Change Before You Have To: The New York Times Salutes Tarot Readings as a Tool for Growth

 "ESG won’t disappear, having grown into an estimated $35 trillion business. But as long as energy and commodity prices remain high, it has moved far lower in shareholders’ priorities. Most institutional investors will pay lip service to the fight against climate change." - Bloomberg, August 5, 2022 

Now those who made ESG issues their one-dimensional business focus could find themselves out of business - or off a career path.

The same for crypto.

Also, with dealmaking down globally those on Wall Street and Big Law who specialize in that could take a hit in bonuses or even lose their jobs.

As for SEO (search engine optimization), GenZ is shifting from Google to TikTok and Instagram for search. TechCrunch puts that at 40% of Zers. That is bound to increase. The trend also could extend to older generations.

Yes, on the one hand, this is the era of specialization. The generalist essentially is an anachronism. You don’t put yourself out there as simply a medical doctor or lawyer or public relations representative. You’re specific about the narrow expertise.

But, on the other hand, the need for that service could change and those peddling it could find themselves no longer in demand.

The two-fold challenge in earning a living or operating a business and managing branding boils down to this: How to prevent being a one-trick pony in sources of income but being able to monetize others. The time and energy required for focusing on even one specialization are growing. Who isn’t working harder and longer …

In intuitive career coaching I recommend, yes, establishing several sources of income - but keeping their identities separate.

There are the middle managers doing food delivery. They need to create a firewall between the two. Fortunately, digital communications facilitates that. We can be out there is myriad ways.  

Entirely possible: The public relations player whose signature is the broad umbrella of ESG issues, especially advising chief executive officers on public messaging, could have, under different identities, an ecommerce enterprise in used clothing and one in prepping applicants for elite universities. 

A role model for insulating a business against the shifts in the economy, technology, and client preferences has been law firm Paul Weiss.

When current chairperson Brad Karp became leader in 2008 he re-engineered its DNA beyond litigation for Wall Street to transactional law practices. That was the beginning of the ongoing diversification of its services. Here is a peek at its practice areas.

Unlike one-trick pony law firm Redgrave Paul Weiss hasn't laid off. And unlike law firms which invested too heavily and single-mindedly in M&A practices, it's not particularly vulnerable to market forces.

Here is a bit of a case study. When Paul Weiss launched the first-ever among US law firms ESG practice in Spring 2020, it did that with plenty of publicity. Since then it has built it and promoted it in a sustained way. But there was much else going on. Simultaneously, for example, it has been developing star power - key in professional services - in other practices. Never did Karp allow the Paul Weiss branding to become “Your Premium ESG Law Firm.”

Here is my own story of diversification. In 2008, I looped outside my niche in ghostwriting to create career coaching for those communications clients. They were losing their jobs during The Great Recession. No newsflash: That writing niche was becoming glutted as laid-off journalists retrained for ghostwriting.

More recently I have grown that source of income beyond the original market segment. In addition, I had cautiously added on Tarot reading services.

In April 2021, The New York Times featured Tarot readings as a useful tool for self-awareness and introspection. With that approach to guidance gaining legitimacy I have put it on the coaching menu.

On Thursday, a brandname tarot reading firm hired me for contract assignments. Here is an article I published recently on the epidemic of self-blame in the America which is getting attention.

Picking up another source of income has meant I don't have to fear both more glut in ghostwriting by laid-off media folks and ramped-up austerity measures by executives in terms of budging for their own communications. 

Was it uncomfortable reaching out of my comfort zone? Of course. And that is the central issue my coaching clients are struggling with.

Yet, in business the old adage applies: Change before you have to. Otherwise it could be too late. Your enterprise or your career could have gone poof.

Your just-right professional fit. You can bypass the usual pain points. Probably you are at a crossroads. Yes, tarot readings are available. Those include one-card pulls. Complimentary consultation for coaching, job-search materials, and interviewing. Please contact janegenova374@gmail.com or text 203-468-8579.