There is a saying that it is better to teach someone to fish than give them a fish. I believe that the wisdom behind the old truth is that the person learns to look after him/herself and not be dependant upon others. A lot of us have taken for granted that there is always a job for us, and we will be employed from cradle to grave. We nod and we know that we have heard many times that job security does not exist any longer, but somehow we think that we are excluded. Particularly if “we” means University degree, white collar workers and living in Western part of the world. Women have known quite some that their chances to work part time and find  meaningful work are not very significant, particularly in UK. 

The purpose of my reading is not so much to teach you or motivate you to start a business of your own, but to remind you that it is an option-which considering current economic circumstances, cannot be overlooked. If having a purpose in your life means running your own business rather than working for someone else, then my words are almost tailor-made for you. When you hear my voice, I would like you to understand that I am not trying to teach you tricks of the trade, but rather to point out of alternative avenues. If you, for instance, have been made redundant and you think that you are facing an extraordinarily tough time finding the work you used to do, understand this: I have been there too and I am with you now and I care.  

I also thought for many decades that being educated at the University level would be my safety net. I understood that gaining expertise and knowledge increased my chances to be at the top of my chosen profession. Today I know better. Whilst I cannot say that the employers are no longer interested in people who have decided to educate themselves to the degree level, I must confess that there are quite a lot of people who have finished their studies and are looking for jobs where they could perhaps use the knowledge they have gained. Have University degrees suffered from inflation and do only the degrees from the top Universities in the world count? These are not issues I would rather go any deeper into.  

But perhaps the greatest shock to me is that people who have gained substantial knowledge in their professional field are considered too expensive and younger and less experienced professionals are preferred. Call me naive, but I always thought that I would feel safer if for instance an airline pilot would be more experienced and evidently older than someone who is just about to start his/her pilot career. I would be more relaxed if a doctor, who supposed to operate me, could tell me that he/she has done the same operation many times before. I would think that a judge who has been in the same profession for many, many years would have gained so much knowledge about the society in general that the verdict based on the law of a particular country would also reflect that he/she understands how laymen comprehend the word justice. 

Now, dear listener or reader, you know my background and thought pattern when I have been contemplating the purpose of my life and particularly how to find something meaningful to do which would also pay the bills and allow me to enjoy the so-called “good life”. Little by little I started to understand how important it is to value the vast amount of knowledge and wisdom we all have, and seriously think about how we could do something concrete with our expertise. How to come up with a business idea is an e-book I have written to help those who would like to start a business but do not have a business idea of their own. It is a reminder of what we could do with our skills, talent, and knowledge we have gained; probably while working for someone else. The most asked question among human beings is: “What is the purpose of our working lives?” We would like to know what are we supposed to do here work wise and what are we good at? It is not an easy question, and there is no single answer which would satisfy everybody. For many years I thought the answer would be known to everyone else, and if I asked almost any professional person they would be able to help me. Today I believe the answer lies inside us.  We all know the work we were born to do; the irony is that we do not know that we know.  

Does the world owe us a living? Instead of blaming the economy or our bad luck, past or present employers, co-workers – and needless to say the list goes on – try another approach. Losing a job is demoralising and it is hard to stay positive every day knowing that time is not on your side. The longer you are unemployed, the harder it is to find a suitable job. In a recent article published in the Sunday Times newspaper in UK, I read that if someone who is unemployed and over 50 years old does not find another job within six months, there is a considerable risk that the person will never work again. This is important because in United Kingdom, for instance,  more over-fifties are being made redundant than younger workers. 

The world has moved on and you probably feel that you are the only one left behind. Know this: You are not the only one; there are plenty of people in a similar kind of a situation who can identify with your loneliness and desperation of finding a decent job and making a living. While you have been busy looking for another job, you perhaps have not had the time to focus on the fact that the thoughts you are having day in and day out really create your reality. Losing a job is a form of rejection. Being unemployed is probably one of the toughest experiences in your life and it easily eats your self-esteem. It carries a stigma that what you can offer is no longer needed.  

