I remember it like it was yesterday.
On July 14, 1999 I cranked up my dial-up connection to get onto the World Wide Web, excited to hear the now iconic AOL greeting, “You’ve got mail!”
To my amazement I’d received personal response from Scott Adams –creator of the enormously successful syndicated cartoon Dilbert.
In the early ‘90s, headlines were filled with stunning news that corporate giants like AT&T and IBM were laying off workers by the tens of thousands.
Perfect timing for Adams to step in and lampoon the sometimes crazy world of performance reviews, near constant re-organizations, and in his words, “evil pointy-haired” bosses.
It’s also what made 1995 the perfect time to launch the Changing Course newsletter.
I was doing what I loved and some money was following. But not enough to completely break me out of job jail.
If there were some way I could build on the Dilbert brand, I knew it would put Changing Course on the map in a BIG way.
So after reading an article about Adams in Newsweek I reached out to explore the possibilities.
To put it bluntly – he blew me off.
I was CRUSHED!
But the line that stuck with me most was the last one…
“You don’t need me anyway.”
I couldn’t believe my eyes! Was he out of his mind?
OF COURSE I NEEDED HIM!
It took a while (okay, years…) but I finally realized Adams was right.
I already had the drive and vision I needed to make my business work.
And so do you.
The fact is, with most ventures you really don’t “need” anyone to endorse you, sponsor you, partner with you, or even believe in you.
However, there are important exceptions.
One of these exceptions takes us right back to Adams’ and my own roots in the corporate world.
There are some things that would take you and me years – if ever – to learn.
Times where we really do need a knowledgeable mentor to show us the way.
For you, that teacher just might be my friend and former corporate executive turned self-bosser Belinda Pruyne.
When Belinda first hung up her shingle as a business and leadership coach she tried to put as much distance between herself and the corporate world as possible.
Then one day she had her Big AHA…
There’s still plenty of money to be made in corporate – and you don’t need to be an employee to do it.
Instead, Belinda realized that for a lot of people, turning a large organization into your biggest customer or client can be the absolute best way to truly profit from your passion.
Last week I introduced you to a number of non-corporate types who landed corporate contracts.
Contracts that allow them to both serve more people and make more money doing it – without compromising their values.
Like the photographer who loves photographing babies… but couldn’t get enough babies in the pipeline to make it sustainable.
He never knew where his next client was going to come from.
He’s now the photographer for the maternity ward at a huge hospital in New York City. So he’s there to capture all the moments surrounding many of the births in that hospital.
Or the health coach who was tired of trying to convince individuals to sign up as clients who didn’t always understand the value she provided.
Then she noticed that one of her friends from the C-suite in a big company was stressed beyond belief, exhausted, and wasn’t eating well. It gave her an idea…
Today, she has contracts with big corporations where she goes in, assesses all the employees in the C-suite, and develops a meal plan for the company chef.
If the company doesn’t have a chef, she creates individual meal plans and sits down with each executive’s assistant to help them support their boss.
She’s just returned from Paris doing this for a company. Before that, she was in Singapore.
Pretty cool right?!
If these people can earn $25k… $50k… $75k… from a single corporate client – then you can find a way to turn your own gifts and interests into a compelling win-win.
Like I said, my newsletter business was pretty straightforward; so I really didn’t need Scott Adams’ – or anyone’s — help.
But when it comes to knowing what it takes to sign a corporate client, you will need someone to show you the way.
That’s why I’m so excited that Belinda has agreed to put on this free online presentation called….
BIG Corporate Connections. BIG Contracts. BIG Cash
3 keys to snag BIG corporate gigs with the matching paychecks
(Even if you don’t know the first thing about the corporate world)
Tuesday, March 22nd at 1pm EST US
If you missed my announcement last week, there’s still time to jump in.
Click here to register BigCorporateConnections.info
In this powerful 1-hour presentation, you’ll learn…
- How to turn YOUR expertise & services into compelling offers for corporations – without having to twist yourself or conform your beliefs to “fit in.”
- The #1 secret to “get past the gatekeeper”. (Belinda has a brilliant example of how one outside vendor got past her own secretary back when she used to be the one hiring outside vendors.)
- How to get decision makers to pay attention and take you seriously – even if you have no experience working in corporate yourself!
- The BIGGEST thing you need to know about corporate decision makers BEFORE you try to connect.
… And more!
Go It Alone or Get Help?
For many of you, getting the answers to these three key questions will be all you need to hit the ground running.
Others will need more guidance.
Looking back, I so appreciate Scott Adams taking time out of his busy schedule to so nicely blow me off.
But what I really appreciate is the reminder that I didn’t need Dilbert to make my newsletter a success.
However, when it comes to corporate contracts, you definitely do want a seasoned corporate insider to at least take you through the basics.
If you’re curious to see how partnering with a large organization might help you profit from your passion in a BIG way – you do not want to miss Belinda’s free presentation Tuesday March 22 (tomorrow) at 1PM EST.
It costs nothing to attend, but you do need to register at BigCorporateConnections.info.
