How to Start Networking For Business

Have you ever heard the saying, "It's not what you know but who you know," and wondered how much truth was behind it? My experience is the combination of both that can lead to success for a small business. In this article, I'll share ways that you can get started with business networking and have fun with the process.

1) Be Prepared With Basic Marketing Materials Such as Business Cards.

There are very inexpensive and can allow you to multiply your efforts--you can leave them at certain locations, but definitely have them on-hand.

2) Start With People You Already Know

With close friends and family, most people don't mind if you ask them to keep a few of your business cards with them in case they run into someone who needs your product or service.

With associates, at least let them know what you do and give them one business card--maybe more if they're eager to help you.

3) Join Local and National Groups Related to Your Field and Attend Conferences and Meetings

I like going to conferences. Often you not only meet (usually friendly) competitors you often meet other business owners involved in related areas to your field. For example, as a writer I not only go to writer's conferences but those in broadcasting, public relations, and web-related fields.

4) Take Advantage of Customer Referrals

Give an incentive for your regular customers to send their friends and relatives to you as well--again, that multiplies your effort.

5) Don't Forget to Help Other Business Owners as Well

It can be mutually beneficial for two or more small business to help each other out, even if they're not in related fields. When you help other people, it does come back to you--this is an important business principle for long-term success.

Additional Tip:

• The biggest mistake I see people make in business networking is talking to complete strangers with the only intent on getting them to buy their product or service. If you're heart isn't in the right place of filling people's needs, this doesn't work--people pick up on it immediately.

Best wishes to you!

How to Handle Criticism

When it comes to criticism in your life, usually either through a family or job situation, there is more than one way to handle it. In this article, I will discuss some ideas on how to handle criticism in a healthy way.

1) First, before anything else you need to determine the motivation of the person giving you criticism.

This is extremely important because it's the difference between someone trying to correct you because he or she cares about you and someone who just wants to tear you down for some reason. If your emotions are tense, it may be hard to be objective about this at first. Give it some thought however.

2) Realize that no one is perfect and that mistakes happen.

If there's something about the criticism that can help you improve, try to approach it with as positive of an attitude as possible because it may make you better even in a small way. The important thing is not to take it so personally that it discourages you from moving forward.

3) Realize that not everyone is going to share your point-of-view on things.

If you make pleasing everyone your main goal, you're honestly going to have a hard time accomplishing anything significant in life. You can look at any famous or successful person when they were in the process of achieving something, and almost all had their share of critics. Don't expect to be able to handle it overnight, but over time it does get less emotional when it happens to you.

More Tips:

• If you're in a leadership position, it's better to build people up and encourage them on a daily basis than constantly criticize. This way when you do have a suggestion, you've built up respect from showcasing what that same person has done right.
• A book that really helped me when it came to the relationship between success and encountering critical people is called The Dreamgiver by Bruce Wilkerson. It's a great book if you've never read it.

How to Have More Time to Enjoy Life

Modern life can be very hard sometimes in that it often feels like to have plenty of money you have no free time and to have free time you end up with less money. There is a way to break out of this cycle however, and I want to share with you some ideas that have helped me.

1) First of all, from a thought-process standpoint you're likely going to have to gradually change some things you've been doing.

Many of us are raised to think that money is our most valuable resource, and there's a tendency to base your career and life off of that concept. That's not to say that money isn't important (people spend 70,000+ hours of their life earning it), but the two are related in that to get your time back you're going to have to learn how to earn and manage money differently.

2) A good place to start in "finding time" is to look at your lifestyle.

I've seen statistics that say the average adult in America watches 30-40 hours of television a week. You could take a portion of that time a develop a side business that could either get you out of debt (so you don't have to work extra to make debt payments) or help you transition into a career that gives you more money and flexibility with your time. If you're already a work-o-holic and don't seem to be making progress financially, you may need to take a look at what you're doing to see if a minor change could increase your overall income.

3) Realize that in the beginning you may have to sacrifice some time to get it back later.

I currently don't have to work a full-time job anymore because I spent 2 years of my life basically working 80-hour weeks, 40 for a company as an employee and 40 for myself. It wasn't easy, but it was worth doing.

4) Find some motivations in your life that will pull you toward finding ways of having more time.

For me, it was wanting to spend more time with my husband, my parents, and my brother. I also wanted to free myself up to do things that would make a difference that I couldn't do before because of not having the time to do it.

