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Stop Fighting with Illusions and Get the Job Done

The following is a guest blog by Sylvia Lafair, PhD, author of “Don’t Bring It to Work”…

How often were you told that personal problems did not belong at work? Were you ever told to leave your upsets with (fill in the blank) your wife, parents, kids, neighbor, ex, etc. at the door and “Just do your work?”

Or conversely, have you ever had to tell a direct report or co-worker you did not want to hear their angry vendettas or sob stories?

We all have been told or wish we could tell others to “just get the job done!”

Somehow, life is more complicated than that and those of us who are going to win, and win long term at the game of business need to learn about the hidden blocks that sabotage success.

First, we can’t separate who we are at work from who we are at home, no matter how hard we try. Think about it; yes, we can change our clothes, wear jeans at home and tailored suits at work. We can pepper our language with spicy words at home and be more careful at work. And yet, we bring the same brain with us wherever we go and that brain is trained to respond the same way to crises and conflicts at work and at home.

Once we learn about the neuropsychology of that very organ that helps us drive a car, eat dinner, make love and finish a project we are on the way out of the illusion that we can be, should be, separate people in separate situations. The core of who we are really does remain the same no matter what you would like to believe.

This level of compartmentalization has caused lots of problems for say Tiger Woods, Jesse James, and too many politicians and business people to mention here. Just note that when we attempt to create separate selves ultimately we are destined to fall flat and hard on our faces.

To recession proof your life you need to start at the very place everyone needs to start to have a full and creative life; you need to start with becoming self aware.

Becoming self aware is life work. It is, in case the words cause you dread, very interesting and rewarding. So, let’s get started. Put the one and only brain you have in gear and here we go. Keep reading and you will have the way OUT of fear and disappointment and a way IN to the best career choices you can make.

First about the brain and your psychology; when stress hits the hot button (as in bad economic times) we all, yes all, revert to behavior patterns we learned in childhood for security and survival. We learned how to cope in our original organization, the family. Now, no comments or gagging sounds please, just stay with me.

What we learned as kids went into one of the oldest parts of the brain, the amygdale. This is not bad. It has been around since we threw stones at each other when we thought our caves were being invaded. This area of the brain is where fight, flight, and freeze live.

Here is the good news; when we learn the way OUT by OBSERVING our patterns we begin to change them, this is a given, a promise. Then when we UNDERSTAND how those patterns developed we are able to change them at an even deeper level and for a super long time. Next, is to TRANSFORM the patterns. You do this by talking with the primary people in your life (family members) to create a dialogue where you can eliminate the fears that have often been in the family, often for generations.
That is when you take charge of the miracle of brain plasticity, the miracle that we keep learning and changing so long as we are still breathing. So many of us get caught in the fear handed to us from past generations where the Great Depression took its toll, or family members came across the ocean with nothing except the clothes they were wearing.

The stories whether talked about or kept silent so often land in our very own amygdale region of the brain and fight, flight or freeze is how we react to conflicts and life challenges and cannot find the way to personal or professional success.

Give yourself the gift of recession proofing your life. Become aware of the stories and challenges from the past that may be standing in the way of your next moves to have the career you want. Don’t let the invisible ghosts of the past haunt your present life, you can learn the OUT Technique and put your skills and talents to great use. You owe it to yourself; you owe it to the world!
Check out the PatternAware Quiz to begin exploring your patterns– http://sylvialafair.com/quiz.html.

Sylvia Lafair, PhD, author of “Don’t Bring It to Work” and President of Creative Energy Options, Inc. can be reached at Sylvia@ceoptions.com or 570-636-3858. Her websites are www.sylvialafair.com and www.ceoptions.com

Taking the Entrepreneurial Path

The following is a guest blog by Renee Martin…

If you have a great idea for a new product or service — and you’re someone with drive and a resilient spirit — now is the time to finally launch your own company. There is no better way to recession-proof your career than to run your own business.

