Do Creative Entrepreneurs Need Credentials?

Whenever someone is being hired to do a job the client usually wants to know their credentials. What makes them qualified to do this job and do it well. In today’s day and age where many people have created careers based on their creative talent, the question still remains: 

What makes you qualified?

So what makes a creative entrepreneur qualified? As a creative entrepreneur myself, I’ve grappled with the reasons behind what makes me qualified to do what I do. I’ve been organizing since the age of 6, but it wasn’t until 2015 that I decided to turn it into a business. I’ve been coaching and motivating people to reach their goals since college, but it wasn’t until 2014 I became a certified business and life coach.

Are my certified coaching skills better than a coach not certified who has coached for 15+ years?

Are my organizing skills that I've developed since childhood less than someone who’s a certified Professional Organizer?

WHAT DETERMINES HOW GOOD YOU ARE IN YOUR INDUSTRY?

It all boils down to what you can deliver. Are you able to produce the results that were intended? When you produce good results, word travels. Whether you’ve been trained in an academic setting or not, if you deliver (especially over deliver) you are sure to get noticed.

WHEN IS CERTIFICATION VALUABLE?

When you're just breaking out in your industry, people may have a hard time believing what you say. Certifications help people pay attention. You wouldn't take this baby seriously, but if he said he was a baby genius and studied at Harvard you'd be all ears wouldn't you? (He hasn't btw..studied at Harvard that is. But he's absolutely a baby genius.)

Now certification is helpful for opening certain doors. When you’re certified, you then become part of a respected community. People look to these communities for referrals. You may have been dancing since the age of 4, but if you graduated from Julliard School of Dance, opportunities may be greater for you initially.

I insisted I needed training in coaching, because there were skills I wasn’t aware of how to use. I didn’t feel confident enough in my abilities to coach someone on their goals. (And your confidence is everything. Let’s be real, it’s confidence that got Trinidad James his 15 seconds of fame) 15 seconds or not,

confidence gets you places doubt cannot.

Certification Builds Respect for Your Industry

When it came to organizing, I felt confident in my abilities to transform someone’s space into a well-oiled haven of order. I didn’t “need” to join NAPO and go through their certification process to call myself a Professional. Buuuuuut the more I learned about the industry, the more I realized how much I didn’t know. The more serious I began to take organizing as a career instead of merely a hobby, the more I began to respect my talent. And the more I wanted to invest in it.

Certification is another word for training

Every industry doesn't have a certification process. How do you become a certified singer? You don't. Certification is another word for training. What training have you done to increase your level of expertise? What classes have you taken? What seminars have you gone to? Who have you been coached or mentored by? Every skill needs some level of training. The more you invest in your skill the more others respect what you do, the more YOU respect what you do.

Needless to say, I started my certification process this year. You can’t become officially certified until you’ve done over 1,500 hours of paid work within three years, taken a couple of tests, completed a few courses, blah blah blah (Interested in becoming a CPO? Click here for the certification process). I’m not certified yet, but I’m well on my way.

Certification Expands Your Network

Everyone has heard, to expand your net-worth, expand your network. As cliche as it sounds, it's true. The more people you know, the more resources you have access to. The more people will think of you when their in need of your product, talent, or service. The more people you can reach out to when you're in need of something outside your industry. 

Since I decided to take this leap, the world of organizing has expanded greatly. I’ve attracted more business and my network & net worth has increased in value.

HOW TO FEEL CONFIDENT NO MATTER WHAT STAGE YOU’RE IN

IV is completely confident he can climb off the bed. I quickly kill his dreams because I'm not ready to see him bust his head. It never stops him trying. 

The more I grow as a Professional the more I respect what I do. The more serious I take my craft, the more serious people take my business.

Although I’m at the beginning stage of my business, I’ve been organizing for YEARS, and  there are some areas I have down pact. Like nurseries/ baby rooms, bedrooms and home offices. It’s important to identify what you do well right now.

Whatever you do great in the present, do more of it until you become great at something else. People can’t turn away from greatness even if they try. No matter where you are in your career, stretch yourself to evolve in other areas. This is how you become great at something else. But never think you have to be great in all areas to start anywhere.  Focus on what you do best right now until you become better. Because you WILL GET BETTER.

HOW DO YOU BECOME AN EXPERT WHETHER YOU’RE CERTIFIED OR NOT

To become more knowledgeable and confident about your craft you have to dive into it. We all have been given a skill, but it wasn’t given to us perfected. If you want to use these skills to make a living you must sharpen them. Meaning you must practice, practice, practice.

 “You can’t pay someone to do your push-ups for you”

Respect your craft, learn your industry, find what you love within it and get to know it like you know the favorite character of your favorite TV show. God knows I know Carry Bradshaw like we grew up together. That's my bestie.

DO ENTREPRENEURS NEED CREDENTIALS OR NOT?

