Small Biz Survival

As a small business owner, you may feel that the outlook of your business’s existence may be bleak. The thought, “If the big businesses are suffering, there’s no way my business can survive,” just may have crossed your mind several or more times. Nevertheless, as a small business, you’re use to making a way out of no way, that’s how all businesses begin.

The saying goes, “less is more,” use this to your advantage. Because you are a small business, you don’t have as many employees, you don’t have lots and lots of stores, thus not having lots and lots of overhead. You didn’t start your business to please every consumer around the world. You started your business to reach a target market; at least I hope you did, if you did that business plan.

You probably don’t have shareholders, CEOs and CFOs to answer to. You’re the boss. You make the final decisions.

As the boss, how will you compete in this market? By working your assets! It’s estimated that 20% of your customers account for 80% of your revenue. If so, how do you make sure that you are securing that income?

Asset Appreciation:
1. You know your customers (over generations), provide excellent one on one personal customer service.
2. Thank your customers by sending personal notes.
3. Start a rewards program, keeps customers coming back.
4. Give your customers freebies when they come in.
5. Use your customers as your test market audience for new products. You want to cater to their needs as well as have them feel apart of your growing organizations
6. Customer appreciation day, where they receive a percentage off merchandise.
7. Private shopping days, provide snacks and personal shoppers, schedule the personal shopping times.
8. Create a website to promote products or services you can provide from where you are with no additional cost to your business. Thus, expanding your target customer base from where you are to everywhere you want to be.

You started your business knowing you were going to be in completion with the “big dogs”. You were not intimated by their success, so don’t be intimated by their failure. Sure, if they are more successful, that’s a good indicator that there is a large consumer base for that product or service and plenty of money to be shared by all. But with the economy in shambles and people tightening their pockets, the need to make people feel important and not like another number is your niche.

Self-Employment

The one thing that sucks when you work for a company is that, it’s your only source of income. Yeah, you may have health insurance, profit sharing and know that while employed your income is guaranteed. But when that one source dries up because the company folds or you are laid off, that’s it, no more money until the next job. With this economy, who knows when that will be?

Now let’s say, you have multiple sources of income. One of the sources can’t pay as scheduled, don’t worry. You have several more sources to pay the bills. Well unless that was your biggest account or they all decide not to pay, but let’s stay optimistic (that’s what real entrepreneurs do).
Hey, this is what being self-employed is all about – it’s risky, but it could lead to a big pay off.

If you think about it, the Wal-Marts, the Targets and the Sears don’t just rely on one source of income to support their business. Why should you? You’re a business, you have expenses (mortgage, car and education), you have employees that look for salaries (any dependent you care for) and you need to turn a profit (high wages) to take care of all the needs and reinvest it back into the company (you and your family).

Now nothing good is perfect. There are some drawbacks to being self-employed. You have to wear all the hats. You are the boss you can’t slack. You don’t accumulate paid time off. If you don’t work, no money will be made. You provide all of your benefits like health, dental and retirement plans. If it all falls apart, you have no one to blame, but you!

Even though there are drawbacks, if you are mentally ready for the challenge, the benefits could win you over. You can be as flexible with your time as you want. You can choose how often and when you want to work. You are the boss, which means you make the decisions. You’re in control of your financial future.

Depending on where you are in your career transition, the very beginning (meaning you are in need of obtaining the education for the career) or you are seasoned and ready for a new challenge, below are some career fields that will easily lend itself to self-employment:

Professional Careers - These usually require four plus year degrees. Normally, in self-employed professions people will start a practice alone or in partnership, contract service with a company, or consult. For self-employed professional, your area of specialty is key.
• Doctor (family practice, alternative medicine, mental health practice)
• Lawyer (entertainment, tax, personal injury)
• Accountant (tax, financial advisor, general)
• Veterinarian (dogs, horses, livestock)
• Information Technology (fix computers, programming, instruction)

Vocation or Trade Careers - These may only require a minimum of obtaining a license/certification or training at a community college or technical college, which may be two-years or less. However, apprenticeship programs tend to last longer. Since trades skills are very specific, determining how you want to employee yourself is key.
• Beautician/Barber (own a salon, work from home, independent contractor in a salon)
• Plumber (contract service through plumbing service companies, home builders or multi-unit building complexes)
• Automotive Technician (open a shop, work from your garage or contract your services)
• Real Estate Agent (always commission based regardless if you work for yourself or in conjunction with a real estate agency)
• Bookkeeper (contract with businesses and individuals working from home, your own office or on the clients site)

No matter your profession or trade, any career can transition to self-employment, if you have the interest. Some just have an easier transition than others do. Regardless, if you want multiple streams of income to lead you to financial freedom, then being self-employed is the way to go.

Honor Thy Service

Today the nation honors the men and women who have served and currently serve in the armed forces. Your service to this country is much appreciated! So when it comes to these fine men and women, veterans should be honored with employment opportunities.

Young men and women join the military in hopes of protecting this great nation, leaving home to explore the world at the cost of the government, to receive money for school or begin a career. Whichever the choice is or was one thing remains clear, unless you make a career of the military; you will one day, again, lead the life of a working civilian. Even for those who made the military a career, if you retired in your 40’s, 50’s or 60’s, you may still want to begin a new career or start a business.

