E-Source Says
Don’t Fear, Elevate Your Career
Career coaching from The Entrepreneur’s Source® helped Montessa Lizaso overcome her fears and pursue a future as a business owner.
Lizaso started her career as a nurse and spent more than 15 years working primarily in oncology at various hospitals, including the world-renowned M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. Eventually, she spread her wings and began tackling roles at companies in the pharmaceutical industry for the next 10 years.
In 2021, Lizaso’s husband suffered a crippling stroke. While he is making strides towards recovery, his healthcare needs prompted Lizaso to reevaluate her future. Despite having a passion for helping people, Lizaso felt like something was missing from her career. When she was contacted by Steve Healey, a Career Ownership Coach™ for The Entrepreneur’s Source®, Lizaso decided to take the time to understand her goals and explore new possibilities.
“I’ve been in the corporate world for more than 25 years and exceeded expectations in all my positions. The Entrepreneur’s Source® process helped me discover my needs were not being fulfilled in corporate America,” Lizaso said.
The nation’s leading career coaching franchise uses an education-based strategy to help people explore their Career 2.0® and find a path forward. Lizaso worked with Healey to define her Income, Lifestyle, Wealth, and Equity™ goals to determine whether she needed to find a new job in corporate America, start a business from scratch, or invest in a franchise. Healey started his coaching career in 2018 after working as an executive in information technology.
The constraints of her role in corporate America and her responsibilities as the sole breadwinner left Lizaso feeling battered and bruised. Coaching helped her determine she needed a career with flexibility and financial security.
“I wanted to set my own goals, work at my own pace, and take care of my family’s needs. I realized if I continued to work in the corporate world, goals are defined for me. It would be like trying to put a square peg in a circular hole or trying to fit into a pair of skinny jeans that are too tight,” she said.
Art Organization Enables Entrepreneur to Pursue Passion
Examining her options helped Lizaso realize she could achieve her dreams by pursuing entrepreneurship. She decided to partner with Children’s Art Classes, or CAC, to open a studio in her hometown of Bradenton, Florida. The emerging brand offers comprehensive studio-based art programs designed to build confidence and teach art skills.
“CAC did a great job educating Montessa about how to successfully run this business, and she was so excited to share everything she was learning with me on our weekly calls,” Healey added.
CAC allowed Lizaso to achieve her entrepreneurial goals and pursue her dream. Growing up, Lizaso had a passion for art, and she was voted the most artistic person in her class. Her 16-year-old daughter is also an artist.
“I’ve always loved art. Art was something that I built and developed when I was young. Children’s Art Classes allowed me to take all of the lessons learned from my corporate roles and bring them into a space I loved,” Lizaso said.
After finding her new path, Healey prepared Lizaso for coping with fear about her new future. “Once the initial adrenaline rush of reaching clarity wears off, I told her to expect that fear and panic will set in. It happens with every single client of mine, and it even happened to me when I reached my point of clarity with TES,” Healey said.
Right on track, Lizaso started worrying about how she would fund her new venture and was concerned about finding health insurance to pay for her husband’s extensive medical bills. She relied on Healey’s steadfast support and guidance during this period to help give her the confidence and knowledge she needed to move forward.
“Educating myself and learning that business ownership is a proven model helped me support our decision and alleviate my fears,” Lizaso said. “My coach was awesome. He let me learn on my own, but he guided me through the process.”
Lizaso is currently searching for the right shopping plaza to open her studio. After enduring the wrath of Hurricane Ian in September, businesses in Bradenton are slowly reopening. Despite the setback in her search, Lizaso plans to launch her art studio by January 2023.
Conquer Your Fears by Relying on Career Coaching
If you are ready to achieve the American dream, contact a Career Ownership Coach™ to learn more about entrepreneurship. For more information about TES, visit www.entrepreneurssource.com, or check out our guide book, “Your Career 2.0® A Survival Guide for the Battered Career and Investor Syndrome®.”