I Am the Captain: A Guide to Succeed the First Hours and Days of Starting Own Business

By Monika Tutterova

"I wish I knew it before" This book is your wish coming true.
In just four parts you will get the picture of what it is to start own business.
It can serve as a guide to succeed the first hours, days and months of the entrepreneurship.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: May 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781483526843

Book preview

CONCLUSION

Introduction

Why is there a sailing boat on the title page?

Captain, boat, waves, crew

I am a captain. Every one of us is a captain of our own journey and we decide, when we sail out, how we do it, how well we know our individual boats, if we’re able to operate them alone, why we want to sail, who we want to sail with, what we want to do and where we want to sail?

Each captain has a vision and a direction, which he wants to take. He knows how the boat he wants to sail, should look.

The boat is a metaphor for entrepreneurship. The presentation of an individual business on its way to reach its goal. The abilities and possibilities are connected with the boat.

Waves are the outside circumstances and conditions.

Your crew, if you decide on it, represents your team.

The entrepreneurship and not only that is expressed in a metaphor as a captain who sails on his boat towards his goal.

The sea which we sail upon can be quiet at the beginning. During the journey waves can appear. There are waves I have to face and decide, if I am able at that given time to overcome them, go through them or change direction?

Will I have a crew, will I sail alone, or will I start alone and slowly get my crew on board as the journey continues?

Who am I?

I am the type of person who always follows her own will. A person with self-determination.

My name is Monika Tutterová and I am a life and career coach.

How did I get into coaching and write this book?

Me and coaching

I had my first employment while studying at university. A real employment contract; I worked part time in a lifestyle magazine publishing house. I was in advertising and in half a year I was promoted to advertising manager. I was working there for three out of my four years at university. Then I went abroad to study an MBA. I was not sure what I wanted to do after school or where I should work. After my MBA I stayed and lived in Western Europe. After many unsuccessful attempts to find a job in banking in the UK, I found a job in advertising, again. I guess once you have the experience on your CV then your foot is in the door. After my return home I, again, tried to get into banking through entry leadership programs. The main reason was I wanted to live in a foreign country again for at least another year. These programs seemed the perfect fit.

I succeeded and after the first six months in Prague I moved with my job to Vienna, then to London, and then back to Prague. This time living abroad was a different experience.

I was an employee of an international corporation. And I have to tell you that it is a huge difference. You have the security of a huge company to rely on.

I could not resist observing and looking at people after my return. I started to compare people from Western Europe with us Czechs. What makes us different? Why do we tend to see first what is not going to work, and then what will? Why are people not proud of their skills? Of who they are? How can I help? I was thinking since I can see the difference, I might as well use it.

I was thinking how can I help people to gain self-confidence? That was the first thing that came to my mind. There are plenty of great people here, who don’t even realize their uniqueness.

I soon found out that I will not succeed through praising people or giving advice. Therefore one of my slogans was: „I stop advising, I start helping."

Coaching

I came across coaching at a seminar in a bank for the first time. At that time I did not pay much of attention. But after my return to the Czech Republic I attended another seminar, called coaching vs. mentoring. It wasn’t easy. I paid attention and wanted to find out about coaching more, much more. And more I found out, the more I was coming to the decision to become a coach on my own.

I went to L.A. to study coaching at the Erickson College in 2010. It opened my eyes.

I found myself in coaching. After all my studies and ten years of work experience I realized what I wanted to do!

I went for the course while still working in Prague. That’s also the reason I could only do coaching in the evenings and weekends to begin with. I told myself that I would have coaching as my own business right after I paid off all my debts.

A year and a half later I paid back all my loans and credit cards. Certain coincidences that happened allowed me to become an entrepreneur. To start to develop my dream and my ideas.

About writing this book

This book captures the moments from the time I signed my resignation papers up to today, when I still have my own, I believe successful, coaching business.

The moments are written in a way to be easily graspable and serve as a guide. The book