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THE ENTREPRENEURIAL

NUTRITIONIST Fourth Edition

■ KATHY KING, RD, LD Owner, Helm Publishing

Lake Dallas, Texas

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Acquisitions Editor: David Troy Product Manager: Linda G. Francis Design Coordinator: Teresa Mallon Production Service: Maryland Composition Inc.

Copyright © 2010 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a Wolters Kluwer business

351 West Camden Street 530 Walnut Street Baltimore, MD 21201 Philadelphia, PA 19106

All rights reserved. This book is protected by copyright. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including photocopying, or utilized by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the copyright owner.

The publisher is not responsible (as a matter of product liability, negligence, or other- wise) for any injury resulting from any material contained herein. This publication contains information relating to general principles of medical care that should not be construed as specific instructions for individual patients. Manufacturers’ product in- formation and package inserts should be reviewed for current information, including contraindications, dosages, and precautions.

Printed in China

First edition Copyright 1987, Harper & Row Second edition Copyright 1991, Kathy King Helm Third edition Copyright 2002, Kathy King

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

King, Kathy, RD. The entreprenuerial nutritionist / Kathy King. — 4th ed.

p. ; cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-7817-9369-8

1. Dietetics—Practice. I. Title. [DNLM: 1. Dietetics—organization & administration. 2. Dietary Services—organiza-

tion & administration. 3. Entrepreneurship. 4. Professional Practice—organization & administration. WB 400 K53e 2009]

RM218.5.K56 2009 613.2068—dc22

2009007496

The information in this book is for general use only; it is a starting point; it should not be considered legal or medical advice. Readers are referred to the appropriate professionals for more individualized information.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews.

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This book is dedicated to the dietitians and diet techs who have shared their

wisdom and life’s lessons; also, to Savannah, Cherokee, Laura, Chris, and

Kate, grandkids, Grace and Grant, and my husband, Dr. Larry Gilbert, the

flowers in my garden, for their never-ending love and support.

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Becky Dorner, RD Owner, Becky Dorner & Associates, Inc. Nutrition Consulting Services, Inc. Akron, Ohio

Mary Abbott Hess, LHD, MS, RD, LD, FADA Partner, Culinary Nutrition

Associates, LLC Past President, The American Dietetic

Association Chicago, Illinois

Mary Ann Hodorowicz, RD, LDN, MBA, CDE, CEC Owner, Mary Ann Hodorowicz

Consulting, LLC Palos Heights, Illinois

Susan Magrann, MS, RD Nutrition Education Consultant California Department of Public Health

Program Sacramento, California

Teresa Pangan, RD, PhD Owner, Webnoxious Co-owner, Feed Your Career Flower Mound, Texas

Jane Grant Tougas Owner, JGT Ideas Cincinnati, Ohio

CONTRIBUTORS

CASE STUDY CONTRIBUTORS

Chere Bork Grace Cadayona Amanda Clark Mitzi Dulan Karen Fynan Donna Israel Jill Jayne Sheela Krishnaswamy

Linda McDonald Diana Noland Teresa Pangan Elyse Resch Mia Sadler Bonnie Taub-Dix Mandi Wong

v

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

vii

I want to thank the dietitians and other professionals who contributed chapters to the first or second editions of this book: Alanna Dittoe, Karen Dolins, Marianne Franz, Cecilia Helton, Paulette Lambert, Susan Tornetta Magrann, Becky McCully- Varner, Wendy Perkins, Olga Satterwhite, Marilyn Schorin, and Jan Thayer. And a big note of appreciation goes to the new authors of chapters in this edition and the

last: Mary Abbott Hess, Jane Tougas, Becky Dorner, and Mary Ann Hodorowitz. My special gratitude goes to Teresa Pangan for her three wise and detailed chapters on the Web. Also, to Dollie Parsons and Savannah Helm for their editing and suggestions.

At Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, I want to thank David Troy for his enthusiasm and support, and my editor, Linda Francis, for her cheerleading.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ix

Contributors v Acknowledgments vii Preface xi Introduction xiii

PART I The Beginning 1 1 The Entrepreneurial Spirit 3 2 Is Self-Employment for You? 13

PART II Building a Strong Foundation 27 3 Business Strategies and Management 29 4 What Can We Learn from the “Masters”? 44 5 Nurturing Creativity 49 6 Building Your Credibility 54 7 Ethics and Malpractice 59 8 Creating a Good Business Image 67 9 Counseling Expertise 73

PART III Managing Your Business 91 10 Business Plan 93 11 Marketing Decisions 100 12 Legal Forms of Business Ownership 113 13 Protecting Your Ideas and Interests 124 14 Choosing Your Business Advisors 133 15 Money and Finance 138 16 Start-Up Decisions and Costs 155 17 Prices and Fees 166 18 Reimbursement 177 19 Negotiation, Selling, and Contracts 190 20 Office Policy and Dealing with Clients 200

PART IV Taking Your Ideas to Market 207 21 Promoting Your Venture 209 22 Using the Internet in Your Business 227

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x CONTENTS

23 Website Basics 235 24 Promoting Your Website 259

PART V Developing Your Professional Practice 273 25 Consulting in Long-Term Care 275 26 Tapping the Food and Culinary Markets 281 27 The “Write” Way to Get Published 299 28 Media Savvy 312 29 Sports and Cardiovascular Nutrition 322 30 The Wellness Movement 330 31 Continued Competency 338

Index 341

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what kind of time investment is involved? We have the results!

This fourth edition is totally updated with new chapters on Reimbursement by Mary Ann Hodorowitz, MBA, RD, and What Can We Learn from the “Masters”? (those making more than $100,000 net in their own business). We have new information about marketing on the Internet, uses of the Web, tapping food and culinary markets, and consulting in long-term care. We have numerous practical examples to illustrate points, and answers to questions commonly asked by new and seasoned entrepreneurs. The term “entrepreneur” will be used to identify both self-employed people and em- ployed intrapreneurs who try things in new ways. The opinions are obviously those of the authors. They should provide you with a starting point for your own research and personal growth.

Hundreds of dietitians have told me that the first three editions of this book helped them start and maintain successful businesses. For thousands of others, it taught skills and strategies that were used daily in their employment setting. Many say they referred to this book many times over the years as new decisions and hassles arose. I hope you find this book helpful and interesting!