Before you separate or retire from duty, you need to start planning your exit strategy. You need to begin thinking about what you want to do after the military. Review the experience and soft skills gained during your time of service.

Do you know if your skills and experience are transferable to the civilian workforce? Will you need some additional education? What skills or knowledge did you have before the military that may be useful when re-entering the civilian workforce?

Transitioning back to the civilian workforce may not be as easy as you may think. Like any company, the military uses terminology of its own that is unfamiliar to the regular everyday civilian. Although you have gained all of these wonderful skills and experiences, the key is to be able to translate it into civilian world.

To start, you may want to visit http://online.onetcenter.org/crosswalk. The O*NET can help you align military educational and job training curricula with current civilian workplace needs. Use the Cross Walk to find O*NET occupations that match "Military Occupational Classifications."

Another valuable resource is your local One-Stop Career Center. Make an appointment with a Veterans’ Employment Specialist to find jobs, acquire skills and education, plan your career, attend workshops, and take advantage of other resources. To find the closest One-Stop Career Center, visit http://www.careeronestop.org.

Last but not least, for the entrepreneur in you visit http://www.sba.gov/VETS/vbop.html. Veteran Business Outreach Centers (VBO) provide business training, counseling and mentoring, and referrals. Their staff can assist you in the development of market research and business plans, and give you training assistance on how to become an entrepreneur.

Please note there are so many more veteran’s resources that are available, that I hardly even taped the surface. However, the above-mentioned are some great sources to get your exit strategy planning started. I salute you. I honor thy service, by providing my service.

To Be or Not To Be

Whether you want to believe it or not, your life choices are derived from the relationships you have or did not have with your first point of contact to this world – your parents. If you had parents that were not involved, you may repeat the pattern or strive not to be like them by being better. If they were involved, you may emulate some of their good choices, while eliminating the bad or fail because you could not live up to their standards or success.

Even your career path is predestined by the relationship you share (good or bad) with your parents. Don’t think so, let’s review some key points of career paths of our current President Bush and President-elect Obama.

Current President George W. Bush and his father, past President George H. W. Bush have walked almost the same exact career and educational path.
• Both attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts.
• Both served in the military. Papa Bush joined the US Navy. Baby Bush enlisted in the Texas Air National Guard.
• Both attended Yale University.
• Both in the oil business. Papa Bush started an oil company. Baby Bush worked in his family’s oil business.
• Both served as President. Big Bush served as the forty-first President of the United States. Baby Bush the forty-third and current President of the United States.

President-elect Barack Obama Jr. and his father, Barack Obama Sr. have a career and educational path that paralleled one another’s.
• Papa Obama received a scholarship in economics, leaving his home country of Kenya to attend the University of Hawaii. Following high school, Baby Obama moved to Los Angeles, where he studied at Occidental College for two years then transferred to Columbia University in New York City, where he completed his degree.
• Upon completing his degree, Papa Obama traveled north to attend Harvard University. On the other hand, after completing his degree, Baby Obama moved to Chicago, where he was hired as director of the Developing Communities Project. Later, Baby Obama would enter Harvard Law School.
• After Harvard, Papa Obama returned to Kenya and was hired by an oil company and then served as an economist in the Ministry of Transportation and later named senior economist in the Kenyan Ministry of Finance. After Harvard, Baby Obama has worked as a community organizer, practiced as a civil rights attorney, served in the Illinois Senate, taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School and will soon led our great nation.

As you can see, there is a strong correlation between parental relationships and career paths. You have President Bush that had his father around and walked in his footsteps, although, current President Bush was not as accomplished as his father was. Then you have President-elect Obama whose father wasn’t around, yet he still followed a similar path as his father, having been an excellent student and careers serving the interest of our society’s economic development.

All relationships become a part of your experience. Most affecting you is the one you share or don’t share with your parents. Regardless, you can allow them to assist in your success or failure. The choice to be or not to be is yours.

Loving It and Doing It Well

I had the privilege of meeting a woman who needed a resume for job in which she was applying. In organizing her resume there was a theme to the types of employment she performed. She is a waitress and had been one for the past 10 years. However, the job she was going for was in a whole other direction from her current line of work.

When I asked her why, after all this time with three to four jobs to her credit, she decided to create a resume, she replied, “I just wanted to have something to go to the interview with.” The job she was going for was just a part-time position at a blood bank, something to bring in extra money for the upcoming holidays. It surprised me because I had never met anyone who would prepare a resume for a part-time job when they found no need to prepare one for a full-time job.

Throughout her career, she has been a waitress at ma and pa operations, so a resume was never required. She filled out an application or told them her skills. So needless to say, she needed a little help in putting together a resume.

I have to be honest, as I’m working with her, in my mind I’m wondering, “Who would want to be a waitress all their lives?” It must have been as if she heard me, because after we completed this document displaying the wonderful waitressing talent she possessed, she beamed with pride to tell me how she loved her work and knew she was good at it. And if you read it on paper, the resume it proved it too!

I can recall hearing a few times, throughout my career, hearing about successful people not needing to have a resume. They just did such a good job that their work preceded them and companies or positions would just open up for them and they would walk right on through the door to the next opportunity. I wondered if this is how this lady’s life worked.

