Q&A with Professional Resume Writer

Tell us a bit about yourself & give a bit of history about when you started your business. I've been at the helm of Resume to Referral since 1999. I started my business from the corner of my bedroom and saw clients at my dining room table. I shifted from being home-based to an office/retail front, and then back to home again. My history of starting a business is different than most. I'm no Bill Gates or Donald Trump. In fact, I was somewhat a train wreck when I started. My business was run somewhat schizophrenically. I worked out of my apartment for a time, only to move to an office for a time, and then, I moved back to being a home-based business again - permanently this time. My company name was changed during that timeframe as well, and I changed my company website more times than I could count. All those nicks and scars were important to experience and remember, I admit now. Tell us about your efforts with helping new businesses. Over the years, I've helped others start their resume-writing businesses. My book, "Start Your Resume-Writing Business: The Ultimate Resource to Building a $100,000 Business" has been a passion project for me, even when I wrote the first edition in 1999/2000. I've updated the book twice, packing in all the knowledge I learned from running my own business. It weighs in at a hefty 170+, full-sized pages, making it a heavyweight for updated information. Anytime you want to know the ins and outs of any topic, the best way is to learn from someone who's been through - or is presently in - the trenches. Do you think your experience makes you qualified to advise and coach others on the subject? Yup! Every business professional has their own story, but you must admit mine is exceptionally unique. I was the most unlikely to start a business, let alone operate and profit from one. So yes, I think the nicks and the scars I've received do provide me with advanced knowledge of starting, operating, and profiting from a resume-writing business. Do you think resume writing as a business is a smart move considering today's economy? Like anything else, there's risk with starting a business during economic turmoil. Some might even think starting a business at this point is down-right crazy considering many businesses are struggling. I happen to feel the opposite. Any time is a good time to start a business, especially if you start and build it correctly. I do recommend individuals transition into business ownership slowly, yet steadily, especially when new to self-proprietorship. Surprisingly many top companies were born during financial crisis, such as IBM, Proctor & Gamble, and Allstate Insurance. Certainly your resume business won't be a multimillion-dollar corporation, but small businesses can do what larger companies cannot; i.e. turn business on a dime. Small businesses have so much flexibility to immediately mold themselves to meet their client's needs, without seeking approval from a board of directors, shareholders, or an executive team. For my business, I have complete control over everything. Resume writing is an unusual career field. What do you have to say about that? I didn't grow up wanting to be a resume writer. In fact, the business of writing resumes somewhat landed in my lap while I was having difficulty finding employment. The resume-writing industry is an unlikely industry, yes, but I think that's what makes it the most ideal. Not everyone knows about its potential.