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When Your Business Feels Like an Arranged Marriage
Q. I was laid off six months ago. Jobs in my field are scarce so I moved to a new town to start a home business. People have paid me for everything from website maintenance to pet sitting. But the money seems to be small and slow. And frankly, I really want a corporate job with benefits. A. Welcome! You're what I call a reluctant entrepreneur. Often we start a business, write a book or develop a talent out of a deep and boiling passion. But sometimes we begin reluctantly, out of necessity. Sometimes the odds of finding a job are considerably less than the odds of succeeding in self-employment. Still, we feel like we're trapped in an arranged marriage - not a romance. The good news: Arranged marriages can become success stories! Working towards one goal, however reluctantly, will eventually lead to success and fulfillment - which may come from a totally different direction. 1. Listen to messages from your environment ("the universe," if you prefer). You're getting business right away, while your job-hunting efforts are going nowhere. When clients are willing to pay you real money - regardless of the amount - you're getting a message, "You have a market for your services." And when you attract clients effortlessly, you're getting a strong "yes" message from your environment. So should you stop job-hunting? If you really want to return to corporate life, keep looking. Don't be surprised if you lose interest in a "real" job as time goes on. And, most of all, pay attention to what is happening. 2. Evaluate your most lucrative options. Can you command a high price for your services? Maybe. Some services have a ceiling and people won't pay more, no matter how great you are. If the ceiling is ten or fifteen dollars an hour, you'll need to review your strategy. Can you tap into a market with deeper pockets? Or package your services to avoid the dribs-and-drabs syndrome? Even a simple pet-sitting service can come up with creative strategies. Consultants, designers, coaches and professional services: package for profit. 3. Expect to invest time before you get results. One newcomer to my town complained, "I'm not seeing any money. Maybe I should just take a low-paying job." I asked her how many hours a week she would work in the low-paying job. Thirty to forty, she said. And then I asked, "How many hours are you investing in your new business?" Silence. "And how long have you been building your business?" "A few months. Okay, maybe a few weeks. "Put in thirty to forty hours a week, for six months, and you'll be amazed at what happens." 4. Get a second opinion. If you're working hard but seeing no results, add a new brain to your team: a consultant, coach or mentor. Choose wisely! Bad guidance will feel like driving ninety miles an hour going against traffic on a busy Interstate Highway. Based on my own experience, I've put together a collection consultants who really help - not just tell you to "dream and you can do it" or "clear clutter." Tip: Best question to ask: "What have you learned lately? What are you doing differently now, compared to six months or a year ago? 5. Be ready for surprises. As you work, you'll encounter new ideas and new people. You'll actually become creative and confident. Accept any assignments and clients that match your skills, talents, experience and personality. If you're not sure, offer to do the work "on spec," which means you'll get paid if and only if your client is satisfied. Don't be surprised if you find your niche by accident. Most people do. Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., helps midlife professionals create small, medium and huge career changes, start a business or start over. Fr^e Report: Ten secrets of managing a major life change. Mailto:subscribe@cathygoodwin.com Contact cathy@cathygoodwin.com or call 505-534-4294
Latest News:Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for news Myanmar's Suu Kyi to get family letters, news mags (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Detained Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has managed to wring small concessions from the ruling generals in the form of letters from her family and some international news magazines, her lawyer said on Friday. JCDecaux in talks for News Outdoor Group in Russia (AP via Yahoo! News) French outdoor advertising firm JCDecaux SA said Thursday it is negotiating to buy Russian rival News Outdoor Group from global media company News Corp. News Corp tightens grip on Premiere with new CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Rupert Murdoch tightened his grip on German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere by appointing News Corp executive Mark Williams as CEO in a move to get the company back on track. SEC Looks Into UAL Stock Scare; Implications For Online News? (CBS News) A ton of digits have been devoted to this in other spots but the SEC's decision to investigate takes it to another level. The backstory: a six-year-old news story about UAL declaring bankruptcy made it into the Tribune-owned Sun-Sentinel 's current news flow, was picked up by a Google (NSDQ: GOOG) News bot and, via a reporter for a newsletter, made it onto Bloomberg News. After a lot of buck ... JCDecaux and News Corp. in talks to combine outdoor ad groups (International Herald Tribune) The News Corp. chief executive, Rupert Murdoch, has recently expressed nervousness about investments in Russia, where News Outdoor generated the bulk of its revenue last year. SEC Looks Into UAL Stock Scare; Implications For Online News? (paidContent.org via Yahoo! Finance) A ton of digits have been