More Tips:

• No pun intended, but this takes time and is a process. I first started focusing on this idea in my late teens, and I've seen progress in my early 20s. It also requires you to be a little different from most people, but I think the rewards are worth it.
• Books that are helpful regarding this topic are Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and 48 Days to The Work You Love by Dan Miller. I've found business books in general are helpful in that they teach you how to build an income that is residual (repeat income for a single effort). It's pretty sad, but most colleges don't teach this even though it's extremely important in life.
• Don't live your life in such a way that you'll procrastinate and later regret not making time for what matters in life. If you don't focus on this issue, it will slip by you.

How to Prepare for Public Speaking

I have seen multiple surveys that rank the fear of public speaking higher than the fear of death. I used to be a very shy person and was petrified of speaking in public. As I got older, I had to do it however in college and later my career. In this article, I'll share some things that I've found helpful.

1) First of all, being prepared with your material can help reduce some of the tension.

Give yourself plenty of time to research your topic so you don't feel rushed to do everything at the last minute.

2) The other side of this fear is being in front of people.

This was such a strange thing to me in that the same people I was fine speaking with at my seat suddenly changed when was in front of them! The physical symptoms of this fear--dry mouth, increased heart rate, etc. --unfortunately are hard to immediate stop and have to go extinct over time (with practice). What I found helped at the beginning was what I did before I had to speak. I didn't let worry build. Instead, I would do something fun or relaxing earlier that day such as watch a funny movie. I would still be nervous, but it was easier to control.

3) Add some entertainment value to what you're doing.

In school and often work situations, people are used to dry, boring material. The bored response of your audience will make you nervous, thinking it's you and not the material. A few jokes that relate to the topic don't hurt, and doing this often caused me to get a better grade. I found this out by accident on a project where I had to fill time, but it works! If you're afraid to try humor, an interesting or unique angle on the material will work as well. Just give it some thought.

More Tips:

• Sometimes a prop related to your material is helpful to keep in your hands as you make your way away from a podium.
• It's a little scary at first, but moving around will help you once you get used to it.
• Have some water on hand in case your mouth gets dry trying to talk. Keep it at room temperature, as cold ice water will actually make it harder to talk.
• I know it's hard, but don't hide behind your report paper or turn your back to your audience. This makes people think your disinterested.

How to Start a Web-Based Freelance Writing Business

Though writing on the web is a fairly new field, it is growing and a great option for writers of all ages and backgrounds. In this article, I want to give you tips and direct you to resources that would get you off to a good start.

1) The first thing to do is to give some thought into what you would like to write about.

This is because some websites may be better suited for you than others. For example, eHow is a fantastic site for writing how-to articles and pays well in my opinion, but their format does not fit creative writing such as short stories or poetry.

In any type of business, it's almost always to your advantage to have a niche or specialty. That doesn't mean that you can't do other things, but it helps from a marketing standpoint. If you write on a particular topic really well, that can be carried across different formats including articles, blogs, and even books.

2) Next, do a search for websites that will pay you for the content you want to produce.

Read the fine-print and terms of working with these websites carefully. I personally work with sites that pay for non-exclusive rights, meaning that the site is paying you to display your work but you still own it.

If you don't know where to begin, I have a short list of general sites I work with at Web Writer Central. This information is free, and given enough time you can figure more out on your own once you understand how these sites generally work.

3) Begin building up an inventory of content.

I began making money with my articles and short stories the first week I found a set of paid writing sites. It took about six months however to generate an income that I consider significant. In less than a year, I'm not too far away from being able to do this full-time without needing a job. It's just like any other business, but in this case your creative work is your product.

4) From a financial standpoint, I find it easier to have one bank account to send your earnings that's separate from your personal account.

Speak with the person who does your taxes, and they can give you more information on what records you need to keep and what is and isn't considered tax deductible with your expenses.

5) Something that I've found very helpful is connecting all of my articles and stories to each other, so if a reader likes one thing I do they will continue to read more.

More Tips:

• Though it may seem counter-intuitive for some people, networking with other online writers is helpful. The more you help other people, the more it comes back to you. I learned that from business experience in general.
• Another aspect of this business you can grow is writing for company and individual websites. It's just a matter of letting people know what you do.
• Don't get discouraged by the pennies you make in the beginning--it does add up!

