This month's Entrepreneur has an interesting article about starting a home-based franchise business.
While most of the franchises in their top 101 list seem to be cleaning
businesses and overall, the list did little entice me into
jump-starting my own franchise-specific savings account, it does beg
the question if working in your skivvies is ultimately what we're all
after.
So what skills should a successful home-based franchisee or independent contractor/freelancer possess? Assuming we're all into working in our skivvies afte rall...
Let's start with basics:
Know Your Legalese: As an independent contractor/freelancer,
you set up shop under your own name, so to speak. You're working under
your own business guidelines, free of any legal ties to a franchisor.
For either scenario, legal counsel will be helpful in assessing your
business' liquidity and giving you sound peace/piece of mind.
Keep Figures Straight (or Know What Software to Utilize):
For savvy bookkeeping business owners with a penchant for Accounting,
keep track of the #s might not seem daunting, but to the less skilled,
it can be. Keep this in mind as you get your freelance business or
franchise off the ground. You'll want to seriously consider investing
in efficient bookkeeping software.
Consummate the Relationship Early On: As stressful and time-consuming as a day gig can feel (Did i mention soulless and thankless too?),
remember that whether it's your side business or you're committing to a
franchise or solo contracting biz full-on, it will take the guts and
guts inside the guts out of you. What distinguishes this from all other
relationships you've had in the past is your commitment to its success
so be in it for the long haul .
Don't Start Every Bullet Point with a "K": It's ok to spice
it up once in a while as I just reminded myself in the last bullet. The
most interesting gigs I ever embarked on that eventually led to more
serious professional relationships were started on a "trial"
basis. It allows you to test the climate and the waters to know if
you're ready to jump in head first, especially relevant when going the
freelancing route.
For more useful "starting your own franchise" information, go to AllBusiness.com.
So often in my job search I find myself wondering if I should apply to certain gigs based on myriad of reasons (I'll go into detail below).
Having been out of college for 10 years now and accumulated solid professional experience, my interests have also led me down different corridors. I have a professional writing career, but I've also spent a number of years working in marketing for professional services firms and most recently dipped into communications roles. There's also the nerd in me that's embraced the web development/technical end of writing online and now has proficiency with HTML, CSS, and some of the other easy-to-learn web languages.
What's the magical equation that gives me the # of years experience I need or packages my qualifications in a way that presents the best me to employers? In short, how do I brand myself? What jobs do I pursue? And then there's the most glaring question of all...
WHAT DO I WANT TO BE WHEN I GROW UP?!!!
Before I can answer that question, the one definitive I've learned through all the rejection and success in the job hunt is that in the end, the only person you need to bother selling to or convincing is yourself. This statement also begs the question of how do you measure success in your job hunt. ( a future post idea).
And before you can start selling a future employer on why you're the tastiest treat since Julie's Empanadas, you need to be certain you're actually into the job you're applying for. Below are some helpful tips and common scenarios:
You see an ad for a job that lists in its criteria of desired or required qualifications a Masters/advanced degree or a certain # of years experience or certain technical proficiency, but you're concerned you're lacking in some of these areas.
This happens to me a lot. The key here is turning whatever you've deemed your "weakness" into your strengths. Life is a lot like Chess in that way. I used to never apply to jobs which called for over 10 years experience in a certain field or if I didn't have expertise in some computer program I didn't want to mislead anyone by submitting my resume. Now I've come to realize that it's so rare to find a job that you're 100% on board with pursuing that when you do, don't let those types of things get in the way of you going after it. Let them do the weeding. That's what recruiters are for. Besides, more often than not, that assembled list is an employer's "wish list" of quals. Keep that in mind and even if they've written a disclaimer on the job ad that they won't contact candidates who don't meet their wish list, you do your thang.
You see a job ad that sorta interests you, but you're not really digging it, but you really need to pay the bills and find something steady. Do you apply anyways?Similarly, you see a job that you're certainly qualified for in an industry you have experience in, but aren't all that into, do you go back?
