Back to Business | About
Confident Career Transitions; re-invent your career with clarity and confidence!
Career Counseling,career coaching,getting back into the workforce,career re-invention,interview help,resume help,how to dress for an interview,how to write a cover letter
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Linda Waters, Founder

As Founder and President of Back to Business LLC, Linda brings more than 20 years of business experience and has succeeded with many variations of flexible work arrangements. Founded in 2005, Back to Business LLC, was originally dedicated to helping Moms return to the workforce, but quickly expanded to serve anyone in a career transition.

 

What differentiates Linda in her field is that she has successfully lived “both sides” of the “Working Mom” and “Stay-at-home Mom” divide.

 

While she understands the degree of family support and time management required to be a “Working Mom”, and that change can be very challenging, she also knows that it can be done successfully with the right focus, preparation and planning.

 

Linda guides her clients to clarity on what they want and helps them build the strategies to reach their goals.

 

She is known for her intuitive style and her results-oriented approach. She has a passion for helping people develop the confidence they need to successfully step out of their “comfort zones” and make positive career and life changes.

 

Linda is a member of NEHRA, The Women’s Success Network, The United Chamber of Commerce, The International Coach Federation, National Association of Women Business Owners, and the National Association of Professional Women.

 

She earned her BA in Psychology at the University of Vermont.

 

Linda regularly speaks to academic, professional and corporate audiences such as The Massachusetts Conference for Women, Stonehill College and Ameriprise Financial.

 

Linda is the recipient of the prestigious ATHENA award received for business excellence, making an impact on women nationally and internationally and the Edith Palmer Memorial award, received for her commitment to raising awareness of domestic violence and sexual abuse in our communities.

 

Her favorite “Super Mom” moment: Closing a $5 Million dollar deal while changing a diaper!

Our Mission:

Back to Business empowers individuals and organizations to identify and reach their full professional potential.

 

We are committed to:

Strengthening individuals

by providing our clients with the confidence, skills and strategy necessary to find the right career fit and to maximize their marketability as well as live well-balanced lives while making significant professional contributions

 

Strengthening families

by helping to make true work-life balance a win-win for companies and employees and a welcome standard in our society

 

Strengthening companies

by offering valuable insight into communication and work styles, improving productivity and workforce retention

A letter from Linda:

 

Thank you for visiting our website! I want to share the story of Back to Business with you:

 

I founded Back to Business LLC in 2005 with the mission of helping Moms get back into the workforce with confidence and without apology.

 

The work began in 2004 when I began speaking with stay-at-home Moms who were frustrated because they wanted to make a change/get back into the workforce, but had no idea how to go about it. Change can be very intimidating and with their confidence level at an all-time low, they were feeling stressed and stuck.

 

The stories that I was hearing from these Moms and the lack of respect they felt for choosing to take a break from working to raise their children made me very unhappy. Having always worked, I never understood the stay-at-home Mom until I quit my big corporate job and became one. It didn’t take long for me to “get it”- and it was a real eye-opener I can tell you!

 

As I spoke to more and more people about this, I quickly noticed that companies were beginning to see the value of this demographic and were willing to consider such awesome topics as flexibility in the workforce. Through my research with human resources folks, hiring managers, and other hiring professionals I realized that what they wanted to see in a candidate and what the Moms thought they wanted were not the same thing.

 

Interestingly, my research revealed the same issues with just about everyone I spoke with, so I used the list as a guide to build my process.

 

At the same time, I was looking around to see who else was already doing this, and there were only a few at the time (remember, this is before the recession made it fashionable to be a “career coach”). I found that what the other career professionals were offering at the time, typically began with resume writing, but I knew that the group I wanted to serve, needed more. I felt that my clients would be better served if we began with some structured self-discovery, more direction and more support.

 

Soon after, the recession began and Back to Business LLC quickly expanded to assist anyone in career transition work out their next move, by providing them with an easy to follow framework that helped to make the process of change a smooth one.

 

The processes for the Moms and the career transitioners are different, they have been adapted to suit the unique needs of each demographic. Generally, my process includes a set of assessments that help answer questions such as “Who am I now?” “What are my natural strengths & talents?” “How can those translate to a career that will suit me?” and “What type of work culture am I looking for?”

 

Then, once we have spent some time working out a direction that makes sense, we begin with the more tactical components of the job search process: the resume and how to get it to the other side of the search engine; how to create your “elevator pitch”; how to network online and in-person to find a job; how to interview for the job, etc. It’s a complete A-Z approach, which has included shopping trips, hair & makeup, and mock interviews!

 

My process is one-on-one, confidential and yes….fun!

My philosophy is that my job is your success.

 

Next, the Moms began calling to ask about the assessments for their college-bound kids. Their kids were stressed about what major to choose and what to do with the rest of their lives (and of course, the parents wanted them to graduate in four years!). I then adapted my assessment process to be effective for college-bound and college-aged students.

 

The work is a lot of fun and a good confidence booster.

CONFIDENTIALITY

At Back to Business we could not be more serious about our Client confidentiality. This cornerstone of trust and integrity is imperative to our collective success, and we hold trust and confidentiality as one of our core Company values.

OUR TEAM

Dian Tobin

Office Manager

Lisa Leahy

Director of Social Media & Outreach