1. A job is not looking for you! Unemployment statistics currently reveal a near 10% unemployment rate   running rampant throughout our system /economy.  This means that although some corporations are getting back on track they have found a way to make some money with less help so many of them will be slow to hire. Some will but many will not so do not hold your breath waiting!
2. It is a waste of productive energy. The time you spend looking for a job saps your energy. Think about the great copy you write for your executive summary and career objectives. The number of phone calls you make to prospective employers and friends and family that may be able to possibly “hook you up” with employment. The truth is that the… who you know  and who knows you  concept can be very effective, but again  most people who are amongst the tens of thousands  that are out of work do not have  that as an option.
3. It is a waste of money:  when you are out of work you run through a significant amount of money just trying to survive let alone look for a job. The activities associated with your search can on a basic level run you into the hundreds of dollars. The more sophisticated you are as far as your skill set the more searching for a job is going to cost you. You will be hiring recruiters with upfront fees; you will be printing hundreds of resumes on expensive linen paper and waste hours on the internet scouring job sites. You will be burning tanks of gas (3-5 dollars or more per gallon depending on geography) just to interview with some shmuck that does not call you back (Go figure). These costs can run into the thousands of dollars.  Financially, this is not a good idea.

Well what to do you ask? ENTREPRENEURSHIP that’s what… take your talents into a workforce to DREAMS state of mind!!!  

1. Employers are not looking for you so stop looking for them. Start looking for clients… think about your skills and different ways to monetize them. Example: if you bake a mean Red Velvet cake search out people who like cakes and offer your cakes online…If you are a mechanic set up a mobile mechanic service and go fix cars with minor problems on site, if you are more of the white collar type find people in your industry and offer your services as a consultant at a rate lower than what they would pay in house staff. These are a couple of ideas to jumpstart your mind set, so get moving!
2. Your energy level for a prolonged   job search can be sapped very quickly so use it for something you can control. Your activities should focus getting a basic home based Business license (under 100$) set up a domain ($ 7.00) and builds a basic website anywhere from do it yourself to a 1-3 page setup for a 150.00 dollars…now you are in business!  Visit chamber of commerce meetings for free and sales groups like BNI for at least 3-4 visits free. You can print Business cards through vista for less than 20.00! Now your energy can be spent passing out cards to purchasing departments and buyers and you control the activity… this is just a sample of the activity but again another idea to jumpstart you !.      
3. Everything above can be done on the cheap and once most of it is done it is a onetime cost or a periodic cost that will allow you to make money for long periods of time before more money is required to be spent again. This is much more cost effective than chasing an HR manager or a recruiter to call you back or just hoping that something will happen. The money saved will help you sustain.

These ideas may be used in conjunction with a job search. They are designed to help you jumpstart yourself and not be a prisoner to the situation you have found yourself in. It will empower you to find a way to supplement your income if you are working in an underpaying position, provide you some ways to make money if you do not have a job, or put you on a new path to realize your dreams!  

Get moving today your dreams are waiting!

This is a critical time especially for entrepreneurs because if the risk vs. reward is not laid out properly at this stage it can lead disastrous results later into the relationship. In this day and time people have a tendency to get married for better and better not better or worse. Granted no one wants to live in uncertainty when it comes to their financial stability; however a financial meltdown is usually a dish served on a plate that a lot of entrepreneurs may have eat off of from time to time.

This stress along with other entrepreneur issues (time away from family, etc…) can destroy a marriage /relationship, but it does not have to… here are 5 tips on how to avoid an entrepreneur spouse meltdown:

1. Include your spouse into your dream sequence:  Take them from the inception to the stage of implementation. Layout your entire well thought out plan as if you were at the bank detailing your business plan to the finance officer. Ask them to help with simple tasks (project mgmt, etc…)  This will give them a sense of ownership which can lead to better support. The hope here is that they totally buy in. If they do not maybe they will agree to get on board and ride this train with you, at least for a while. Either way move fast the clock is ticking on your business and the relationship.
2. Reciprocation effect: Show a genuine interest in their dreams. We all have one right? If they believe that you believe in them, they will believe in you. Whether it is a job, school, or family it doesn‘t matter – be interested!  
3. Behavior effect: Regardless of how they respond to your program, be everything to them that you would have them be to you. If they are supportive then this will reinforce their behavior. If they are less than enthused then it may turn the tide. It was once said that behavior can be caught like a cold, so get to sneezing!    
4. Rainy Day fund: Please set aside a rainy day fund, at least six months worth so when a financial meltdown occurs with the business (and it will)  you may be able to fend off a nuclear war in the house that will start with something like I told you this was a dumb/bad  idea …
5. Commitment:  Remain steadfast at what you are doing. Most pushback from spouses /partners are rooted in fear. You must be vigilant.  Do not quit…even if it means getting a night job so you can pursue your dream during the day and help cool the “temperature” in the house.

Author: Kelvin Jones, Author /Speaker Business owner

1. Staying in bad business relationships too long: Typically a bad deal will not all of a sudden become a good deal no matter how long you delay making the decision to cut the cord and move on.
2. Becoming psychologically married to passion not profit: We all have our entrepreneurial passions and have heard the cliché’ that we should do something we love and we will never work another day.  The rest of that should say if we pick the wrong passion business over the right profit business we may end getting to know the inside of a bankruptcy court all too well. Be smart about the economy we are in. Insurance may not be sexy but it may make you more money than a smoothie franchise (no offense smoothie people).
3. Not adhering to the open door concept: We are reluctant to move on to new ventures when one does not work out/fails. We need to move with quickness because when one door closes another one opens. It is not a failure – it is a lesson. Your change of life moment is still waiting for you – don’t delay.
4. Forgetting how important you are: Entrepreneurs have been and will continue to be the driving force in the new economy. Always think on a Nationwide/Global scale. This is necessary to grow as far and wide as you are willing to take your company.
5. Forgetting that the snooze button is not your friend: There are 526,000 minutes in a year and 590 people die per second! You must not oversleep. If you are an entrepreneur, the work will not do itself. You must put things in motion daily if you are to reach the success level you want. People say they want things, but the question remains how hard and smart are they willing to work? Is your “why” BIG enough to prevent you from hitting the snooze button?

These are just a few things to avoid and just like the amoeba we have to grow, change and adapt to our business environment or we risk not surviving at all.

Author: KT Jones, Business owner/ Author 80 pound chimp or 800 pound Gorilla which one RU? (Marketing guide to business and life)