College business degree or work?

Posted on January 31, 2015 by admin

By Rhonda Campbell


Which of these two, a business degree or experience working a corporate job, help you most to launch and operate your own successful business? Both come with challenges, including time and financial challenges.

Daniel Boorstin said, “Education is learning what you didn’t even know you didn’t know.” If this is true, getting a college business degree is invaluable if you’re starting a business.

That could be why the master’s in business administration degree has not lost its luster. About a quarter of all master’s degrees in the United States are a MBA, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Accounting, marketing, leadership foundations, technology and operations management, strategy and international economies are courses built into prestigious MBA programs.

Learning on the job could cost you years

It could take you years to learn how to create budgets that help you manage cash flows, the one thing that has sunk many a startup. A college business degree helps you to think about issues you might otherwise not consider until it’s too late.

For example, a college business degree teaches you the importance of managing human capital, assessing and managing risks and taking advantage of tools that advance your marketing efforts. A business degree also teaches you how to weigh options before making hard decisions and how to make the most of time. Entrepreneur reports that one business owner used his MBA to “reduce the time it takes him to consider potential transactions from two weeks to a single day. ”

Lifehacker‘s Thorin Klosowski said that networking is a real plus associated with a MBA. Specifically, “Grad school is often about meeting people more than it is advancing your education. So make sure you take the time to meet people, spend time with different people, and, for lack of a better word, network with as many people as possible. You will tap into them at some point for postgraduate projects, and they’ll do the same with you.”

Another college degree isn’t going to give you everything you need

Yet, school can’t teach or prepare you for everything you’ll encounter as a busy entrepreneur. It’s this sentiment that may be behind Oscar Wilde’s declaration, “Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.”

Sitting through challenging graduate business courses won’t show you different leadership styles in action. Pouring over thick textbooks won’t let you see how prospects respond to different types of sales letters that you write. But, working a managerial corporate job could.

Selena Cuffe, Heritage Link Brands’ CEO, shares in Inc. that a corporate job, “provides you with critical training and baseline skills that can serve you well as an entrepreneur.” Honing your emotional intelligence, how to communicate with people from different backgrounds, dealing with hard downturns without emptying  your bank accounts and what to look for in teams and leaders of organizational streams aren’t learned in the classroom. A corporate job can help you to pick up these skills without spending tens of thousands on college degrees and without exposing your company to undue financial and legal risks.

Work at a sustainable and powerful company and you could also gain the tools to keep your business growing decades after you launch it. Jeetu Patel tells Fast Company that, “Well-run large companies inherently teach you how to build a lasting business.”

Get the best of both worlds

Other advantages of working a corporate job are operational discipline, including how to manage innovation smartly. If you work a corporate job in a new division or department, you can also get a real feel for what it’s like to start a business (howbeit a line of business) from the ground up.

You could gain the advantages of a college business degree and experience working a corporate job if you start your company on a part-time basis. This will give you financial security, not to mention provide you the resources to grow your savings. You’ll need this extra money after you start your company on a full-time basis.

Instead of earning a college business degree, consider earning graduate business certifications (i.e. project management, innovation and entrepreneurship) in areas you don’t currently have experience in. If you do decide to get a business degree, see if your employer will pick up the costs via their tuition assistance program.

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Guy I met at the gym

Posted on January 19, 2015 by admin

By Rhonda Campbell
I was proud of myself for taking off for the gym as early as I did, especially considering the fact that I stayed up late last night watching The Vow and All Is Lost on DVD. Little did I know that a great lesson was waiting for me at the gym.

Getting in a good workout at the gym

Treadmill, jogging on the gym floor, riding the exercise bike and pumping iron were on the agenda, in that order. As I was nearing my jog, a guy entered the gym. By appearances, he was in his mid-60s with a head full of salt and pepper hair. He  had on sneakers, sweat pants and a sweat jacket. Like everyone else, I assumed he had come to the gym to get in a rigorous, healthy workout.

Three wide screen televisions broadcasts current news and sports at the front of the gym. Not keeping with tradition, on this morning, music didn’t play on the loud speakers overhead. Instead ESPN sportscasters recapped the Packers vs. Seahawks game, scarcely giving attention to the Patriots win over the Colts. A CNN anchor talked about the tension in Yemen on the other television screen.

My attention averted from football playoffs and the upcoming Super Bowl contenders to Middle East conflicts. But, I couldn’t stop glancing at the 60ish guy. Oh. Did he have a lot to teach me.

He’d gone straight to a nautilus machine and sat. He too watched the television screens.

A surprising gym workout lesson

Despite the desire to run faster, my pace slowed. I lifted my thighs higher and picked up the pace, but I knew that my morning run was winding down. That’s when I hopped on the exercise bike, but not for long. I’d forgotten my seat cushion. I wasn’t about to ride the bike for 15 minutes or longer and make my butt sore for one to two days. Once is enough.

