I provide executive coaching and business consulting services to small business owners who are interested in growing the performance and value of their company through effective business communications and development of One Page Business Plans.

EDUCATION | BA in Political Science and a Masterr's in Public Administration, concentration in Organization and Management. 30 years expertise running small-medium size businesses. I am a CMT accredited Master Mentor, with certifications as an Innermetrix Consultant, Axiology Analyst, Behaviors and Values Coach and a One Page Business Plan consultant.

HOW TO GET STARTED | Make sure you enjoy solving other people's problems. Make sure you enjoy the variety. Make sure you enjoy meeting new and different people. In learning sales there are a lot of classes and books. In any type of sales you are looking to identify clients needs and if you have the solutions for them. If you don't, then don't try to be everything to everyone. Solution based sales books are key, the exact opposite approach of the "pushy salesperson" or "car salesman" image. As I said earlier, it's important to maintain your ethics. A good executive is a good manager, if they've done internal coaching within a company and enjoy it, private consulting could be a good fit.

MUST HAVE TRAITS | Determined. Focused. Flexible. Resilient. Personable. Structured. Free-Wheeling. Innovative.

how I got started | 13 years ago, I wanted to continue what I was doing in business management, but wanted to start my own business; so I became a business consultant to help business owners and their employees grow their bottom-line. The challenge I initially encountered was learning how to do solution based selling, since I did not think it came naturally to me. As a consultant you have to learn to sell your product without sacrificing your ethics.

why this job?| 2 things. I've always enjoyed helping others and I've always enjoyed seeing a smile on people's faces when I've done a good job. I've always been motivated by that, it's just what I do very well, helping other people identify solutions to their unique needs and opportunities

why I love this job!| Variety, every engagement is different, every client is different. Problem solving and getting to meet new and different people.

my typical day| What I try to do I spend 3-4 days a week with clients and the rest of the week working on business development. My week consists of meeting with clients or coaching or consulting with them. I usually meet with a client once a week for 1 hour or if I'm onsite it's 4 hours. I'll meet clients in person or over the phone. I fill my work week with that type of variety. I do executive coaching oall over the States. I have clients in Atlanta, Florida, California, Texas and all places in between.

what they are | Trying to help business owners believe it is OK to ask for help. Once they agree to work with you it's a relief for them, there may be a resistance prior to that though. For instance, with some business owners, they may only like to design products and do product sales. It that instance they may not be following cash flow and their business could be in jeopardy. They may have started the business with a great product but they may not know how to supervise. Getting the client to acknowledge that they may need some outside assistance is important. The client, in many cases, could be more successful if they can acknowledge what they don't know, what they do well, and ask for help in the areas of need. That's the challenge for consultants and they need to just work to resolve it with the business owners.

all about growth | There is high need, not sure if there is high demand. The economy has suffered for a reason. The ladders to climb are all psychological on the part of the business consultant. Once you get a client, you need to help them and have stick-to-it-ness to be successful. This career path is not for the weak willed. You need to be able to manage yourself. You also need to have like minded people to consult with when issues arise, they can help problem solve and share with you a unique perspective.

my website| www.rutherfordbusinessadvisor.com and www.theexecutivesuite.com