BW Online | September 20, 2000 | Putting a Positive Spin on a Nontraditional Past

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SEPTEMBER 20, 2000

WORK & FAMILY
By Jill Hamburg Coplan

Putting a Positive Spin on a Nontraditional Past
A career-switcher needs to get money lenders to see the value of her varied background

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Q: I studied and learned Chinese and taught English in Asia, and then I stayed at home to raise two children. Now, I work in public relations, but I'd like to become a self-employed interior designer, invest in real estate, and renovate and design homes. How do I overcome potential lenders' focus on the less traditional path that I took? I always thought my global life experience, child-rearing, and foreign-language acquisition would be perceived as "colorful," but they aren't valued.

---- N.W., Rochester, N.Y.

A: You have lots of life experience. But like a Presidential campaign strategist, you've got to spin it -- in your case, to inspire the confidence of a loan officer, angel investor, friend, or family member, if you don't want to rely on a credit card. Several suggestions:

Research the industry and the work to see if you've got the skills. Assess your readiness by joining a trade group and talking to people, says Trina Callie, director of career development at the Eller Graduate School of Management at the University of Arizona and a career-switcher herself (from the military to marketing). "If you don't have all the skills, fill in the gaps. Take courses. Network in the industry," she advises.

Another suggestion, courtesy of Barbara Lewis and Dan Otto of Centurion Consulting Group: Sketch out your strengths and weaknesses and all the outside factors over which you have no control -- the economy, the local competition, demand, your potential customers' demographics. Then write up your vision of yourself in three years and the action steps to take you there. Step back and survey it. Is it feasible? Why or why not?

Work on how you present yourself. If you doubt the relevance of your years teaching, traveling, parenting, and doing PR, "people can read it -- what's in your heart gets projected," says Edie Raether, a North Carolina author, psychotherapist, and college instructor. "It sounds like the biggest problem is inside -- your own anxiety. It's important you address that." Try to come to this endeavor with a spirit of adventure.

Make sure your proposal is sound. "It's easy to say 'they're not taking me seriously because I was a teacher and a mom,'" says Karol Rose, managing director of the LifeCare.com Consulting Group. But that may not be the issue. "Spend a little time with someone who writes business proposals," she suggests. You may want to consult the Service Corp. of Retired Executives or the Small Business Administration for counseling by e-mail, and possibly referrals to financing geared toward female entrepreneurs.

If you've already done all that and lenders still question your past, stress the skills you've acquired along the way, says Chere Estrin, owner of The Estrin Organization, a Los Angeles staffing company. "Talk about the organization, the leadership, the planning, the work with difficult personalities, your enthusiasm, and your patience," she says. Of course, that patience will be tested when naysayers refuse to believe in you. But hey -- you learned Chinese as an adult. You don't shy away from challenges.

Jill Hamburg Coplan has covered work, family, business, and finance for the past decade as a writer and editor for newspapers, magazines, and wire services. She left Working Woman magazine, where she was senior editor, when her first child was born and now works solo from a home office in Brooklyn, N.Y. You can e-mail her at Jill Hamburg Coplan