Resources:

Web Writer Central
Ehow.com
Hubpages.com
Squidoo.com
Writing.com
Constant-Content.com
Gather.com

How to Learn More About Media Careers

Due to the continued growth of the Internet, careers in areas such as broadcasting, public relations, advertising, and writing for media have also continued to grow. In this article, I will direct you to resources to help you learn more about media careers.

1) In every one of the career articles I'm writing, I'm directing people the Occupational Outlook Handbook website which is operated by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Here you can find specific information on average pay, future growth, and typical working conditions for many careers. I'm including links below related to several media careers.

2) Something I really wish I had done when I was in college was gotten an internship with a TV station (I was a broadcasting major).

What isn't always told to students is that practical experience has a high priority, sometimes even over formal education. To be successful, you need a healthy balance of both.

3) Make efforts to find someone in the field you're interested in that can tell you more about their everyday life.

They can give you information on what to expect and help you determine if the career has the lifestyle that you want.

4) Another great resource to explore are conventions and expositions held by media organizations where you can meet experts in the field.

These usually range from free to less than $100 according to the length of the event and if it is sponsored by a corporation. I'm aware of NBS (National Broadcasting Society) and NRB (National Religious Broadcasters) for my field but doing a Google search on National (insert your field here) Society will likely help you find more information. These conferences are fun, and be prepared to carry away bags of free stuff like pens, mouse pads, sticky notes, etc. from vendors. I've even met famous authors in the field and received free autographed books before!

Additional Tip:

• I think something important to remember about media careers in general is that they're constantly adapting to new formats. I think the future is heading to where Internet-related careers are going to equal or surpass where most of the jobs are now. Now is a good time to get on the leading-edge of that if you can find the right opportunity.

Resources:

Occupational Outlook Handbook
Advertising, Marketing, and Promotions Information
News and Journalism
Career Search

How to Learn More About Administrative Careers

One of the problems I remember encountering in high school and college was finding good information about different careers. This article is the second in a series where I've researched basic information about careers, in this case administrative positions. I hope you find the information useful and helpful.

1) First, there is some research on accounting careers that you can do at home or at school. A good place to start is the Occupational Outlook Handbook.

I've included links to areas of the site you may find useful specifically for administrative careers at the end of this article. Feel free to explore the site yourself as well, which is operated by the U.S. Department of Labor. You can find information such as average salaries, educational requirements, typical working conditions, and expected future growth of many careers.

2) If you're still in high school or college, see if you can arrange an internship where you can work with an administrative assistant or manager.

This will help you test drive the career and see if you'd actually like it long-term.

3) If you can't find a long-term opportunity, an alternative is getting permission to spend a day with someone.

While you won't get the same amount of experience out of it, it's better than leaping into the career without knowing what to expect.

More Tips:

• Administrative positions vary widely, so if possible while you're planning or attending college you may want to research the different areas that interest you the most. This way you can pursue those options and not spend as much time on aspects you don't enjoy.
• Realize that your career is a process and that you don't have to know everything in your late teens and early 20s. Having an idea of what to expect however can help you decide if something interests you or not.

Resources:

Occupational Outlook Handbook
Secretary and Administrative Assistant Information
Occupation Search

How to Learn More About Accounting Careers

When I was in high school and college, I was interested in many careers but wasn't quite sure where to find good information. In this article, I'll provide you links and ideas on exploring the possibility of a career in the accounting field.

1) First, there is some research on accounting careers that you can do at home or at school.

A good place to start is the Occupational Outlook Handbook. Useful information available includes average salaries, typical working conditions, and career growth projections.
I've included links to the online version of this book you may find useful specifically for accounting at the end of this article. Feel free to explore the entire site yourself as well, which is operated by the U.S. Department of Labor.

2) If you're still in high school or college, see if you can arrange an internship through your school where you can work with an accountant.

This will help you test drive the career and see if you'd actually like it long-term.

3) If this is not possible, at least try to find an accountant (possibly one that is self-employed) who will let you spend a day with them for a shorter experience of what the position is like.

More Tips:

• Realize that creating a career for yourself is a process. You don't have to know everything in your late teens and early 20s, but it's better when you're well-informed and know what to expect.
• If you're Generation Y or younger, you have to expect the possibility of having multiple careers during your lifetime. This should be something to consider when setting career and education goals.