Whether it does or not, one thing was true, she loved her job and was confident in her abilities. That made me look at her in a whole new light. I no longer wondered about a person being stuck in what I considered a stepping stone position. I saw a woman who was living her dream career and was proud to be doing so. If I didn’t like what I did so much, I swear I would have been jealous of this long-time waitress. Instead, I was able to love, support and see her success.

One of my mentors, Suze Orman, started her career as a waitress. She did it for many years and according to her, was good at it. She had dreams of opening her own restaurant. They fell through, but luckily, she was able to put a spin on it and now she is a leading financial expert.

This just goes to show, never judge a book by it’s cover. If you are able to be successful in one venture, you are surely able to become successful in other ventures. So I’m sure that waitress lady will get that part-time job and who knows where it may lead her, she may be the next Suze Orman. Even if she’s not, loving what you do and doing it well is all that matters.

Get You Some Business

Women are bombarded with motherhood, household chores and marriage from the time they become aware of being alive. We are given baby dolls, kitchen sets and fairy tales that tells us that prince charming is going to take us away and take care of our every desire and need. With all of the brainwashing, it’s no wonder why women expect men to be their knight in shining armor and expect for them to take care of them, even if they have their own money and have successful careers.

There are women who dream of being the perfect wife, perfect homemaker and perfect mother. While there is positively, absolutely, nothing wrong with that (hell, Martha Stewart made being a perfect homemaker a lucrative business), what happens when the kids don’t need mothering, the home is perfect cause there are no kids to mess it up and your husband is occupied with work and all his interest? What will you fill your time with? Do you even know what makes you happy or peeks your interest?

I was watching Bravo TV’s The Real Housewives of Atlanta and one of the ladies, Sheree, is in the middle of a divorce with a famous athlete and has indicated how she placed her goals in life on hold to start a family and seemed a little bitter. If I had a penny for every time I heard a divorcing woman or unhappily married woman say this, I would be Oprah rich.

To me, this just goes to show that at some point in every person’s life, one comes to a point where an individual asks, “What is my purpose?” or if one knows it, “Why didn’t I pursue it?” And if your reason not to pursue your dreams was due to managing your family, don’t ride that reason to your death. There is nothing sexier than a woman who has interest of her own and knows how to make herself happy.

I recently had a discussion with a woman who had re-entered the work force after being off for thirteen years to care for her daughter. She enjoyed motherhood and had traveled around with her husband in his business. Then one day she said she asked him a question, his reply, “you need to get you some business.” She said that very day, she did. And has had her “some business” ever since.

Having her some business made her feel good about herself and in turn made her marriage better because she was happier. She said that her husband hates when she tells people how she was motivated back to the workforce because it makes him sound bad. But she doesn’t tell the story placing him in a bad light and I didn’t sense that she took his comments in a negative way. She received it as inspiration and knew it was time for her to be about her again and fulfill her dreams and interest.

Diane Carol said it best, “You can have it all. You just can’t have it all at once.” So there is nothing wrong with putting your professional dreams or goals on hold, while you are pursuing your personal dreams of starting a family. However, when things aren’t working out, don’t blame your personal goals for sacrificing your professional goals and vice versa. Just get going and get you some business.

Quality Control

The saying goes, “you reap what you sow.” The reaping is the result you get from your work efforts, the reward. The sowing is the quality or the detail you put into the work. This is true for individuals and companies alike.

Day in and day out, many people work very hard to get a job, keep their current position or advance in their career ambitions. They think the more work they take on will show their employer how valuable they are. However, the value really lies in how well the all the work is completed to a superb standard of satisfaction, not in the amount of completed but lack luster work.

Unless you are a seriously detailed oriented person, you may be inclined to unintentionally overlook the very small, minute details in the quality of your work being performed. If this is the case, you may want to begin taking extra time to complete a project so that you can take a once over, twice over or three time’s a charm look before you consider it to be complete. Doing your best on the project just doesn’t cut it. It’s the extra effort one puts into their work that reaps the reward.

While yes, your best should be good enough. But why settle for good enough? If you are already good enough, why not become great enough. If at great enough, become grand enough and so on and so on.

It’s high time that people start paying attention to the quality of detail. When a project is sloppy and unorganized, it is a negative reflection on your quality of work not only for that project, but also perceived for any other work you will perform. Paying attention to little things like how you present the material, how it is displayed or providing extra added value resources can help your project stand out.

In many job descriptions in any type of industry, attention to detail is one of the skills employers requests there potential employees to have. Why? Because they want an employee that is going to put their best foot forward to help the company grow.

You go to the store. You like when the person servicing you is extra helpful and goes out their way to make sure your needs are being met. You buy a book on Amazon.com. They tell you the book will be there in 3-5 business days, but it gets there the very next day after your order. You buy a product and instead of receiving a coupon for your next visit, you get some additional free products to sample.

All the above represent the extra mile, the attention to the details, the make your customers come back for more. When customers are happy they want to do more business with you. The more customers and repeat business the more profitable is your company. It’s as simple as that.

When people say, “it’s the little things that count,” it’s true. The little things add up to the big thing. Paying attention to the details, gives you back what you put in. Therefore, if you put in a grand effort, you will receive grand rewards.

Who Leads Your House?