As an entrepreneur, you’re betting your career on the strength of your own creative ideas and judgment, your own level of commitment, your own ability to bounce back after getting knocked down. But as someone else’s employee, you’re so reliant on the competencies and loyalty of others. In both scenarios, there are no guarantees. But you are infinitely more qualified to look out for your own best interests and to make decisions that truly showcase your individual talents than anybody else. So why not take that great idea out of your mental storage locker, dust it off and shine it up, and finally pursue your entrepreneurial dream?

Do you have any personal interests or areas of expertise that you can parlay into a business enterprise? Florine Mark is an example of this path to entrepreneurialism. Today, she is the biggest Weight Watchers franchisee in the United States. She has retained that distinction despite the fact that in 2003, she sold 75 percent of her franchises at the time back to Weight Watchers International for $181.5 million.

Surprisingly, Mark as a young adult showed no signs of being a self-assured entrepreneur in the making. That’s because she first had to overcome her longstanding pattern of turning to food to cope with stress and feelings of inadequacy. Her relationship with Weight Watchers started when she enrolled in the program to lose weight. At the time, she was a 40-something Detroit-area housewife raising five kids. Ultimately, she used her own weight-loss experience as a springboard to launch her own hugely successful company, the WW Group. As someone who had long battled a weight problem, she knew all about her clients’ struggles and needs.

On the other hand, Robert Stephens was still a college student at the University of Minnesota when he launched Geek Squad. The computer science major parlayed his computer expertise into a computer-repair business that he ultimately sold to Best Buy for millions.

Mark and Stephens are just two of the high-achieving entrepreneurs profiled in our new book, The Risk Takers: 16 Women and Men Share Their Entrepreneurial Strategies for Success. The book highlights 10 broad strategies that entrepreneurs can use to gain a competitive edge and ensure their company’s longevity. Nearly all of the entrepreneurs profiled had $10,000 or less to invest in their start-up, but they all became multimillionaires.

Here are three of those strategies of particular interest to first-time entrepreneurs:

Go on a Treasure Hunt and Find an Underserved Niche
There’s nothing more exciting than finding an underserved niche that represents a lucrative market that everyone else has failed to spot and target. That’s what happened to Gary and Diane Heavin, founders of the Curves International fitness franchise system. When the company launched, the Heavins had just $10,000 in savings to invest in their company. Today, Curves is the world’s largest fitness franchise system, with 10,000 franchise locations in 65 countries.

Instead of competing head-to-head with fitness giants like 24 Hour Fitness or Bally Total Fitness, the Heavins opted to serve the fitness needs of middle-age and older women who are eager to get in shape but might feel intimidated by large gyms teeming with young, hard bodies. Early on, Curves clearly distinguished itself from the pack of gym competitors; its services and clientele were different.

Buck the Conventional Wisdom
Bucking the conventional wisdom means ignoring those who say “It won’t work” or “It’s never been done that way.” When entrepreneurs overly rely on conventional formulas for success, they’re left with a business that’s, well, conventional. The most successful entrepreneurs are willing to veer away from established formulas and ways of thinking.

When you’re running your own business, don’t just blindly accept the so-called best practices of your industry. Look at them with a hyper-critical eye. Dissect them, slice and dice them, contemplate different “what if” scenarios in your mind.

Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, bucked conventional wisdom when she approached hosiery mills with the idea of manufacturing footless pantyhose. The product she envisioned was a body-shaping undergarment that would hide panty lines and firm up a woman’s backside so she could wear her favorite slacks and open-toe sandals with confidence. Blakely knew there was a market for such a product. But time and again, she was told footless pantyhose was simply a bad idea. The mills were accustomed to making hosiery designed to improve the appearance of a woman’s legs. But Blakely was trying to convince them to manufacture a product that was completely hidden under clothes. She got rejection after rejection. It’s a good thing she persevered, though, until she finally found a willing mill in North Carolina. Today, Spanx’s estimated retail sales are in the neighborhood of $350 million.

Spot a New Trend and Pounce
Often, a shift in cultural or economic trends will create new entrepreneurial opportunities. Andy and Rachel Berliner launched the Amy’s Kitchen brand of organic vegetarian frozen meals because they realized that more and more Americans were trying to eat healthier diets, eschewing processed foods in favor of organic vegetables. Vegetarians themselves, the Berliners were also keenly aware that they’d have no formidable competition. They had personally sampled the frozen vegetarian meals already on the market and they were terrible. The Berliners knew if they used quality ingredients and recipes, their business would thrive. Today, Amy’s Kitchen generates annual revenues of $270 million.