Resources:

Occupational Outlook Handbook
Accountants and Auditors Information
Occupation Search

How to Start a Business With No Prior Experience

Having your own business has a lot of benefits, but it can sometimes feel overwhelming on where to even start. I just want to share with you some things that have worked for my husband and me and hopefully give you enough advice to where you'll know what you need to do next:

1) Know why you want to have a business.

Having a business is very different from being an employee, and you have to have enough drive to get you through when things get tough. Otherwise, it's very easy to give up when results don't initially appear. Everyone's "why" is different, and sometimes it changes as your life situation changes. The point is everyone needs a reason to motivate them.

2) Educate yourself by reading practical business books.

Sometimes when you're new in business it feels awkward just approaching an owner at random and asking, "How did you do it?" Starting out I didn't know that most business owners usually don't mind telling you their story, as long as you're not going to use the information to become a direct competitor.

So in the beginning I did the next best thing, which was browsing business and financial books at retail bookstores and libraries. There are going to be authors that "click" with your goals and personality, but a few of my favorites include Napoleon Hill, Robert Kiyosaki, Dan Miller, Dave Ramsey, and John Maxwell. I also read autobiographies of business owners, which can be useful in learning how they think.

3) Find a good mentor or mentors.

The best way to become successful in business is to get around other successful business owners. You can do this by working for one (preferably a small business where you get time with them) or by joining a local business group.

4) Don't limit yourself to one business or income source, especially with the Internet.

I personally believe there is more business opportunity out there than there ever has been in history. Right now, I'm only 24-years-old and have at least 7 income sources that I personally work on. That's not including my husband's job and projects he works on. When you "diversify your career" as I call it, not only do your finances become more stable but you make more money. It takes time and you have to be patient, but it works.

5) Realize that developing a solid business or set of businesses is a process.

You need to go through a time where you educate yourself before making the leap into business. Every business owner makes mistakes and has failures, but if you do what I suggested in the previous steps it will help your chances.

6) Enjoy the rewards of your work.

A really great moment is after a lot of work, things begin to pay off more than you ever expected. For us, I'm going to be able to stay home when we have kids. We've also been able to give what used to take us 1/3 of the year to just earn at our jobs. Being a business owner is very fun in a lot of ways, and it's wonderful when things get stable.

Life is short and very precious, and I want to encourage you that if you want to do this, start taking steps in the right direction. You don't have to know everything, and you're always going to be learning something new. Taking action now is a whole lot better than having regret 10, 20, or 30 years down the road. I wish you the very best and hope this has been helpful to you!

More Tips:

• I personally don't suggest to people that they go into debt to start a business. Not only does it hurt your business financially from the very beginning, but it takes away the opportunity to be creative and figure our a way to full it off. In business, your mind is a whole lot more valuable than initial capital!
• Be sure to talk with your tax accountant and make sure you keep good records. Doing this from the very beginning is very helpful, especially if you're coming from a situation where you've always been an employee.
• Don't get frustrated from the initial lack of instant results. I've had situations where the financial payoff from effort into my business didn't show up until weeks or months later.

How to Succeed in Self-Employment

When people make a transition into self-employment, there's a lot of things they need to consider as a new self-employed professional. Even though you often still have a lot of the same skills as an employee in the same field, you need a different thought process to succeed. Here are some things I think are helpful to someone just starting out:

1) Get Yourself on a Schedule That Works For You:

One of the biggest advantages of self-employment is flexibility. When you're getting paid by the project instead of by the hour, a 9 to 5 and Monday-Friday format may not work for what you do. It may be easier for example to have 4 long days of 12-14 hours, but then you have 3 days off to do what you'd like. You may be more productive at 2 A.M. in the morning than most people are during the day. Factoring in the nature of your business, try to experiment and find what works best for you.

2) Always Be in a State of Learning About Your Field and Business in General:

When you work for yourself, often you don't have anyone directing you toward what you need to learn. You need to be very proactive about this. Subscribe to magazines and buy books related to your field. Go to seminars and workshops. Also, be sure to check with your accountant to find out what can and can't be considered business expenses as far as your taxes.

3) Learn How to Keep Your Finances in Line:

If you start doing this while your business is small, it makes things easier when you do grow. Take some time to learn how to track your finances and budget your business to where you'll grow with stability. Keep good records and have them all in one easy place such as a designated filing cabinet.

