Coaching
Based on where you consider yourself to be in business, you can choose any of three ways to participate in our coaching relationship. You choose which level seems best suited to your expertise and learning style:
"I have to note this day as a turning point in my life (thanks to your coaching)! You challenged me...and it colored the rest of my day--an epiphany of sorts. I can't thank you enough for facilitating this."
Jill Flynne
Watercolor Artist, Founder New England Arts 4 Animals
The Uncommon Success Program
Three 30-minute calls per month for six months ($400 per month, for a total of $2400)If you’re ready to dive in and begin the process of turning your vision into a reality as quickly as possible, select this high-gear intensive. You will see results very quickly as you move through the individual strategies outlined in the program. Your momentum will have you sailing through assignments and creating results very quickly. (See testimonials.)
Mastermind/Coaching Group with Jane Pollak
Six sessions ($1195) (2.5 hours each)
Click Here for price/schedule details on Jane's Special 2008 Summer Flexible Coaching Group Intensives.
This six-session program is designed to jump start your business and motivate you to your fullest growth potential. You will be challenged, supported and offered diverse viewpoints as well as share your own wisdom, most often exactly what you need to hear. The group will equip you with a long term network of colleagues, advisors and friends. At each meeting you will share best practices, and be held accountable for a SMART goal. Plus, Jane's expert coaching and resource base are unparalleled.
Your focus will be on expansion, branding, innovation, and/or other strategies for growing your business and taking the next step toward your success. You can expect accountability, diverse ideas, solutions, feedback growth, change and joyful support. (See testimonials.)
Click Here for Flexible Summer Coaching Group Registration!
Click Here for Fall/Winter Group Registrations!
Dream Peek Experience
One 60-minute session + 15 minute follow-up call 30 days after ($275)For more information, click here
"I got to the point in my business where I felt like I needed some help. I wanted to take my business to the next level and wasn't sure where to turn.
Your program seemed ideal to me. You had just the right combination of skills: craftsman, business woman and motivational speaker.
Before working with you I had wanted to create an identity and begin seeking press. It was so helpful to set the goals and have the accountability to produce the results which are getting my jewelry business the attention I want.
The most significant improvements in my business have been focusing my efforts creating a line of jewelry for Mitchells and other high end privately owned stores. Working with your graphic designer on my marketing materials--especially my new logo--and seeing that it's all possible thanks to your coaching.
Please add me to your list of satisfied clients. I would be happy to speak to anyone about the value of your coaching program."
Susan Beallor - Designer / Goldsmith
www.susanbeallor.com
About Jane Pollak’s Uncommon Success Program
Enjoying a steady income from your talent is a reality when you understand business basics and apply them to your creative ventures. Here are the areas you may focus on:
- Design the groundwork for success.
Working together we will define and describe what constitutes success for you. That is the foundation you will need to build a successful ongoing business. What represents success for you may be far different than how another client defines it. It’s your call. My job is to get you there. - Get specific on what you offer.
Through a series of simple yet profound questions, you will map out exactly what your business brings to the marketplace, how those products and/or services are generated and what your costs are. For example: How many products or services do you offer? What are your price points? How are you different than the competition? - Nail down your target market.
Once you are crystal clear on who your audience is, you will find them and they will find you. This step is your opportunity to create a profile for your perfect customer. - Get known and reach your market.
Now that you can easily identify your customer, determine where you will find him/her and what materials you need to create to get their attention. - Get out there and deliver your message.
By the time you reach this step you will be bursting with enthusiasm and ready to “talk your walk.” Your message will be so crystal clear that others will be able to deliver it as well and assist you in drawing customers. - Build your support system.
None of us operate in a vacuum. We all need support and lots of it. During this step you will focus on creating a base which will be there for information, guidance, advice, nurturing and cheerleading. You will construct a system that offers daily, weekly and monthly support and accountability. It will keep you energized and enthusiastic. - Implement the daily work.
Our work lives follow cycles. By having systems in place on a daily basis, you will be able to stay on track, or re-boot when necessary, by consulting the practices you’ve put into place during this program.
How we work together
That the moment one definitely commits oneself,
then Providence moves too.
~Goethe
"Jane's standing at a crossroad pointing down one of two roads; one road leads to the desert, the other to an oasis with a pond fed by a waterfall. Which one do you suppose Jane is pointing to?"