This one is a tough question for anyone to answer outside of you. I've taken jobs when I've really needed moola that didn't interest me so much and been pleasantly surprised. I've usually gone the route of temping so that I can take my time more and opt to be more selective in my search, but there's really no right answer. Anything that brings in a paycheck and brings you a certain level of fulfillment is fair game. When I do see jobs in my search that I feel qualified for but if I'm not really dying to go back into that line of work, I think twice about applying for those jobs and usually decide against it. For me, there's a reason I moved on. Conversely, if it's a job that's more in line with where I am presently in my career within an experience industry, I may apply based on the company and cultural fit.
Applying for jobs is a full-time job. It sucks up so much of your time and isn't all that effective in terms of the output you get.
I hate sounding so cliche here, but getting responses from ads you've applied to is really luck. It's also a bit of a numbers game. (ugh, I'm killing myself here!) A friend of mine developed an amazing computer application, Findbits, that saves you the time of applying to a number of jobs. It scours Craigslist for job openings based on keywords you've entered and sends out your resume and/or generic cover letter to those jobs. While you might get some undesired responses, your rate of receiving responses from gigs you might actually be interested also goes up. You can also filter based on location, company, etc (in case you don't want to reapply to the same ad you already applied for or your former employer puts up an ad for the job you just vacated!).
You see your dream job, but the payscale is lower than you're worth or we're shooting for.
I'm not the first person to address this question, but it's one I come up against a lot. I guess this one depends on your finances, but generally don't sacrifice too much on the pay. Your ideal job should also be in the ballpark of your ideal salary. Money is important. You want to be able to live comfortably without feeling your lack of pay is seeping into both your professional and personal life. Don't be naive on this one. Negotiate!
A few years ago a pop cult book came out that made a splash. It was aptly titled, "He's Just Not That Into You." The basic premise of the book was a wake-up call for women who make excuses for why dudes don't like them and waste a lot of time analyzing what may or may not be. Well, that idea was so popular (even if the concept was not so novel) it was blown out into a movie slated for release in 2009 starring none other than everyone's favorite single gal pal, Jennifer Aniston.
I have a friend and we spend time here and there IMing swapping dating stories and job hunting tales. She always tells me, "You need a job." To which I reply, "You need a decent date!" What I don't always tell her and what I've begun to suspect is that it might easier to find a lead on a job than it is to go out on a promising date in NYC. And that's a scary prospect, especially given our dreary economy.
But there are common sense signals in the way of indicators that are pretty universal when it comes to both the job market and dating world. I short, I get it when my friend says, "Hmmm...maybe that means they're just not interested?" in reference to an unfortuitous sign from a prospective employer I've interviewed with.
So here are a few themes I've picked up on in my job hunt that usually indicate they're just [really] not that into you:
Parting Doesn't Need To Be Sweet Sorrow: Whether you've finished an initial phone screen or made it on to the final in-person interview with the hiring manager, at the end of the interview, the person on the other end should give you some verbal cue as to what the next steps are (i.e., "we'll be in touch to set up another interview with X"). The more straight-shooter they are with you, the better the sign. If someone just leaves you with a non-committal, "Thanks for your time" without expression of next steps, move on. And if you're still not sure, ask them about their timetable and see if it elicits any sort of statement regarding your standing.
I Had You At Hello: It's a fallacy to think that you'll go into an interview situation and fall in love instantaneously with the people there. You may love the idea of the job, but more often than not when you visit a place for the first time, both you and your interviewer have on a protective layer of distance since you're still feeling each other out and deciding if it's a good fit. Proceed with caution, but don't take it personally if you're not sensing "warm, touchy-feely" vibes the first time out. That doesn't necessarily mean they don't want you to come back.
The 48-Hour Rule: Generally, in my experience, when an employer wants a follow-up with you, they get back to you within 48 hours after last contact. Translation: Don't sit around for weeks pining over one job when they haven't gotten back to you and run the risk of missing out on other golden opportunities. If you're still not convinced that they aren't over you and need more proof, send a follow-up email and see where that gets you. Lick that wound. Bandage it up and don't throw any pity parties. You have better places to be and be seen.