Like these entrepreneurs, you too can use your imagination to identify and take advantage of market opportunities that others have overlooked. You can create a career that’s truly fulfilling if you believe in the power of your own ideas and are willing to determine your own destiny.

Renee Martin is coauthor of The Risk Takers: 16 Women and Men Share Their Entrepreneurial Strategies for Success (www.RiskTakersBook.com). This article is adapted from information in the book.

Five Crucial Conversations to Secure Your Career

The following is a guest blog by Joseph Grenny…

In a recent poll, we found that 1 in 3 people believe their job is at risk. But despite their fears, these worriers are doing very little to secure their career in this volatile economy. Rather than worry silently, these people can increase their confidence and job security by holding five simple and straightforward conversations with their manager:

1. Past practices – Ask how layoffs have been handled in the past. Is advance notice given? Are cutbacks across the board or targeted? How are the decisions made?
2. Compensation surprises – Ask if the company will distribute bonuses or annual raises as usual, or will there be changes?
3. Risk levels – Ask how likely there is to be a layoff in your division or function. An open forum or meeting with executives or managers can be a great place to ask these questions.
4. Boss support – Find out where you stand with your supervisor. What skills, job changes, projects or other actions would make you less dispensable?
5. Conversation with yourself – What can you do now to prepare yourself to survive a layoff?

Knowing the right conversations is one thing, but actually holding them is another. Here are a few tips on how to hold these conversations effectively.
• Reverse your thinking. Motivate yourself to speak up by thinking first about the risks of not holding these crucial conversations rather than the discomfort of holding them.
• Master your emotions. If you approach your boss calmly and with respect, he or she is more likely to sympathize with your questions and be more liberal with information you need.
• Make others feel safe. Assure your boss of your positive intentions and your respect for him or her. When others feel respected and trust your motives for speaking to them, they let their guard down and share more openly.
• Prime. When something is tough to say, say it for others then allow them to confirm, disconfirm or modify what you say. For example, ask your boss, “If tough downsizing decisions had to be made, I’d expect you to put some of my peers higher on the list than some of us newcomers. Is that a reasonable expectation?”
• Come ready with questions. There’s nothing wrong with listing the four or five questions you have and referring to them during the conversation to ensure you’ve gathered the information you want. Do not, however, take notes. Doing so may put the other person on guard for a future legal battle and you will have cut off your source of information.

Those who step up to these five crucial conversations skillfully put themselves in a much better position to create—and control—their own future.

Joseph Grenny is the coauthor of the New York Times bestsellers, Influencer, Crucial Conversations, and Crucial Confrontations. He is also a sought-after speaker, consultant and cofounder of VitalSmarts, an innovator in corporate training and organizational performance. www.vitalsmarts.com

Ten Tips to Take Charge of Your Career

Who do you believe is most responsible for guiding your career? Is it your boss, the company? The answer is YOU! Master these ten tips and you’ll be climbing the corporate ladder in no time.

1. Find a mentor: Do you admire a particular senior executive? Ask them to mentor you and show you what it really takes to reach their level in the company.

2. Volunteer for opportunities: Raise your hand willingly and you’ll quickly become a valued team player. Pretty soon executives will be fighting for your services.

3. Meet deadlines: You need that by when? Don’t led deadlines slip by. Meet your deliverables on time, under budget, and as agreed.

4. Suggest a new project: Don’t wait for your assignments. Be proactive and suggest new ideas. Become a brainstorming machine and you’ll be viewed as innovative.

5. Be helpful and resourceful: Jump in! Lend a hand! Say yes! The more helpful you can be the more indispensable you’ll become to your organization.

6. Perform at the next level: Say you’re a manager anxious to get promoted to Director. Start acting like a Director now. Pretty soon your job title will match your effort.

7. Demonstrate your expertise: Are you a computer whiz? Do you love to present? Let your unique strengths shine and you’ll be a high performer in no time.

