Career Assessments Explained: Find Clarity and Launch Your Second Act With YouMap | #181

Are you ready to leave your 9-to-5 and start a business that's perfectly aligned with who you are? In this episode of Second Act Success Career Podcast, host and career transition/business coach, Shannon Russell dives into the power of the YouMap® assessment—a personalized career tool that helps you discover your strengths, values, skills, and personality. Shannon explains how this game-changing assessment can guide you in creating a second act career or business that fits your life and lights you up.

Takeaways from this episode:

• Why understanding your strengths is essential to building a business you love.
• How your values and personality shape the type of business you should start.
• The importance of leveraging transferable skills from your current job into your entrepreneurial journey.
• How YouMap® can serve as a blueprint to align your business with your unique qualities.

If you're navigating a career transition and wondering how to make the leap, this episode will give you clarity, confidence, and actionable tips to move forward.

For more on the YouMap® assessment and how it can support your next chapter, visit secondactsuccess.co/youmap. Tune in now and start building a business that reflects the best of you!

SHOW NOTES:
https://secondactsuccess.co/181

-------

You are listening to the Top 2% globally ranked podcast Second Act Success!

Book a FREE Call with host and career/business coach Shannon Russell - https://www.calendly.com/second-act-success/coaching-strategy

FREE Resources
https://secondactsuccess.co/resources

LISTEN to the How To Quit Your Job and Start A Business Podcast!
https://secondactsuccess.co/listen

LET’S CONNECT!
Instagram - https://instagram.com/secondactsuccess
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/secondactsuccess.co
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@secondactsuccess
All the latest - https://secondactsuccess.co/links
FREE Resources - https://secondactsuccess.co/resources

REVIEW & SUBSCRIBE THE PODCAST!

Transcript

Second Act Success Career Podcast
Season 1 - YouMap Assessment Explained: Find Clarity and Launch Your Second Act With Confidence | #181
Episode - #181
Host: Shannon Russell
Transcription (*created by Descript and may not be perfectly accurate)


[00:00:00] Are you ready to quit your nine to five job and start a business of your own? Well, you're in the right place, my friend. Welcome to the second act success career podcast. I am your host, Shannon Russell. I am a former television producer turned business owner, career transition coach, and boy mom. My mission is to help you produce your best life.

This podcast will teach you how to get from where you are now to where you want to be and how to build a business that fits your life and lights you up. Let's get started.

In this episode, we're going to dive in to the importance of career assessments, 

especially the YouMap assessment, which is designed to give you clarity on your strengths, your values, your skills, and your personality. In my opinion, it's essential. When figuring out how you're going to move from where you are now to where you want to be, it really does help you align everything that you're planning for your next chapter as an [00:01:00] entrepreneur.

Let's get started. 

Many of you are navigating a transition right now between your nine to five job and building a business. 

You want to create something new, something that's aligned with who you are and what you truly want. The last thing you want to do is make a leap, leave your job and end up somewhere just to feel as unhappy and unfulfilled as you did in your day job. Right? You want to create something new so that you can live your best life.

We're about to dive into the YouMap assessment and how you can use it to map out your second act business. 

Okay. What is YouMap? I am a certified coach. I was certified under the creator, Kristin Sherry. It's an incredible tool that really helps me get to know my clients when we first start working together 

and it helps my clients have a clear profile in front of them as they're navigating a transition this way, they can look and make sure they are staying on the right track [00:02:00] for them. 

So let me break it down. You met is a personalized career profile tool that helps you understand four core areas.

The areas are your strengths. What you do naturally best. Your values, what motivates you and drives your decisions, your skills. So what you've learned to do really well over time. And your personality, how you show up and interact with others. Those are the four key areas that the YouMap assesses and pulls together into one profile. 

when you're building a business, especially a second act business, it's essential to create something that's not only profitable, obviously, but also personally fulfilling. 

Right. That's a main reason you are pivoting. You don't want to end up in a business that drains you. You don't want to end up in the same place again, you don't want to end up with a business that drains you or feels misaligned. 

So YouMap helps steer you in the direction to [00:03:00] choose a business. And run a business the way that will feel best for you. It ultimately helps you make decisions. Based on this unique blueprint that is totally unique to you. 

When YouMap helps identify your strengths. It will help you build a business around them. 

Your strengths are things that come naturally to you that you naturally do well. So think about it. If you can build a business that taps into what you already Excel at, wouldn't that be amazing? That would lead you to be in a much better position to succeed. 

If you already do those tasks really well. And instead of struggling to learn these skills that you don't enjoy, you can actually design your business to leverage what you're already great in. 

So while we're talking, I want you to think about your strengths. Think about one or two strengths, something that you do really well. 

Maybe it's something that you did really well at your. Past or current career, [00:04:00] maybe you're a really great communicator or a really great writer, or you're really great at numbers or you love strategizing and problem solving. Those are all talents that should be. The foundation for the business that you're choosing to build. 

And more importantly, your role in that business. If you're creating a business and you're really bad at numbers, that's okay. You can still create a business, but you might want to outsource or hire someone to do the bookkeeping, to do the accounting, to do the taxes because that's not your strong suit. 

If you're great at public speaking. Then maybe a consulting or coaching business is good for you. 

If you are amazing with technology. Maybe you want to start an online business Or offer a tech service company. Those businesses would play to your strengths. If you love working with people and helping them grow, you might consider a service-based business. 

If you love kids and you love education. Then maybe you [00:05:00] form a business where you are tutoring children

by aligning your business with your strengths. You're not only increasing your chances of success, but you're going to increase. Your chances of having a happy life moving forward, 

it's bringing everything together so that you can enjoy the process of building a business that much more. 

