Losing Her Own Job Paves the Way to Coaching Others

When Gayle Becker lost her sales and marketing job with an Internet start-up almost two years ago, she was taken completely by surprise. “I didn’t see it coming,” says the Baltimore resident. “For the first time in my life I was unemployed….I was devastated.”

After spending 30 years helping others meet such goals as increasing sales, building customer bases, expanding operations, creating new divisions, and launching entire businesses, Becker, 50, realized it was time to take stock of her own career. 

“I took some time to evaluate my strengths and skills and think about what I wanted to do next,” she says. Through her research, Becker learned of the Entrepreneur’s Source, a franchise business consultancy that advises individuals on franchise opportunities.

Becker enrolled in both The Entrepreneur’s Source Academy and E-Myth Worldwide. After graduating and also earning a Certified Career and Business Coach designation from Franchise Source Brands International, she became a franchisee of Entrepreneur’s Source, and now counsels others who are in the same situation she was in. 

“I’ve developed a passion for helping people through these challenging times,” says Becker, who has adopted the mantra of Indian philosopher Sri Chinmoy, “True success is the only thing you cannot have unless, and until, you have offered it to others.”

“Everything I do now—talking to people, understanding their pain, helping them develop a strategy for the next phase of their life—takes advantage not only of my professional skills but also my life experience.

“As a career coach, I meet clients who are at a crossroads in their life…by choice or by chance,” Becker adds. Regardless of their circumstances, Becker strives to give her clients confidence, and assists them with action steps and a solid plan for the future.

For clients seeking re-employment, she assesses their transferable skills and then helps them prepare for change with successful resumes, marketing plans, search techniques, and interview tactics.

For clients pursuing self-employment, she conducts a similar discovery process and ultimately matches their expertise with optimal franchise opportunities. 

As a business coach, Becker also advises organizations of varying sizes on key operations such as leadership, marketing, management, sales strategies, production, and cost controls. After identifying problem areas, she develops strategies for improvement.

Since Becker started her own consulting business in the summer of 2008, she has seen a difference in the clients who approach her. “People used to be more proactive…they were simply looking for new opportunities,” she says. “But because of the economy they’re now much more reactive and coming to me because of career or financial losses.”    

While Becker says she wholeheartedly enjoyed her long career as a sales and marketing professional, she is enjoying this new “interesting journey” just as much. “I know I’m making a difference in people’s lives,” she explains. “My past life was all about selling, but I’m in a different place now….it’s not just about the income.

“Losing my job turned out to be a blessing,” says Becker. “All the dots in my life, both professionally and personally, are now in synch.”