8. Get involved in the industry: Do you want to be an industry titan? Start by joining a professional organization. You’ll make connections and master the art of networking.

9. Respond to voicemails and emails: Nobody likes it when their voicemails or emails are ignored. Get back to people promptly and you’ll earn a go-getter reputation.

10. Enjoy the ride: Don’t be afraid to smile at work. If you flash those pearly whites colleagues will perceive you as an approachable, easy to work with partner.

Is Working Through Lunch Really a Career Strategy?

The following is a guest blog from Marsha Egan…

I can’t tell you how many coaching conversations I’ve had with super-achievers who think that working through their lunches and eating at their desks routinely is the way to get ahead. I challenge them to think again.

While getting the work done is critical to one’s success, building relationships that will enable that success are just as (and maybe more) important.

Unless you work totally alone or live alone on a desert island, you can’t deny that your relationships are an important part of your business or career success. The old “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know…” still holds some merit. Few people truly get ahead without support, encouragement, endorsement, or mentoring by others.

I liken it to the two rails on a railroad track—the train needs both of them to move forward. In careers, the same is true with your professional duties and with the people side of career advancement. Both need to be developed congruently. Many times energetic and motivated career types fail to recognize this until it’s too late. They focus entirely on the task, believing that being able to deliver results is the only variable that matters in their success.

This reminds me of Carrie, a female middle manager and super achiever whom I coached. She was flabbergasted when she was passed over for a promotion she expected and she believed she truly deserved. She worked 12 hour days in the office, worked through every lunch, and always took work home with her. She never missed a deadline and everyone knew that if you gave an assignment to Carrie, it would be done exceptionally every time and ahead of the deadline. Her reviews were stellar.

The person who was selected for the position was similar in age, stature, and appearance to Carrie. Her reviews were not as stellar as Carrie’s, but they were still outstanding. The difference was that she had a balanced life, she delegated well, and she spent significant time cultivating relationships inside and outside the department. She used her lunches as opportunities to mix with folks from various internal and external departments, vendors, and customers. She was known for being able to get things done through people, cut through the red tape, all the while being approachable and cooperative.

There has been a lot of banter about whether “going to lunch” with people is a career booster strategy. While we use the example of going to lunch, what we are really talking about is finding ways to build relationships. Just remember, that train needs both rails – the “people rail” and the “task rail.” Some people cultivate the “people rail” on the golf course, others while volunteering with trade associations, and others do it at breakfast or lunch. Do whatever works for you. I personally like lunch. Now, the question is where and with whom. Lunch, anyone?

Marsha Egan, CPCU, PCC, is CEO of The Egan Group, Inc., a Reading, Pennsylvania based professional coaching firm. Visit www.marshaegan.com to learn more. She can be reached at marsha@marshaegan.com.

The Most Recession Proof Career

The following is a guest blog from Nancy Anderson, a career and life consultant based in the San Francisco Bay Area…

The most recession proof career is the work you love so much you would do it even if you did not get paid for it. But it may not have occurred to you that people will pay for what you do easily and well. In fact, you probably take your strengths for granted, thinking everyone can do what is natural for you. So you don’t target the clients or customers who need your strengths to solve their problems.

Problems in business and life are rooted in too much or not enough growth. The enterprise or individual attempts to be all things to all people and fails, or the need is to expand to remain viable. In the career and life, the first step to success is to focus on what works, and to eliminate what no longer works.

Change for the better can be uncomfortable, but getting rid of what is obsolete sets the stage for new and better ways to serve customers. Similarly, for you to reach your full potential begin by streamlining your life. Give or throw away everything that has outlived its usefulness, keeping only what you use and love.

Next, take a hard look at your relationships to see who is draining creative energy, including some of your family members. Set boundaries with these people so that you can concentrate on finding the right niche in work. Expose yourself to people who have taken the risks you are taking, since they understand what you are trying to accomplish. Meanwhile, exercise regularly, pray or meditate to stay centered, eat and drink moderately.