Doreen Birdsell
Innkeeper - Photographer - Writer
This is the outline for successfully working Jane Pollak’s Uncommon Success™. When you enroll you will receive a packet of information that will guide our work together. We will have scheduled phone sessions, plus other communications weekly—email and spot checks. You will have weekly challenges that will move you towards your objectives.
I’ve seen clients and audience members successfully apply these steps since I began offering them in 1997. Along the way, you’ll pick up a myriad of other useful tools and techniques that will streamline and enhance your business and bring you greater and greater income.
Who do you prefer working with and what are your expectations?
My job is to stimulate the process, present ideas and suggestions and guide you.
I have found my greatest success coaching clients with:
- Talent
- High standards
- High motivation
- Goal-orientation
- Passion about his/her work
- A desire for success
- Willingness to take suggestions
- Full accountability
- Drive to fast-forward his/her business
I expect that you will bring your passion and enthusiasm to the work at hand. You already have the answers. My work is to gently, but firmly, bring those answers to the surface with your cooperation.
What type of person won’t this work for?
My services are not for everyone. I’m intuitive, honest and direct which may be an uncomfortable style for some people. If you’re not ready to be quietly called on your “stuff”—you know, the alibis—you may find that we’re spending too much time on that and not enough on building your business.
My program is for those ready to jump into the arena and be held accountable.
What holds people back: If you’re terrified of risk, I can’t resolve that for you. I will guide you to take calculated risks that work, but the outcome will not always be known in advance. Entrepreneurship is a gutsy route. Be sure you’ve got the stomach for it. There is a price, but the rewards are amazing.
This program is also not for you if money issues are foremost in your mind. It is best to work those out before we begin so that you can give your entire energy to focusing on your assignments, not worrying about bills.
I’m in this for the long run. If you need a month or a year to build your resources so that you can work without fear of economic insecurity, I’ll be here when you’re ready to make that commitment.
How can I know that this really works?
I’ve been in my own business, using these steps, steadily since 1980. (I began selling my own artwork in 1970, became a business owner in 1980 and incorporated in 1993.) According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, over 50% of small businesses fail in the first year and 95% fail within the first five years. I have a growing list of satisfied clients who have profited from our work together.
How quickly will I see results?
You will begin to see changes immediately. You will establish short-term and long-term goals, so there will be many benchmarks along the way.
Expected and unexpected changes will begin to flow into your life. You may label them coincidental, but if you keep track of our work together, you’ll note many remarkable victories along your road to success beyond the ones we define at the outset.
While the income stream may take the longest to realize, you will see other tangible evidence of your work long before your bank account is overflowing.
What are my guarantees?
Think of your membership at your health or fitness club as a metaphor to answer this question. You know that the equipment for your best health/fitness is there, if you access it regularly, work hard and give it your all.
Having a secret formula or waving a magic wand will not guarantee success. It is a step-by-step process that works when you work it. So, your guarantee in my Uncommon Success Program is showing up regularly, using all the resources at your disposal, asking questions, completing assignments and staying committed to the process.
As you track where you’ve begun and how far you have progressed, you will realize and acknowledge your own successful journey.
Will I make more than my investment in your services?
Yes! In our work together you will establish the value of a new account, a new client or prospect. Once you begin creating these relationships, you will be able to place a clearer dollar amount on your investment and its return to you.
How much is your time worth and what will you save by having an expert short cut your learning curve? There are several measures you can use to figure out how your investment will pay you back and what interest you will accrue as well.
How will Jane Pollak’s Uncommon Success Program actually work?
Once you are accepted into the Uncommon Success Program, you will supply me with information about you and your business. You will then participate in a 90-minute one-on-one Discovery Session with me to set the relationship in motion. You will send a completed Profile and Wheel of Life diagram before that appointment so that I will be up to speed on you and where you'd like to go. The one-time fee for the Discovery Session is $400.
After that our work together will be a series of phone sessions supported by email between our appointments. Prior to and immediately following each call I will request that you fill out pre- and post-call worksheets that will keep you on track and accountable. You will receive assignments each week based on your goals. The more time you can devote to the program, the faster your results will be.
I am as committed to your success as you are. My job is to listen carefully to your vision and to keep you on track as you go through the necessary steps to achieve it. I will, at times, contribute my expertise in the form of resources, experience and focus.
How long will we work together?
Your initial commitment to the Uncommon Success Program is six months. While you will begin to experience many immediate successes, for you to feel truly launched and secure in your new strategic way of operating, this period of time is most desirable.
Can we work together beyond this initial period?
