The $100.00 Startup

So I never received a pre-release copy of the book entitled The $100 Startup – Reinvent The Way You Make A Living, Do What You Love, And Create A New Future by Chris Guillebeau.  It must have gotten lost in the mail; but that said, I did pre-order a copy from Amazon and picked it up the other day.

Having just thumbed through the book – it looks like a fantastic read.

Here is some information from the Amazon page for the book:

In The $100 Startup, Chris Guillebeau shows you how to lead of life of adventure, meaning and purpose – and earn a good living.

Still in his early thirties, Chris is on the verge of completing a tour of every country on earth – he’s already visited more than 175 nations – and yet he’s never held a “real job” or earned a regular paycheck.  Rather, he has a special genius for turning ideas into income, and he uses what he earns both to support his life of adventure and to give back.

There are many others like Chris – those who’ve found ways to opt out of traditional employment and create the time and income to pursue what they find meaningful.  Sometimes, achieving that perfect blend of passion and income doesn’t depend on shelving what you currently do.  You can start small with your venture, committing little time or money, and wait to take the real plunge when you’re sure it’s successful.   In preparing to write this book, Chris identified 1,500 individuals who have built businesses earning $50,000 or more from a modest investment (in many cases, $100 or less), and from that group he’s chosen to focus on the 50 most intriguing case studies.  In nearly all cases, people with no special skills discovered aspects of their personal passions that could be monetized, and were able to restructure their lives in ways that gave them greater freedom and fulfillment.

Here, finally, distilled into one easy-to-use guide, are the most valuable lessons from those who’ve learned how to turn what they do into a gateway to self-fulfillment.  It’s all about finding the intersection between your “expertise” – even if you don’t consider it such — and what other people will pay for.  You don’t need an MBA, a business plan or even employees.  All you need is a product or service that springs from what you love to do anyway, people willing to pay, and a way to get paid.

Not content to talk in generalities, Chris tells you exactly how many dollars his group of unexpected entrepreneurs required to get their projects up and running; what these individuals did in the first weeks and months to generate significant cash; some of the key mistakes they made along the way, and the crucial insights that made the business stick.  Among Chris’s key principles: if you’re good at one thing, you’re probably good at something else; never teach a man to fish – sell him the fish instead; and in the battle between planning and action, action wins.

In ancient times, people who were dissatisfied with their lives dreamed of finding magic lamps, buried treasure, or streets paved with gold.  Today, we know that it’s up to us to change our lives.  And the best part is, if we change our own life, we can help others change theirs.  This remarkable book will start you on your way.

I really like this last paragraph, the emphasis is mine.

There is a website associated with the book as well called, fittingly enough, The $100 Startup at http://www.100startup.com.  They will be heading to Vancouver, BC on June 211, 2012 at 7:00pm just not sure where right now.

Once I’ve gone through the book, I’ll share my thoughts with you.

If you have already received the book, or ordered  the Kindle version (which, by-the-way was MORE expensive than the actual book) share your thoughts with us.

 

Job Interview Tips – Prepare For A Job Interview

Whether you are a seasoned individual that has plenty of experience, or a college/university graduate looking for the first professional job – or you are completely new to the job market – the interview can be nerve wracking.

Your stomach has butterflies, you feel sick – maybe hot and flushed; or you are like an icicle – freezing cold.  Your tongue is tied and you have developed a stutter though you’ve never had one.  And this is from someone that does very well in social situations!

The interview is scary.  I’ve been on both sides – and now I relish making the interviewee squirm in their seat!  Kidding – but I am there to get the best possible candidate and will use all the tools at my disposal to ensure that I do.  The cost of hiring and firing are just too high for me to make a mistake.

That’s why YOU need to be prepared when you meet me, another HR professional, or hiring agency.  Our reputations are on the line when we hire.

So what can you do to ensure you’re prepared for the job interview, whether it’s your first or fifth?  Here are some job interview tips.

