October 2007 - Posts
What if you could make a virtual product, sell it to virtual people, and make real money?
I’m not kidding folks. That’s what real people are doing in virtual worlds like Second Life.
There are shops that sell everything from clothing to haircuts for virtual people known as avatars.
And even though the entrepreneurs are paid in something called Linden dollars in this cyber world, they are converted into real U.S. dollars in the real world.
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| AP |
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So, how many connections do you have on LinkedIn?
What did you say? You don’t have a profile on the social networking tool, LinkedIn? You’re kidding me.
OK, don’t freak out. Many entrepreneurs don’t have a LinkedIn account. As a matter of fact, most are not on MySpace or FaceBook either.
But if you don’t start looking into these sites soon, I’m going to have to label you guys myopic fuddy-duddies.
Why? Turns out, you’re missing out on a great business tool.
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| MySpace.com |
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Ken C. Wisnefski describes it as a blessing and a curse.
This entrepreneur, who started business outsourcing firm VendorSeek in 2002, borrowed $100,000 from his father so he could grow the business.
STOP! Right now, I’m hoping many of you hear the scratch of a runway needle on a vinyl record.
I’m sure you know how this story goes -- badly.
Why? Because money and family don’t mix. Trust me, I know of what I speak.
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Talk to me people. How do you jibe work and family? Sometimes I want to pull my hair out.
When you work for yourself you can’t just pass along an assignment to a coworker or have a manager lend you a hand. You can’t even put off work. Well, you can, BUT YOU WON’T GET PAID!
This past week, with a ton of work bearing down on me, I almost lost it when my son came home with a note from the teacher.
I understand having to help your child with schoolwork and projects, but this week I got a homework assignment from my kid’s kindergarten teacher. I’m not kidding.
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| Robyn Beck / AFP/Getty Images |
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All the undocumented workers and their employers in the U.S. can breath a collective sigh of relief.
Turns out “no match” is a “no go” at least for now.
Last week, a federal judge put the temporary kibosh on
a new Department of Homeland Security rule that would have cracked down on businesses that hired illegal-immigrant workers.
In an unusual twist, labor and business leaders got together to fight the rule and ended up getting their way for now with the granting of an injunction nationwide.
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There’s something I’ve noticed with people who are forever would-be entrepreneurs – it’s never the right time.
They always find reasons for why it’s not a good time to go for it and start a business. They need to save more money. The dog is sick. The kids are too young. Their day job takes up too much of their time.
Well, Banu Ozden blows all that out of the water.
She decided to become an entrepreneur at the most inopportune time – when she found out her breast cancer had metastasized to the bone.
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If you don’t have a lot of money or an idea for a product or service, but still want to run your own business, franchising is an option.
Lately I’ve heard from lots of college kids and Baby Boomers alike who have been thinking about becoming franchisees as a way to bypass, or leave behind, a 9-to-5 job working for "The Man." Some people see it as an easy alternative and a way to strike it rich.
Unfortunately, they’re living in the Land of Franchise Oz.
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If there ever were a sign of the end of civilized society it would be a dog wedding.
This past weekend a friend informed me she was going to the wedding of two dogs she knows – well, she knows the dogs’ owners, but let’s not let common sense bog us down.
The wedding was to be held at a local dog park and all the canines’ doggy chums and human chums were expected to attend. My friend even showed me a clipping from the local paper about the nuptials as proof it was going to take place.
As I sat there wallowing in my shock and dismay, I suddenly could hear the voice of my late, serial-entrepreneur father saying: “Someone is making big money off of this.”
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I interviewed the author of “What Color Is Your Parachute?” a while back and he had a great piece of advice for job seekers – think small.
Basically, Richard Nelson Bolles says job seekers spending all their time trying to get a gig with a major corporation to no avail, should consider a small business instead.
With a smaller firm they could get the experience they need and more opportunities to do a host of different jobs. And they don’t have to go through the human resources hiring maze, waiting for someone to reply to the resume you emailed. Bolles advises people to just stop by a small firm and say hello.
Well, it turns out many of you entrepreneurs out there are welcoming job seekers with open arms. I’ve noticed quite a few help wanted signs hanging outside small establishments lately.
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