Scott Pullins

Your professional development plan is a document, or plan, that you can create which will set out specific goals, strategies, and milestones for your career growth.

When you begin creating a professional development plan, you’ll first wish to assess your current skill set and identify any skills gaps. You would then need to create an actionable plan outlining everything from what resources you will use to what milestones you will achieve over time. It’s important that this plan be realistic, achievable, and measurable so that it can be tracked against the original goal.
 
Identify What You Want to Achieve

This is the most important question that you need to ask yourself. It is the starting point of your career, and it will help you shape your future. Do you want to be an entrepreneur? Do you have an interest in a specific industry? What about a certain job title or position? Think about the amount of time you want to devote to your professional life. How much money do you need in order to feel comfortable with your professional life?
 
Higher Education

In today’s competitive workplace, you need to be a lifelong learner, someone who is flexible and can adapt to change quickly. This is especially true in the field of business. Furthering your education will allow you to have the foundation upon which all further personal development will stand.

Fortunately, online classes can allow you the flexibility to pursue education at your own pace. When earning a business bachelor's degree online, you’ll have the flexibility to start school any time of the year and when it fits your busy schedule. And the best part is it only takes five weeks to complete. It’s a great way to build your business skills while preparing for job opportunities.
 
Learn How to Create a Great CV

CV stands for Curriculum Vitae and is a document that lists your skills and qualifications, and it's often used in job applications. It can also be used to apply for educational programs or scholarships. Your CV should be clear, easy to read, and concise.

You can use an online CV creator to make a professional CV that walks you through the process, ensuring you don’t leave out any pertinent sections It will also help yours to stand out from the others by allowing you to choose from a library of professionally designed templates to which you can add your own copy, photos, colors, and images.
 
Entrepreneurial Goals

Becoming an entrepreneur can be a rewarding experience that allows for creative freedom and responsibility. Entrepreneurship is also a difficult path that requires passion, risk-taking, and the ability to handle failure.

To become an entrepreneur, you need to have a good idea and a target market, along with some money to invest in it and the drive to see your idea through. You should be able to deal with the stress of being your own boss. And you need to be willing to take risks with your time and money until you find success.

You may be worried about starting your own business because you’re afraid of how any losses could affect your personal finances. It’s possible to keep your personal assets safe by forming your business as an LLC. A limited liability company (LLC) is a type of business structure that provides personal protection for its owners or members. This type of entity shields personal assets from business liabilities and debts, which can be very valuable in case you are sued personally for something unrelated to the business.

It’s difficult, if not impossible, to achieve your goals if you’re not 100% sure what those goals are. By creating a professional development plan, you’re giving yourself a roadmap to your future because, like any trip, without a map, you’re almost certain to become lost and far from where you intended to go.

The plan should include important educational goals, such as a business degree, as well as a great-looking CV to get you through the right doors. And don’t forget, your plan can change as you go, the important thing is to have one at the start and then follow it where it leads.

Ohio attorney Scott Pullins is a charter school board member, political consultant, and writer. Reach out for professional guidance on any of your small business needs. 

Thinking of launching your own business but feeling stuck because you feel safer where you are at present? Here are some helpful tips from attorney and consultant Scott Pullins on how not to fret so much about leaping into entrepreneurship and making it look easy.
 
Make sure you have a financial cushion to back you up 

A lack of finances is often the single, most important factor that can prevent most people from achieving their entrepreneurial dreams; hence, as The Christian Science Monitor notes, why it's vital to have a financial cushion to back you up or to at least buy you some time until you have your mind set on your dream business idea. And you have a basic plan on how to achieve this.
 
Have a clear motivation as to why entrepreneurship is your goal now 

Not everyone is cut out for the demands and challenges of entrepreneurship. For one, you have to be extremely resilient, not to mention resourceful, in making your business dreams a reality. So if you are even just a bit unsure that this is your career path, then it may be best to consult with a mentor or life coach to establish whether this is the right fit for you. Moreover, they can provide you with helpful tips as you start out so that you can avoid the common pitfalls that many new entrepreneurs experience due to a lack of experience.
 