• Prepare, prepare and prepare.  Know yourself, what are your strengths and weaknesses?  Think about your long-term goals and what you need to get there.  What are your personal attributes?  You will get asked questions about strengths and weakneses so you need to be prepared.  You will be asked about long-term goals.  Know yourself, it’s important.
• Research the company.  It might be a retail opportunity, or even part-time work – but know the company you want to work for.  What do they do?  Do they have other divisions?  Could you make a future for yourself at that company?  There are plenty of stories of individuals that start at the bottom of the ladder only to work themselves up to a senior position.  It makes the interviewer feel good when you talk about the company they work for (and where you want to work).
• The day before the interview – get enough sleep!  Don’t stay up all night and expect your interview to go well.  It won’t.
• If you need to drive some distance to the business, try a dry-run the day before so that you are familiar with the location and how to get there.  On the day of the interview – leave early!  Even if you have to sit in the parking lot for some time, it is better to be early than late and have to explain yourself.
• On the day of the interview (depending on the time of day) eat a good meal, but don’t go overboard!  Definately avoid foods that will make your mouth smell – no garlic, onions or other such items (yes, tuna falls into this category).  If you can stomach it, perhaps a protein shake – you don’t want to go on an empty stomach but you don’t want to gorge yourself either.
• Take a mint or better yet brush before your interview – if you are early and there are public washrooms; a quick gargle or brush will help your mouth taste fresh and give you more confidence.
• Don’t overdo perfumes/calognes or other scents – the workplace might be “scent free” (though you would be told this prior to the interview).  These items should always be used in moderation.
• Make sure you are dressed for success – even for a retail job or restaurant! For retail/food – business casual should be fine.  If it’s a professional job – dress the part.  Make sure shoes are polished and clean.  Clothes should be pressed with no wrinkles – you need to look good!
• Don’t overlook small things like nails — even for guys.
• Check your face before you go into the interview.  No boogers (or nose hairs) hanging out; eyes are clean – no PB&J on the chin.  You get the idea.
• If offered a hand shake – take it!  No fist-bumps, please.  Don’t crush your interviewers hand.
• Don’t slouch when you walk into the room.  Don’t slouch on the chair.  Sit TALL and PROUD.  Show that you are confident and try to remain cool and calm.
• Answer questions honestly and to the best of your abilities.

This might be your first interview, but it won’t be your last and chances are as soon as you step out of the interview you will have thought of dozens of better answers – but don’t fret.  Normally your first answer will have been the best for that particular question.  You want to do a “post-mortem” of the interview but you don’t want to fret over every aspect of it.  The reason for the interview post-mortem is to hone your interview skills for the next time.

If you got the interview through an agency – make sure you call them back and let them know how it went.  Chances are they will also call the employer to find out how things went, and will share this with you.

If you have the ability to do so follow-up the interview with a Thank You note.  They still go a long way to show your enthusiasm.

 

Retail Job Interview Questions

Though retail jobs are a dime-a-dozen, managers are always looking for specific type of people.  The cost to hire, whether in retail or a professional organization can be staggering.  Not only is the employer looking at the cost of placing the ad on an online market place, through newspapers or even a shop sign – there are interview costs, training costs and of course – if they employee doesn’t work out.

I found this great link http://www.sashacorp.com/turnframe.html that talks about the cost of employee turnover at certain types of organization.  They had this to say “Sasha is the only consulting group articulating this simple fact: Turnover costs are misleading.  The value of keeping one front line employee is many times greater than the cost of losing one, because turning someone  into a 20-year employee can save 10, 20 or more ‘turns’ on a front line job:   $100,00 or more.” (emphasis is mine).

I can attest to this as I do hire and terminate employees, the cost — plus the stress that it takes on the team can be tiring and for supervisors, and managers exhausting and draining as they are frequently required to “fill-in” until a replacement can be found.

So not only are you looking at the actual monetary cost, but the physical cost on the team and culture.  In other words - HIGH TURNOVER is bad, whether you are retail or a professional services organization.

I’ve provided some questions that you could get asked on retail job interview here, and I have linked to a few websites that provide dozens of different questions that you can use (or learn from):

Retail Job Interview Questions

• What makes you suitable for this retail job?
• What qualities do you consider most important in this retail job?
• What interests you about selling to customers?
• How do you go about familiarizing yourself with the products you sell?
• Why are you interested in a position at this company?
• Describe a time when you had to handle a difficult customer.
• Give me an example of when you went the extra mile for a customer.
• Tell me about an improvement that you made to the customer service process.
• Describe a situation in which you had to remain calm under great provocation from a customer.
• How have you dealt with angry customers previously?
• Tell me about a time you received positive feedback from a customer.
• What motivates you?
• What didn’t you like about your last job?

Websites that offer Retail Job Interview Questions

1. http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewquestionsanswers/Job_Interview_Questions_and_Answers.htm
2. http://www.best-job-interview.com/top-10-interview-questions.html
3. http://www.wisebread.com/how-to-answer-23-of-the-most-common-interview-questions

 

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