Don't Waste Your Time On The Could Have Beens: Whether it's a job interview or going out on a date, you're presenting the best you. Even if you feel like you want a second chance or could have done better, if it's the right fit the pieces will come together so don't sweat it too, too much. As I learned watching Jim Carrey on "Oprah" yesterday, there's an abundance of all things in the universe. That blanket statement carries over to good men and great jobs.
I've been reading my share of blog posts on the state of the economy and how this affects our job market here in the U.S. The truth is I don't need to read about soaring oil prices, corporate lay-offs and companies cutting back to offset the recession. Like most Americans, I'm livingit.
When Lehman announced its bankruptcy last week, it may not have come as a complete shock to the executive(s) who received padded severance packages, but to quote Pamela Slim's recent post on the subject, "How Many of Lehman's employees had back-up plans"?
How many of any of us have back-up plans? We cringed as we watched dejected financial analysts escorted out of their workplace, not so much because we felt bad for them (albeit we did) but because we sensed that if that kind of thing could happen to an institution like Lehman what prevents the rest of us from swallowing the same fate? And perhaps in rapid succession?
I've been self-employed for a few months now working freelance. I'm actively looking to re-enter the workforce in the hopes of finding more gainful employment. But if my experience with start-ups has taught me anything it's that even in a more stable economy and thriving job market, there's no such thing as job security.
What my time away from the office has given me is perspective. I now have a firmer grasp on what kind of company I want to work for, the culture that I work best in, and the people I work best with. These might all seem superfluous given the dire state of our financial outlook and the need for green, but even when the chips are down, it's important to buckle up, be selective, and only accept what will make you happy.
In the past 48 hours, I've consumed roughly 12 hours of NFL. I've watched as more yards got run than plays got stopped, seen a team emerge from their imminent 0-2 status to clinch a game in the final 3 minutes, and another team rebound to new heights and a 2-0 lead with their back-up quarterback after their star QB had a season-ending accident last week.
We're only a week into the NFL's regular season and we've seen our share of daring athletic feats and bone-headed moves. (The Eagles' receiver, DeSean Jackson, is a prime example of the lethal cocktail of talent and hubris.)
People ask me why I like football. I don't entirely get the game to be honest. I do know that a team has 4 attempts to make a play and if they can't, they need to rethink their immediate game plan. I know there's a ton of strategy that goes into plays, that the quarterback may not be the coach but he has to a lot of quick-thinking and improvising on the field - often singlehandedly calling the play that can make or break a moment and determine a team's success.
And that in the end, no single person on the team is any greater than any other, star QB or not, cause it takes all of the players working together (and parking their egos aside) to make it the post-season.
As it happens, football also happens to be a ripe metaphor for a freelancer due to many common, shared parallels:
Be The Underdog: Peyton Manning & The Colts proved to us this week that sometimes smelling repeated defeat is all you need sometimes to catapult your motivational spirit to the next level. In my own experience, my confidence is never higher then when after I've failed at something big-time and can find within myself that driving force to start climbing back up the hill again.
Let The Chips Falls Where They May: This one is hard, especially when you like to plan ahead, need to know how things will play out, if you're like me, even Wikipedia a movie while you're watching it to see how it all unfolds. There's a lot to be learned through process and results-oriented people need to remind themselves of this. Just like a football game has 4 quarters, life is also cyclical with its share of ups and downs and turning points. Learn to live with them and you'll be much happier, or so people tell me!
Embrace The Unknown: One of the reasons I dig football so much is cause there's a lot of taking chances which sometimes results in zany, WTF-were-you-thinking moves, but I love it all the more when people get away with "the unthinkable," debunk the system, and make up their own set of rules as they go along. Call it the rebel in me, or simply the idealist freelancer which hopes that risk-taking moves, such as working solo, will pay off one day.