devoted to this in other spots but the SEC's decision to investigate takes it to another level. The backstory: a six-year-old news story about UAL declaring bankruptcy made it into the Tribune-owned Sun-Sentinel's current news flow, was picked up by a Google News bot and, via a reporter for a newsletter, made it onto Bloomberg News. JCDecaux in talks to buy News Corp. billboard unit (AP via Yahoo! Finance) In a deal that would create the world's largest outdoor advertising company, French conglomerate JCDecaux SA said Thursday that it is in talks to buy Russian rival News Outdoor Group from global media company News Corp. Phila. mayor to announce grim budget news (The Philadelphia Inquirer) The Nutter administration is expected to announce grim budget news today, which is all but certain to lead to significant spending cuts - perhaps as high as 10 percent - in some city departments, according to three sources familiar with the budget. News Corp says Mark Williams interim Premiere CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) News Corp. executive Mark Williams has taken over as chief executive of German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere in an interim capacity, News Corp. said after the move led to renewed takeover speculation. News Corp. says Mark Williams interim Premiere CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Mark Williams, a News Corp. executive named late on Wednesday as chief executive of German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere, has taken over in an interim capacity, a News Corp. spokeswoman said on Thursday. Site: news - Google News Phil Schiller bringing the news at Macworld - San Francisco Chronicle
MORE RESOURCES: Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for entrepreneurialism Lone Star Library: Green Mountain founder shares entrepreneurial insights (Fort Worth Business Press) Rural Southerner Sam Wyly came by his self-made captain-of-industry status the hard way, developing a passion for business strategy by playing schoolboy football and observing his parents? natural gift for small-business operations and hard-bargain bartering. S.C.'s brightest complete Business Week (Columbia Star) Approximately 200 high school students from across S.C. have successfully graduated from South Carolina Business Week, presented by the South Carolina Cable Television Association, July 13- 18, at Presbyterian College in Clinton. Wellington West opens Montreal branch (CNW Group via Yahoo! Finance) Wellington West Holdings Inc., a privately held, employee-owned financial services firm, today announced the expansion of its national network with the opening of a Wellington West Capital Inc. full-service retail investment branch in Montreal, Quebec. Ctek Selects Kyocera 300 Module for Z4100 Wireless Router (Centre Daily Times) Kyocera Wireless Corp. (KWC), a leading global manufacturer of wireless handsets, devices and embedded machine-to-machine (M2M) modules, and Ctek, a leading manufacturer of specialized communications solutions for industrial and commercial applications, today announced the selection of the Kyocera 300 Module for Ctek's cost-effective Z4100 Router. The Kyocera 300 Module enables reliable, ... Memphis confident of growth campaign (Memphis Commercial Appeal) One year after the launch of a $64 million economic development campaign, city officials are increasingly optimistic about the impact of MemphisED on the Bluff City. Summer break project: JTCC student lives, learns nonprofit leadership with Pheonix Project (The Petersburg Progress-Index) CHESTER ? Jamie Poniatowski, a Class of 2008 human services major, spent her summer break in Petersburg, participating in the Phoenix Project?s 2008 Nonprofit Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship Program, which transforms committed undergraduate and graduate students into effective social entrepreneurs with the knowledge, skills and connections to succeed in Virginia?s nonprofit sector. Ctek Selects Kyocera 300 Module for Z4100 Wireless Router (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance) SAN DIEGO & RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif.----Kyocera Wireless Corp. , a leading global manufacturer of wireless handsets, devices and embedded machine-to-machine modules, and Ctek, a leading manufacturer of specialized communications solutions for industrial and commercial applications, today announced the selection of the Kyocera 300 Module for Ctek?s cost-effective Z4100 Router. $1 Million Opus Prize Finalists Announced (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance) Seattle University and the Opus Prize Foundation today announced three finalists for the $1 million 2008 Opus Prize, one of the world's largest humanitarian service awards. Guided by faith and an entrepreneurial spirit, Marguerite "Maggy" Barankitse, Krishnammal Jagannathan and Michael Woodard are working throughout the world to give people the tools to transform their lives. Scotiabank Online Small Business Contest Last Call (CNW Group via Yahoo! Finance) The chance for Canadian small business owners to win $50,000 in cash prizes is coming to a close. As part of Scotiabank's 'Get Growing to a Million' Campaign, the online challenge has offered small business owners across Canada a chance to win one grand prize of $20,000 and six regional prizes of $5,000. In cinemas this weekend (Guardian Unlimited) RocknRolla | The Duchess | Bangkok Dangerous | Disaster Movie | Sweete Land | El Cantante | Never Apologise | Mera Pind My Home Site: entrepreneurialism - Google News Ohio House Speaker Budish touts regionalism in his first address - WKYC-TV
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