4) Become Active in Your Local Community:

When a lot of people talk about networking, they often make it sound like this cold static event where people shake hands and trade business cards. One of my favorite things about being self-employed is genuinely getting to know other people I wouldn't have met sitting in a cubicle all day.

5) Love What You're Doing:

One of the things I see people do a lot with their jobs is they live their life in compartments of job, family, hobbies, friends, church, and so on. It doesn't necessarily feel like the same life all the time as much as it does a series of roles that they're playing. Self-employment at it's best is more of a lifestyle than a career.

More Tips:

• Starting out, you're probably going to have to work more hours than the average 40 that many employees work. However, as your business develops and grows, things should gradually get a lot easier to the point you're better off than most employees within a few years. It's a trade-off that just involves a lot of delayed gratification.
• From my personal experience, it is better to keep your business debt-free from the beginning and grow slower than it is to leverage yourself into quicker growth that may or may not happen. I run my businesses through a checking account with a debit card and have never had any issues. Your bank statement serves as a back-up to your recorded income and expenses.

How to Create a Resume that Stands Out

When writing a resume, you need to be careful of with overused words and phrases. Probably the best way approach this issue is to put yourself in the position of a hiring manager or HR employee. Can you imagine trying to search through a stack of resumes containing a bunch of self-motivated team players with great interpersonal skills and the ability to multi-task and to adapt quickly in an ever-changing work environment? Sometimes I wonder if they're laughing over the fact that everyone seems to be using the same resume template! The following are some ideas to consider when creating your resume:

1) Keep Your Focus:

The purpose of a resume is to get an employer's attention enough so you have the opportunity to interview. The resumes that have worked best for me personally have not made me look like the generic perfect employee that everyone thinks employers want. I don't make myself look worse than what I am, but there is at least some humanity in it.

2) Show You Have Qualifying Skills:

With your skills section, treat it as a kind of "just the facts" category. You can put things there like your typing speed, computer programs you're familiar with, and any specific skills needed for the position. It's probably the most impersonal section of your resume, but it makes it easier for the employer to know that you're qualified. Be sure to include the specific skills for the position based on the job listing, and that will allow you to double-check that you meet all the job's requirements.

3) Bringing Life to Your Work History:

When you begin listing your work history however, take a few sentences and describe what experience you got out of the position. Even the worst jobs out there have a lesson in them, and it's a way of showing an overall good attitude if you do it right. Just remember to keep it short, as most resumes should not be more than 2 pages total.

4) Don't Forget a Cover Letter:

Take advantage of doing a short cover letter along with your resume as well. This give you some flexibility in that it lets an employer get to know you better and allows you to provide more details to the short sentences you have in your resume. It also helps you stand out, as a smaller percentage of people even do cover letters now.

More Tips:

• Be as specific as you can with details of your duties and the work environment. For example, if I had just put "manager at movie theater," some employers may think that meant I stayed up in a booth all night with a book and had very little human contact. I would want to put that I had a high degree of contact with the public not only in customer service but in advertising and promotions as well. This is especially important in small business positions, where it's not always obvious if you were a Jack(or Jill)-of-All-Trades.
• Don't exaggerate on your resume to the point of lying. You may get the job only to lose it when the truth is found out.

How to Work a Job Plus Develop Your Own Business

Developing your own business while working a job full-time can be challenging, but long-term it can bring you greater income and financial stability. In this article, I want to share general steps you can take to make the process easier. I hope this will help you regardless to whether you plan to do a part-time business long-term on what to develop a business into a new career.

1) The first thing you need to do to make working a job and developing a business work long-term is to put some thought into why you want to do it.

You need goals for your life that will make you stay persistent even when things gets hard. Take some time on this step. If you make the decision to do this purely on impulse, you'll find staying motivated a lot harder.

2) Especially if you're working 40+ hours at your job, start working on the business a few hours a week and work your way up until it begins to feel like the right amount of a challenge for you.

It takes awhile, but eventually you'll be able to balance your time. It also helps with your overall mental and physical energy that you pick a business that you enjoy doing. I've found that most people actually have a better attitude and get more done in both their jobs and businesses if they're having fun during the process.

3) It may take several months to several years, but I've known many people whose part-time businesses eventually equaled or surpassed their job income.