Think about what you're good at and establish if there is a market for it 

It's all very well to be interested and devoted to something you're passionate about. But if there is no real demand for your offering, your ideas and all your efforts will just be a waste of time. Therefore, do the necessary research and find out if there is a legitimate interest in your business idea by first asking friends, family, and acquaintances for their opinions. Of course, this is just a basic starting point as QuestionPro explains thorough market research often entails identifying your buyer persona, engaging with your target market through surveys and polls on social media, analyzing your findings, and finally basing your decisions on concrete results.
 
Start your business small 

Another way to test whether your business idea is feasible or not before you go all in is to first test it on a smaller scale. In other words, it's about figuring out how to do a test run of your business idea before you even think about scaling up your business. Here, you could use beta testers or a test audience to try out your service or product first to get more accurate feedback.
 
Patience is key 
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Most successful businesses didn't succeed overnight. They probably required hard work, dedication, patience, and a great deal of trial and error to discover what works and what doesn't. Therefore, don't let impatience trick you into feeling that you need to accomplish everything in one go. Instead, practice patience. This should give you the willpower to stay committed to your dream even when things aren't going your way
 
Use technology to make your life easier 

Technology is there to make life easier, which is why you should be using it to make life easier in your entrepreneurship journey, too. For example, suppose you want to create a well-designed logo to compliment your branding and marketing efforts. A logo design maker is great to use if you want to do it yourself, as you can make use of the templates available online to put on your social media feeds or website to generate more interest in your business. All you need to do is tweak your stylized icon with the colors and fonts you desire.
 
Deciding on a business structure 
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Deciding on a business structure will be one of your primary decisions, as the wrong structure could impact the taxes you pay and the security of your personal assets. Many businesses choose the LLC route due to its many benefits, including limited liability, more tax advantages, better flexibility, etc.  A formation service can assist you with learning all there is to know about how to start an LLC in Ohio, and the best part about it is that it can all be done online. Just speak to a registered agent to help you get started. But do be aware that if you are registering your business in a new state that different filing regulations may apply, which your agent can inform you of and help you manage the process if need be.
 
Indeed, taking the leap into entrepreneurship might sound risky at first. But it's a risk many a successful entrepreneur would take over and over again because of the potentially massive rewards associated with going it alone.
 
Image via Pexels
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​Columbus, Ohio – Republican Governor candidate Joe Blystone was scheduled for a preliminary hearing today at 9am before the Ohio Elections Commission.  He failed to appear and sent his wife and female campaign manager in his place instead.  His attorney’s motion to dismiss was denied and a complaint against him filed by his former campaign staffers will go forward to a full hearing.  The vote by the Ohio Elections Commission was 7-0.
 
“Joe Blystone should turn in his constitutional conservative and his man cards,” said Sarah Chambers.  “If this complaint was so frivolous, then why didn’t he show up to defend himself?”
 
Sarah Chambers was the former Campaign Manager for Friends of Joe Blystone.  She and other former campaign leaders brought an extensive campaign finance complaint to the commission alleging that tens of thousands of dollars in campaign funds were not accounted for properly.
 
“Joe is no constitutional conservative”, continued Chambers.  “All his attorney did today is blame volunteers and donors for the deliberate mistakes of Joe’s campaign.  Joe will throw anyone and everyone under the bus to further his personal ambitions.”
 
The complaint will now be set for a full hearing where Joe and Jane Blystone, Joe’s wife and campaign treasurer, will be required to testify under oath.  If violations are found, Chambers has requested that the Blystone’s be referred by the Commission to the Franklin County Prosecutor.
 
Sarah Chambers is represented by Scott Pullins of the Pullins Law Firm LLC.  For further information, please visit www.pullinslaw.com.  The video of the hearing appears below and the relevant portion starts at approximately the 11 minute mark.
 
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Do us a favor and go pick up a copy of the book from the late, great, Neil S. Clark.  

​While Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted have taken numerous actions to speed up unemployment assistance for Ohioans; there is one significant step that they have not taken.  Under the federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance Program (DUA), those individuals that are not normally eligible for unemployment assistance can receive it under certain circumstances. 
 