Keep in mind that unless you can let go of the victim mentality and asking the “why me” question, you are not really making any progress. Try to start seeing the world in a different light. I acknowledge that this is easily said than done. If you are feeling stuck all the time, the reason for this is that we make our own reality by thinking. If you are thinking the same thoughts over and over again, and you are not using your mind to visualize the end result of your dream or your goal; life becomes exceedingly pointless and mundane. Since thoughts become reality, very soon today is just like yesterday and tomorrow will be no different. We are creating our reality by the thoughts we are thinking. The correlation between our attitude and the thoughts we think, shapes our lives. If your thoughts are not aligned with your beliefs, no hoping, wishing, or even praying for a particular outcome is possible. 

If your thoughts are something like: “No one really appreciates me and understands what I am capable of providing,” or “If I only could get a chance to show how much I could deliver,” you are not doing yourself a favour. On the contrary, you are digging your own grave. If you feel underappreciated and you think that you are underappreciated, without a shadow of a doubt, that is then your reality whether you like it or not. You cannot climb the corporate ladder or find a job where you would feel appreciated if you do not change your thoughts. You perhaps have not realised earlier on that thoughts always become your reality. Not only the positive ones but also the negative ones. There are no coincidences or accidents in this world because we make our own reality by the thoughts we think. Working with your thoughts is now your objective. First, become aware and know what kind of thoughts you are thinking, and then learn to turn around the thoughts which do not serve you or your purpose.  

A lot of us think that the idea of running a business is like jumping out of a perfectly good aeroplane without a parachute. It is a jump into the unknown, uncertainty and unpredictable. And all these are scary. But think about this way: If we always knew what the future would hold for us, there would be no surprises and we would probably become bored. If you believe like I do, that we write the script of our lives, then perhaps you would understand why I say that it is time to name us as a hero in our manuscript and have a happy ending. By doing so, the unknown future becomes less of an issue. It is like the darkness of the night which we have grown to accept, knowing that after every night there is a new day with new opportunities and possibilities. In the unknown world, we have a chance to set up goals which will guide us to achieve something in the world of work. Goals, no matter how small, are landmarks which keep us on the right track and help us to feel good when we know we have gained something meaningful. Getting away completely from the unexpected is not possible. Learn to visualize the end result what you want. Concentrate on what you want and not what you do not want.  

Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.  ~Buddha 
 

©2009 Accidental Small Business Owner

In the past 20 or 30 years, western companies have benefited from the two big labour market trends: globalization, which has allowed them to take advantage of cheaper labour costs in other countries, and rapid technological progress, which has allowed them to replace humans with machines. Corporate profits have soared but human casualties have been heavy. Millions of people have lost their jobs and, lacking the skills that employers are ready to pay for, have unwillingly joined the hidden army of unemployed – living more or less permanently on benefits, giving rise to the ugly new term: “the underclass,” which describes those for whom society no longer has an obvious role.

How does feel to be a person who has “passed his/her sell-by-date”? We all age and grow old but somehow elderly people have a stigma: very few employers openly welcome them. It is a paradox of the modern society: it is as if the more you know the less likely it is that you will find an employer who is willing to pay for your skills and expertise. Recruitment agencies more or less openly admit that they do not put the cvs of elderly people in front of their clients.

Countless amounts of scientific data have proved that elderly people are as virile and dynamic as the younger generation. And they are more loyal than Y-generation. Why is it that being old is considered like modern day leprosy? Show grey hair and wrinkles on your face and you have become a pariah.

So, while companies talk the talk about corporate social responsibility, and publish reports advertising their sustainable business models and ethical trading practices, should companies be less tightfisted when they are getting rid of older employees? Should they be contributing more? Should they help people who struggle to find work due to their age to at least provide a helping hand so that older workers could start a business of their own?  I think so.

©2009 Accidental Small Business Owner

Do your rumpled clothes and lank hair point to a life that has failed to live up to your high expectations? Do you think that the compromises you have made in your career have filled your life soullessness, and hopeless emptiness? Do you feel that whatever dreams you had in your life are now only self-destructive delusions which are choking on you? Would you say that you are on the brink of suffocating your unfulfilled hopes of early retirement and easy life?

