This week we have been talking about starting a resume business. Today, I want to share with you an interview I did with Teena Rose, who has run a resume business for about nine years.
Teena has also written out the answer to the interview questions in case you'd rather read than listen:-)
Teena has created a product, Starting a Resume Writing Business," which helps guide you through the start up of this business model. I"ll post the link below the audio.
Listen to the audio below.
Want to grab Teena's book and get started in your own resume business? Click below.
And here's the written version…
How long have you done (or owned) this business?
I wish I could say that one moment in time, or something said to me became that one boost of inspiration. My kick-butt moment was sudden, unexpected unemployment. That’s it! You see, I was still pondering starting a business in early 1999. I had taken the big step of acquiring a business license (surprising, I know!), when I abruptly quit my job after becoming fed up with their unprofessional business practices amongst my colleagues. Quitting my job was certainly crazy. That one crazy action however thrust me into business ownership — face first!
Why did you get started in this type of business?
Resume writing was an after-thought, since my original business model focused on providing administrative services, which included typing projects with only some writing of resumes. I later shifted to exclusively offering resume writing and job-search services, primarily because of the profit potential.
Why did you make the choice to work from home?
Hands down, I started my business from home mainly due to cost. Starting a business can be relatively inexpensive, especially when the business is started out a spare bedroom or some other unused area of the home. I also needed to provide me and my family with a financial safety net. While others jump into a major financial commitment, like a 12-month office lease, I felt more comfortable giving my business a test run from the comforts of my home. I had great confidence my business would grow and succeed, but like many, I had a nagging inner voice that continuously asked me the “what ifs.” I ignored those negative thoughts as much as humanly possible. Yet, I gladly weaved a Plan B into my overall business plan, which included the avoidance of unnecessary, costly overhead until my business got off the ground. Although I moved to an office for a while, I eventually rejoined the ranks of a WAHM.
Can you give us a brief overview of the day to day duties of someone doing this business?
As a business owner, the day-to-day duties change continuously. Each day I focus on a variety of tasks, which generally involve sales and marketing, customer relationship building, writing (of course), and communications, with a few administrative and financial management tasks thrown in. Accepting that you’ll wear many hats — some lighter, some heavier — throughout a typical day are an absolute necessity.
How much is an average amount someone can make from writing up a resume?
This is definitely a difficult question to answer because the success and failure of a resume business solely depends upon the person at the helm. A person who avoids professional development, lacks drive to succeed, and prefers to stay away from helping people will be a bad fit for this type of business.
Resume-writing businesses can be high-profit for the right person. Think about it. Just about everyone needs a resume — your spouse, your adult children, your neighbor.
The business can be run as a part-time operation with yearly revenues ranging from a moderate $20,000 to $40,000 per year — or to $100,000 or more for those wanting a full-time, high-demand operation — maybe subcontracting a few projects to contract writers for a bit more added profit without the added workload. A $100,000 resume-writing business usually means writing around 5 resumes per week at a price point of about $400.
What’s your biggest challenge and how have you overcome it?
My biggest challenge of balancing work and family has been outlining and sticking to a work schedule. It’s taken many years of consistent reinforcement for my family to understand that I’m unavailable during certain times and days of the week. I do make exceptions, however. For example, when my grandsons need a sitter for an impromptu snow day during the school year or full-time care during the summer months, I make myself available and shift my office load to evening and weekend hours.
I wish I could say it’s always worked smoothly. There have been times when I’ve missed client deadlines or have found myself frantically trying to finish three or four hours of work within a 60-minute time slot. In the end, however, everything works out.
It’s important to note that my family makes sacrifices for me and my home business as well. For example, I routinely work evenings and weekends. There have also been times when I started a family vacation with two or three unfinished projects — that unfortunately require completion while on vacation.
How do stay focused and avoid distractions that occur around the house?
For me, I realized early on that it’s best to embrace distractions and understand that those many disturbances are part of the price I pay for working out of the comforts of home.
I have learned that working in spurts works helps exceptionally well, especially when there are children around. For example, I complete smaller projects [i.e. answering emails] within short bursts of time throughout the day, while saving larger projects for after-hours or during nap time.
Even a well-laid plan is expected to be derailed from time to time, so staying focused isn’t necessarily always the goal when juggling family and a home business. I just do my best to ensure my loved ones [to include my clients!!!] get a healthy dose of much-needed attention.
Do you take time for yourself while juggling your office and home life?
Taking time for me is something I do often. Since I write intense job-search collateral such as resumes, bios, and online profiles, just taking a few minutes in the backyard to throw a ball for my dogs is a the quick break I often take for clearing my head. I also embrace mundane projects like washing dishes and folding laundry. I also enjoy more time-consuming breaks that include gardening and yard-sale afternoons. I’ve also been known to take unplanned vacation days, especially during the summer and around the holidays. In my opinion, there’s nothing wrong with working one day, and playing hooky the next. 
Do you stay connected with others in your industry to fight off isolation as a home business owner?
I continuously reach out to colleagues as they help me stay abreast of changes to my industry and do provide the much-needed camaraderie. I should say that I enjoy the isolation and solitude that goes along with running a home-based business, so I’m one of the lucky ones.
Can you offer advice for new work-at-home moms or dads to help them prepare for starting a business?
My best advice is to continue plugging away, staying as persistent and consistent as possible. For example, there have been days when I didn’t get enough work done, or was convinced that I didn’t spend enough time with that specific client that day. I just keep moving forward, taking one step at a time. Any hardships in business can quickly be brought into perspective by me simply remembering some of the challenges I faced when reporting to a boss. Running a business will test your patience, your stamina, and your problem-solving skills, yet to quote Dory from Finding Nemo, "Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming.”
Disclosure: There is an affiliate link to this great product in this email which may result in my earning a commission if the product is purchased.