Today the country will elect the 44th President of the United States. This has to be the most exciting Presidential race in history with a woman, a black man and the oldest man ever to have run for President. I hear many older people say, they never thought they would see something like this in their lifetime, yet they did.

No matter your political choice, please go out and vote today. However, you may have already voted, since polls are showing record numbers for early voters. It’s exciting to see people take a stand to support a leader they feel confident will lead this country best. People have listened to the candidates on their plans to end the war, solutions to the financial crisis and the level of importance placed on healthcare and education.

A question I hear come up frequently is, “Would you want a President that thinks like you?” Most people reply, “No, I would want him to be smarter than me.” That’s fine. I understand that most people would rather have someone that they perceive to be more qualified in terms of education, knowledge, experience and skills for the job. Yet most people are going to elect a candidate that they feel most represents them and their interest. So is that kind of like selecting someone that is like you? Just better, huh?

In any case, my question is, while the next President of the United States is working to resolve all the issues that interest or benefit you, what are you doing? Are you sitting around waiting for someone else to resolve all the problems of the world, including the ones that personally affect you? Or while you are taking time to select the nation’s leader, do you place that same amount of energy in being the leader of your own house?

Like your potential President-elect, do you surround yourself with good people (personal or industry experts) to offer good opinions or suggestions on advice to improve your financial strategies of homeownership, funding college for your children or saving for your retirement? On the other hand, are you simply waiting for your government to rescue you? Do you have a plan for wealth building?

Just as much as you want to have an effective leader for the country, you have to be an effective leader for your house. You need to take time out daily to tackle issues that surround your household. If you don’t make enough money, put an action plan together to prepare yourself for a position that will cover your expenses. If you have a business, create a plan for its growth or a succession plan for your retirement or in the event of death. Planning on retiring one day or sending your children to higher learning institutions, save for it.

When Presidents lead, they don’t just lead with their four-year term in mind, they lead with the countries future in mind. They look at the long-term plan, as well as the short-term fixing. They create a plan of action, stick to it, tweak, and adjust the plan along the way. This is how you need to lead your household in its issues.

It’s true, great business minds should be leading the country’s affairs. However, your great mind should be leading your personal affairs. Therefore, even if you don’t want to pick a President that is like you, maybe you need to start leading your personal affairs like the President you want to lead the country.

National Career Development

November celebrates National Career Development month! This month is dedicated to encourage everyone to recognize the importance of life-long career development and personal empowerment. It is an opportunity for adults and teens to self-assess, explore careers, and develop plans that will better prepare them for a great future.

Even if you are currently enjoying a successful career, there are always additional skills, training and learning one can pursue. Some course of action that everyone can benefit from is updating your resume, attending a seminar, learning a new computer program or taking a continuing education class. It can also mean completing your education, earning an advanced degree or pursuing a completely different career path.

To support National Career Development month, I encourage everyone to take action and complete at least one activity this month that will assist them in developing their career. As I know your time is valuable, I have selected a familiar website to facilitate your career development. Careerbuilder.com has a variety of resources that will aid you in completing one or more of your activities. Below is a list of services you may want to consider:

1. Search for employers that are hiring.
2. Search for positions in the industry of your choice.
3. Post your resume to allow employers to seek you out.
4. Find the best match for your educational goals (degrees and certificates).
5. Explore top business opportunities from automotive to travel through the Franchise Opportunity Center.
6. Make the most of the resume writing, employment background check, and resume review service located under the Job Seekers Tool Kit.
7. Review information on upcoming career fairs and career fair tips.
8. Participate in a variety of self-assessment tools to help you on your unique career path located in the Career Test section.
9. Search and compare salaries for thousands of jobs using the Salary Calculator.
10. Take on-line computer, language and certificate courses through Skills Training.
11. Look at Career Videos by industry, career categories and job type for currently employed, students and career changers.
12. Make important connections, ask questions and get first-hand information through Networking Online.
13. Build a personal profile page to take advantage of job search management tools, resume posting tools and job recommendations through My Career Builder.
14. Receive email or text message on the latest job openings based on your interest, daily or weekly provided through Job Alerts.

Every month seems to acknowledge the awareness of some major health challenge. We support it because we have loved ones affected or we have been personally or know someone personally affected by the health challenge. We either walk for it or contribute money for the cause.

This cause affects everyone. No one but you can improve your career. So this month and always make a personal contribute to your development.

Your Calling Card

Judgment takes place day in and day out. People are judged by how they dress, how they look and how they behave. Judgment also takes place with your level of success, for adults it’s the type of job and material possessions, with teens it’s what their parent’s success can afford them and their school accomplishments.

Since a teen has absolutely no control over what their parent’s success can afford them, they can only concentrate on their school accomplishments. School accomplishments may include academics, sports, band or some club activity, like chess or debate. Which ever it is, how well you do in one or all areas become your calling card for success.

For those teens who think school is a waist of time, think again. The good grades you get, or don’t get, are reflected in your G.P.A, which is equivalent to your parents FICO score. If it’s good the more opportunities you have, if it’s bad, the less. The better one does in school often times show tell tale signs of how successful you will do in life.

While that isn’t always true, it is an indicator of your ability to succeed. Performing well in school demonstrates discipline, focus and drive. Normally if you do bad, people will perceive you to be lazy or stupid or both.