If you're willing to put in the work and be patient, you really can develop your dream career.

More Tips:

• Focus on moving forward on a daily basis. This will keep you from procrastinating. Even little steps matter to the big picture years from now.
• Internet businesses are a good thing to look into for this situation due to the fact you can be making money online while you're busy making an income from your job as well. They also have lower overhead costs.
• Read and study business books on a regular basis--they will give you ideas and keep you motivated.
• Don't forget to talk to your accountant--there may be tax advantages you can take advantage of according to your business.
• Probably the biggest problems you're going to run into is not getting enough sleep and feeling like you don't have enough time to do everything. Be careful when it comes to your overall health (pushing yourself until you burn out is not going to help you long-term), and realize that this is more of a lifestyle change than a single event you're trying to reach.
• Be careful about talking about your business at your job too much. In some situations, employers don't like it and will honestly try to run you off if they believe your focus is divided.

How to Make a Phone Call if You're Nervous

Growing up I was a shy person, and it was a challenge to me when I started needing to make business phone calls for my jobs and later my own business. In this article, I want to share some things that helped me overcome the anxiety of making phone calls.

1) First, try to narrow down why you feel nervous about making phone calls.

Is it that you feel unprepared? Is it a sales situation, and you're wondering how people are going to respond? Knowing the source of the situation will help you develop a plan to overcome it.

2) When you need to prepare, it's best that you either put your main points on a sheet of paper or develop a type of script (in your own words).

This will help you stay on track without sounding like you're a robot. Over time, you'll need this outline less and less and you'll begin to sound very natural. This works best if you're making the same type of phone calls every day.

3) If you're new to sales and hate the idea of people saying "no," realize that in most cases it's a numbers game.

For example, if on average only 1 out of 10 people end up buying a product based on the phone call, you can figure out you need to call about 100 people to get 10 sales. If you think of what you're doing more as a filtering process, it takes a lot of the pressure off because you're still getting ahead no matter what the response. As your confidence goes up, your numbers tend to get better as a percentage.

4) Lastly, realize that practice is the best cure for this situation.

At first you may have to force yourself to make calls, but over time it does get easier. Your skills with develop and help you as well.

More Tips:

• If you have a problem of your throat feeling dry while you're trying to talk, keep a glass of room temperature water at your desk. This will help you from a speaking standpoint more than cold water. I learned this from a public speaker.
• Smile when you talk. Even though the person on the other end can't see you, this automatically makes you sound more upbeat and happy.

How to Sound Professional Over the Phone

Throughout my employment and self-employment career, I've noticed many people are never really taught how to sound professional over the phone. This is an important skill and long-term it often can either make or lose you or your company money.

1) First, take some time to prepare what you're going to say if you're initiating the phone call.

This can range from just general points on a post-it note to a full script. This is mainly to keep you on track if you go blank on what you want to say due to either distraction (conversation gets off track) or nervousness.

2) Consider the tone of your voice.

If you sound like you're bored or tired, it's going to show through. On the positive side, your tone can work to your advantage if you sound upbeat or excited. A trick that I've heard many times is to physically smile while you're in the conversation. Even if the person on the other side can't see you, they'll pick up on it in your voice.

3) Try to be as careful as possible with pronouncing words, especially names, addresses, and other unique words that you don't use in daily life.

With phone and street numbers, watch for things that can cause people to make a mistake in writing them down. An example of this is saying "seventeen" for 17 and the person on the other line starts out writing a 7 and then has to mark it out. In that case, you'd want to say "one" and "seven" separately.

4) Don't overdo it.

People have gotten to the point that they tend to ignore the telemarketing style of professional speech. You mainly want to make sure you're communicating clearly, not that you're following a strict robot pattern of conversation. It's definitely all right to still sound like a human being, and that warmth will help you stand out.

More Tips:

• If you have to make a lot of phone calls on a daily basis, try to have a friend listen to you. Sometimes we sound different to ourselves than we do to other people, and it helps to have another point-of-view.
• Practice will help you in this process more than anything. If you slip up, don't let it bother you to the point you don't want to move forward. Learn from it.
• Ask yourself before the phone call whether it would be to your best advantage to sound professional or more casual. I've found in local business-to-business situations that I've had better success sounding a touch unprofessional. That's going to vary, and definitely check with someone first if you're working for someone else.
  

