Category Archives: Business

Dream Derailer #9f: Insufficient Education

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Talent and Education Are Not  The Same

What do Halle Barry, Mary Kay Ashe, Michael Dell, Bill Gates, Andrew Jackson, Rachel Ray,  John D. Rockefeller Sr., Steven Spielberg, Mark Zuckerberg, and Henry Ford, have in common?  You guessed it, no college degree.   That just proves that if you have the passion and talent, the lack of a formal education should not stop you from reaching your dreams.  All but one on the list are at least a millionaire and half were billionaires.

If you have the talent, you can go on to be a famous actress, build a cosmetics company empire, or start a computer company at age 19.  You can also become one of the most influential people of your time, the richest man in the world or in history, a talk show host, a movie producer and director, or create a social media phenomenon that would change how we communicate, or even revolutionize the auto industry.

Let Your Talent Guide You

No one would argue that all of the above mentioned non-degreed people are successful.  But none of them allowed the lack of a college degree stop them from reaching their dreams.  They had a passion and a drive and they went after it with all that they had.  Many even had additional obstacles to overcome beyond education.  Mary Kay Ashe didn’t let the lack of money stop her from starting Mary Kay Cosmetics.  Michael Dell didn’t allow the lack of proper facilities stop him and started Dell computers in his college dorm room.

The important thing is that their talent or dream empowered them to succeed.  What is your talent?  My friend and past mentor, Dr. Percy Thomas inspires his students with these words, “Keep your focus on your strengths and not your weaknesses. Life is too short to spend your time on acquiring talents that God has not gifted to you.” But, the talents you are gifted with, give them your all and watch magic happen!  And finally, the Buddha says: “Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.”  (Continue to part 2 of this article)

I’m Barbara Talley, the poet who speaks and inspires.  To find out more about me check out: What Does Barbara Do? or visit  my website.

12 Ways to Overcome the FEAR of Entrepreneurship (Part 3)

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This article discusses the final four of twelve in ‘How to Not Be Afraid to Go into Business: Don’t Give Up, Protecting Yourself from Negative People, Hard Work, and Necessity in Excelling in What You Do.

  1. Don’t Give Up:  Just Change with The Times– As I mentioned, I’ve been in business almost 24 years and there have been some very good years and very bad years.  Instead of giving up, I’ve had to re-invent myself over and over through the years and change with the tides.  Your business must be fluid and flexible.  Sometimes I changed my products, sometimes my delivery method, other times, it was my audience.  Although I started off doing computer training, I made several transformations over the decades, to corporate trainer for Diversity, Leadership, and Sexual Harassment, then to Time Management, Goal Setting, and then Effective Communications.  Then I became a motivational speaker and author of six books and counting.  Just ask yourself regularly, “How can I  best serve my audience with my unique talents and abilities?”
  2. Protect Yourself from Naysayers, Negative folks, and Toxic People– One of hardest challenges I had to overcome was convincing those closest to me to stick with me through the hard times.  When money was flowing, things were good, but it when it wasn’t, I faced challenges in the business, my relationships, my finances, and my self-esteem.  You pretty much have to have a “thick skin”, unconditional faith and perseverance, and the ability to keep yourself motivated. That is why I had to carefully choose those who I allowed in my front seats.  Join like-minded associations, get out and network, and partner with others.
  3. Work As Hard for Yourself as You Do for Others– Once you go into business, you have to work as hard for yourself as you did for others.  In fact, you will probably have to work even harder.  When I was an employee, I was only responsible for a few set of tasks.  Once I became self employed, I was responsible for everything, taxes, course development, marketing, delivery of service, billing, self improvement, etc.  Now, one thing I’ve learned that I would do differently is that you must do what you do best and partner with or hire others to do what they do best. I had to become a “Superwoman” to take care of six kids, run a business, and save my sanity.  Now that’s a  topic for another time.
  4. Excel in Your Craft– My motto was to learn something every single day to better myself.  After every course I gave,  I harshly critiqued myself and updated my course materials  before the next time I gave that course again.  I always asked for feedback.  Sometimes it was harsh and hurtful, but I learned from all of  it.  But be careful, don’t focus too long on the negative.   I remember once re-thinking my decision to do Diversity training because one person was so rude, critical,  and cruel.  But instead, I focused on the hundreds of people who loved the course, and were changed by and appreciative of it.  Just do your best and keep listening and improving.  For most of my entrepreneurial career I survived on referrals.  I always tried to do more than was expected, be professional, and keep improving.  If you do that, you’ll excel, your customers will be happy and you will be in business for years.

