Second Breaks

Knowing who you are—your strengths and the conditions in which you excel—and using that knowledge to build your career is a sure-fire way to have a career that you’ll love.

What exactly does a location-independent career mean, is it really doable, and would you want one. You’ve no doubt heard the phrase before: location-independent lifestyle. Perhaps you’ve thought about making a career pivot to create this situation for yourself. Or maybe, you’ve raised your eyebrows and wondered if this is merely one of those [...]

Highlights of Episode 24

• How Amy Scott began her freelance editor career
• The (surprising) main challenge she faced when she was first starting out
• What location-independent work is really about
• How her location-independent career helped her accommodate various life situations and phases
• Key considerations, if a location-independent career sounds interesting to you
• Factors to consider when deciding between traditional publishing or independent publishing route
• Working with an editor: when to hire one during your writing process and how to evaluate someone to work with

Get full access to Shaping Life at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe

What exactly is a location-independent career, how to set it up, and how to figure out if this one's for you

Highlights of Episode 23

• Lisa Wood’s evolution from freelance web developer to owner of a web design/development agency and business coach;
• What helps her navigate through the business changes she continues to make;
• How the small business world has changed from when she initially made the jump, what makes it easier to make the leap into entrepreneurship, what makes it harder;
• Networking and building relationships;
• The unique challenges that women in business face;
• Where to start if you’re thinking of freelancing on the side.

Get full access to Shaping Life at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe

A business that does not pivot is at risk of becoming irrelevant or losing its position in the marketplace.

Lisa Woods has been an entrepreneur for 20 years. She opted out of the traditional corporate career path in order to gain flexibility in how and where she spent her time.

Her first move was freelance web design projects on the side. This soon paved the way for her own web design/web development company, Sprout Media.

Over the years, Lisa continued to reposition herself and her business in response to what her clients needed, as well as her personal evolution.

In addition to sharing her own career journey in this episode, Lisa also shared her insights around how the small business world has evolved since she first made the leap herself.

Instructional Designer Gregg Eiler is in the midst of an exciting career move. He shares how he's made the decision to use his strengths and passion for course building as the jumping off point for a new career.

Highlights of Episode 22

• The mindset shift that occurred for Gregg which allowed him to see opportunities beyond his corporate career;
• How he evaluated his career path options and chose the consulting business path;
• Habits he’s adopted to manage his time effectively so he could build his consulting business with a full-time job;
• Gregg’s advice to anyone looking to leverage their skill set to start a new career;
• How patience is helping with the motivation and the long view;
• The state of online education;
• What to do if you’re thinking of becoming an online instructor.

Get full access to Shaping Life at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe

Instructional Designer Gregg Eiler is in the midst of an exciting career move. He shares how he's made the decision to use his strengths and passion for course building as the jumping-off point for a new career.