Wow! It has taken over 30 years but we have many wonderfully successful entre- preneurial nutritionists in the U.S. and around the world. In my 2008 World-wide Entrepreneurial Dietitian Survey, 30 dieti- tians were netting over $200,000 per year and 60 were netting $100,000 to $200,000 per year. Do you want to know how they did it? Read our new fourth edition of The Entrepreneurial Nutritionist!

This book is written for nutrition profes- sionals who want to start their own busi- ness. It offers them practical successful guidelines and business knowledge, skills, and insider tips. I have included interviews and case studies from successful practition- ers who may act as role models for you while others will show you what you don’t want to do.

Our most exciting newcomer to this edi- tion is the results of the first and largest worldwide entrepreneurial survey ever con- ducted, with over 1335 dietitians who com- pleted the 88 survey questions. Do you want to know how much dietitians charge or what products sell the best? How much it costs to start a business, or how many years it takes most dietitians to break even on their initial investment? What market- ing ideas work best and which ones don’t work at all? Do you really want to hear

PREFACE

xi

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INTRODUCTION TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Entrepreneurship can be one of the most challenging, difficult projects you ever un- dertake. It may also be one of the most satisfying and exciting. Trial and error, ad- justing to market changes, and trusting your gut instincts are part of every new venture. Passion for your projects is a must. Becom- ing skilled requires study, action, money, assessment, more action, more time, and more money.

The mere idea of starting a business ven- ture of some sort was embraced by only a few maverick dietitians in the 1960s and 1970s. Self-employment became more pop- ular in the 1980s and 1990s. Today, entre- preneurship is in the mainstream of dietetics and world-wide business. Dieti- tians are choosing self-employment to make more money per hour, to have more flexible hours, to try new ideas, and to work with new client populations or food in a different way.

EARLY ENTREPRENEURS

The dietitians who founded our profession were innovative, risk taking individuals. Many were consultants, authors, or inno- vators who created their hospitals’ and uni- versities’ first dietary departments.

Eloise Treasher began the earliest known clinical private practice in 1949 in Balti- more, Maryland. As Eloise retired from work at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, many physicians wanted to continue sending their patients to her, and her consulting business began. Treasher stated, “Private

practice is not for everyone, and not every- one will be good at it. But, if you offer qual- ity counseling and service, you will be in demand.”

In 1953, Norma MacRae began her coun- seling business in Seattle, Washington. Her practice included writing cookbooks. When asked about her success, MacRae stated, “I knew I had ‘arrived’ when physi- cians started coming to see me as patients.”

Other pioneers include Virginia Bayles, RD, a consulting nutritionist in Houston, Texas, and author, Dorothy Revel, RD, from Fargo, North Dakota. Carol Hunerlach, RD, of Maryland, is credited with spearheading the movement to organize the Nutrition Entrepreneurs (formerly Consulting Nutri- tionists) Dietetic Practice Group of The American Dietetic Association.

Today, there are creative, extremely suc- cessful dietitians who are best-selling au- thors; others own multimillion dollar companies, restaurants, health food stores, vineyards, publishing houses, home health agencies, large long-term care consulting firms, and computer companies. Others offer services on a smaller scale where they consult to cruise lines, act as a chef or per- sonal trainer, or counsel private clients. A growing number of highly skilled clinical practitioners are practicing biochemical- based functional nutrition therapy, which will become the practice of the future as medicine turns to functional medicine practice for chronic care therapy. Entrepre- neurial nutritionists also write newspaper columns, host television and radio pro- grams, author books, invent products, de- velop websites, consult to top athletes, speak professionally, and act as media spokespersons for food companies.

INTRODUCTION

xiii

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perwork, marketing, or other nutrition projects with no guarantee of income.

Before one year was up, I knew the con- cept worked. I decided to borrow $1000 from my grandparents and open a 10- by 13-foot office in the new medical complex being built next to the suburban hospital where I had last worked. I loved it. Patients came to me and I didn’t have to counsel them over the stirrups on an exam table. I furnished my office with antiques and plants. I raised my fees slightly ($10 for the initial and $3 for revisits) to cover the in- creased overhead, and I looked like a legit- imate business.

During my third year, I decided to sub- lease the office 2 days per week to a speech therapist. That freed me to take consultant positions at Head Start and retirement homes, and start a Master of Science course in exercise physiology to broaden my ex- pertise. It also gave me a change of pace from full time counseling.

To promote my business, I gave several free speeches each week. I appeared weekly on NBC TV’s “NoonDay” and monthly on KMGH TV’s “Blinky’s Fun Club,” for a total of 8 years. I volunteered for the Col- orado Dietetic Association so that other di- etitians would get to know me and I them. After 3 years, over half of my new consul- tant accounts were from referrals from other dietitians.

I learned more about sports nutrition by volunteering for 3 years for the exercise physiology staff at the University of Den- ver. I was their “on call” nutritionist for speaking at sports conferences and counsel- ing athletes. I invented a natural sports drink with the aid of the Herty-Peck Com- pany in Indianapolis which 7–11 Stores wanted to buy, but that is another book.

Sports consulting with the Denver Bronco Football Team, Denver Avalanche Soccer Team, paid media work, media spokesperson jobs, lecturing, and writing started to come my way as my expertise and reputation grew. My approach to nutrition was from a wellness point of view, so when the trend finally hit Denver, I was ready to grow with it. I taught wellness nutrition to

MY STORY

I graduated in Food Science and Nutrition from Colorado State University, which gave me a good, solid academic back- ground. My internship was at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, a Harvard teaching hos- pital, where I discovered my love for clini- cal nutrition intervention and outpatient counseling.

After practicing 2 years as a hospital clinical dietitian, I began my business in 1972 in Denver, Colorado. The lack of pre- vention and outpatient counseling in the hospital setting frustrated me. I decided to go into the outpatient setting and start my private practice. I wanted to see if I could make a difference by keeping clients healthier when their symptoms or abnor- mal clinical values first appeared instead of waiting until they progressed and hos- pitalization was necessary.

My business strategy was easy: Keep my overhead low, work day and night for a year, and then reevaluate. This decision was not hard to make, since I was single and had nothing of value to borrow against—but I had the time and dedication.

