Author and career consultant Deborah Bailey is a sought after expert in career transition and reinvention. Deborah has written for Baseline magazine, Dailyworth.com, Identity magazine, Bankrate.com, The Bridges, and Daily Career Connection. Deborah has appeared on the Fox News Strategy Room, and NJ Perspectives Show on ABC6 TV. Before leaving to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams, Deborah spent several years in corporate America working at such companies as AT&T, Lucent Technologies, and Johnson & Johnson. In this interview, learn how Deborah went from corporate employee to successful entrepreneur, who started not one, but two companies, DBC Communications, LLC, and Writing Services Central, LLC.

You coach people that are ready to make a career change. As a career transition and reinvention coach, what is the biggest obstacle you see when a client is transitioning from employee to entrepreneur?

A big problem is that people have no idea what the transition will require. They don’t realize that their thinking has to change if they want to become successful entrepreneurs. I don’t think they’re ready for the uncertainty and lack of security. Generally people are told to focus on business plans when they want to start a business, but no one addresses the emotional and mental transitions that are going on.

What is the one piece of advice you could give someone who is thinking about taking the leap from employee to entrepreneur?

Research everything before you leap! Prepare yourself for this new life you’ll be living. If you have an idea of what you’re getting into, it will make things much smoother.

What are some areas of starting a business that you are finding new entrepreneurs are not prepared for?

They aren’t prepared for how to find funding. They’re also not prepared with sales skills. I find that they tend to focus on marketing and social media, but not on having the ability to close the sale. Probably the biggest issue is that people may not be prepared for the sacrifices and long hours involved. You have to have a passion for what you are doing and be ready for the long haul. I don’t think a lot of new entrepreneurs understand that.

Can you tell us about the coaching services you offer and how they can help in the transition period?

Right now I’m offering two transition coaching programs. They’re designed to help people through the challenges that come with change and insecurity. It’s very difficult to go through this process alone because you need accountability. Transitions will call for us to step out of our comfort zones. When we have someone who we have to check in with, it will help us to stay on track. It also helps to have someone who always wants the best for you.

Are there any books you recommend people read that are considering transitioning from employee to entrepreneur?

The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber talks about how people start companies because they are good at something, but don’t realize that running a business requires different skills. The key point is that you should be working on your business as compared to working in your business.

The Success Principles by Jack Canfield is very motivational and gives information about transformations and how to build a supportive success team.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is a story about finding your purpose and following your dreams. It’s a deceptively simple read, but it made a major impression on me when I first read it.

You also have a new book coming out in April. Congratulations! Can you tell us about Think Like an Entrepreneur: Transforming Your Career and Getting Control of Your Life and how readers might find it helpful?

Thanks! I’m very excited about it. I wanted to show that employed professionals can benefit from using entrepreneurial traits.These days the world of work is changing and people can’t depend on having secure jobs. This book encourages people to use qualities such as creativity, risk-taking and visioning. I wanted to show that you can be proactive and take control, as opposed to waiting for the company to determine your fate. Entrepreneurs have to be able to create a vision for what they want and take action to get it. These are traits that employees can use so that they can be in control of their careers.

When will your book become available in April?

I don’t have the exact date yet, though I expect it will be around the third week of April. In the meantime, the book can be ordered from my website and I’m including a couple of free gifts to thank pre-release book buyers.

Where can readers find your book?

My website, Amazon.com and B&N.com – and hopefully a few book stores as well!

You also host the weekly internet radio show Women Entrepreneurs – The Secrets of Success. Can you tell us about the show and the guests you interview?

I started the show as a way to find out what other women entrepreneurs were doing. It seems that you only read about people who make millions of dollars, but I wanted to interview a variety of entrepreneurs. I expected that the show would go for a few weeks and it’s almost a year and a half. The guests have included Lori Greiner who sells her products on QVC, former CNN anchor Daryn Kagan and Chef Ana Garcia who was recently named “spokeschef” for IMUSA Cookware, and Anne Roos who plays the Celtic harp.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Thanks very much for the interview. This was fun!

For more information on Deborah’s coaching services visit http://www.dbaileycoach.com.

For more information about Deborah’s writing services visit http://www.writingservicescentral.com.

To listen to Deborah’s weekly internet radio show Women Entrepreneurs – The Secrets of Success visit www.blogtalkradio.com/coachdeb.

To read the Women Entrepreneurs – The Secrets of Success companion blog visit http://womenentrepreneursecrets.blogspot.com/.

Follow Deborah on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/DebBC

Julie Barnes is a Freelance Writer focusing on her passion of entrepreneurship. Julie published “So You Want to Start a Business…Now What?” (Available on Amazon) in December 2009. Julie lives and works in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, KS with her husband Ron and lovable dog Hank. You can visit her site at http://www.onewhowrites.com.