How to Change Careers Smoothly

I believe that a person should work toward a career that makes them happy, but you need to do it responsibly and never on impulse. There aren't a whole lot of things more miserable than being in a job you dislike and still needing the income, but there are some things you can do to fix the situation. I want to share with you some tips in this article on easing the transition.

1) Analyze why you want to change careers.

For some people, it may be an income situation. Your existing job isn't fitting your financial needs, and you're slipping backwards. For others it's a personality or values issue that's causing a deep inner conflict that grows over time. Then there are situations where the need for change is not pressing, but you just know you can do better in life.

My point is your motivation is going to have a major impact on your approach. You also don't want to move from one mistake right into another one if you have no idea why you want to change.

2) Take a look at your income and expenses.

Sadly, many people in our culture do not have a lot of savings set aside for situations like this, which is something that needs to happen anyway as a buffer if you're laid off from a job you like.

If you have the ability and the time, you need to look at ways of reducing your outgoing expenses on a monthly basis by getting out of debt as much as possible. Sell some stuff you don't use anymore if it will help you create any sort of a financial buffer.

Taking these steps to prepare will help reduce the pressure. The last thing you need is a career distraction and financial distractions at the same time.

3) Consider doing what you want to do part-time and easing into the change.

This has worked great with me personally. It is initially harder because you're coming home after working and then working some more, but a lot of times you're more motivated because you're doing it for yourself and your family.

Many careers can be done on a self-employed basis, especially if you have experience. As you get more and more comfortable, the transition from the old career does not seem to be as hard of a financial struggle.

Keep in mind the time frame may be 6 months or longer, but it's short-term hassle for long-term gain compared to just jumping into something that may or may not immediately take off.

More Tips:

• Taking a few hours to really explore how you want to spend your career can greatly help you. It won't be time wasted by any means.
• Never ignore the situation because you think you don't have time for change. Statistics say the average person spend 70,000+ hours of their life in some form of a career.

How to Find a Career That Makes You Happy

Over 70,000 hours of the average person's life is spent working. Does that statistic encourage or depress you? In this article, I will give tips on finding and pursuing a career that does not feel like "work" to you.

1) First, you need to figure out what you really want out of life and the type of work you'd like to do long-term.

Take some time on this. For most people, the time around high school and college goes by so quickly--and with so many snap decisions--that they really have not thought their career goals through.

Just as you wouldn't plan a vacation without knowing where you're going, this needs to be approached with a similar process. You need to do some research and write down your skills, hobbies, personality needs, and your interests. From this, you should begin to see a pattern of ideas. Use these to brainstorm careers that match your traits and that you would enjoy.

2) For most career changes, you don't have to immediately stop what you're already doing.

Just take some of your free time and begin to take steps towards job searching. You may be able to find something part-time that can eventually turn into full-time, but you'll have your current job to still pay living expenses. If what you want to do is going to require you quit your current job, take a few months to prepare financially and do as much as you can to get experience before taking the leap. Even volunteer work can help you get a better feel for certain positions.

Part-time businesses are another option for certain fields. You will likely make more money over time this way, but keep in mind you'll have to be more patient and wait for your income to build up before transitioning to full-time business ownership/self-employment.

3) Try to get around people who are in the field you'd like to explore.

They may be able to give you insight that you wouldn't normally get otherwise, and it will help you know what to expect.

Also, don't let it bother you if your first idea does not work out as expected. Sometimes it take trying different things before you find what's right for you. It's all right to make mistakes, especially when trying to avoid the biggest mistake of staying in a position where you're miserable.

More Tips:

• There are several online sites with free personality tests. If you've never taken one, it may help give you a starting point if you're having a hard time figuring out careers that will fit your personality.

• Don't let fear or money keep you in a position you hate. Fear can be overcome, and money will come when you do what you love better than the people doing it only for money.

• Just because you're good at something doesn't mean you have to like it. You want to keep your skills in mind, but they should not be the only factor you consider.

How to Deal With Negative People

Whether it is in the workplace or in our family, having negative people in your life can make you miserable. There are however things you can do to lessen and even combat the effects. In this article, I will share some tips that I've personally found helpful.

1) First, with individual people you should try to find out the source of the negativity.