My business started at one physician’s of- fice 2 days per week for $5 per hour. I lived on that income while I developed my busi- ness, working out of six other physicians’ of- fices. I spent a lot of time in transit, waiting for patients to arrive, and marketing to physicians so they would remember to refer clients. After expenses were paid, I lived on $8 a week for food.

I went to a lawyer friend of mine in order to pursue incorporation. He said, “I won’t do it.” I wanted to know why. He said, “Because you aren’t worth suing. Why waste your money?” I have never forgotten that philosophy: Weigh costs against the benefits or risks before investing.

The first year I charged $7 for the initial visit and $2 for revisits—and some people still complained about my fees! I supported myself from the start, supplementing my income with cleaning houses and sewing. For every hour I generated income in the business, I usually worked 3 hours on pa-

xiv INTRODUCTION

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INTRODUCTION xv

online testing (see our website at http:// www.helmpublishing.com).

In 1997, after looking for an asset to in- vest in, I purchased a rundown feed store to hold my publishing company and a “healthy” gift store less than a mile from my home on Main Street in Lake Dallas, Texas. I had it renovated into a beautiful peach-colored store with a white front porch, surrounded by an herb garden. As the publishing company grew, it made it very difficult to run two businesses, and we had to close the store or hire another per- son—it was a financial decision that had to be made. Retail antiques were great fun, but not especially profitable in a small town after 9/11.

From my 37 years of experience, I have learned that when the tough decisions have to be made, no one can do it better than I. I have stopped looking for that ex- pert on a white horse. I try to learn from each experience and person I meet who knows something I don’t. I have learned skills I never wanted to know. I find it still takes time and patience to break into new business arenas where I am unknown. I, and other entrepreneurs I know, continue in business because we love the chance to be creative, to create high-quality output, to work with people, and the freedom. The difficulty of the challenge makes us appre- ciate the rewards even more.

Innovative practitioners will continue to lead our profession into new, nontradi- tional job markets. We, as a profession, need to identify these trailblazers and let them teach us how to find these new career avenues. We should be willing to learn about new areas of practice and then act as mentors to our younger members. Or, rec- ognize when someone is willing to take the risk and support that individual with our goodwill and enthusiasm—not the Tall Poppy Syndrome where an innovator is punished by their peers. We need this type of growth and experimentation to take place worldwide in dietetics.

Kathy King, RD, LD Owner, Helm Publishing

Lake Dallas, Texas

physicians, nurses, and hospital administra- tors, as well as the public. I was always curi- ous and open-minded about alternative therapies. Being involved with media meant that I had to explore things the Denver pub- lic was interested in knowing.

My commitment to the profession grew as I was elected President of the Colorado Dietetic Association, and spent 5 years in the leadership of the Council on Practice, and 2 years on the American Dietetic Asso- ciation’s Board of Directors and House of Delegates.

When I married and moved to Texas in 1983, I didn’t want to start over again by building a group of clinical offices. Instead, I helped develop a hospital-based wellness program, consulted at The Greenhouse Spa, wrote or edited several books, acted as a media spokesperson, hosted my own na- tionally syndicated radio talk show for a year, and traveled giving lectures and semi- nars. When I wasn’t traveling, I worked from a home office so I could be home with my two daughters. Through meeting inno- vative dietitians from around the world, I have been fortunate to speak in six foreign countries. Individual patient counseling was a special high for me and I have counseled over 6,000 people, including three who lost over 125 pounds through diet, exercise, and cognitive-behavioral counseling.

This book has been translated into Japa- nese by Reiko Hashimoto, an outstanding private practitioner in Tokyo who also counsels sumo wrestlers. I self-published the second and third editions of this book when the publisher let it go out of print, and I asked for the copyright. That experi- ence opened doors to more writing and publishing other dietitians’ material. Helm Publishing is now a publisher of continuing education for Registered Dietitians (RD), Di- etetic Technicians (DTR), Registered Nurses (RN), Certified Diabetes Educators (CDE), and Certified Dietary Managers (CDM). We are a mail-order and online cataloger with over 75 products that are more outpatient, nontraditional, functional medicine, and prevention oriented. We adopted marketing on the Web over 12 years ago for sales and

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I

WORDS OF WISDOM

Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Many of life’s failures are men who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.

Thomas Edison

It’s choice—not chance—that determines your destiny. Jean Nidetch

1

THE BEGINNING

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Individual dietitians, worldwide, have be- come very successful, self-employed busi- ness owners over the past 25 years. Their ingenuity, creative verve, aggressiveness, and willingness to handle fear of failure are leading them and the dietetic profession around the world into new markets and fields of experience.

Starting a business is a lot of work. It can take over your life. But for 97.3% of the 1581 dietitians who answered this question on the 2008 World-wide Entrepreneurial Dietitian Survey, they said they would choose entre- preneurship again if they had their lives to live over (1). There aren’t many jobs that can boast that high of a satisfaction rate.

Many new graduates see nutrition’s po- tential in the marketplace and want to try something different. They eagerly watch and listen to the role models who are blaz- ing new trails, or they see markets that no one has tapped. This wonderful enthusi- asm must be tempered with reality—their business skills may be limited, networking contacts take time to establish, and start-up funds have to be available. Will waiting 5 to 10 years before starting a business guar- antee success? Of course not; it depends on your personality, your decisions, and what you do while you wait. While employed, you should try new ideas, save money, and meet people.

How much experience did our most suc- cessful entrepreneurs have before they started their businesses? Of the 90 surveyed dietitians who made over $100,000 net (profit), it is very interesting to note that 13.6% had no employed dietetic experience before becoming self-employed, 38.6% had 1–5 years experience, and 26.1% had 6–10

years experience (1). In the full survey, of the 1589 respondents who answered this question, 75% had, at most, 10 years of ex- perience (Fig. 1.1) (1).

EXPERIENCED PRACTITIONERS

As many dietitians and dietetic technicians reach the top of their professional career lad- ders, they look for new ways to grow. They want to be successful, recognized, and well paid for their expertise. Jean Yancey, a for- mer small business consultant from Denver, called this their “X-Point,” or crossroads. At this X-point, they arrive at a decisive point where they feel they must do something dif- ferent. These successful practitioners feel like so many things they used to do need to be left behind (a case of “been there, done that”). It feels similar to starting over again to pursue new career avenues, but this time, it is on a much higher level of expertise.

