Investing in Me, Inc.

Success September 2001
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INVESTING IN ME, INC.
Create a business plan for yourself, and make your career your life's work.

Author and career consultant Ronna Lichtenberg believes that by taking a day to think about the way you earn your living, you can make a huge difference in making your job more fulfilling. Ronna recently led a career seminar for a group of women looking to get more out of their work. Whether you work for an employer or yourself, in a major corporation or behind the counter in a coffee shop, you're the CEO of your career. The tools any CEO needs are the same ones the rest of us need.

By following the steps outlined in Ronna's seminar, you can create your own business plan and find more fulfillment your career.

Who Are You?


	Write a curriculum vitae in 15 lines or less—not a résumé, but a description you might give to someone introducing you as a speaker.

	Repeat the exercise, but write your description as if it were 15 to 20 years from now.

	Start thinking about what it would take to get from the first introduction to the second. In CEO lingo, this kind of thinking is called gap analysis.

Most people have trouble with this exercise, according to Ronna. While many of us often worry about our careers, we don't take the time to think about them in a focused way. To help the process, Ronna suggests asking yourself these questions:


1.	Do you know what your most valuable skills are?

2.	Could you write an ad for yourself?

3.	Do you sometimes feel there's something stopping you from reaching your potential?

Be Your Own CEO
The next step involves thinking about what it means to invest in Me, Inc., and how to be your own CEO. Any CEO needs the following:


	A vision for the business

	Financial skills

	A marketing plan

	The ability to manage and motivate others

Work on these skills, concentrating on the next 18 months to three years. Ronna says that it's easy to become overwhelmed and give up if you go beyond that time frame.

Develop a Vision
Use these exercises to help you begin to see what Me, Inc. means for you. Remember, some people are better at visualization than others, so keep at it.

Exercise One: Visualization

Now, take out your curriculum vitae again and look at it in the context of your visualization. Is your image of your future self in sync with what you described as your best working day? If not, why not? Rewrite your description to fit your new vision of your future.

Getting Down to Business
It's time to develop a Me, Inc. business plan! Thinking about yourself as a business can feel funny, says Ronna, but even as an employee, you're offering buyers a set of products and services for a given price.

Ask yourself these questions:


	What is your advantage over the competition?

	How does your "price" compare?

	Who is your target customer?

You may find it difficult to answer these questions, especially when trying to articulate exactly what your products and services are. Dig deeper for your answers.

Sell Yourself
Now you'll use your business plan to pitch Me, Inc. Selling may be uncomfortable for you, but to be successful, you need to be able to describe what you bring to the marketplace.


	Create your own ad: Fill in the blanks: The goal of your ad is "to convince ______ to buy ________ because _______." With this goal in mind, create your ad.

	Pitch your ad: Invite a friend or co-worker you trust to listen to your pitch. Give yourself three minutes for the pitch, and give your friend two minutes for comments.

	Make an impression: After your pitch, the listener should know what your "brand" was, and what made it different from its competitors.

Exercise Two: The Relationship Inventory.

Once you know what you're selling, who are you going to tell? In the case of Me, Inc., you're going to be spending your time and energy. You'll be advertising yourself to the people you pay attention to. Make the most of your limited time by spending it with people who can help you grow.

Now What?
You've figured out who you are, what your plan is, and how to sell yourself—what's the next step?

First, evaluate yourself based on what you've learned.

Exercise Three: Making It Happen.


	List three specific steps you would take to reach your goals.

	Write yourself a letter detailing your plans, stash it away, and read it six weeks later.

	Share your plan with a trusted friend and set a specific time each week to measure your progress.

Don't let yourself off the hook. If you're having trouble, figure out what's holding you back. Don't just dump the plan—revise it and recommit yourself. Soon you'll be on your way to working for the best company possible—Me, Inc.!

See how Ronna's advice changed their lives!

Want support? Share with others investing in themselves!

Learn more about creating a business plan for yourself in the September 2001 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine. Subscribe now!