I’m Barbara Talley, The Poet who speaks and inspires.   To find more about me, check out my promo sheet or visit  my website.

12 Ways to Overcome the FEAR of Entrepreneurship (Part 1)

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Today I was asked by Mark  S. on Facebook, “How did you do it, Barb?”  This was referring to how to not be afraid to start a business.  I started to respond, with an instant answer, something like “just have faith,” but decided to instead reflect on it a bit.  In 2011, I will celebrate 24 years of being in business.  In this series I share twelve  tips on how to not be afraid to go into business.  The first four are: Facing Fear, Having A Compelling Why?, Opportunity, and Timing.

  1. To Fear or Not to Fear Is Not the Deciding Factor:  I started my business in 1987 and I can’t honestly say that I was not afraid back then for I’m sure that I was.   But, what I can say is, if you are afraid, DO IT ANYWAY! You will be afraid sometimes; that’s life.  The only way to overcome fear is to face it. If you allow all of those negative “What If” questions to take hold, you’ll never go into business.    Sometimes that fear is cathartic, other times it’s cancerous.  If it points out essential knowledge, skills, and resources you need, acknowledge it and then figure out how to get what you need.Our decisions are either FEAR-based or FAITH-based, one excites you the other paralyzes you.  But in the end, fear is only a thought.  And, you have to consciously focus on that thought in order for it to derail you.  So don’t focus on what you fear!  If you want to start a business, you have a lot to be thinking about, the name, the business structure, the product, the team, the marketing (benefits), the money, the audience, the delivery method etc.  Once you decide you have something viable to offer, focus on that and you’ll have very little time left over to just worry.
  2. Must Have A Compelling Why?– You must start by asking yourself the question, “Why do I want to go into business?” The answer to that question must be compelling enough to carry you through the fear, the doubt, the naysayers, the frustration, and the despair that you will probably experience at some time.  My “WHY” was that I wanted to work at home, to be able to guide and protect my kids.  My older son had gotten into drugs in high school even though my husband and I came home every day from work and was with him.  We didn’t understand or notice the subtle changes of a teen, and being our first teen, shrugged it off as just “teenage puberty.”  At that time, I had another teen son, and after the birth of my first daughter I made a goal to figure out a way to work from home. I didn’t know how I was going to do it at that time.  In retrospect, none of that really mattered anyway.  The universe takes care of ‘how’ for committed faithful people.    I just had to DECIDE to do it and set a goal.  If you’ve got something that the world needs, share it! My compelling ‘WHY’ was to save my kids and I didn’t want them to be latch-key kids.  My “WHY” kept me going through the fear.
  3. Seize the Opportunity and Just Do It!= There will never be a perfect time to go into business.  Although I had set a 6-year goal to go into business, I actually accomplished it within a couple of years.  I had to decide to do it and then start doing it. I’d like to say I had a great plan, but I didn’t at first.  Some read a book about how to drive and then drive.  Others, like myself watch other people and then just do it.  I learned how to be in business by “just jumping in.  It was “sink or swim,” so I learned how to swim.  Now if you’ve got the option to dip your feet in the water, by all means, do that if that will ease your fear.  Now, I’ve found that only serious wholehearted and unlimited faith, hard work, and tenacity will keep you going, but first you’ve got to get going.
  4. Don’t Wait for the Perfect Time– There never will be a perfect time.  And, it was not the perfect time for me either.  I was 7 months pregnant, laid off from my job, had a teen on drugs,  had no money to start a business, and within a couple of months I would be giving birth to my 5th child.  But, I didn’t allow excuses into the equation;  I focused on my ‘WHY.”  I had to act like I was in business.  So I started telling folks, setting up my office, and preparing myself.  Word, got around and I got some business and was “in business.

I’m Barbara Talley, The Poet who speaks and inspires.   To find more about me, check out my promo sheet or visit  my website.