For some, the answer is entrepreneurship. This is the chance to be their own boss, schedule their own time, and create new services or products to make a personal profit. It streamlines decision-making, mak- ing it more effective. Entrepreneurship stim- ulates productivity and relieves boredom. It capitalizes on the personal and professional relationships the person has nurtured over the years.

THE ENTREPRENEURIAL EXPLOSION

Entrepreneurism is thriving in America. Being an entrepreneur has moved from cult status in the early 1980s to become de

1

3

THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT

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4 THE ENTREPRENEURIAL NUTRITIONIST

businesses in the U.S. returned the follow- ing impressive statistics (6):

■ There were an estimated 10.4 million privately-held firms.

■ This accounted for every two out of five (40.2%) businesses in the country.

■ These firms generated $1.9 trillion in annual sales and employed 12.8 mil- lion people nationwide.

In a survey of influential Americans com- pleted for Ernst & Young, results showed 78% believed entrepreneurship would be the defining trend of the 21st century (8). People who completed the survey felt the major factors that would contribute to this rise in entrepreneurship were (8):

■ New technology (helps small busi- nesses compete), 76%

■ Economic conditions (low inflation), 53%

■ Social conditions (two incomes, return to family), 45%

■ Global economy, 33%

THE ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET

Thomas Petzinger, a Wall Street Journal columnist and author of The New Pioneers, believes, “Everyone will have to be an

rigueur at the turn of the century. In 2006, there were more than 26.8 million small businesses in the U.S., and more than 12.3 million Americans were self-employed (2). In 2004, there were approximately 17,000 large businesses in the U.S. (3). According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), small businesses represent (4):

■ 99.7% of all employers ■ 60%–80% of the new net jobs ■ 50% of the private sector output ■ 97% of all exported goods

According to Dun and Bradstreet, the aver- age small business owner has three employ- ees, 1.3 locations of business, and is not a part of a franchise organization. They found owners typically work about 50 hours a week at businesses that generate average revenues of $50,000 to $200,000 (5).

Between 1997 and 2006, businesses that were fully women-owned, or majority- owned by women, grew at nearly twice the rate of all U.S. firms (42.3% vs. 23.3%) (6). During this same time period, employment among women-owned firms grew 0.4%, and annual sales grew 4.4% (6). Women start their own businesses at twice the rate of men (7). In 2006, reports on women- owned (or majority owned by women)

FIGURE 1.1 ■ Number of years of dietetic employment before begin- ning self-employment (1589 respon- dents) (1).

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CHAPTER 1 ■ The Entrepreneurial Spirit 5

entrepreneur in the future” (9). This state- ment comes from the awareness that jobs have changed drastically in the past two decades and entrepreneurship is more mainstream. “Entrepreneurship was really an immigrant activity for many genera- tions” (9). Business life helped immigrants learn English and slowly assimilate into so- ciety. Petzinger sees people of all ages be- coming entrepreneurs and bringing new ideas on social goodwill, creative solutions, and more holistic views on merging their home and business lives (9).

In his classic book, Innovation and Entre- preneurship, Peter Drucker, veteran business consultant and management philosopher, says “the entrepreneurial spirit is based on the premise that change is normal, healthy, and desirable, that it sees the major task in society, and especially in the economy, as doing something different rather than doing better what is already being done” (10). Entrepreneurship is a way of thinking where you see the possibilities of an idea before you dwell on its limitations.

Rosabeth Moss Kanter, former editor of the Harvard Business Review and author of Change Masters, a book based on her study of 50 corporations, concluded that those companies on a downward slope were there because of “the quiet suffocation of the entrepreneurial spirit” (11). There is a close relationship between entrepreneur- ship and innovation in meeting new cus- tomers’ needs, increasing job satisfaction, devising new work methods, and improv- ing quality (12). New ideas are essential.

In The Atlantic Monthly, authors Stephen Pollan and Mark Levine made observations about small business (13):

■ The current tax situation makes it clear to Americans that owning one’s own business is one of the few oppor- tunities people have to create wealth.

■ Government at all levels realizes that small businesses are the primary cre- ators of jobs and is offering incentives encouraging entrepreneurs into their communities.

■ Technology—in particular computeri- zation and information processing—is lowering the start-up costs associated with small businesses and helping them seize chances.

■ Small businesses have been so suc- cessful that large, hungry corpora- tions have been moving into areas traditionally left to entrepreneurs, like childcare. As big businesses move, entrepreneurs are moving into areas that once were thought beyond their scope, like manufacturing for global markets.

■ Creativity and innovation remain the province of the entrepreneur. More than half the major inventions since World War II have come from small businesspeople.

CHANGES IN THE EMPLOYMENT ENVIRONMENT

Jobs are changing. Job loyalty is changing. As more companies cut costs, merge, and consolidate, an increasing number of highly educated or experienced people will be let go (14). Business experts see a trend toward replacing many employees with a staff of subcontractors and consultants who will only be used on an on-call or per- project basis—they will get no fringe ben- efits or regular paychecks, but may be able to make more pay per hour. This will hit the Baby Boomers especially hard, since so many will be vying for the few good top- level positions their years of experience and expertise warrant.

Former President of the American Di- etetic Association (ADA), Judith Dodd, agreed when she wrote, “A starting point is recognizing there is no safe place in any healthcare-related field. It is difficult to identify a position or a site that remains unaffected by technology, cost contain- ment, takeovers, or mergers” (15).

The average American changes jobs about every 4 years due to better job opportunity, boredom, cutbacks, spouse

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6 THE ENTREPRENEURIAL NUTRITIONIST

lower cost. To compete in any marketplace, we must continually market ourselves, im- prove the level of our skills, upgrade the uniqueness of our products, and offer serv- ices that are not easily duplicated. Our cus- tomer service must be helpful, timely, and better than the closest competitor’s.

WHERE DO YOU FIND NONTRADITIONAL JOBS?

In the nontraditional job arena, communi- cation links are less formal and structured, so self-promotion is a must. People learn about qualified practitioners through per- sonal interviews, mutual friends, speaking, writing, networking, and through member- ships in organizations and on committees. Most self-employed people will tell you that their good jobs come upon referral. In fact, career experts estimate that 70% to 80% of employment opportunities actually come from referrals (18).