Next, write your life story, beginning with your grandparents’ beliefs about money and work, then your parents’ stories, and then your story. As you write, notice the choices you repeated without being aware that you were on automatic pilot. These are the times when you ignored your feelings, or you followed others’ lead. Make note of the choices that always turned out well, since this was when you trusted your instincts. These choices are the key to your passion.

Now that you know what works and what never works for you, meet with people to determine if they have the problems you can and love to solve. If you can help them achieve their goals, offer a solution that includes your services or product.

If you have accurately identified the needs of your ideal client or customer and what you offer meets their needs, these are the people who will come to you regardless of what is going on with the economy; and they will refer others to you.

The journey to a recession proof career is neither quick nor easy; setbacks and delays are normal, so don’t get discouraged when the process takes longer than you expect. Focus your attention on getting better and better at solving the problems that fascinate you, since expertise and passion lead to your ultimate destination: being paid to do what comes naturally, in your own way and at your own pace.

Nancy Anderson is a career and life consultant based in the San Francisco Bay Area and the author of the best selling career guide, Work with Passion. Her new book, Work with Passion in Midlife and Beyond is available in online and retail bookstores. Her website is workwithpassion.com.

The Best Things In Life Are Free

The following is a guest blog from Sue Reninger, a brand strategist for RMD Advertising…

Keep Your Brand’s Promise and Earn Lifelong Trust.

The rules have changed. The true new economy unveils itself to us every day. Resources are constrained, profitability is being challenged and is more critical than ever, energy is often limited and ROI is no longer a question of if … but when. New rules require us all to think differently. And it’s never been more important to rethink your personal and professional brand than now.

Your brand is really a promise. It’s a set of expectations you communicate to various individuals regarding the benefits that investing in or experiencing your product will bring. Disney is family fun. Nike is empowerment. RMD is creative logic. What’s your brand? And are you prepared to keep your promise?

Being able to trust in the promises you make is important in any relationship, but in a business relationship it’s king. And, loyalty and trust drive up to 70% of all purchase decisions.

The good news? The best things in life really are free.

Though the investment in living your brand’s promise may not always show up on your balance sheet, it does yield an unprecedented ROI in terms of customer and stakeholder commitments, loyalty and dedication. Integrity and authenticity are in, and a strong brand will build both of these attributes with every move you make.

So here are 3 foolproof steps you can take today to ensure your brand can build credibility and magnetism by keeping you top of mind at every opportunity, and at every point of contact.

Dialogue
You, your employees and your associates are not just walking, talking billboards, they’re your strongest resource. Engage anyone that surrounds you in a deep conversation about your brand’s essence. I bet you’ll find that there’s as much sense of ownership in building the brand as building an asset.

Position
Clearly define your brand’s unique positioning in terms of the five W’s. Creatively craft it as well. Solid positioning statements are believable yet reflect your brand’s ambition. It’s not just about who you are and the niche you hold, but who you aspire to become. Successful positioning statements help everyone involved raise the bar and rise to a new level of expectations.

Without a solid positioning, employees and stakeholders tend to flounder like ships on a rough sea – and external audience perceptions are left to chance. And where your brand lands is dependent on which way the wind is blowing.

Reinforce
Give yourself or your internal team plenty of opportunities to remind themselves of the brand and its promise. Celebrate a refreshed logo or a new advertising campaign. Demonstrate your unwavering commitment to the brand by launching the campaign internally – create screen savers, signage, sportswear, corporate challenges and emarketing campaigns to remind your internal army of the promise they’ve made.

Utilize as many of the sense as possible, making your efforts something they can see and feel; something they can smell and touch; something they can hear.
Remember, it takes 30 days to make a habit. How will you ensure that you/your internal brand team is living the brand essence before engaging with a member of your external audience?

Empower
Most internal communication campaigns start out with a great idea, but lack of follow through and post campaign efforts leave the promise to fail. Create a team of brand champions – team leaders that will challenge their colleagues to walk the brand walk and talk the brand talk. Empower these brand champions to lead the internal campaign charge, long-term, sharing creative email signatures, voicemail messages, day-to-day conversations and more.

Leave nothing to chance. Have your champions think first about possible points of brand contact, and then about optimum ways to build the brand at that opportunity. Before long, your internal campaign efforts will yield an army of brand builders, armed with motivational peer pressure and an undying effort to keep the brand promise.

