After losing my corporate job in March of 2009, I did not waste time. I quickly leveraged a book I had self-published, and went on to found Balanced Rock Press, a new publishing company in northern California.

My motto has become: “From Laid-off to Launching an Empire!”

It’s been a busy time for me since I lost my corporate job as a quality manager back in March of 2009. A self-published cookbook author, I quickly determined it was time to begin marketing the book aggressively – something that had eluded me while I was employed.

I launched several websites during 2009 including The Rose Diva and The Cookbook Coach. All the sites I created during that time were related to cookbooks, writing, and publishing.

No newcomer to writing and marketing, I had 17 years of experience under my belt when I was laid-off. I identified a need for a cookbook writing system, a cookbook advertising web site – The Cookbook Advertiser, and an association for cookbook writers, The International Association of Cookbook Writers – IACBW. All of this creativity was leading to what was percolating in the background – a publishing company!

The question I get asked most often is, ‘How can I get my cookbook published?’ With all the turmoil and change going on in the publishing industry, I decided to take my established writing coach business a step further and offer publishing to my clients. I saw my clients suffer rejection and wasted time submitting proposals to publishers. Yet I believed in their projects, so I said to myself, “Why not publish them myself?”

With my experience in internet and social media marketing, I now find myself sitting on sixteen titles that are scheduled for publication. Balanced Rock Press has taken off with a bang! With new client interviews taking place weekly, Balanced Rock Press is a dream come true for me. I’m truly in my element and I’ll take things even further next year when I attend the second annual Paris Cookbook Fair in March 2011.

I’ve been personally invited to participate as a possible contributor for a break-out conference for cookbook authors at the fair by none other than its founder, Edouard Cointreau. I’ll be taking a select number of cookbook projects to the Paris Cookbook Fair for possible foreign rights sales.

I’m extremely happy to be a passionate serial entrepreneur who is truly on the move. My latest venture, Balanced Rock Press, is a growing independent publishing company located in the beautiful Sierra foothills of northern California. The company publishes traditional books, eBooks and audio books.

I’ve established a special division for eBooks called “Enbrightened eBooks.” Though presently a small company, Balanced Rock Press is thinking globally. I’ve established and maintained strong business contacts with the east coast in both New York and Miami. And, I’m planning to attend several of the large world book fairs each year including Frankfurt and London.

Balanced Rock Press is a growing independent publishing company located in northern California. We publish traditional books, eBooks and audio books. We accept proposals for cookbooks, gardening, natural living, holistic, and inspirational topics.

Ms Denktash has appeared on local television shows, and is a popular guest for radio and teleseminars. Her creativity, enthusiasm, and strong commitment to quality are unwavering. Since her lay-off she enjoys inspiring others and speaking to groups about her favorite topic – “Never Give Up.” She is available for telephone consultations with prospective cookbook, gardening, holistic, and inspirational authors. For submission guidelines, visit her publishing site at
Balanced Rock Press.

I like anniversaries….On March 2, 2010 it will be exactly one year since I was laid-off from my corporate job. And what a year it has been. Let’s face it…getting laid-off is not easy.

But… I decided to take the “high road.” First off, I had to be honest with myself. I knew in my heart I wouldn’t be getting another job. I had way too much going on to do that.

There was too much at stake. I believe getting laid-off at the time I did was God’s way of freeing me to do my best work.

And I accepted the challenge, along with the responsibility. What was to come was truly amazing…

All I had to do was BELIEVE. Not always an easy thing to do when money suddenly becomes very tight. Not always easy, when you’re doing all the work yourself. Not always easy, when you sometimes wonder….What am I doing?

But…I now had all the time in the world to do whatever I wanted…Everyday…at exactly the time I wanted to do it. How liberating!

Being an entrepreneur is very challenging. It’s a HUGE responsibility, and not for the faint of heart. But when you truly embrace the freedom it offers, and allow yourself to create…

You can even “shock and awe” yourself. Yes…I exploded onto the scene. I’ve even exceeded my own expectations. I’ve gone from being LAID-OFF to LAUNCHING AN EMPIRE!!!!

I’m mentioning this because I’m hoping I can encourage and inspire you to believe in your dreams to a fault. To believe with so much commitment and conviction, that you begin doing things almost without thinking.

It’s as if you are on “automatic pilot.”What it’s really called is…Being GUIDED. GUIDED by the true source; the very source of creative energy. The ESSENCE.

I never would have been able to accomplish what I have over this past year had I still been employed at a JOB. And let’s not forget how much I have learned and grown. WOW!

Why? Because… never once did I say “no.” Never once did I doubt that if I had an idea…then it must be so.

I truly believed and continue to believe that if I get an idea, that I am capable of achieving it simply because I’ve been given the idea.

Because the ideas…Come from the SOURCE. It’s that simple. When you embrace this type of possibility thinking…You become unstoppable.

I have yielded to the SOURCE, and I eagerly await my next instructions!