Consultant and writer Howard Shenson found the type of marketing strategies used by consultants who make over $110,000 per year are different than those who make less than $55,000 per year (18). Top earners promoted themselves through:

■ Calling on prospects referred by satis- fied clients

■ Lectures to civic, trade, or professional audiences

■ Writing articles, books, and newsletters

The consultants who earned less marketed themselves primarily through:

■ Cold calling new accounts who had not heard of them before

■ Direct mail brochures and sales letters ■ No-charge consultations to prequali-

fied leads

These last methods are time-consuming, expensive, and not as effective. By looking at the top-earner list, you can see that peo- ple seek consultants with established iden- tities, ones who are accepted and promoted by others. So, it boils down to getting to know people, becoming known for your

transfers, or other reasons (12). Some ex- perts believe people will also change the focus of their careers multiple times. For some, change is unsettling, but others see it as an opportunity to grow, meet new people, and try new ideas.

Spencer Johnson, author of Who Moved My Cheese?, stated in an interview, “What’s changing is the speed of change; it’s accel- erating. I think the major challenge will be not only to adapt to change but to enjoy change and view it in such a way that it works to your advantage. The other half of that coin is to keep things in balance, and slow down a bit, and ask ourselves, ‘Is this change really necessary?’ Knowing when to change and when not to will call for good judgment and those who have it will win in the 21st century” (16).

WORKING FROM HOME

Four and a half million Americans work in home-based businesses either full- or part- time, and another 3.5 million work at home for an employer (17). Working at home is a growing option, especially for people who consult, write, publish, speak, make client home visits, or use the com- puter for the bulk of their work. A home of- fice keeps the overhead low, reduces travel time, allows more time with your family, and offers scheduling flexibility. However, unless you are careful, it can overwhelm your personal and family life. Any negative stigma associated with working at home is quickly disappearing.

GLOBAL MARKETS

Global markets will change the competitive environment worldwide. Our business boundaries can expand overseas. Some jobs will continue to be lost to overseas compa- nies if those companies produce products or services more economically and similar in quality. Products sell well when they are new, innovative, and ahead of the market curve. They often own the market until a competitor reproduces them at a much

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CHAPTER 1 ■ The Entrepreneurial Spirit 7

knowledge and talents, and investing in your future while bringing home enough income to live on.

SURVEY RESULTS

There were 1638 respondents who began the 2008 World-wide Entrepreneurial Dietitian Survey, and 1337 who completed all 88 ques- tions (1). Ninety-seven percent were women and 3% were men, which are the same gen- der ratios as in the ADA membership (19).

HOW MANY YEARS IN SELF-EMPLOYMENT?

According to the 2008 survey, of the 1638 respondents who answered this question, it is interesting to see how many practition- ers had recently chosen to become entre- preneurs (1):

■ 31.3% (512 RDs or DTRs) self- employed 1–3 years

■ 33.4% (548 RDs or DTRs) self- employed 4–10 years

■ 21.9% (360 RDs or DTRs) self- employed 11–20 years

■ 10.7% (175 RDs or DTRs) self- employed 21–30 years

■ 3% (50 RDs or DTRs) had been in their own business for 31 or more years

Wow! Two hundred twenty-five nutrition professionals have been entrepreneurs for over 21 years! It’s hoped that the informa- tion in this book will help those just start- ing out to find pearls of wisdom that will make them as successful as these veterans. See Chapter 2 for guidelines on who might best succeed at self-employment.

HOW OLD WERE THE RESPONDENTS?

Are the newest entrepreneurs just out of school? No, almost 60% were 41–59 years old, and we have at least two (0.1%) entre- preneurs in our profession who are 80 years old or older (Fig. 1.2) (1)!

HOW EDUCATED ARE SELF-EMPLOYED RDs AND DTRs?

Of the 1634 respondents answering this question, there were (1):

■ 0.4% (6) DTRs ■ 43.5% (711) RDs ■ 51.5% (841) RDs with Master of Science ■ 4.7% (76) with Doctorates

FIGURE 1.2 ■ Ages of 2008 World- wide Entrepreneurial Dietitian Survey (1644 respondents) (1).

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8 THE ENTREPRENEURIAL NUTRITIONIST

The important number to know is how much you net in a business—this is the amount of money you keep after expenses are removed. When you start a business, you can find lots of things to spend your money on that can be used as deductions, so your income doesn’t look very prosper- ous, but your deductions are greater and your tax burden is less. In ADA’s 2007 Com- pensation Survey, the average dietitian took home $53,300 each year (19). See Figure 1.3 on the net income from the 2008 World- wide Entrepreneurial Dietitian Survey respon- dents’ best year in business (1).

HOW MUCH DID IT COST TO START THE BUSINESS?

We will talk about what it costs to finance a business in later chapters, but suffice it to say that 85.2% of survey respondents spent $5,000 or less to start their businesses, and of all respondents, 72.2% broke even in the first year, and 90.8% had broken even in 2 years (1).

WHAT SERVICES AND PRODUCTS GENERATED THE MOST REVENUE?

What services or products generated the largest amounts of income for the 1359 re- spondents that answered this question?

Self-employed practitioners are more highly educated than the general ADA membership, which, according to the 2007 Compensation Survey, had 45% of RDs with Master of Science degrees and 3% with doctoral degrees (19). Just as interesting is that there were eleven dietitians who were also MDs (Physicians), six RD/RNs (Nurses), two dentist/RDs, two RD/physical therapists, and one RD/ Naturopath.

HOW MUCH DID SELF-EMPLOYED PRACTITIONERS MAKE IN THEIR BEST YEAR?

There were 11.5% (180) who grossed (total income generated) $100,001 to �$500,000, which is fantastic! It is more representative of the full group that there were (1):

■ 19.8% (311) who grossed less than $10,000 per year (presumably working part time)

■ 3% (361) who grossed $10,001– $30,000

■ 31.2% (489) who grossed $30,000– $70,000

■ 14.4% (226) who grossed $70,001– $100,000

■ 11.5% (180) who grossed $100,001 to �$500,000

25.6% 29.2%

32.2%

7.3% 3.8% 1.9%

0% 5%

10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

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FIGURE 1.3 ■ Net income from survey respondents’ best year in busi- ness (1560 respondents) (1).