Make Time For Pep Talks With Yourself: In football, the coach takes "time outs" to amp up his players, get them focused, energized and feeling good. In life, we need to make time for these moments too and just as often if not more often than just once a day. On days I feel low I tend to build my confidence back up again talking it out with friends, family, or if all else fails a giant boost of caffeine! My sister swears by lists. Create a long list of things you like about yourself or your life. #1 on my list is the fact that I have the time in my day to write a meaningful post for my blog, make a mean pot of chicken soup on a seasonably Fall day, and feel a strong sense of accomplishment by 5 PM.
Forget making friends being expensive. These days you can't even afford the hefty price of admission at a lot of the most popular business networking events around if you're a self-employed freelancer, unless you're one that charges $100+ for your services.
And honestly (no offense to those who charge those steep prices), but whose services are that good?
If you're anything like me, you're not a high-roller and you're not even all that convincing at playing the part by wearing the designer threads to get noticed. You're just trying to make more business happen by expanding your community of offline contacts.
While I know there are a gazillion events like NetParty or NetMixer that are all about mingling to the beat of beer, billiards, or disco balls, my heightened sense of self-awareness won't allow me to feel that these aren't entirely a waste of my time.
Maybe, it's the anti-social entrepreneur in me.
I prefer events that host some sort of themed panel showcasing a few successful businessmen/women who have sought out unique and innovative business solutions - people that I can learn from and introduce myself to. Preferably Bill Gates or Steve Jobs.
Unfortunately once you get keynote speakers involved (and I'm not talking Microsoft or Apple caliber, here), the price tag of an event jumps like tenfold. In fact, it's an all-out class war between those who make a ton of bling and the rest of us.
As a Boston native, I scour Garysguide.org daily looking for the right event to complement my work style and brand attitude. Otherwise everything feels too forced.
Since I'm a little out of practice when it comes to these events as the last "networking" event I attended was almost 3 years ago (and that was because a buddy of mine put a figurative gun to my head), tiny, baby steps in the wading pool make the most sense. The best find I've come across for such an event is Steve Garfield's Boston Media Makers. It's informal and friendly enough to mingle comfortably, and also helps with practicing that elevator pitch since the Sunday brunch starts with people going around the table and talking for less than 3 minutes each about what is they do.
Think this is an easy task?
Think again...But it's a low-risk environment and a great, supportive crowd to introduce yourself to. I'm sure similar events take place around the country and if they do, you should jump on the bandwagon. And did I mention it's free, apart from the price of food?
But back to pricey events...
Since I write from time to time on issues of women in the workplace and starting their own businesses, I had a particularly strong interest in attending MIT's Women In Technology Workshop. "What better way to band with the sisters and learn and grow from each other's experiences?" I told myself.
Unfortunately, even at the early bird rate of $325/pp for a day's session, I realized this was a VIP event and the likes of the average woman on a shoestring budget weren't welcome.
Same thing for the Creative Direct Marketing Strategies Seminar day session I wanted to attend. This one involved a little more hands-on training, but at $1699/pp for "non-members," and $1399/pp for "members" I came to conclude that even if I were a member of this club, I wouldn't be able to afford the price to belong.
Alas, there has to be a constructive networking event/group that would want to have me as its participant, it just might take some more diggin' before I find it.
In the meantime, I'll continue to network online at will.
Recently, BusinessWeek columnist Sarah Lacy wrote about using Facebook to "fire up" your career and employing social networking tools as a means to build out your professional network. She mentions Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn as ripe resources to unearth potentially untapped contacts and network your way to gainful employment.
Sites like Facebook and LinkedIn may make you visible and vulnerable to search engines, but Twitter is your face in bright lights with all its glaring blemishes.
I created a Twitter account over a year and a half ago when Twitter went beta and after a whole 24 hours was so disengaged I didn't update it till just short of 2 weeks ago. So now I'm back on Twitter and starting to rethink its appeal - for professional purposes.
As long as active Twitterers are conscious of the fact that any of the 25 comments they update in the course of the day may show up in a search, there's no real harm done and more to be gained from using Twitter. In fact, Twitter is all about encouraging constructive conversation, if used the right way.
For one, I love that potential clients can "follow" me and keep abreast of all my professional endeavors. It's the easiest way to insure that I'm in front of them at all times and that visibility could lead to potential gigs.