When asked: “Where is your compassion?” do you find yourself admitting that it is “nowhere?” You cannot even reach it yourself. Do you feel that you have become old and every look you made and every phrase you pronounce has so many different ingredients – mainly ironies? Do you feel that you have extraordinary talent which you are sacrificing in a mundane world?

Are you a might-have-been? Whoever said that you were meant to be a big deal? Were you destined to be with the great and good? You might be asked to work for reduced hours or even worse you lose your job because the company wants to reduce its costs, but one thing you never have to face is reduced dignity.

If life seems to have no heart and leaves you with a sense of sadness and cold, it is time for a reality check. You are the writer of your own saga, and you decide if it is a tragic or an uplifting one. If you feel that you have no role to play in your own play, small wonder then, that others only call you a nuisance. If you are a rebel without a cause or not bohemian enough, find the values you believe in so that what used to be empty is full and what tasted sour tastes at least bittersweet.

You have to let go of an idea that you are too old. You have to recycle all the clichés and stereotypes about middle-aged life. Instead of trying to fit into the rut with quiet desperation, try to aim for the Zeitgeist and don’t let anyone to steal the magic of everyday creativity. Refuse to be let down by those who categorise you by your age, social status, or wealth (the list goes on).

Do something different! Ride a skateboard; get a massive adrenaline buzz from riding bowls and ramps. Enjoy perfecting street tricks or use skateboards as an eco-friendly means of transport. Have fun and get fit in the process.

Hopefully it might strike you that fun might be contagious.

©2009 Accidental Small Business Owner

You may have lived a life that would not lend itself to success in our career-savvy times. However, that does not mean that you have to outdo someone else in misery. You could consider yourself a broken soul, particularly if you have lost your job, but you may miss the great breakthrough. Money has never flown freely in your working life and industry awards have not been there for the picking. When setbacks happen, it is simply easy to deepen the sense of melancholy and isolation. Somehow, the idea that success eludes you and that you are destined for a life of misery, finds fertile soil during the time of financial crisis and recession.

Starting a business of your own seems to be only an illusion because your focus remains, unwavering, upon those people mired in the depths of failure and depression. According to news reports, women are losing jobs twice as fast as men as the recession continues to bite. Research suggests that fewer than a third of the over-fifty crowd made redundant from professional jobs will find new full-time employment.

Customer-led but sales-driven philosophy is the core principle of starting a business.  However, we have all been fooled by customer service which is far from excellent. Success in business is not just about having a great product or offering a tremendous service. It has a lot to do with your own enthusiasm and particularly your attitude. If you have the gift to make people feel that you genuinely care and are willing to walk the extra mile, you will stand out. During a recession, customers are looking for extra value. Less competition for customers and lower marketing costs can make a weak economy one of the best times to start a business. It is good time to separate yourself from your competitors by offering something different. The founders of Microsoft, Apple, Hewlett-Packard and Walt Disney were aware of their own uniqueness. They were all launched during a recession.

If you can pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and begin again the work of remaking your career, you might notice your immense talent. You simply abandon the idea of being a relic of a bygone era.

Contrary to logic and even common sense, a sluggish economy is full of opportunities for savvy entrepreneurs who are interested in looking for them. The trick is to get started. As Dr. Wayne Dyer reminds us, “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

©2009 Accidental Small Business Owner

If you are starting a business it is not a bad idea to get advice. There are a lot of people whose day time job it is to advice start-up companies. You could say that it might save you to make the same mistakes others have already done. In many cases this kind of thinking is seen logical, sensible and practical way of running a company. Just remember, no one knows you like you know yourself. And the advisers are not in your shoes. Remember the saying: “Before you criticize me, walk a mile in my shoes.”