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CHAPTER 1 ■ The Entrepreneurial Spirit 9

Keep in mind that although these are the most common and popular, there are niche jobs and markets that may be very lucrative because not many practitioners are pursu- ing them at this time. Be sure to read Chap- ter 4 on what the top income-producing practitioners are selling. In descending order the answers were (1):

■ Medical nutrition therapy (MNT) 35.3% (850 respondents)

■ Wellness consulting/presenting (555) ■ Speaking (539) ■ Long-term care (408) ■ Menu or recipe development (334) ■ Writing articles and brochures (260) ■ Business consulting (92 respondents

ranked this option as their first choice) ■ Counseling in functional nutrition

therapy or nutrition genomics (159) ■ Sports counseling (158) ■ Writing books (129) ■ Media spokesperson (90) ■ Marketing products (80) ■ Selling supplements (83) ■ Supermarket personal shopper/tour

guide (74) ■ Complementary and alternative med-

icine (CAM) (74) ■ Fitness teacher (70)

Of the 546 respondents who work in long- term care, 470 identified the geriatric mar- ket as their largest market; second was the care of the disabled with 167; third was home healthcare with 111; fourth was hos- pice with 104; and fifth was drug and alco- hol rehabilitation with 69 ranking it in their top five (1).

WHAT WERE THEIR GREATEST JOYS AND BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS?

These were open-ended questions so peo- ple could be honest and creative in answer- ing them. Of the 1289 respondents who answered the question on their greatest joy or satisfaction, the highest number identi- fied helping patients or clients as the most satisfying; followed by self-satisfaction for their personal achievement; third was

being their own boss; and in fourth place was better quality of life for the practitioner and his or her family.

The biggest disappointments tied for first place were “none” and “long hours/stress.” Tied for third and fourth were “slow business/no shows” and “worry about funds/economy.” A distant tie for fifth and sixth were “working with the medical profession” and “outside competition.”

WHAT WOULD YOU DO OVER? WHAT WERE YOUR LARGEST BARRIERS TO SUCCESS?

Of the 1117 respondents that answered what they would do over, the majority said “plan better,” followed by “better marketing,” then “stronger belief in my- self and my abilities” and “better staff support.”

Of the 1155 respondents, the number one barrier was “lack of business experi- ence”; second was “too much time com- mitment”; third was “lack of or improper marketing”; fourth was “inadequate busi- ness planning”; fifth was “difficulty obtain- ing insurance reimbursement”; sixth was “unfamiliar with networking and using contacts well”; and seventh was “inade- quate funding.”

WHAT SHOULD BE EMPHASIZED MORE IN DIETETIC EDUCATION? HOW CAN ADA HELP MORE?

Of the 1253 respondents that answered the question on the top five ideas for improv- ing dietetic education (1):

■ The top answer was “more marketing skills,” voted by 863.

■ Second was “business management in order to generate a profit,” with 791 votes.

■ Third, with 681 votes, was “negotia- tion skills.”

■ Fourth, with 394 votes was, “arriving at appropriate prices.”

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10 THE ENTREPRENEURIAL NUTRITIONIST

segmented and there will be other health professionals ready and willing to answer the needs of those new markets with skills and information dietitians have not yet learned or rejected as unnecessary.

Nonetheless, there will always be an on- going need for good nutritional informa- tion as each new generation participates in sports, has babies, fights obesity, prevents or recovers from illness, and wants to stay healthy as it grows older.

Career avenues for dietitians who distin- guish themselves will abound. Competing successfully in the markets of the future may require experience and education out- side the required nutrition curriculum and traditional career settings. Today, dietitians are learning about integrative medicine, functional nutrition therapy, medicine, psychotherapeutic counseling skills, media broadcasting, business management, culi- nary, pharmaceuticals, exercise physiology, law, marketing and sales, product manufac- turing, writing, and public speaking. As is often said when faced with so much oppor- tunity, only the person’s imagination and energy will limit what she or he can do.

Dietitians are best selling authors, per- sonal chefs, media spokespersons, media personalities, and sports nutritionists. They own public relations firms, publishing houses, and nursing homes. A few are in- ventors of products like fruit-sweetened cookies, diet card games, educational videos, and multimillion dollar computer data companies. Dietitians are culinary and nutrition consultants to movie stars, spas, restaurants, and fast food chains. Others offer consultant management expertise in inventory control and reducing the inci- dence of malnutrition. A growing number of Nutrition Therapists are pursuing new areas of clinical practice like integrative medicine, nutritional genomics, and func- tional nutrition therapy.

Becoming an entrepreneur fulfills for many people the desire to create their own destinies. Some people say they are more satisfied—financially and personally—than ever before.

■ Fifth, with 376 votes, was “bookkeep- ing and accounting.”

■ Sixth, with 363 votes, was “product or service development.”

■ In seventh place, with 317 votes, was “building self-esteem or self- confidence.”

To the open-ended question, “What could our profession do to help support entrepre- neurs better?,” there were 1771 responses. The responses were all over the board, but the most repeated ones were:

■ More practical, entrepreneurial busi- ness skills in our education

■ Better support for ideas and practice outside of acute clinical care

■ Raise the level of counseling skills being taught

■ Better marketing of our profession ■ Encourage our members to work with

other professions ■ More support for RDs and DTRs in

“nontraditional” practice areas ■ Lower prices for ADA members for its

marketing opportunities ■ Encourage members to mentor and

support each other better

OTHER SURVEY RESULTS WILL BE SHARED

More survey results on what works best in marketing, the best advisors for entrepre- neurs, what dietitians charge for their serv- ices, and which forms of business most entrepreneurs use will be discussed in the upcoming chapters.

SUMMARY

Presently, the marketing window of oppor- tunity for nutrition is wide open. Nutrition has never been a “hotter” topic, and it will remain so for some years to come. How- ever, as with all great ideas and trends, it too will fade as our very large target mar- kets become saturated with nutrition infor- mation and products. Markets will become

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CHAPTER 1 ■ The Entrepreneurial Spirit 11

In a speech to undergraduates at Cornell University, business expert Tom Peters gave sage advice that fits this topic well. He said (20):

■ Don’t think, do. You only really know if something works after you try it, so don’t spend all your time and energy plan- ning. You will never make all of the right decisions before you start something. Things get better as you apply what you learn.

■ Fail with flair. Quoting novelist Tom Robbins: “If you’ve any sense at all, you must have learned by now that we pay just as dearly for our triumphs as we do for our defeats. Go ahead and fail with wit, fail with grace, fail with style.” Sadly, all too many newly minted college grads, and forty-year olds, fear failure—that, in the end, is to fear living itself.

