Ask the Business Coach Joyce K. Reynolds is an expert Business Coach who works with CEOs, Sr. Execs, entrepreneurs and countless others providing knowledge, solutions, motivation and support that assist her clientele in successfully meeting workplace challenges. Find out more about Joyce's coaching practice. Gaining Consulting Business Question: At my current place of employment, I have founded a working mother's support. I support over 100 members with information via email, website and monthly meetings regarding relative work/family balance issues. Speakers donate their time to discuss women's fitness, how to find a good mechanic, children's health issues, saving for college, and more! This effort has been strictly volunteer for my current employer, and I would like to become a part time consultant for other companies. What advice can you give regarding how I approach these companies? How do I know what the competition is doing, and how do I get my foot in the door to attain an interview with the Manager of HR? Becca Answer: This is a terrific service you have created and one that will undoubtedly gain interest and audience as you expand. The first thing you’ll want to do is make the program yours. Give it a name – e.g. Mom’s Best Resource - a mission and identity that sets it apart from whatever you are doing for your current employer. This will also provide the positioning from which you can market the service. The next important step is to develop a small business plan that identifies your target audiences and the services that will benefit them. Determine how you will charge for the service. Some suggestions include: a monthly retainer; a subscription rate; an incremental membership fee. As important as creating an overall business plan is detailing your marketing effort. If you can apply some modest capitol to a print vehicle such as an oversize postcard or simple brochure outlining the service, you will be able to do some direct mail to the companies with the most potential on your target list. These will be the companies that would employ high numbers of working mothers. This concept also has great PR value so I’d suggest as you get a little farther along with a few clients lined up that you write a good press release and get it to all the local papers and radio and TV stations. You can also do some local events at the library or in book stores that will help you get the word out. Prepare a little opening script for the HR managers you wish to call. Be direct and succinct with a message that will play out well even if you have to leave it in voice mail. It should be upbeat and positive – e.g. “Hi, this is Becca Reynolds with Mom’s Best Resource. I wanted just a few minutes of your time to determine how we might get our valuable, time-saving services to all your working mothers. I’d really appreciate knowing when I might be able to reach you directly by phone or in person.” You’re going directly into the benefits and asking for action – both of which should increase the chances of your getting a return phone call. And, keep calling. As for the competition, start locally looking in the Yellow Pages, the Business and Services Offered sections of our local paper. Contact your Chamber of Commerce with inquiries about similar services. You may, in fact, want to join the Chamber as soon as you get up and running. As you find other services, continue to add in benefits that are unique to you and feature those differences in all your ‘pitches.’ Finally, if you really want this to flourish as a business, I’d suggest you get very involved in your community with trade organizations such as Women in Communications and the National Association for Women in Business. Within these types of organizations you will definitely find potential clients and companies who would be interested in your services maybe even advertisers for your Web site. Also see: • Ask Joyce your workplace questions • More questions • One-on-one business coaching Disclaimer: The information in this column is intended to provide the reader with general ideas or concepts to be used as part of a broader base of knowledge they collect to determine their own best course of action and solutions most suitable for solving their workplace challenges. The information in this column is not guaranteed to be the appropriate solution for each individual.