Russell Fielder reevaluated and relocated his family to pursue his American dream. “I am only in my 40s. I needed a career that would take me well into my 60s and 70s.”
Following the pandemic outbreak, Russell and his wife, Lauren, started to re-evaluate their priorities. The couple decided to take the leap with their three young children and relocate to South Dakota to be near family.
“We re-evaluated what’s important during COVID, and it’s family,” Russell said. “We decided to pull up our roots in Dallas, where we’ve lived the entire time we’ve been married, and move to Rapid City to be near my wife’s family.”
Finding a role that matched Russell’s skillset and paygrade proved to be challenging. He spent the first 20 years of his career pounding the pavement working in television advertising and sales in Dallas. Russell enjoyed working in television, but over the years, he saw the writing on the wall as career opportunities in his field started to shrink.
“I could see on the horizon that in 10 to 15 years, the television advertising sector would constrict as technology advanced. They would need fewer people to do the job because a lot of the field was going to be automated,” Russell said. “I am only in my 40s. I needed a career that would take me well into my 60s and 70s. Advertising wasn’t going to be it.”
When Russell was contacted by Kyle Cornelison, a Career Ownership Coach™ with TES, he decided to explore the possibility of self-sufficiency. TES coaches use education-based tools to help people determine their Income, Lifestyle, Wealth, and Equity™ goals to explore a new future.
“I was looking for a new adventure and a way to put new tools on my belt,” Russell said.
Kyle began coaching with TES in 2018 when he reconnected with his college sweetheart, Vicki. After spending at least 30 years in the insurance business, he sold his company in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and moved south to Mobile for the love of a woman and a desire to live near the Gulf Coast. During his tenure as a coach, Kyle has helped hundreds of people explore new possibilities, including Matthew Dudley, a TES Client of the Year award winner in 2019.
Kyle said, “I like to tell my clients, ‘You don’t have to be a baker to make a cake. Go to the store, buy the box mix, and follow the directions. You’ll end up with a cake. Pick a good business, follow the directions, and chances are good you’ll get a successful business.’”
Established Business Helps Entrepreneurs Pursue New Future
Russell quickly realized his family could relocate to South Dakota and pursue his goals by investing in a business. Launching a business would allow him to start a business with a proven track record and a process in place to succeed. The young father of three needed a business that would meet his financial needs and turn a profit in a timely manner. To achieve his vision, Russell and Lauren decided to invest in Concrete Craft, a decorative concrete business. Russell opened his Concrete Craft business in August and is busy building a network and ramping up sales in his new hometown. Lauren plans to work with her husband for a year before she returns to her career in real estate.
“Our coaches have the ability to help people not only fulfill business ownership wants or needs but lifestyle and location needs as well,” Kyle said.
Talk to a TES Coach
If you want to learn more about how coaching can help you achieve the American dream in your ideal location, contact a Career Ownership Coach™ to learn more about entrepreneurship. For more information about TES, check out our guidebook, “Your Career 2.0®A Survival Guide for the Battered Career and Investor Syndrome®.
2022 Small Business Profiles For The States, Territories, And Nation
SBA’s Office of Advocacy released the 2022 Small Business Profiles for the States and Territories. The profiles contain snapshots of each state’s small businesses. Sections on business dynamics, small business lending, and small business exports reflect data from the beginning of 2020. The profiles also represent the first state-by-state breakdown of small business openings and closings during the pandemic.