It's free advertising and effective self-promotion for the brand of you! I can post links to my work and showcase my current work-related pursuits without resorting to an email blast which equates to more fun for everyone...
You can choose to be a "follower" and pick the right contacts for you depending on your professional goals and who you should be mingling with. Responding to the right peoples' comments will then allow you a more direct line to engage in a conversation with people you might otherwise have never yielded a response from.
You can switch up the conversation on a more personal and accessible level. It's not simply that you can reply to a comment left by someone you want to get in touch and exist solely on a professional plane with that individual. It's the fact that you can set the tone of the conversation, its subject, and choose to much less formal in your discourse.
Call me a voyeur, but keeping an eye on what other people in my field are up to is the most efficient way for me to research what's out there and keep competitive with peers in my industry. Not to mention learn more about opportunities I might be interested in and what events I should be attending and most likely, am not.
I liken trialing to boot camp for contractors. It's like getting a scholarship to go to school and have your education paid for by a benefactor. In this case, it happens to be a potential employer and the trade-off is a week or two of intensely hard work and crunch time which either leads to landing the gig or getting your stomach punched in - figuratively.
I've been living la freelancing vida loca lately and enjoying the grind quite a bit. Between web copywriting gigs and generating entrepreneurship content, I've kept myself busy enough to feel productively sane.
I've also benefited from a bit of "trialing."
It's a term endeared to consultants and employers who've taken on enough stringers in their lifetime to know that there's such a thing as over-promising on a relationship that might not work out.
The same concept applies to us lowly stringers on the opposite end coming from a place where I've signed on to work for/with someone only to realize a few weeks into it, that it just wasn't meant to be.
So having been put through some trialing recently with some new clients I engaged through virtually networking my little tush off, I've come to realize the benefits of trialing far outweigh the cons.
Commitment-free means fewer facial lines: Being a successful freelancer demands you try your hand at many different jobs before you can pick the ones that are right for you. This also translates to having the time available to do this which means before you commit, do yourself a favor and walk the walk. You'll be less stressed out for it!
Choosy freelancers choose the best gigs: Don't be afraid to turn down something you don't really want to do. If you can swing it financially and have enough on the backburner (even if it's on a low flame), then respectfully decline the project, but don't burn the contact. Your contact will respect that you were self-aware enough of your enthusiasm (or lack thereof) to let this project go, not to mention considerate enough to be upfront with them.
Juggle freely but don't lose focus: Be mindful of learning curves while trialing. Most of the time what on average might take you half the time once you've mastered the rhythm of a particular project and aren't reinventing the wheel each time, will take you double or 3X the time in the beginning. Be patient with yourself and factor in the excess time when taking on a lot of trial gigs at once.
Flat rates work best: I remember feeling so guilty when I charged a client an hourly rate for my first assignment and it took me twice the time it should have. I felt pressured to get it done faster so as not to charge too high while trying to put my best foot forward and make a good impression so I could land more work. Recently, when a new client approached me and suggested a flat rate for copy for the first two sites she commissioned me to work on, I was able to to take my precious time and make sure that I got the copy down pat before sending it off to the "printer."
Think there's nothing to learn from a crazy mom who sells weed in the surburbs? Think again. Mary Louise Parker's character Nancy is the classic example of an entrepreneur.
There's something about the way Mary-Louise Parker saunters as she effectively multi-tasks - Running her underground business while trying to meet the needs of her brood, inevitably falling from grace episode after episode, only to stay afloat and do a public service (Juggling hats again!) by supplying every inch of the food train with much-needed "happy" relief in the form of marijuana.
I'm not advocating drug use here. I'm quite anti-pleasure derived from substances other than chocolate or ice cream. It's just Nancy Botwin (or Mary-Louise Parker's character on Weeds) is such a prime example of a social antipreneur.
She has her principles and stands by them - She won't deal in elicit drugs like crack or cocaine, traded her SUV for a Prius in a way that even Al Gore might have to slap her on the rear for just out of sheer adulation, and she puts her family first before her work.