And the truth is you may not be either. You may be too smart or aren’t challenged. Luckily, there are other school accomplishments where teens can showcase their talents if academics isn’t one of them. These being music, arts, sports or any of the other after school activities.

Let’s face it, school is cool, but it can be quite boring as well. You spend a lot of time learning information you either won’t retain or ever use again. Most of us adults are still wondering how calculus was important to graduate, when we have never used it since. For teens that feel the same way, excelling in sports or creative school activities is how they thrive and demonstrate discipline, focus and drive – great!

But what about the student who doesn’t do well academically or creatively? What does your calling card say to the world? Quite frankly, it says that you have no interest or don’t have the capacity to be all you can be. It shows the world that you are taking up valuable space and you may never have the ability to be successful, which by the way isn’t true. Unfortunately, if you don’t have an interest in something, you also won’t be able to demonstrate the valuable tools of discipline, focus and drive.

Success is as success does. So regardless, if success derives from academics, creativity, sports or some other form of interest, as long as you have an interest and you put your heart and soul into it. It’s okay to be lack luster in some or even most areas, but it’s not okay for all areas. So strive to give the world your calling card that reads, “Successful at Something.”

Everyone is a Winner with Patience, Time and Sacrifice

People are bombarded daily with a lifestyle that seems desirable to live. We see a lifestyle of money, fame and bling. And while we all may be awed to live such a glamorous life, the youth are most affected.

There was a time when young people wanted to be doctors, lawyers and other such professionals because they were seen to have money, respect and power. Now, young people aspire to be entertainers and sports figures. They are the ones who now seem to have the money, respect and power.

MTV’s Cribs, music videos and rap songs help promote an over the top lifestyle that most of the youth will never achieve. Young people see the appearance of the fabulous life that Bow Wow, Soldier Boy, Keshia Cole and Rhiana may live, but they don’t realize the patients, time and sacrifice they give for that benefit. Thus, leaving young people to believe they can have something for nothing.

Schools and youth sports teams also promote the something for nothing belief with pushing this everyone is a winner, no one is a loser attitude. And while we must learn that everyone is a winner, no matter if you win or lose, young people need to also learn that losing at something doesn’t make them a failure. Failure to get back up and do better the next time does.

It is not fair to any young person to lead them to believe that without patience, time and sacrifice they can achieve any amount of success. This bad attitude will lead right into adulthood. When young people see the fabulous lifestyles of their favorite entertainer or sports figure, they should know the history of how they came to be in that position. Just as much as the glamour is promoted, the patients of the years it took to achieve the success should be promoted. The time it took them away from friends and family. The sacrifice they made from other activities to constantly practice their craft.

I guess if their was a reality show that went on for years and years covering aspiring entertainers and sports figures would be very boring. Really, who would want to see little Bobby playing baseball since he was in pee wee, with the wins and many losses, up to adulthood when he finally made it to the amateur baseball league before he possibly made it pro, if he makes it that far at all? No one. It would show too much of the reality that it takes to get where you want to go.

Nothing is impossible. So, if fame, fortune and bling are what young people want, then fame, fortune and bling they can have. But nothing in life worth having is free. One will have to pay a price for any amount of success they wish to achieve. And the price is usually comes with patience, time and sacrifice.

Unemployment & Downsizing Hits the Young

When we think about the economic crisis that our country faces, we normally only think about the effects it has on the adult population. We never think about the working teen population who is also affected. Their positions are being downsized or hours reduced so that companies can accommodate adult’s employment needs.

While, it’s understandable if a manager is reducing the hours of a teen worker to give more hours to an adult worker who has a family to support. To a teen, it just isn’t fair. The teen may be working to supplement for items their parent’s don’t have enough to contribute towards. Therefore, working to provide for their own clothes or activities fees. Even worse is it for those teens who are the breadwinner in their household and have to take care of their needs and wants as well as their families.

How does a teen survive during an economic crisis?

Unfortunately, the majority of teen workers are apart of the unskilled labor market. Having no skills leads them limited to the types of employment they can seek. Though lots of them go for retail positions since they require no real skills and they are open to hiring people with no to little experience. So, when adult workers are edging teens out of the part-time retail employment arena, they really have nowhere else to turn, except to education.

The saying goes, “no one can ever take away your education.”

The labor force is going to force teens to turn to education because there will be limited employment for them after high school graduation. For some teens, which are already tired of school or not interested in pursuing a four plus year degree, this can be a difficult pill to swallow. However, there are alternatives that teens should be aware of that may help them gain relevant skills and experience so they can enter the job market quicker.

Besides looking to pursue a two-year associates degree, teens ready to hit the job market, may want to look into various certificate programs. Certificate programs are designed primarily to prepare graduates for entry-level employment in positions which require both theoretical knowledge and practical skills. These certificates range in length from one-semester to four-semesters. They are offered through colleges, online education providers or technical institutions.

Not only are certifications useful to get you employable skills that can lead to the job market quicker, but it also allows you to find out if you really like the particular field you have entered at a lower cost than a four plus year degree. It’s important that teens understand the job market is competitive for all, skilled and unskilled, but especially for those without experience, skills and education. I hope teens learn a quick lesson from this economic crisis to prepare, prepare, prepare.

