Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE- "Invent yourself, then reinvent yourself. Create a life plan. Pursue a dream, uncover your passion, and discover your destiny." This is just one piece of advice that University of Wisconsin-Platteville alumna Elaine Estervig Beaubien gives to those she interacts with. But she doesn't just give advice, she lives it out as an educator, experienced trainer, speaker, published writer and successful entrepreneur.

For each decade of her life, Beaubien creates a life script, a plan that assesses and evaluates her direction. "Live a century one decade at a time. Within the decades, remain flexible to take advantage of opportunities. Develop contingencies and balance so that outside forces can't flatten you," said Beaubien.

Her career path began at UWP. Beaubien developed her leadership skills through involvement in a sorority and a number of campus-wide committees, including the programming board. She assisted in bringing Mohammad Ali, Jane Fonda and Bill Russell to campus and was placed in "Who's Who" in 1971.

"I don't remember all the lessons and lectures, all the friends and faces, but those four years were a pivotal time of self discovery. I became a more passionate activist when faced with the challenge of thinking on my own. I saw gender and racial inequities like I'd never been aware of before. My consciousness was being raised. My view of the world was being fashioned. In addition, I went to Platteville without a major and any clear career goals. I took an economics course and it was so exciting, it became my major. I have been teaching business and applying the concepts of marketing to my whole career. That all started at Platteville. I really loved my time there," said Beaubien.

Beaubien incorporates her passion for teaching in nearly everything she does. Beaubien is a tenured professor at Edgewood College in Madison, teaching management, economics and marketing to graduate and undergraduate students. She began her teaching career as a teaching assistant at UW-Madison so she could pay her tuition while earning her master's degree. At the time, she had no idea what she wanted to do for a living, but was working on finishing her formal education and finding her passions part of her life plan. Beaubien said as soon as her class of 60 retailing students looked up to her for information and inspiration, she was hooked and hasn't left the classroom since.

"The lesson here is open yourself up to opportunity. Sometimes your life doesn't follow a formulated script. Sometimes you will just know it when you see it," said Beaubien. "I want my students to be curious, to engage in life-long learning. I want them to be confident, to know their own worth. I want them to be risk takers, to find and fulfill their potential. I want them to be creative, to be able to thrive in an ever changing environment. I want them to be kind and generous, to be good people and conduct themselves and their businesses with integrity."

In 1976, Beaubien took her teaching skills to a new level, creating her own business, Management Training Seminars, of which she is the chief executive officer. She travels all over the world, training professionals in management and leadership skills. Her clients include Harley-Davidson, Bayer, Rayovac, American Red Cross, Oscar Mayer, the state of Wisconsin and Quad Graphics.

Beaubien said the keys to being a successful entrepreneur are to take risks, trust yourself, learn from mistakes, seek opportunities, display passion and provide a unique experience for the customer.

"I don't fear failure. I don't fear success. I thrive on rejection. I bloom under stress. There may be a profit. there could be a loss. But there's always the thrill of being my own boss. While not always right. I'm decisive and sure. 'Cause I have the heart of an entrepreneur," said Beaubien in her poem about entrepreneurship, "I Have the Heart of an Entrepreneur." It was published in the book, "Never Quit! The Ups and Downs of Running a Family Business" by Donna Gray.

At age 50, Beaubien was semi-retired, negotiating a part-time contract with Edgewood College and working only with corporate clients and projects that interest her. But she found a way to incorporate her marketing and writing skills into another developing career. By day, Beaubien continues to teach and consult with corporate clients, but at night, she sets aside her briefcase, presentations and class notes and becomes E.K. Barber, writer of romantic fiction.

E.K. Barber is the pen name Beaubien uses to protect her professional persona. She has written and published four books. The first three are from the Flight series, "Flight into Danger," "Flight into Terror" and "Flight into Fate: Flight into Destiny," which combine action and romance, merged with humor. The fourth is the first in the Phoenix and the Shield series, "The Case of the Hidden Truth."

"This whole experience has been a real rush. Like nothing I have ever done before. I love the ability to have characters do and say exactly what I want them to do and say. The writing transports me to another place, one of my choosing. To have this kind of adventure in my life is stimulating and fun. I am 59 and having the time of my life. How great is that?" said Beaubien.

While Beaubien loves being a romantic fiction writer, she also looks at her books as a business. She developed a coordinated marketing campaign after researching trends and defining her target market. Everything from the genre of books she writes to her pen name was a marketing decision.

It is still a business and I am in the final analysis, a businesswoman. I did my homework. Over 53 percent of all paperbacks sold are romance novels. There are 51 million romance readers and 32 percent of them are in the Midwest, my backyard. Ninety-one percent of the readers like suspense with their romance. It is a $1.6 billion industry and growing," said Beaubien.

Even with three careers, Beaubien still finds time to serve others by volunteering. Organizations she has been involved with include the American Cancer Society, American Red Cross, hospice and Salvation Army.

When asked how she balances all she does, Beaubien responded that she loves what she does. She said she loves her family and her colleagues. "Life is all about enjoying simple pleasures. Balance is all about the joy of loving what you're living," said Beaubien.

Contact: Elaine Beaubien, CEO, Management Training Seminars, 920-478-2811, BooksbyBarber@aol.com Written by: Krystle Kurdi, UWP Public Relations, (608) 342-1194, kurdik@uwplatt.edu