As the quarantine period rolls on, I'm sure many of us have found ourselves increasingly challenged to occupy our time in interesting and productive ways -- and even though we'd all rather return to the "normal" state of affairs, I've been inspired to see many people using their extra bandwidth to get themselves in great shape, eat better, learn new skills, or indulge in some home improvement projects they've been putting off. There are only [...]
I've said it before and I'll say it again. While the job market today isn't "robust" by any stretch of the imagination, it's still far perkier that what we all experienced in 2009 -- and hopefully we'll see the fog lift one of these days, consumers and employers will loosen up their purse strings, and we'll get back to business as usual. The fact that no fewer than FOUR of my clients reported transitions last [...]
Self-employment may not be for everyone, but I've discovered that it's also not for as few people as one might think, either! One of the amazing things that's taken place over the last decade or two is the explosion of different entrepreneurial avenues that have become available in the marketplace, thanks to the Internet and other game-field-leveling technologies. Back in the day, it seemed as if only a select few individuals with piles of cash [...]
Quick item to blog about today, relevant to those of you out there who might be considering "taking the plunge" and starting/buying a business venture of some kind. One of my local business allies, John Martinka of Partner On Call Network, shared a handout with me that cross-references 26 business factors against three typical entrepreneurial avenues: 1) Starting a New Business; 2) Buying a New Franchise Site; and 3) Buying an Existing Business or Franchise. [...]
Question: "How do I know if an entrepreneurial path is right for me or not?" Over the past few years, an increasing number of our clients seem to have been bitten by the "entrepreneurial bug " and to be contemplating the possibility of self-employment. Whether this is due to the pending retirement of the Baby Boom generation, or the perception that job security is now more likely found in self-employment than in traditional workplace alternatives, [...]
Experience tells us that most working professionals, at some point in their lives, consider the possibility of starting their own business. This career option appears to be becoming even more attractive, in fact, to older workers who are looking for greater autonomy, increased job security, and a way to continue generating positive cash flow into their retirement years. Not everybody, however, is cut out to be an entrepreneur. The failure rate of most small businesses [...]
Despite the fact that we're Bellevue Chamber of Commerce members, ourselves, we still have trouble keeping up with all of the great resources and events that this organization sponsors within the Eastside community. For example, in a recent perusal of the Chamber's September newsletter, we noted that they are now hosting several very focused, niche networking groups that we feel might be of tremendous interest to many of our clients. These groups include: • Entrepreneurial [...]
Agree or not with the author's radical points of view about life, careers, and how to go about the pursuit of happiness, this is a fascinating book -- and one that will expose you to 300 pages of the most thought-provoking material you're likely to have read in quite some time! Simply put, Tim Ferriss believes that 99.9% of all American citizens are allowing fear, outdated social norms, and the illusion of deferred happiness (someday [...]
Agree or not with the author's radical points of view about life, careers, and how to go about the pursuit of happiness, this is a fascinating book -- and one that will expose you to 300 pages of the most thought-provoking material you're likely to have read in quite some time! Simply put, Tim Ferriss believes that 99.9% of all American citizens are allowing fear, outdated social norms, and the illusion of deferred happiness (someday [...]
Wow, does this book have a title that's timely, or what? Given some of the recent turbulence taking place in the corporate world, and the sense that the traditional employment scene isn't as stable or "safe" as it used to be, quite a few people we encounter are starting to look around for another option -- and a way to make a living that's much more aligned with their passions, values, and interests. This book is [...]