About the Author:
Sue Reninger is a brand strategist for RMD Advertising, a central Ohio-based advertising agency that works primarily with growing and emerging food brands. Sue has a specific passion for success and helping her family brands grow their business in an often turbulent environment. You can contact Sue at reninger@RMDAdvertising.com or by calling 614.794.2008, or check out www.RMDadvertising.com.

Career Change and Stress

The following is a guest blog post by Kristen Brown, Founder and President, Happy Hour Effect LLC…

In today’s economy, the word “job” is a loaded one. It can bring about emotions of fear, anxiety, anger or just relief that we have one. For many, the challenges of today’s employment market mean career transitions, new jobs, burnout from overwork or job losses. And yet they all mean one thing – change. And with change, comes stress. But why? Change brings with it two main opportunities.

1. Fear and anxiety over the changes taking place.
2. Excitement and anticipation about the new opportunities ahead of us.

Which of these paths we choose to take when we are faced with a job transition is up to us. We have control over our reactions to the inevitable career challenges we will face throughout our lives. And yet, it is most common for us to fight change and stay in our comfort zone, even if that comfort zone isn’t all that comfortable anymore. The fear of the unknown is scarier than a less than perfect reality.

How can we start to take back control of our lives during career transitions so that we are more likely to feel excitement and anticipation about a change instead of stress and anxiety? First let’s look at several reasons why we are fearful of change in the first place.

Why are we scared?
• Not sure what will happen after change (fear of future).
• Not confident in skills/abilities to handle new responsibilities (fear of failure).
• Don’t trust the leader or executives.
• Afraid of loss, isolation and loneliness.
• Don’t know what people will think of you if you go along with the change (fear of others’ judgments).
• Scared of money problems.
• Afraid of getting “left behind”.
• Plus a million other excuses and reasons we will fabricate to avoid change.

It is clear that there are many legitimate reasons to fear the changes that cause us stress. But stress is extremely harmful to our health and well-being. Stress contributes to illness and the leading causes of death in the United States. It is damaging to the heart and immune system. It inhibits the brain from functioning properly. It makes our decision-making skills fuzzy. And it can impact our quality of life and relationships if we let stress consume us to the point of physical and mental deterioration.

But what if we spin the reasons we are scared (and thus stressed) and look at them from another perspective – the one of excitement over a new opportunity being given to us that will take our lives in new directions we never dreamed were possible? I know, I know – that seems a little corny and unrealistic especially considering today’s economy and the unemployment rate. But what if, for just a moment, we could look at our world with rose-colored glasses to see the possibilities instead of the fears? Here are some ideas to help manage the stress that comes with job change.

• With work, remember it’s business not personal. If you get criticized for a project at work, it doesn’t mean YOU are a bad person. It means you have an opportunity to improve your skills and you should embrace the new learning.
• Management is not the enemy. They have responsibilities to others too and are there to help the company grow, not make your life miserable.
• Remember in life and at work, it’s a team effort. You don’t have to go it alone. Seek out others if you need support.
• Leave work at the office and don’t let it interfere with your life. Don’t go home and ruin a fun night with family or friends by complaining or talking about what you did at the office. It will only make you more stressed and suck the energy out of your family and friends too.
• Remember change is inevitable throughout life – without it we would stagnate and no progress would be made. Accept change as necessary for growth for ourselves and for the world.
• See change as an opportunity for growth – embrace it. If you are unemployed, take your newfound time and start a new hobby, join a group or finish projects on your to-do list.
• If you are feeling hopeless, suicidal or experiencing severe health symptoms, speak with your doctor right away.
• Find your passion and do what you love – at work and in life. If you’re doing something you are passionate about, it’s not work at all. If you can’t leave a job you dislike, find the parts you do like about it and make that a larger part of your job. Talk to your manager about adding some more creative tasks to your duties and reducing the ones that de-motivate you.
• Work/Life Balance!!!!! Keep your priorities in line and don’t let work stress overcome you so much that it interferes with your enjoyment of life or negatively impacts your relationships with others. (If others notice you’re crabby about work, that is a problem and you need to take steps to change your outlook and attitude.)