Is it a particular situation, for instance you're thinking of doing something moderately risky such as staring a business or changing careers, are they reacting less positively than what you expected? In that case, they may just be concerned about you. You may need to reassure them and listen to their concerns. That doesn't mean you have to agree with everything they're saying, but it will usually stop the negative comments or attitude.

Then there's the situation of people who can't seem to be happy no matter what they do or you do. They simply have a negative attitude. You can't change them--only they can do that. The best thing you can do for yourself is avoid them if possible until you're strong enough to handle them. If it's a situation where you can't, keep reading for more ideas.

2) Look at your environment and determine any negative influences around both you and people around you.

The problem is as people, we can sometimes be influenced whether we like it or not. If you have a negative job, often you can't just turn off the effects when you leave the building and go home. There is carry-over.

To the extent you can, limit your negative influences and increase your positive ones. Look at the situation like you would finances--you want to be more in the positive than in the negative if you want to be successful. Positive influences can come in the form of supportive friends and family, positive books, and to a certain extent positive forms of media such as movies, television, CDs, etc.

3) You also need to look at negative influences in media as well--just because the person isn't physically in your house doesn't mean they don't influence you.

If there are shows that you watch that leave you feeling worse after watching them, that is not entertainment. I've even found some commercials to be emotionally draining. You need to regulate what you put into your brain as much as possible because that's going to either enhance or lessen the effect negative people have on you.

4) Realize that become more resistant to negative people is a process.

You have to practice patience and keeping your own attitude up. Sometimes you'll make a mistake, but that's okay as long as you learn from it.

Becoming a positive person in people's lives has it's advantages as well. You'll find that if you are less negative yourself and catch yourself when you're about to be negative, more people tend to gravitate toward you and want to be your friend. It's because there's a deep need for more people like that in our culture.

I hope these tips have been helpful toward you. Good luck and best wishes to you in life!

How to Prepare for an Impending Layoff

Growing up I watched my dad get laid-off several times, and I seen first-hand the emotional and financial stress it can put on a family. This article will help you be better prepared in case a layoff ever occurs where you work. It is my hope you never need it, but you need to know how.

1) First, you need to realize that there's usually two areas a layoff will hit you--your finances and your emotions.

If it has just happened to you, there needs to be a time where you give yourself some time before making major decisions.

2) There are several things you can do to stabilize your finances in case of a layoff. One is to get out of much debt as possible.

How to do that can be a whole other article in itself, but I personally suggest reading books by financial advisor Dave Ramsey. There are other good authors out there as well, but his books are what helped my family.

By reducing or eliminating your debt, you reduce the amount of money in the form of payments that is leaving your household. In an emergency situation, you can survive on a small amount of money longer without any issues.

3) Another related thing you can do is increase your income through a small, part-time business.

Take inventory of your skills and see if there's something you can do on the side for extra income. The Internet has also opened up a lot of opportunity for normal people to work a day job and then run a business from their home in the evenings.

My philosophy is this: In investing, the conventional advice is "never put all your eggs in one basket." Yet many people are betting their financial futures on only one income source. Even good jobs and good companies have problems, and there's no reason not to have back-up income if you have the means to create it.

If possible, you also need to have a small cushion of money to serve as an emergency fund. Ideally this needs to be 3-6 months of your expenses, but realize this takes time to build. Usually you need to get out of debt first to be able to do this.

4) From an emotional standpoint, it often hurts to get laid-off, especially if you were great at your position and liked it.

People develop friendships on the job as well, and you miss people. Realize that this is not necessarily something you'll immediately bounce-back from, but you also don't need to cling to it either. The best thing you can do is make the best of the situation and try to use it as an opportunity to do something new in your life.

If you're a spouse or other family member of someone who has been laid-off, be supportive of them and encourage them. Men especially tend to take their self-worth from their jobs, and every working person needs someone to be there for them as they go through the process of getting something new.

More Tips:

• Make sure with children to explain on their level what has happened when if you are laid-off. They need to understand and it doesn't help them if you're stressed but try to pretend nothing is wrong around them. They pick up on that.

• You may find that your side-businesses eventually bring in more money than your job--there's nothing wrong with crossing over to being a business owner if you like it better. That's how a lot of business owners start out.

• Don't make the mistake in thinking your job is secure. Most companies do care and don't like laying people off, but it can happen anywhere. It can be an unexpected event for the company as well as you.