■ Listen naively. Don’t just listen, but also “hear.” Hearing is about empathy and taking the time to respect others. If you are not empathetic (by this point), I don’t know what to tell you— except, don’t be the boss.

■ Ask dumb questions. You couldn’t possi- bly know all the answers, so ask and im- prove your ability to solve problems.

■ Get others involved. It takes time to lis- ten, hear, trust, and gain commitment but it is time well spent. Others come to us with motivation and then we go about destroying it with demeaning attitudes and humiliating rules instead of enthusi- asm for new ideas.

■ Go where the action is. The best, most successful chiefs and generals spend most of their time at the firing line, and the least in the office.

■ Make it fun. All human endeavors are about emotion—zest, joy, pride, fun, and even crying are near the heart of any successful enterprise.

■ Be interesting! Life’s too short to waste time suppressing emotions, trying to be like the others, fearing rebuffs, or being fired. You will never please everyone.

So go nurture some very interesting failures and even better successes!

REFERENCES 1. King K. 2008 World-wide Entrepreneurial Dietitian

Survey. Copyright 2009. 2. Kobe K. The Small Business Share of GDP,

1998–2004. Washington, DC: U.S. Small Busi- ness Administration, 2007. Available at: http:// www.sba.gov/advo/research/rs299tot.pdf. Accessed January 1, 2009.

3. Thompson R. Harvard Business School Dis- cusses Future of the MBA. HBS Bulletin, Novem- ber 24, 2008.

4. CHI Research, Inc. Small Serial Innovators: The Small Firm Contribution To Technical Change, DC: U.S. Small Business Administra- tion, 2003. Available at: http://www.sba.gov/ advo/research/rs225tot.pdf. Accessed January 9, 2009.

5. Dun and Bradstreet Report on Entrepreneurs. In: Williams G. 2001: An Entrepreneurial Odyssey. Entrepreneur, April, 1999.

6. Wolfe L. Trends and Statistics for Women in Business: Using Industry Trends and Business Growth Statistics to Grow Your Own Business. Available at: http://womeninbusiness.about. com/od/wibtrendsandstatistics/a/wibtrend- snstats.htm. Accessed January 9, 2009.

7. Special Report: A Quick Guide for Women & Minority Entrepreneurs. Entrepreneur, January, 1998.

8. Roper Starch Worldwide Survey of Influential Americans for Ernst & Young. In: Williams G. 2001: An Entrepreneurial Odyssey. Entrepre- neur, April, 1999.

9. Petzinger T. The New Pioneers: The Men and Women Who Are Transforming the Workplace and Marketplace. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000.

10. Drucker P. Innovations and Entrepreneurship. Burlington, MA: Elsevier, 2007.

11. Kanter R. Change Masters: Innovation for Produc- tivity in the American Corporation. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1983.

12. Bolles RN. What Color is Your Parachute? 2009: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career- Changers. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 2008.

13. Pollan S, Levine M. Playing to Win. The Atlantic Monthly, Fall, 1988.

14. Kunde D. Striking Out on Their Own. The Dallas Morning News, February 19, 1991.

15. Dodd J. Look before you leap—but do leap! J Am Diet Assoc 1999;99(4):422.

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http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/rs299tot.pdf
http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/rs299tot.pdf
http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/rs225tot.pdf
http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/rs225tot.pdf
http://womeninbusiness.about.com/od/wibtrendsandstatistics/a/wibtrendsnstats.htm
http://womeninbusiness.about.com/od/wibtrendsandstatistics/a/wibtrendsnstats.htm
http://womeninbusiness.about.com/od/wibtrendsandstatistics/a/wibtrendsnstats.htm
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12 THE ENTREPRENEURIAL NUTRITIONIST

19. American Dietetic Association Commission on Dietetic Registration. Compensation & Ben- efits Survey of the Dietetics Profession 2007. Chicago, IL: American Dietetic Association, 2008.

20. Peters T. Some Advice: Do. Fail. Laugh. Weep. And be Interesting. Dallas Business Journal, Feb- ruary 12, 1990.

16. Johnson S. Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life. New York: Putnam, 1998.

17. U. S. Small Business Administration. Frequently Asked Questions. Available at: http://web.sba. gov/faqs/. Accessed January 9, 2009.

18. Shenson H. Surefire Strategies for Making it as a Consultant. Home Office Computing, April, 1991.

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http://web.sba.gov/faqs/
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Self-employment is not a decision that should be taken lightly. It’s a calculated risk that requires forethought and continuous critical thinking to evaluate the options and pitfalls as a project grows. Because it’s challenging, succeeding as an entrepreneur can be one of the most satisfying accom- plishments you will ever have.

What makes some individuals want to do such a thing in the first place? What drives some to do it, while others only talk about it? How do you tell if you’re one of them?

According to Jerry White, author of The Entrepreneur’s Master Planning Guide and di- rector of the Caruth Institute of Owner Managed Business at Southern Methodist University, there are a few universal criteria that are common to most successful entre- preneurs (1). He says it’s the person who gets a little angry and then galvanizes for action when let go in a downsizing—he or she gets a gleam in the eye and plans the future. He states that there are key person- ality traits that describe the successful en- trepreneurs he sees (1):

■ Stamina ■ Realism ■ Self-motivation ■ Self-confidence ■ Calculated risk-taking

If these characteristics don’t describe you, then you might want to think long and hard before going into your own business.

The personal qualities, experience, luck, or financial resources necessary for an en- trepreneur’s success may be less important for another. Encouraging potential nutri- tion entrepreneurs to merely have years of experience in dietetics without regard to

the type and quality of experience is not well founded. Dietitians and dietetic tech- nicians have the basic clinical knowledge and skills upon entry into the profession. It’s the other personal qualities and skills that help set people apart from their peers.

Venture capitalist Arthur Rock states, “Good ideas and good products are a dime a dozen. Good execution and good management—in a word, good people—are rare. A conventional manager isn’t risk- oriented enough to succeed with a new venture, while an entrepreneur without managerial savvy is just another promoter. Good managers, on the other hand, can’t lose. If their strategy doesn’t work, they can develop another one. Great people make great companies, and that’s the kind of company I want to be a part of” (2).

