Monthly Archives: December 2017

2017 Annual Review…

Another year gone… and once again time to reflect… and to look forward. 

Got this idea from The Art of Nonconformity, and have done it each year since 2011.

So as always, I’ll review three categories:

But first, a quick overview…

The JumpToConsulting project is now SEVEN years old. What started out in 2010 as questions from my son, has now expanded to over 250 posts on how to start,build, and maintain a small consulting firm.

Many of these posts are the result of your questions, so please feel free to ask. Your questions and feedback inspire me to keep going. And stick around — I’m hatching plans to expand things in 2018.

JTC has been a labor of love. After thirty years as an independent full time consulting engineer, I’m happy to share what I have learned — and am still learning 🙂

JTC has also been fun. A good way to learn more about about blogging and writing. That curiosity and drive to learn is what led me to consulting in the first place.

The EMI-GURU project is now almost FORTY years old (full time since 1987.) It also has been great fun, and quite successful. I made a lot of friends, traveled the world, and am comfortably “semi-retired” – whatever that means.

EMI-GURU  let me to practice my profession as an Electrical Engineer in a ways I could not even imagine as a college student or young engineer. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Much of what is discussed here is based EMI-GURU experiences. The stuff I talk about is not theory — rather, it is real world and based on those 40 years of consulting!

LOOKING BACK on 2017…

Jump-to-Consulting – The blog is now over 250 posts. The blog has helped several new consultants. That includes both genders – consulting is a great way to break ceilings and stereotypes. Along with a great way to become independent and free – the big driver for me.

Launched a bi-monthly newsletter. It both lists recent blog posts plus additional tidbits. Sign up here and you get a FREE copy of my white paper “So You Want To Be A Consultant?

Special thanks to Michael Katz at Blue Penguin Marketing for his excellent on-line course. (Disclosure — I have NO affiliation with Michael, other than I love his stuff.)

EMI-GURU – Continued to wind down the consulting firm, as it morphs more fully into a training firm. No longer consulting, I refer inquiries to colleagues. However, taught four live classes this year, with another one scheduled in two weeks.

Teaching is another love – nothing like seeing a student suddenly “get it.”

Personal — Continued the semi-nomadic life of heading north to MN in the summer (where there is family) and heading south to AZ in the winter (where there is no snow.)

Sami the rescue mutt continues to bring joy, along with daily exercise as a “personal trainer.” Hope you enjoyed her Holiday Greeting.

LOOKING FORWARD to 2017

Jump-to-Consulting – Got some exciting plans. An e-book is about to release, along with an on-line webinar. Both are  in conjunction with the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers), my professional. Incidentally, both are applicable to non-technical consultants too.

Looking into expanding the webinar into a more in depth on-line class. Also considering other enhancements, and will stay blogging of course.

Watch the blog for more details. Better yet, drop me a line!

EMI-GURU – More plans here. Continue teaching technical classes, but not more than once month. At the same time, looking on-line training based on existing materials. About to sign up for a detailed class on the process.

Decided 2018 is the year to expand into on-line education, which rather excites me.

Personal – Along with learning and implementing on-line programs, spend time time reading, writing, and traveling in our little RV. Fire up the ham radio. Play with the mutt, and just goof off. Life is good here!

Wishing you all the best in 2018 — and THANK YOU for reading my blog!

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Happy Holidays 2017…

Have a Merry Christmas … or else…

Thank you for your interest in my work at both JumpToConsulting and EMIGURU.  Wishing you the joy, peace, and happiness of he season, and all the best in 2018!

From our house to yours — Uncle Daryl, Mary, and Sami the Shih Tzu.

© 2017, https:. All rights reserved.

Just Say No…

Sometimes just saying NO is the best thing you can do. It worked for me when at a career fork in the road 33 years ago.

The post was inspired by Cubert at Abandoned Cublicle.  Cubert is a young family man on his quest to financial independence, who blogs about his journey. For obvious reasons, he keeps his identity private.

Here is my reply to his most recent blog post on saying NO: 

Here is a favorite personal “NO” story:

Started a new job with a great boss. Like me, an engineer, and who also had an MBA. He kindly encouraged me to do the same, as the company would fully reimburse for the MBA. The school had an excellent reputation, and many years later my older son got his MBA at the same school.

But I had this terrible itch to start my own engineering consulting firm. Not yet FI (financially independent,) I was seeking OI (occupational independence.) BTW, the OI soon led to FI. It also led to LI (location independence.) Funny how those things work out.

Back to the story. After one class, which I enjoyed, it was apparent my fellow students were primarily interested in climbing the corporate ladder. I was not. So I said “NO” to the MBA, and devoted my time to learning how to start my own firm while beginning to build a client base through moonlighting. (BTW, I was VERY careful to avoid conflicts of interest.)

Three years later, about the time I would have received the MBA, I hung out my consulting shingle. That was 30 years ago, and I NEVER regretted saying NO the the MBA. Instead, I said YES to what I wanted to do. Not only satisfying, it has been financially quite rewarding.

Finally, this is not a knock on MBAs or any other degrees. (Both sons have advanced degrees that have served them well.) But just make sure they will take you where you want to go. And don’t be afraid to say NO.

I had the pleasure of coffee with Cubert recently when in MN* – he is well on his way to independence. Way.to.go. If you are interested in independence (FI, OI, FI, or ???) hop over to his blog.  Stick around here and I’ll share my advice too.

* For 20 years , LI for me has meant winters in AZ and summers in MN – another bonus of saying NO.


Today’s Take-away – Saying NO to something means saying YES to something else…


Here are some past posts you may find relevant to this post:

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