College and Majors

Life is funny! Kids want to be grown and grown ups want to be kids again. Young people think being an adult will bring them all this freedom. Adults look at being young as a time when they had the most freedom from responsibilities of family and finances.

Let’s face it, young people are always going to want to be grown, to get away from their parents rules, thinking this will bring them freedom. But how can we make sure adults continue to believe that being grown does allow them freedom in their life. One way is to make sure teens plan a better career choice for their future that they love, as opposed to a career they dread while making sure student loans don’t cause their career choice to be too costly to enjoy.

Your career choice is one of the biggest choices you will have to make. And it gets even better because according to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average U.S. worker changes careers 3-5 times during their lifetime. So that means you will have many more times to face this big decision. Nevertheless, let’s start with career número uno (number one for my none Spanish readers).

Most teen students, and parents for that matter, are more interested in the college or university as opposed to the major one will take up at school. Yes, the college matters in terms of quality of education, family alma mater and of course – the fun! But more importantly, you need to look at the cost of the education versus the return of investment of that degree – the wage you will earn.

Below are some occupations and the annual entry wage for Chicago, Illinois. Also noted is the demand for the job and any additional degrees needed. To research your career interest, go to www.careeronestop.org, Salaries + Benefits tab.

Elementary School Teacher - $39,428, in-demand
Lawyers - $70,065, in-demand, requires post bachelor degree
Graphic Designers - $27,687, in-demand

Research the cost of attending the school of your choice. Will you have to get loans? If so, how much will it cost you? Then look at the cost of any additional degrees, like a master’s or Ph.D., you will need to obtain to start a career. Now, compare the job’s entry salary to your total cost of attending college(s). Decide if you can survive on that salary after you meet your educational student loans, housing expenses, food and transportation.

Side note: Oh and by the way, please don’t rack up any credit card debt while in school or ever if you can help it. Now back to our regular scheduled program.

If you can great! But if you can’t, you’re not going to experience the freedom, you’ve so longed to get by being grown. Rather, you have become a grown up who wants to be a kid again because financially you have no room to breath and that’s no fun.

A part of growing up is exploring your freedom, freedom to choose your clothes, the time to come in the house and make important decisions in your life. Being financially free and enjoying your job, not as work, but as play really brings adults the most sense of freedom. So begin planning (education) with the end in mind (career) and make sure it’s fun and financially beneficial.

Cutting Cost

Across the nation, people are beginning to give themselves a raise. How? By cutting cost.

The reality is your income increases by two means. Your income goes up due to a raise, windfall or some other income generating activities. The next is by reducing expenses. Usually it’s the luxury items, like travel and entertainment, that are the first to go.

Unfortunately, these days more people are not finding themselves in situations where their income is increasing. Not only are incomes not increasing, people have already started cutting out some of the luxury expenses from their budget. Some have even started redistributing how they spend their money on the necessities.

For instance, people have begun bring in their own coffee instead of frequenting their local coffee store. They are taking public transportation or carpooling to save on gas. Some are even burning candles to save on electricity. I was watching The Big Idea on CNBC and a lady mentioned that she had started to bring her lunch and set her thermostat to 55 degrees in efforts to reduce her expenses – that’s cold.

But these are the sacrifices some are having to make to stay ahead. No matter your income level, we are all looking for ways to increase our income by cutting expenses. So if your income isn’t increasing from various sources of income, or all together worse decreasing, it’s time to start looking for alternative means to give it a boost.

For employment seeking individuals (unemployed or changing jobs), I would like to suggest visiting your local career resource one stop. A career resource one stop is a place where individuals go to use computers to access the internet for job search plus whatever else, write resumes or other documents make copies of resumes, job posting or other stuff and fax. And it’s all free!!!!!!!

Not only will you get valuable resources that will help in your employment search, but you will save money on your electricity and reduce or eliminate expenses for printer/copy/fax paper, ink toner and internet service. How is that for cutting some costs? Even if you go to your local library, you still have to pay 10 cents or so to print pages, but not at your local career resource one stop.

Most career resource one stops are located where most of us know as the unemployment office. You can visit www.careeronestop.org to find your nearest location. Also look through the website, it offers loads of valuable career search resources. Other career resource services may be found at colleges or community centers.

As always, I wish you the best of luck in landing your dream career. But today, I wish you the best of luck in reducing your expenses to maintain what you got, so you have the ability to focus on pursuing your dream career. So find those little ways to cut costs and I hope this one helps, in more ways than one.

Dress for Success

I’ve often heard the phrase “you have to dress for your next position.” Does this mean, if you are in the mailroom, but want an executive position, you need to start wearing a suite? It doesn’t hurt if it’s going to help you move up to the next position.

Nevertheless, you need to do more than just wear a suite. You need to assume the feeling and the attitude of your desired position. You may also need to obtain the desired credentials for the position of your dream.

All in all, you need to begin a full overhaul to become the person that fits the position you desire.
Dressing for your next position is a process or transformation you will need to go through to shed old ways and habits. It’s like an ugly duckling becoming a beautiful swan.

Depending on where you’re today and where you’d like to be tomorrow will determine how many steps and how drastic of a change you may need to make. There can be many steps to just a few little changes that can get you to where you want to go. However, the challenge for some is in recognizing what to let go and what they need to add.