WHAT DOES IT TAKE?

Sixty-four percent of the 1581 dietetic en- trepreneurs who answered the question feel they have “always had an entrepreneurial personality” (3). Of the three dominant personality types that some businesspeople feel entrepreneurs have, 44% of survey re- spondents chose “creative, inventor, idea- person,” 24.7% chose “manager, leader, financial-person,” and 31.4% chose “tech- nician, detail-oriented, task person” (3). It is interesting to note that the most finan- cially successful dietitian “masters” (those making over $100,000 net income per year) who had been in business many more years chose very differently (3):

■ 51.7% said they were a “creative, in- ventor, idea-person”

2

13

IS SELF-EMPLOYMENT FOR YOU?

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14 THE ENTREPRENEURIAL NUTRITIONIST

4. Ability to network and build rela- tionships

5. Knowledgeable and keep up with trends

6. Good communicator

“Successful entrepreneurs know (or learn) how to be tough, how to accept criticism, and how to make quick decisions. Personal integrity is crucial for continued growth of the business. The most successful strive for short-term excellence on every project or they do not agree to do it. They must be able to accept responsibility and stick by commitments” (4).

As a nutrition counselor, it is important to be people-oriented, empathetic, and be exceptionally good in communicating with others. Advanced counseling skills learned through additional education or training in psychotherapeutic counseling with profes- sional supervision will be necessary for a long career in counseling. As medicine changes, especially in chronic care, to func- tional medicine, dietitians will need to know the body’s biochemical functions and pathways that use nutrition as their cornerstone.

As media spokespersons, public speakers, and consultants, dietitians must develop their verbal communication skills and the powers to reason, organize, and think quickly on their feet. As you can see, formal dietetic education is just the beginning.

There is no guarantee that a new busi- ness will show an immediate profit. Indi- viduals who start their own businesses cannot be prone to discouragement or boredom. A successful entrepreneur is a re- alist as well as a dreamer—reaching for the stars while maintaining a firm, earthly foot- ing. Financially, entrepreneurs learn where to cut corners to save money and where to spend their limited resources to make the best impression or serve their clients better. Entrepreneurs must learn to be brutal when it comes to cutting “bad” ideas that drain resources, but generate fun diversion.

Entrepreneurs must learn from others be- cause so many new skills are unfamiliar and because most new ventures are solo projects.

■ 33.7% said they were a “manager, leader, financial-person”

■ 14.6% said they were a “technician, detail-oriented, task person”

These figures beg the questions: does the job change the person into someone who is more creative and a financial manager, or will the process of starting and managing a business naturally weed out the people who are more technical and detail-oriented?

The majority of dietitians who become entrepreneurs come from clinical back- grounds, followed in descending order by community nutrition, education, food management, business or communication, and, finally, research (3).

A successful entrepreneur has many areas of expertise that should be developed, including:

■ A desire and an ability to network with other people

■ A thorough working knowledge of how a business operates (often learned or observed on a former job)

■ A willingness to promote self and the business

■ The ability to develop a quality prod- uct or service

■ Financial management skills and abil- ity to generate capital to finance the business

The strengths of the business should be based upon the owner’s unique personality, knowledge, and experience. This means that you must know about yourself. You may not need specialized training beyond the di- etetic education and internship, or you may go for graduate degrees and certifications. Of the masters making over $200,000 net per year, an equal number had the RD cre- dential or their Master of Science degree and 17% had their doctoral degree (3).

Survey masters identified their personal characteristics they felt were most responsi- ble for their success, listed below in de- scending order (3):

1. Hard work and persistence 2. Personality traits 3. Caring and passion

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CHAPTER 2 ■ Is Self-Employment for You? 15

Many will set up informal mentor relation- ships with highly respected authorities who have experience and insight beyond that of the entrepreneur. At other times, they will network in dietetic practice groups and local business groups where they share ideas and problems with other entrepreneurs.

WHY CHOOSE SELF-EMPLOYMENT?

Dietitians on the verge of leaving employee status for that of self-employment find that being an employee no longer gives them what they need. It’s as if they have come to the end of a certain passage. They can no longer grow in the present environment. Venturing into the unknown becomes nec- essary in order to continue personal and ca- reer growth.

Other reasons for becoming self-em- ployed are to gain flexibility of time, to be your own boss, or to be home with small children. Some do it to follow patient care in a wellness setting, to create and imple- ment programs, to do a greater variety of

work, or to make more income or have greater recognition for their work.

In the 2008 World-wide Entrepreneurial Dietitian Survey, the 1335 respondents ranked the reasons why they chose to be entrepreneurs with “flexible schedule” coming in first (3):

1. To have a more flexible schedule 2. To do a variety of work 3. To be my own boss 4. To be challenged 5. To earn more money 6. To have more freedom to use my

creativity

The potential exists to make it in a big way. If entrepreneurs are successful, they can make much more money than they ever could as an employee in a traditional job because they collect both the owner’s and employee’s shares. However, they also pay for all the overhead and fringe benefits—both the owner’s and employee’s shares.

There is a tremendous swelling of pride in their work and in themselves as they

One of the many decisions a home-based businessperson has to make!

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16 THE ENTREPRENEURIAL NUTRITIONIST

the business. Does it help to involve the spouse in business activities? It helps some marriages because they see the work as a labor of love, sharing the workload and reducing the time needed to conduct the business. For others, it is the beginning of the end. Too many hours together may worsen tempers instead of soothe them.

Of the 1305 survey respondents that an- swered the question about their marital and family status when starting into self- employment, about 50% were married with children (see Fig. 2.1) (3). In response to the question about whether the spouse’s or significant other’s support was helpful, 91.1% of 1132 people said their support was neutral up to very supportive.

NOT FOR EVERYONE

As you can tell from what has been shared, entrepreneurship does intimately affect an individual. Also, the point needs to be made that you can’t assume that since you have good ideas, money, lots of energy, and the right credentials you should start your own business. You might also think about work- ing as an employee in business and indus- try, or for a spa, caterer, cruise line, large medical clinic, or another nontraditional employment setting. Good, progressive cor- porations are starting to recognize the value of hiring more creative individuals who are looking for career alternatives with regular paychecks and fringe benefits.

The negative aspects of starting a busi- ness are very real but certainly not insur- mountable when a person does careful research and develops well thought out solutions. The fear o