Last Thursday did not start as one of my better days.  I had spent the entire morning in a long stream of meetings…most not very pleasant.  But, there was one bright light that I was looking forward to…meeting the newest addition to the IQ Team…four day old Riley Dobson.  So, you can image my surprise when into the conference room walked two total strangers, bearing balloons and flowers and asking for “Barbara VanKirk”.  I am not sure what was going through my mind, but I looked at the woman and said very emphatically (heart pounding) “YES?” as she presented me with the flowers.  I quickly told her that I was not the one that just had the baby!  Obviously my “advanced” professional appearance hadn’t clued her in!  Imagine my surprise when she congratulated me on being named the 2009 ATHENA Award Winner!  WOW! 

For those unaware, the ATHENA Award is presented to an individual who devotes time and energy to improve the quality of life for others; mentors other women to reach their full leadership potential and demonstrates excellence, creativity and initiative in business or their profession.  I was so taken by surprise that it took me several days to even comprehend that I was selected as the actual award winner!   I guess you could say my reaction was “priceless”, the tears came and I looked at every face in the room and said “I was expecting a baby…does this mean no baby is coming?”  While Riley did not make an appearance that day, she did visit us today, a bright ray of sunshine on this rainy day!

Writing “THE PLAN”….Writing a business plan, sounds so daunting!  But, it’s really no different than setting career objectives.  You can find many templates and reading materials on building a business plan.   To be successful the first step in writing the plan is deciding what you want your business to be… whether you are providing a service or a product.  What are you trying to do?  Is the plan to duplicate a service that is already being provided or is it a new and innovative idea?  Determine what it is you want to do then organize your thoughts, set the objectives and start to write a very detailed plan, including a budget!

In my previous position I sold consulting services to local businesses, which provided me with a jump start on the planning of IQ.   I spent a lot of time researching my competitors, and set out to create a distinguishing factor, something that would really set IQ apart from all other consulting companies!  I didn’t want IQ to be like all the others…I wanted to be “personally” involved with my clients and candidates.   Writing the plan was not so hard, but making that first “offer” to an employee and signing the first “contract” with a customer….well, that’s another story…