To resolve that problem, find a mentor. Someone that has the same or similar position you would want to be in. This mentor can be someone from your job, family or friend. If you can’t find a mentor from one of those sources, then find someone you don’t know and research their path of success.

A mentor can be a wonderful resource to help guide you through the pitfalls, thus helping you get to your dream career quicker. Mentors can provide you with the suite or the foundation to begin the planning process to become the person that fits the position you desire. Providing you with a step-by-step process from change A-Z.

Transforming to that beautiful butterfly is a process that can go quickly or slowly. Still a process, nonetheless. You can’t skimp on the steps laid out for you. Often times you see the person in the position you want to be in, but you never realize all the hard work it took for them to get to that dream career until you begin to walk in their shoes.

Remember, you can only put your pants on one leg at a time. Don’t rush the process. It’s just as enjoyable getting dressed for the position, as it is being dressed for the position.

Procrastination or Perfection

Many people substitute procrastination for perfection. They believe the reason they haven’t completed a project or started an idea is because the project isn’t perfect or the timing isn’t perfect. When in fact, if they moved on or moved forward from the project or idea, it would hold up on its own, allowing them to progress to another project or idea.

Often, the person who can’t seem to complete a project has gotten so comfortable in what they’re already doing, they aren’t able to take the next step. Therefore, they procrastinate on the project, finding every reason why it’s not right, so they continuously redo the project again and again. Still, it isn’t perfect enough to let go!

This is especially true for creative people. Those who create art, jewelry, music or write may find it hard know when to logically let go. They often are heavy right brain thinkers and therefore don’t rely as much on the left brain, the analytical part of the brain. Because of this, they may stay stuck too long in the creative process, never freeing them up to begin a new phase of the project or start something new.

How does Bill Gates and the Microsoft Office team know when a software applications project is complete before they expose it to the world? They don’t. They complete it with their best efforts and quality work. Then when imperfections arise, they fix it. They eventually let it out in the world. They let it go. Then they move on to a new project. However, if or when imperfections arise again in the previous project, they work to fix it. Then use that knowledge to make a more perfect product with the current project they are working on.

There are also those who can’t find the perfect time to even begin the million-dollar idea. There is no perfect time to begin any phase of your life. There is no perfect order to life. So one must make a decision that they will carve out time in their life to begin an idea. And once you begin, you must practice daily.

How is a book created? A book doesn’t just magically appear because one thinks of a great idea to write about. To write a book, it takes the practice of the writer to commit to writing daily. They can’t show up when the timing is right, a book would never get complete. One must take time daily to write, until their efforts pay off. It’s physically practicing the idea that will lead the idea close to perfection (completion), not the perfect timing.

If you think about it, striving for perfection is really the ability to complete a quality product. And there is nothing wrong with that. It’s when you can’t seem to let go of your good work and strive for perfection for perfection sake, which leads to being stuck. Don’t confuse procrastination with perfection because procrastination only ties your ideas or projects up, keeping you from progressing.

Lead by Example

Whether you realize it or not, everyone is a role model, leader or service provider at some point in time. What may be even more amazing is that you may play these different roles simultaneously through out the day. So while you are critiquing someone else’s performance or trying to lead them in a certain direction, you may need to spend time on perfecting your own performance level.

Lead by example, not just through words.

Have you ever taken a real look at how much time you spend trying to change someone else, as opposed to the time you spend trying to change yourself? Sometimes you think that only if someone else did their job better, if only someone else contributed to the project then everything else would be fine. Will it?

If other people just did what they were supposed to do, where would that leave you? Are you doing everything that you are supposed to do? Or are you lacking in your efforts as well?

Family, friends, colleagues and clients watch your performance. They watch how you life your life, how you run your business or how you perform your job. The example you show, either positive or negative, determines the type of role model in which they perceive you to be.

The example you display has a huge affect on your ability to lead. If you are reflecting a positive example, to family, friends, colleagues and clients, they will be more receptive when you are critiquing their actions or steering them in a certain way. In turn, a negative example reaps negative results.

In your dual role as leader/role model, you also play role as follower or servant. A good leader doesn’t just dictate commands, he/she observes the needs of the people they are leading and try their best to meet them. As a leader, you look for the ways to properly service or address the needs of you family, friends, colleagues and clients. You give them what they need, to bring the best out of them to meet your needs.

As a co-worker, manager or employer, before your next breath in suggesting an improvement for someone else, spend that energy in making sure the high expectation you are looking for in someone else, you are upholding. When you see things out of order, fix it. Don’t wait for someone else because it’s not your job. When you say you are going to do something, keep your word, don’t let other obligation distract you.

As a leader, your job in life is not to change someone. Your role is to change the only person you have control over – you! If you sincerely do your best, family, friends, colleagues and clients will serve you with their best.

Planning to Succeed!

A quote you may hear a lot is, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” So what happens if you have a plan and it’s not working? Who’s at fault now? Is it the goal?

It’s not the goal that’s the problem. It may just be the plan in reaching the goal that may present the glitch.

Unfortunately, many people don’t plan their day, let alone their future. So naturally, things may not turn out to your favor if you have no plans or goals for your life. However, if you do plan and still see no results, change the plan, not the goal.

