQ: Frequently Avoided Questions Related to Starting a Business

I was researching away on a project for a client and accidentally stumbled upon a PDF file I had downloaded to my MacBook in 2004.  It's called "The Art of the Start" and is based on Guy Kawasaki's book by the same title.

The FAQ:  Frequently Avoided Questions is a Kawasaki idea that is referenced in his PDF on Pages 29-31 -- don't miss it because, for example, here's one question he addresses that will definitely soothe your soul if you are frightened out of your mind at the thought leaving your current job to start a business:
Q.  I admit it:  I'm scared.  I can't afford to quit my current job.  Is this a sign that I don't have what it takes to succeed?  Am I not truly committed?

A.  You should be scared.  If you aren't scared, something is wrong with you.  Your fears are not a sign that you don't have the right stuff.  In the beginning, every entrepreneur ...
Download the report here (best part about it - it's complimentary!)

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Climb Your Way to the Top

Laura Schwartz (pictured) has written a nifty little book, "Eat, Drink and Succeed."

Background:
Laura Schwartz was 19 when she arrived at the White House in January of 1993.  With no political connections, she landed a volunteer position answering phones in the press office.  But that was just the beginning.  She climbed her way up the ranks of the Clinton Administration, as the Midwest Press Secretary, Director of Television and ultimately, Director of Events, where she produced the President's event on the world stage.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg.  She's now running her own business:  White House Strategies.

If you wish to kick up your business and your life a notch, this is a must-read book.  Congrats to Laura on her achievements.  We are very proud of her.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Stand Up For Female Entrepreneurs

Always something ...
After defending women entrepreneurs and their math abilities, Michelle Greer (pictured) was called illogical, idiotic, arrogant, angry, a troll, and the ...
Read the entire piece here:

Woman Defends Female Entrepreneurs on TechCrunch and Gets Called ...

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Women Push Forward

I refuse to focus on "what's holding women back" because I think there's absolutely nothing getting in our way.

Sadly enough though, some women still consider it risky to pursue power in the Corporate world and that's the emphasis of this contribution by The New York Times blogger Adriana Gardella.

All the more reason to start a business and become an entrepreneur.

The comments are worth a look.

Photo credit here.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Woman's Entrepreneurial Sweet Spot?

According to this roundup of the latest venture capital news and analysis across the Web, a woman's entrepreneurial sweet spot age is 40. Anyone wish to challenge that?
Does the world need a Y Combinator for women? New York-based entrepreneur Tereza Nemessanyi proposes the XX Combinator, a start-up accelerator focused on women in their 40s. The problem with Y Combinator, Nemessayni says, is that only seven of the 250 founders participating in the program have been female. She argues that Y Combinator participants are mostly in there early 20s but that a woman’s “entrepreneurial sweet spot” is around age 40. Venture capitalists Fred Wilson weighs in, saying that while there certainly is a shortage of women entrepreneurs, “a different model is required if this were to work” (though he’s not sure what that is.).
Original source on passage above can be found here.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Women Can Grow a Million Dollar Baby

According to Michelle Stockman who works with Little Rock-based Arkansas Capital Corp. to promote entrepreneurship development around the state, women may not be as active in entrepreneurship as men but they sure know how to grow a business to a million dollar+ baby.

Read more here.

You might also appreciate this related piece.

Posted by: Escape From Corporate America blog

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Leave the Rat Race for Entrepreneurship

Today I did a Google search on:

leave Corporate America

The purpose was to put myself in the shoes of many folks who intend to do just that in 2010 (and of course, it's something I did many moons ago). Below is what I discovered. Are you feeling this way?
Have you ever thought of leaving the rat race before becoming a rat? I worked in Corporate America many years and I don't believe that ...

My decision to leave corporate America crept up on me slowly. It wasn't some lightning bolt of revelation that vividly popped into my brain one morning ...

Corporate America is stealing your life and paying you to give it to them. Quit and start a business!

Incorporate every step listed above before you leave corporate America, and success is guaranteed. Many blessings upon you with preceding ...

Several former financial services and insurance company meeting planners talk about starting their own business—even during a recession.

When I finally decided to leave corporate America the first thing I had to do was determine what my basic needs would cost. I was pleasantly surprised to ...

Would you like to leave Corporate America? Have you thought about what it would take for you to leave Corporate America?

An ideal situation for many people is to leave corporate America and run a home based business. There is no boss breathing down your neck ...

No limits: how I escaped the clutches of Corporate America to live ... Luckily for me, a series of events led me to leave Corporate America back in 2005 and I am now trying to help other passionate and creative people like ...
Need assistance with your idea? Get in touch with a SCORE counselor who can help you live your dream of entrepreneurship!

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Get Unstuck

Stuck in a rut? Hate your boss? Hate your job? Hate your life? Every moment of being stuck is a lost opportunity.

Pursue what you are born for.

This blog serves as a resource to women who want to Escape From Corporate America and we always encourage you to move forward even when everything seems to be headed in reverse.

Need help? I am setting up a conference call for one-hour on Friday, August 28 at 12:00 p.m. (noon) CDT for the first 20 women who are interested in chatting about steps to take toward starting a business. We will discuss some of the challenges you face and how to overcome those obstacles in order to get unstuck.