According to the fact sheet provided by the State of Ohio, this can include self-employed workers, farmers and farm owners, those who lack sufficient weeks and wages in covered employment to be eligible for UC, and those with jobs that are not in covered employment, such as churches.  DUA funds are made available through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and are administered by states under the guidance of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration.
 
To be eligible for this assistance, Governor Mike DeWine must request a Presidential declaration of a major disaster for the state.  So far, New York, Washington, and California have requested and been granted these declarations by President Trump.  However, the President has not yet approved their request for Disaster Unemployment Assistance. 
 
A number of other states have recently requested or are considering requesting this declaration.  Those states include Iowa, which just days ago requested a declaration so they could obtain these funds. 
 
While the State of Ohio has taken a number of important steps, they have not yet requested a Presidential Declaration of a Major Disaster.  They should do so quickly.
 
According to a 2016 study, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that just over 10 percent of all U.S. workers were self-employed.  That same study found that Ohio’s total rate of self -employment was then 8.9 percent, just under the national average.  Under our latest data, before the impact of the Chinese Virus, Ohio had approximately 5.8 million people in the labor force.  If this percentage is still accurate, then over half a million workers in Ohio could be self-employed. 
 
I’ve asked the Governor and Lt. Governor if they plan on taking this step.  I have not yet received a response and will update this post if and when I receive one. UPDATED:  On March 23, 2020 Governor DeWine signed onto a joint letter requesting the use of these funds for states that request them.  He hasn't yet requested a disaster declaration for Ohio yet, but its a start.  A copy of the letter can be read here.
 
Scott A. Pullins is an Ohio attorney, public affairs consultant, and writer.  For more information, please visit www.scottpullins.com.  Permission to reprint is granted with proper attribution. 

Sen. Sherrod Brown soon will have the political opportunity of a lifetime: In one fell swoop, he’ll be able to strike a blow against corporate greed, save Ohioans millions of dollars and demonstrate his bipartisan bona fides.

That opportunity? Working with the Trump administration to implement a much-needed Medicare reform.

​The administration recently proposed a rule that would reduce Medicare beneficiaries’ out-of-pocket spending on prescription drugs. The rule would effectively outlaw the secret backroom deals between pharmaceutical companies and drug-supply-chain middlemen that contribute to rising pharmacy prices. In 2017, Brown co-sponsored a bill that was similar to the administration’s proposal. He shouldn’t hesitate to support the rule now — and take on fellow Democrats who have reflexively condemned the reform without even reading it.

Read the test of the op-ed here.
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​The Ohio Conservative Energy Forum was incorporated as a charitable organization in Ohio on August 4, 2016 by Columbus attorney and lobbyist Terrence O’Donnell.  See link to filing here.
 
According to his lobbying reports, O’Donnell represents a who’s who of left wing, alternative energy organizations.  These include Advanced Energy Economy, Apex Clean Energy, Carbon Solutions Group, EDP Renewables, Green Tech Action Fund, Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation, and Open Road Renewables.  According to its website, the Green Tech Action Fund is affiliated with the Energy Foundation. 
 
Tyler Duvelius is the current Executive Director of the Ohio Conservative Energy Forum.  He previously served as the State Director of the Ohio Christian Coalition.  According to the 2016 IRS 990 form for the Green Tech Action Fund, $79,000 was granted to the Christian Coalition of America to conduct a clean energy digital ad campaign and support the Ohio state director. 
 
According to that same tax return, a grant of $60,000 was given to the Advance Energy Forum to support a digital advertising campaign in Ohio.  Another $20,000 was given to the Wind Energy Foundation for that same purpose. 
 
Bill Byers and Greg Bennett have lobbied for the Ohio Conservative Energy Forum since 2015.  According to their lobbying reports, the address for the group is the same address as The Energy Foundation and its affiliated Green Tech Action Fund in San Francisco. 
 
Michael Hartley has been identified as both the founder and a consultant for the Ohio Conservative Energy Forum.  Hartley is a former John Kasich staffer and the current President of Swing State Strategies, a GOP public affairs consulting firm. 
 
As I have previously written, the Ohio Conservative Energy Forum is actually an effort by left wing, California based liberal organizations to coopt and corrupt Ohio Republicans.  There is nothing conservative or Ohio about this group.