What is the most important thing to remember when managing work stress? Do not let stress become so bad that your health and happiness begin to suffer. Even the tiniest levels of stress can cause damage. So start taking steps now to take back control of your emotions and reactions to challenges. It will make a tremendous difference in how you perceive the world and may even open you up to opportunities you never knew existed.

About Kristen Brown
Kristen Brown was born and raised in Minnesota. She graduated cum laude with her B.S. in Business Administration and is pursuing her Master’s degree. She left corporate America after 15+ years of working for others to launch her own work/life balance and health supplement company called Happy Hour Effect, the first health supplement and online resource specifically developed to help ease work stress and promote work/life balance. She also owns Up-Side Industries, her writing and speaking company. She is the Minneapolis Health and Happiness Writer for the website Examiner.com and has completed a book entitled, “The Best Worst Thing” about her journey through grief after the sudden death of her husband at the age of 30 when their daughter was just ten months old. Her story and companies have been featured on television, radio, print and online. She enjoys gardening and landscaping, cooking, yoga, travel and reading. She is a member of Women in Networking and The Loft Literary Center and volunteers for the American Heart Association. She lives in Minneapolis, MN with her three-year-old daughter and their seven year old, 85 pound black Labrador Retriever (who thinks he’s a lap dog). Visit her online at www.KristenKBrown.com or www.HappyHourEffect.com.

The Myth of Business Failure

The following is a guest blog post by Dr. Matthew G. Kenney…

We often hear that 80% of small businesses fail. However, did you know that there is no valid or reliable data to support this statistic? While this myth is widely cited, the actual success rate of new ventures, according to at least one scholarly source, is approximately 50%. About 28% of new ventures closed voluntarily and only 18% left outstanding debt.

Mark Twain told us “facts are stubborn, but statistics are more pliable”, and he was entirely correct. So then, is the failure rate for businesses 18%, 50% or 80%? Does it really matter? If you are thinking of starting a business why is the failure rate of other businesses relevant?

Statistics are important and we should use them as part of our decision making process, but statistics pertaining to small business success and/or failure may not be reliable. The majority of businesses in America are sole proprietorships and their closure rates are not closely tracked by the government. Some entrepreneurs will close one venture to pursue another, or close a business to accept a job offer. I once closed a consulting business to accept a position as VP of Operations for a venture capital funded start-up. Should I consider that business a failure? A statistician would…I wouldn’t.

What is more relevant than statistics is how you define the word failure. One of the biggest differences between entrepreneurs and employees is that each group defines the word failure differently. To most people failure is viewed as the inability to accomplish a goal. To entrepreneurs, failure is defined as an unwillingness to try and reach a goal. Entrepreneurs focus on the process, not just the end result. A project or venture that isn’t profitable isn’t viewed as failure, rather an investment. Money and time spent is viewed as tuition, not a loss. If you agree with this view self-employment may be for you.

Dr. Matthew G. Kenney is president of Kenney College Graduate School of Global Entrepreneurship, which offers a MBA with an entrepreneurship specialization. He is the author of two books and has been published in peer-reviewed journals in the areas of marketing, management, technology and entrepreneurship. For MBA program information please visit www.kenneymba.com.

The Best Jobs by Growth Potential

With over 100 recession proof careers covered in my book it can be hard to determine the best of the best. I’ve tried to make it easier for you with this handy chart. Here are the top twelve recession proof careers by anticipated job growth. The data presented here is based on the U.S. Department of Labor statistics.

Top 12 Recession Proof Careers by Growth Potential
1. Personal and Home Care Aid 51%
2. Personal Financial Advisor 41%
3. Computer Software Engineer 38%
4. Computer Scientist and
Database Administrator 37%
5. Substance Abuse and Behavioral
Disorder Counselor 34%
6. Social and Human Services
Assistant 34%
7. Gaming Surveillance Officer 34%
8. Dental Hygienist 30%
9. Computer Systems Analyst 29%
10. Gaming and Sports Book
Writers and Runners 28%
11. Physician Assistant 27%
12. Physical Therapist 27%