You have dreams, goals, ideas that you have plotted out to accomplish. Roadblock hits! Now what?

I have a cousin whose dream career is to be a rapper. Okay, what young male doesn’t have that as his dream? The difference is that he actually has made steps into making his dream work.

You may have never heard of him and he doesn’t have a video. But he does have a cd of his music. He has accomplished the major part of his dream career. He has a product. However, he has yet to realize the fame and fortune part of his dream career.

To achieve the next step of his plan, he moved him and his family from New Jersey to Chicago, believing he would have a better opportunity. His plan was to go to Chicago and network with other artist and producers of a higher caliber. He believed that he could promote his product and himself better in Chicago.

After about a year in Chicago, he didn’t see any difference in notoriety. What he did learn, from industry people in Chicago, was that he probably had a better chance in New Jersey, being closer to New York and all, than he had in Chicago. He learned that every major rap artist on the scene today had to leave Chicago to make it as big as they are now. They went to New York.

Was his goal wrong or was it his plan?

His goal hasn’t changed, but he is now revamping his plan. Having more family support back in New Jersey, he packed it up and moved him and his family back. He’s regrouping, reconnecting with other contacts and revising his plan to attain the fame, fortune and notoriety of his dream career.

I admire his tenacity. He didn’t fail by returning to his starting place, he is readjusting the plan. He is able to see that he can still reach his goals by tweaking how he attains them, which is better than giving up on them all together. So now, he is planning to succeed!

Part-time Perks!

Besides cash, American’s major concern is health insurance. Did you know bout 45 Million American in the United States don't have health insurance?

Although great for quick extra cash, part-time employment can offer you more valuable benefits. You may look at part-time employment as additional income for the holidays. However, it can offer the much needed health insurance coverage you’ve been looking for.

The pay for part-time work may only be minimum wage at best, but the added perks can make it more attractive. Ease of entry is relatively low, with minimum education and experience requirements. Don’t forget high turn over. People are always looking to better themselves or get higher paying positions.

Let’s face it health insurance is expensive. Even if your employer offers it, you may have to pay a lot! And heaven forbid you’re laid off and have to pay for COBRA health insurance. You may want to forgo it because it’s so expensive.

Expensive or not, having health insurance is especially important for people with personal health challenges and people with children. But most everyone needs it, even those who don’t think they need it. It’s important for everyone to have health insurance for preventive measures.

For individuals facing various career transitions it is important to be healthy and stay healthy. Just day-to-day life can wear you down. If you fit in one of the categories below, you may want to look into part-time employment:

• Self-employed
• Unemployed
• In between jobs (whatever that means to you)
• Changing careers
• Full-time worker, but no benefits
• Seasonal Worker (ex. Construction)
• Undecided (out of high school or college)
• Starting over after divorce

Most companies offering part-time employment require you to work at least 20 hours a week. While that may seem to be a lot for some, remember the hours are flexible, so you can fit the second job around your schedule. Some companies in your area may include:

• Jamba Juice – a chain of smoothie restaurants.
• Starbucks – an international coffee and coffee house chain.
• Caribou Coffee – a specialty coffee retailer, second largest to Starbucks.
• Dollar Tree – a chain of retail stores where everything sold there is a dollar.
• Whole Foods – a food retailer of "natural" and organic products.

Other benefits to look for in part-time employment may be retirement plans, tuition reimbursement, employee assistance, paid time off (PTO) and training & development. Oh and one more benefit – discount! So when you look for part-time work, make sure it’s a place where you love to shop.

Community Resource 101

When there is an increase in unemployment, there is also an increase in educational enrollment. People seek continuing education as a way to sharpen existing skills, gain new employable skills, or start a whole new career. A visit to your local community college can be the start towards your next position.

You may think that community college is a holding cell for kids out of high school wandering aimlessly around trying to find themselves or get their act together so they can go on to a four-year college or university. But I’m here to tell you, community college is no longer the extended high school program it use to be. Times have changed and so has it!

Offering more than just an associate’s degree, many community colleges offer a comprehensive list of programs and services. Programs and services offered may include transfer programs, occupational programs, developmental education, workforce development, community education and student services. These programs and services are geared towards:

•Individuals seeking to advance their career by taking professional development courses offered by the workforce development program.
•Community members looking to broaden their horizons and improve their quality of life through classes, workshops, events and trips offered through community education.
•People seeking immediate employment can enroll in short-term certificate programs offered through occupational programs.
•Adults wanting to improve basic education skills can sign up for General Education Development (GED), Adult Basic Education, the Adult Literacy Project, Learning Enhancement and English as a Second Language (ESL) offered through developmental education.
•Students wishing to start their academic career at a school closer to home and affordable tuition can take advantage of the transfer program.
•Members of the community in need of resume writing assistance and other job seeking tools can visit the career service department as part of student service. Important to note, you may not even need to be enrolled as a student to take advantage of this service.

With globalization driving changes in our economy, the need for an educated workforce has never been greater. The majority of new jobs that will be created by 2014 will require some post secondary education. Advantages to community college are its relatively low barrier to entry and ease of access. Relationships with local business and social services allow community colleges to be a real catalyst in economic development.

To find your local community college, visit the American Association of Community Colleges (http://www.aacc.nche.edu).