Absolutely, but you can determine what makes you certified. Don't diminish your skill or industry by not taking it serious enough to invest in it. I met a speaker, Marcus Y. Rosier, last week who dedicated 2 1/2 hours each day since October 2010 to developing his skill. If you see him speak, you can tell. He's phenomenal. What you invest in your skill will always show when it comes time to perform. Make sure it's something you're proud of.

Feel Free,

Mel 

Why the Information You Learn does Nothing for Your Business or Your Life

Ignorance is bliss

Ignorance is only bliss to those who intend on staying there.

They say when you know better you should do better. People take in valuable information everyday and choose not to apply it. Why is that? Is it forgetfullness, laziness, or being too comfortable? I am always reading or watching something that is going to teach me something about anything. But what's the point of all this knowledge if it's not applied anywhere? Is it my goal to become a walking library?! Absolutely not.

I want to better my life and encourage those around me to do the same.

I watched something recently that stated the odds of someone making a change is 9 to 1.

That means,

out of 10 people only 1 will be determined enough to make a significant change in their life.

Even though these odds are stacked up against you, something in the back of your mind tells you that you are the 1 out of 10. With all you have been through, all the talents you possess, all the knowledge you've acquired, you know that with enough time and effort you could beat the odds.

It's not a good feeling knowing what you could be but failing to amount to it. Knowing that life has something more in store, but you haven't found a way to tap into it. Although the odds of making life changes are slim, it's possible. People beat the odds everyday. They don't look back at where they were or who they used to be. They are looking forward at who they know they can be.

In order to beat the odds, make change a must and not a should.

If you knew the steps you must take in order to reach your goal, would you do it?

I've been breastfeeding over 4 months now. I will be breastfeeding until my child is 1 years old. At one he will be able to drink cows milk like the rest of us. There are alternatives that are much easier and less demanding. But I know that my son receives the most nourishment from the milk that I provide him.

So I made a choice, a choice to change. I made producing milk a MUST and not a should. I knew the actions I needed to take to be successful: have a pumping schedule, drink plenty water , take herbs, eliminate certain foods, incorporate other foods, amongst other things. And when someone asked me at the beginning if I  was going to buy formula as a last resort  for when things get tough (because it was tough. I'm talking cracked nipples and sore breasts. It got ugly ). I told them no.

Because with enough patience and know how, I knew I could reach my goal. 4 months down, 8 more to go.

With all the benefits I know about breast milk,  I couldn't sit back and buy my son formula. Since I knew better, I decided to do better.

Just because something is better for you, doesn't make it easier to do. Now with all that you know about yourself and what you are capable of, can you sit back and watch your hopes and dreams waste away? Is your vision for who you can become not compelling enough for you to change?

What would it take to turn the things you should do into the things that you MUST do, to have the life you deserve?

Feel free,

Mel

Don’t Be Afraid of Your Hunger

There are times you can want something badly enough that you may sound crazy. You yearn for something that seems so out of reach yet so close at the same time, and you believe that with enough effort you could actually have it. It doesn’t matter if no one around you has found it or reached where you aspire to go. The point is you know what you are capable of and that’s enough for you. I have heard from so many females that there are no guys available and all are players, not smart enough, not cute enough, not fly enough, not established enough and so on. Yes, there may not be an infinite pool of perfect men to choose from, but all you need is one. The same can be said about finding a job. So many people are unemployed and yes I did probably send out 50 to 75 applications until I landed a job I was willing to take. I also knew that if I stayed consistent, stayed hungry, I would find a position. But even when you finally get there, you may realize it’s not what you thought it would be. Something may be off, not quite right, and now you want something different.

You’ve worked hard to get here. Friends and family are telling you how many other people would love to be in your shoes. Yet, the sense of dissatisfaction grows as you want more, and maybe not more but different. Don’t fear this pull. Allow it to push you with urgency into the next phase in your life. We were never meant to be dormant and fall into the trap of complacency. We are urged to venture, explore, and discover new parts about life and ourselves.

Whenever someone is pressing that you stay content with where you are, take it with a grain of salt. You moving on and forward can be an undeniable sign that they are not, and that can make people extremely uncomfortable. Now this is also not a memo to be a rolling stone- in any sense.

You are where you are for a reason. (I can’t stress that enough)

The question is:

How do you keep moving forward while in the same place?

- If it’s within a certain job or with a certain person, never stop working on yourself. By consistently progressing, that job or that relationship may turn into what you actually want and if not you are now better prepared for the next thing to come along and less fearsome of it.

- Get a hobby. Honestly, it’s amazing how much you learn about yourself when you work on something you love. In the process you will also connect with others who have the same interests. Not only does this spice up your lifestyle it gives you an opportunity become an expert in an area that may be beneficial for your future. (Your talents always follow you)

-Lastly, this has been the most beneficial but let me warn you, it is also the most difficult. Be the solution, not the problem. It is all too easy to become part of the ruckus and jump on the bandwagon of confusion and uncooperativeness. But this strategy does nothing for you nor the people affected. Find ways to solve issues instead of becoming one.

Don’t stifle the hunger- feed it.

♦Feel free♦

♥Mel