By all means. As with any educational program, there is always more to learn. There are always processes to fine-tune.
How much will I need to invest?
See programs above -- does one of these offerings seem right for you? How much time do you feel you need and are you ready to begin?
May I pay by credit card?
Credit cards—MasterCard, Visa and American Express—are the only form of payment I accept and, if you wish to pre-pay your program by check, you may deduct 5% from your total tuition.
I’m ready! Now what?
Wonderful! Action is the magic word. Now that you’ve decided that my Uncommon Success Program is for you, let me know via phone (866 846 4345) or email which of my three offerings works best for you. We can then set up your first coaching appointment. I will send you a Uncommon Success Program Welcome Kit via email. This kit will ask you for not only data about your business, but also will give you the opportunity to write down your goals. This will begin the process of creating your vision. Also included in this package will be a place to record the necessary credit card information to get you enrolled.
What if I’m really interested but still have reservations?
Will you take phone calls?
I’d be very happy to answer your questions. I’m always available for a brief informational call. If you don’t get me directly when you phone (800.438.9737), leave me a voicemail as to the nature of your call and I’ll get back to you within 24 hours. Email is always a great way to ask your questions as well.
What brought you to coaching?
I added coaching service to my company after speaking professionally about small business success since 1997. Prior to that I’d served as a mentor to dozens of people for over ten years, but officially added coaching to my business in 2001. I earned my Certification (CPCC - Certified Professional CoActive Coach) through the Coaches Training Institute in March 2007.
How did you get started in your business?
I began by teaching art in Stamford, Connecticut. There I learned a craft that soon became the centerpiece of a very successful business promoting and selling my art and related products for over 30 years. Since teaching has always been a calling for me, coaching and speaking to audiences of business owners brings my work full circle once again teaching what I know best.
How did you become an expert at small business success?
In 2002 I became the Home-Based Business Advocate of the Year not only for Connecticut, but also for the entire New England region. I developed this expertise primarily by listening to business tapes and applying the lessons and knowledge to my own work over the course of several years. I loved what I was hearing—tools for time management, goal-setting, negotiation and motivation for small business success. It gave me the equivalent of an MBA while I was sitting in my studio. In addition, I’ve taken courses throughout my career in everything from how to write a business plan to presentation skills and logo development.
What were your earliest speaking opportunities?
After making it past the five year mark in my own business, I was inspired to share what I learned with other entrepreneurs and accepted invitations to participate on small business panels, to teach classes at craft centers and to offer courses through continuing ed. programs.
Later, starting in 1996, when I’d become well known for my art by practicing what I preach, I was paid to address audiences all over the US and in South America. As a by product of my seminars, I received more calls for advice, information and resources than I could respond to with my schedule. I knew it was time to set up a coaching practice to give people an opportunity to work one-on-one with me. This was in the 2001, after the publication of my second book, Soul Proprietor: 101 Lessons from a Lifestyle Entrepreneur.
What inspired you to write your book?
My book sums up what I’d learned in my 30 plus years as a successful craft artist and business owner. I’d previously written a book on my art form (Decorating Eggs: Exquisite Designs with Wax & Dye), which is currently in its sixth printing. I wanted to write another book that would establish my platform as an expert on entrepreneurship, especially for creative sole proprietors.
Who are your clients?
I work with creative people in the following areas:
| Architects | Artists | Boutique Owners |
| Craftsmen/women | Interior Designers | Personal Chefs |
| Photographers | Marketing Consultants | Video Production Artists |
| Workroom Owners | Writers | Jewelry Makers |
In other words, I work with people who are passionate about achieving success in business, and who measure that success by more than the bottom line. Ideally, they are highly self-motivated, talented men and women who are eager to learn specific strategies to get results.
What if I don’t see my field represented?
During my decades in business, I’ve discovered that there are many common fundamentals of business success, even if specific industries use different vocabulary and measures. The basics remain the same. My gift to you is deep listening for attention to the basics. Often, my fresh perspective in your field is a benefit, because it compels you to become crystal clear in your thinking, vision and marketing message.
How are you different from other business coaches?
Coaching creative sole proprietors isn’t something I just decided to do. I committed to becoming a successful artist early in my life. I’ve been a creative sole (soul) proprietor for over 30 years. I offer a unique vantage point because of my success in transforming my art into a successful and viable business. Now, I’ve chosen to work with other creative professionals to help them achieve greater success.
I am devoted to entrepreneurs who value a rich, diverse and passionate business life and who also want balance along with their success.