If you are interested in participating (no cost to you other than the call), email me at ldelaney(at)laureldelaney.com and I will send you the call-in information. Look forward to hearing from you!

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

The Official Escape From Corporate America Makes Top 30 List

Photobucket

We are delighted to announce that our official Escape From Corporate America (www.escapefromCorporateAmerica.com) blog is proudly featured on:


We are honored and humbled to be among so many gifted women entrepreneurial bloggers.

Thank you so much!


Saturday, August 08, 2009

Open For Business Despite Awful Economy

What's it going to take to bring our economy back to full health? Hold up a mirror. Yes, it will be folks like us: entrepreneurs and small businesses. We are the lifeblood to innovation and getting things done.

But with the support of the Small Business Administration (SBA), things can only improve. Read more here.

Additional resources:

Women Entrepreneurs || SCORE


More inspiration here.


Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Estrogen Matters in the Real World of Work

When are folks going to stop spending money trying to prove to us that women matter in the world of work? They do. Got it?
The numbers make a compelling case. The studies Ernst & Young rounded up show that women can make the difference between economic success and failure in the developing world, between good and bad decision-making in the industrialized world, and between profit and loss in the corporate world.
Give me a break.
Their conclusion: American companies would do well with more senior women.
Does this sound a little close to home on what we have been preaching via this blog for five years? Hello Katty. Hello Claire. Hello corporate world. For goodness sakes, women, whether entrepreneurs or corporate execs = better performance all around for everyone, everywhere!

And let us not forget why women are leaving corporate America in droves:
In the interest of security, women used to be willing to channel their time, energy, and effort to the corporation's needs at the expense of fulfilling their own professional goals -- but no more. In starting their own businesses, they're seeking freedom, flexibility, recognition, more money, and opportunities to leave a legacy -- all of the things they once thought they would find within corporations. ~ Source: Escape From Corporate America (2003) by Laurel Delaney.
Read the entire article which includes reference to the Ernst & Young study: "Fixing the Economy? It's Women's Work."

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Playboy CEO Escapes Corporate America

In case you have been living in a cave, Christie Hefner (pictured) is ending her 20-year tenure as chief executive of Chicago’s (my home town) Playboy Enterprises to pursue work in public-service and non-profit ventures.

I waited this long to announce because I wanted to see if Christie will start her own business. It sure looks like she is finally pursuing her dream; I found out by email last week:
Greetings! As of today (4/8/09), my new contact information is as follows:

Christie Hefner
C.A.H., LLC (Laurel here ... no web site as yet)
628 N. State Street
2nd floor
Chicago, IL 60610
Phone: 312 624 9645
Fax: 312 624 9654
Assistant: Deb Parry
Phone: 312 624 9646

Sincerely,
Christie
Read more about her departure from Playboy at:

Christie Hefner talks to the Tribune about leaving Playboy


Christie Hefner to Depart Playboy

Edgar Online: Playboy Enterprises Inc (PLA) - 10-K - 3/13/2009

I checked Network Solutions and noticed that she has not reserved the domain names CAH.com or CAHllc.com.

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Women Entrepreneurs Never Become Sadder and Sicker At Midlife

Do women entrepreneurs ever become sadder and sicker at midlife? Let me speak from experience: No. Because our choice is to create our own destiny. Why would we choose to do something that makes us sad and sick?

According to Michelle Conlin at BusinessWeek, for career women who work in corporate America, it's another story. Read what she has to say on the subject here:

Career Women at Midlife: Sadder and Sicker

"Over the last 50 years, women have secured greater opportunity, greater achievement, greater influence, and more money. But over the same time period, they have become less happy, more anxious, more stressed, and, in ever-increasing numbers, they are medicating themselves for it," says management thinker and author Marcus Buckingham, who tackles the subject in his upcoming book, due out in September (Laurel here ... this is quoted directly from source but the title of book is actually different; refer below): Find Your Strongest Life: What the Most Successful and Resilient Women Do Differently. "Better education and job opportunities and freedoms have decreased life happiness for women."
Okay, tell me how male author Buckingham is going to do a good job on a book about what the happiest and most successful women do differently (to not make themselves sad or sick)? Don't get me wrong, up until now, I've always liked Buckingham's work but why do we need a man to shed light on why career women are becoming sadder and sicker?

What struck me in the article is the part about Kathy Caprino. It wasn't until she was canned when she got her life together:

Needing a Road Map

For Caprino, the answer was in a fearless and searching reevaluation of her life. She watched. She listened. She slowed down. Eventually, she went back to school to score a therapist's degree while her musician husband expanded his job portfolio. Today, Caprino runs an executive coaching consultancy. Her recent book, Breakdown, Breakthrough, is a road map for women who crash into middle-age, dizzy with confusion.

What are your thoughts on this? I'd love to hear from you!

Friday, February 20, 2009

Shattering Barriers For Women

If you can't beat'em, break'em, that's what I recommend. Let's give a big welcome to Nicki Gilmour, founder, The Glass Hammer, who is helping women break through glass ceilings.

The Glass Hammer is an online community designed for women executives in financial services, law and business. You can discover issues that matter, share experiences, network, get career advice and plan your life. And, as you dig around her new community, grab yourself a new job (that is, if entrepreneurship is not your thing :-).

Visit The Glass Hammer here.