If your business operates in an area or section where there is a lot of competition, it should not be difficult to look for sound advice if you believe that you need help and support. The adviser could simply ask you to pay attention to what your competitors have done and ask you to follow. In some circumstances “follow the herd” –behaviour is fine but not always. Your business is unique even if clients might say that there is no difference between yourself and your competitors. It is up to you to create the difference if you want stand out. It might be something small like greeting clients and smiling at them. To a client a gesture as insignificant as a smile could mean the difference between good service and mediocre service.

If you planning to do something no one has done before, advice might be harder to find but it does not mean that you cannot succeed. As always a lot of people may doubt if you have the right credentials to make it. Only you know that you can. Your vision will carry you through. You might have to face a test of the strength of your vision which usually happens when economic conditions and circumstances are quite changeling to say the least. But if you do not a have vision when it is tough to guide you and perhaps others, you will be easily influenced by others.

Stick to your vision as an entrepreneur and follow your instincts and hunches. Welcome outside advice when you feel the need to look for help or support but keep in mind that you are ultimately responsible of the future of your business. When you lead, others follow if you stand for something. You do not have to think that it is your job to change the course of history but different future starts with a different thought today.

©2008 Accidental Small Business Owner

The most common question we all ask is what I shall do in my life. What is it that I am good at? I have an answer for you if you are interested in looking at the options of becoming self-employed.

What kind of people are entrepreneur? Are they risk takers, thrill seekers or just rebellious individual? If I think about Sir Richard Branson and the late dame Anita Roddick I would say that both of them fit to the myth of entrepreneurs. But let us remind ourselves of the words of Peter Jones who said that not everybody can become a rock star but everybody can become an entrepreneur. You notice that entrepreneurs are different than the rest of the population who hold a job. But how do they differ from the nine-to-five majority? What kind of personality do they have and particularly what characteristics of their personality are important in order to succeed in the business world?

Have a good and honest look at yourself. What kind of a person are you?

• Are you a self-starter?
• How well do you get along with different personalities?
• How good are you at making decision?
• Do you have the physical and emotional stamina to run a business?
• How well do you plan and organize?
• Is your drive strong enough to maintain your motivation?

If you can recognise yourself by answering yes to these questions then you have a good chance to become a successful businessperson. You will start to create a curious as well as courageous mindset by rethinking your thinking. You understand that ideas are frequently a solution to a problem or a better way of doing something.

As an entrepreneur you would develop the following skills: This is your toolbox.

• Learning to see opportunities.
• Learning to take responsibility.
• How to think like an entrepreneur.
• Self-motivation and determination.

You learn to see opportunities because you know how to seek them. Taking responsibility of everything is a synonym of being an entrepreneur because you do not have anyone else to blame. You cannot hide behind anyone’s back either because most likely there is no one else than you running the business. You do get a possibility to congratulate yourself when you exceed your wildest dreams. You learn to think like an entrepreneur because you spend most of your time with like-minded entrepreneurs. You are self-motivated and determined because you know that without these characteristics you will have a tough time to make it as an entrepreneur.

The do’s and don’ts of being an entrepreneur are reminders of what to avoid when you are just considering the pros and cons of employing yourself.

1. Think laterally, not literally. Learn to treasure your imagination and nurture it daily. You will learn to look for inspiration rather than waiting for it magically to appear. You will stick with your idea, no matter what it takes, until you have received the first $100 from it.

2. Don’t be afraid to go for it. Recognise resistance, perhaps unlearn skills which will only hinder you to become an entrepreneur and build new skills. By doing so you will learn to grow your wings as you grow. Keep in your mind that fear is not a stop sign.

3. Aim high and think big. Trust that the idea you have is right for you here and now. According to Richard Bach “we are never given an idea without also given the power to make it come true.”  If you can dream about something it can become a reality. You are here to live, love and learn and in order to do so follow your dreams.

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By becoming an entrepreneur you will become a different person. Transformation happens when you start challenging what is and begin to imagine what could be. Becoming an entrepreneur starts by asking a lot of questions. This is a state of mind when you would want to alter the future. Your future.

©2008 Accidental Small Business Owner