Okay. That was strengths. Let's talk about values. You met really dials into your values so that you can shape your business around what matters to you. There are core beliefs that all of us have, right. They drive our decisions, they influence our behavior. So when your business aligns with those values, you might feel more motivated and satisfied with your work when it doesn't, you might feel drained and conflicted and overwhelmed. But YouMap will help you understand. What's most important to you? Do you value independence? 

Do you value creativity? If you value independence, you might want to build a business that allows you the [00:06:00] freedom to work on your own terms. Autonomously. 

If you value creativity. Then you might want to draw on a business where you get to innovate and design and be creative with your products and services. 

If you value, flexibility, for example, then you might want to lean towards, an online business or more of a freelance model consulting business where you can work from anywhere. And you can take the jobs that you want. 

If you want flexibility than a brick and mortar business, most likely will not be a good fit for you because you will feel. Trapped in that storefront and not be able to travel and stay home and do, and have the flexible work-life balance schedule that you might really value.

the main point here is that you want to build a business based on your values are aligned with your values. So you're not feeling out of sync with the business you're creating. 

So that was strengths values. Now we're going to talk [00:07:00] about skills. Skills or what you've learned over time. Either through your career or just your life in general. They're what make you capable of delivering a service or product with confidence? You know how to fix appliances. 

So you're going to start a business where you are. An electrician working on appliances. You know how to cut hair and style hair. So you're going to become a hairstylist and open a salon. Those are your skills. 

But one thing, even though you might be leaving your nine to five job. You've likely developed transferable skills that you can carry into any second act business, right skills like marketing customer service, project management leadership. Those skills will be really useful as a business owner. Right down the skills that you've developed over your career and circle the ones that you truly enjoy. Because you don't want to move into a business where you have to do the skills you may be good at, but you don't enjoy [00:08:00] any longer. 

You really want to focus this second act. On creating a business that will fulfill you. That aligns with your values, the skills that you enjoy. And what you really feel strongly about doing.

Another example might be that if you've been in leadership, managing teams for years, those skills can be transferred to running a team in your own business. I led teams and directed casts and crews in many television shows in my former career. So when I built a business, I knew how to hire and manage those teams and direct the way that the business was running and basically take my producer skills and produce. My business. 

So think about what you are good at and what skills you enjoy and see how they will transfer into a business for you.

Lastly, let's talk about personality. Personality is how you naturally interact with others. Maybe you're a problem solver. Maybe you just manage energy of a team really [00:09:00] well. Some people will thrive in environments where they're working one-on-one with clients. 

Whereas others really are more analytical and want to be working alone. 

They'll get the work done. They'll do the project, but they want to be left alone. So understand your personality so that you are designing a business where you will feel like you're in the best position to succeed. 

For example, if you're an extrovert, you might enjoy a business where you have to talk to customers. And interact with clients. But if you're more of an introvert, you might prefer a business model where you can do solo work. Work online, maybe create digital products and then deliver them rather than having that one-on-one interaction. Your personality will shape the kind of culture that you want to create at your business as well. And the way you want to interact with your clients and your customers and how you want to build those relationships with your team. 

Okay to bring it back to YouMap. You met basically pulls these four different areas [00:10:00] of you. And puts them together in a new map blueprint. This blueprint, this profile you'll get really gives you a holistic view of yourself. 

It outlines your strengths, your values, your skills, and your personality. 

You have it in this one blueprint that you can look at as you build your business. So you can make sure you're building it in a way that will fulfill those four aspects of yourself., If you take the map and you get those results, here's what you can do. You can start with your strengths. You can choose a business model that allows you to do what you naturally. Xcel in each and every day. Then you can align your values. You can make sure that your business reflects what's important to you as a person. And whether it's flexibility, creativity, security, whatever it might be. Then you can leverage your skills. 

You can focus on building a business that allows you to use the skills that you've already mastered, and then you can just outsource or hire for the rest. Lastly, it [00:11:00] will honor your personality. 

And I mean that it will help you build that business that. Really fits your natural style, and now that you have this profile exactly what makes you, you, you can use it to not only be more successful, but you'll also feel more fulfilled, motivated and confident as you venture into this entrepreneurial journey. 

There are of course, other assessments out there that can draw on your personality, draw on your strengths. In my opinion, I prefer UMAT because it brings everything together in this one, perfect package with a bow so that you can feel confident moving forward, knowing that you're checking all of the boxes as you do. 

All right. 

Thank you for allowing me to walk you through what YouMap can do and how it can serve you. And if you're feeling unsure about the kind of business that you want to start still, and you are feeling. Like, you're not sure how to structure the second act of yours. The EMF assessment may be a valuable tool for you to look [00:12:00] into. Remember, you're not starting just any business. you are focusing in to start a business that is right for you. One that plays to all of these things we've discussed. All right. Thank you so much for tuning into this episode of how to quit your job and start a business. Now, if you'd like to learn more about the map assessment and how it can help you. design your business, feel free to reach out to me or head over to https://secondactsuccess.co/youmap it's Y O U M a P. I love to help you gain that clarity and confidence. As you move forward and I'd be happy to just explain. A little bit more about how it works and how it can work for you. All right, my friend until next time, keep pushing forward. 

Stay aligned with your true self and get ready to build that business that you've always been born to create. 

[00:12:50] Speaker 3: Thank you for joining us. I hope you found some gems of inspiration and some takeaways to help you on your path to 2nd Act success. To view show notes from this [00:13:00] episode, visit 2ndActSuccess. co. Before you go, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss a single episode. Reviews only take a few moments and they really do mean so much.

Thank you again for listening. I'm Shannon Russell and this is 2nd Act Success.