But Botwin isn't just about the labels that go with her personal brand of soma. She's an unsung feminist in the form of a single mother that's had to act of necessity to support her family. Sure, she might have chosen a less glamorous and perhaps more legal professions to dabble in, but having been a housewife for a number of years whose kids were accustomed to a certain middle-to-upper class lifestyle, mostly provided for by her dead husband, Parker's character had to pick up the pieces.
So she went with a job that could make her a ton of bank, lend itself to the hours she could afford while raising two sons, and allow her to use her feminine wiles to get her out of potentially hairy situations, if needed.
But there's more to being a successful entrepreneur and owning your own company than just being a MILF. Parker's mentors in the biz have paved the way for her to learn and grow (no pun intended). She spent much of the 1st and 2nd seasons honing her craft and business sense from a family-run pot business that took her in and showed her the ropes.
Through trial and error and some tough love, Parker's character emerged as a shining heroine and somewhat to root for in all her flawed splendor.
She's had her share of failures like any serial entrepreneur including a bake shop (a front for money laundering) that burned down (strike 1), then taking a front-and-center role in burning down her entire community and house (strike 2), and somewhere in the middle getting her DEA ex killed (not really a strike 3).
Through it all Botwin has reinvented herself and managed to adapt to the changes in her business, meandering in and out of leadership roles ranging from entrepreneur to intrapreneur, all the while seeking independence and authority in a industry plagued by certain dudes at the top of the ladder. She's also managed to stay super cool and nice, but firm and assertive when the situation warrants it.
In just this week's episode Parker decided it was high time for her to get a cut of the action and start selling again to her patrons. She didn't want to be the middleman/woman. When she didn't get the go-ahead from her direct superior, she went to the top and wasn't afraid to take a couple of bruises to get what she wanted or temporarily damage her friendship with her boss.
"It's just business," Botwin told him.
Spoken like a true lady. And businesswoman.
That's right folks. Actor Gary Busey, whose last decent film happened sometime way back in the early 80s, and whose most recent credits include drunken rampages on the set of Inside Edition, has his very own series of video shorts (courtesy of GotVMail which must subscribe to the take the most random celebrity-of-the-day and create a series of promos around it aka School of Geico car insurance advertising)
GotVMail heeds us, almost daringly, to "Go inside the entrepreneurial mind of Gary Busey," but the ramblings of Busey's inner most thoughts as witnessed on many of these videos feel more like the output/regurgitation of a 5-year-old suffering from ADHD trying to tell mommy and daddy exactly what he/she did in school that day in between back-to-back episodes of iCarly.
Case in point:
Gary Busey has a hobby. He likes to create "Busey-isms." Here's two examples of a Busey-ism. Now=No Other Way, Team=Together Everyone Achieves More. You too can craft your own vernacular, according to GB. Just take your last name and make it an "ism." Extra credit to those who last name starts with "Cynic," "Bullshit." By the way I think I just created my very first Busey-ism. Is WTF already taken?
Remember the 5 Ws (Who, What, When, Where, Why)? Gary Busey wants you to think outside the box and turn your favorite interrogatives into...Interrogatives? No, we're not kidding. This particular video had to be the brainchild of at least 4 hours of direct inhalation. Pott-o-meter says: 8. In case you missed it, POTT=Potentially Over The Top
Never ask your family for money because you have to pay them back. Just lean on the bank or get Wesley Snipes' accountant. If all else fails, hit the kids up from the lemonade stand. You know the ones who've been standing in sweltering heat all day just to make a .10 profit?
Busey does a phat WC Fields' impression and coincidentally doesn't like lame I'm too sick to go to school/work excuses especially ones that start with, "I got salmonella thrown right square in the face."
While Busey is no business brainiac, his Yogi Berra, dumbed-down approach to business might be an asset to GotVMail's marketing strategy in terms of visibiiity of their brand in the marketplace. Akin to Quizno's infamous gerbil fiasco a few years ago, whether you're aligning your company brand with gerbils or rats, either way, you're sure to create a buzz, if not cause a stir in the form on one big giant mess.