The first weight machine I used created a burn in my shoulders, just what I was looking for. The burn let me know that my work was paying off.

I couldn’t help glancing at the guy with the salt and pepper hair. He looked fit, like he worked out regularly.  But, he just sat at the nautilus machine, people working out around him.

Three weight machines into my toning exercises, I looked at the guy and was surprised to discover that he was sleeping, mouth open and head titled slightly back. If someone had bumped into him, it may have startled him, shifting him out of thinking that he was napping on his favorite living room recliner.

Finally ready to workout at the gym

It took a few minutes for the guy to wake. He roused himself away from sleep with a shake of his head. Then, taking hold of the nautilus machine handles, he pushed up two reps, paused and pushed up another four to five reps.

Less than a minute later, he was gone, having grabbed his jacket and exited the gym as pretty as he pleased. From the time he entered the gym to his exit, it all took about 20 minutes.

I couldn’t help wondering why the guy had even bothered to travel to the gym. Why had he gotten dressed in workout clothes only to take a nap?

Before I knew it, I was thinking about times when I got prepared to start a project, meet a challenge or step away from a comfort zone. During those times, I’d enrolled in a course, searched for information online, uttered a series of positive affirmations and developed a plan of action so that I could achieve a personal goal.

But, that’s as far as I’d gotten. That’s as far as I’d pushed myself.

Result? A lot of thought, planning and preparation with ziltch result.

You have to do more than just show up

I can’t thank the guy at the gym enough. He taught me that just showing up is not enough. He taught me that preparing to start and finish a task is not enough. He taught me that desiring comfort over the possibility of being met with (and having to do what it takes to overcome) resistance (internal and external) won’t get me over the hump.

To win requires consistent, persistent action. It may not always feel good, but if it’s the right action, it will produce rewarding results.

What  about you?
How about you? What are you busy preparing to do but not actually doing? What have you signed up for but not taking enough action to complete? Are you always between projects? Are you always in school but never applying what you’ve learned at a paying job (or as the successful leader of your own company)?

Do you often talk about replacing negative habits with positive thoughts and actions, but you never get around to making those changes? Instead of taking advantageous action are you often just making excuses?

If so, I encourage you to revisit what you truly want. Let positive desire propel you to act for the first time. You’re going to need it. As the guy at the gym clearly taught me, dressing up, planning and preparing to do something is simply not enough.

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Are you ready to freelance full-time?

Posted on January 17, 2015 by admin

By Rhonda Campbell
Earning an income performing freelance work is becoming increasingly popular, but the gig is not for the faint at heart. You’re not going to get a regular paycheck simply because you spent eight hours sitting in an office. Land the wrong clients, and you burn through 16 hours of back breaking work only to hear “Can you do one more revision?” from the client, followed by, “We’ll pay you after you do another revision.” Yet, those downsides aren’t taking the sexy out of contract work.

Already, about one in three Americans freelance. If employers continue to send jobs offshore and acquire other firms then lay workers off to recoup some of the associated purchase costs, don’t be surprised if the number of people who freelance increases.

Types of freelance jobs skilled and confident professionals like you take on include contract work and consulting jobs. Think marketing consultant, contracted happiness manager (yes! there are happiness manager jobs), outsourced recruiter and offsite insurance agent.

Why do employers find freelancers attractive? Most labor laws don’t require employers to pay freelancers’ benefits, including health insurance, worker’s compensation or unemployment insurance. Employers also generally don’t have to provide freelancers with a place to work. (Note: If you think you’re an employee who’s been misclassified as a freelancer, check out the Bureau’s Wage and Hour Division.)

Freelance success doesn’t come to everyone
Employer advantages aside, there is little as empowering as being able to decide the type of work you’ll take on and when and where you will work. Imagine telling your boss “no” when she ask you to perform a task you don’t like. Imagine having a dozen or more bosses, and having the ability to decide which bosses you want to let go, should one or two of them start making unreasonable demands on you.

Experienced contractors have the power to call those types of shots. They also have concerns that employees don’t have to deal with. For starters, whether you compliment the salary that you earn from a traditional full-time job with one or more freelancing gigs or contract full-time, to be successful, you’re going to have to build a reputable client list.

It could take months, sometimes longer, to consistently generate enough income to cover all of your expenses. (Looking for guidance with expense tracking? This might help.)

If you’re short on resilience, contract work may not be for you. To build your client list and start earning money, consider attending local networking events. Chamber of Commerce, eWomen networks, industry membership organizations and college alumni associations hosts networking event that you could attend and distribute business cards and introduce your services to paying members. (You can find information on the National Chamber of Commerce and upcoming events here.)

However, attending networking events doesn’t drum up business for everyone. If freelancing proves to be a good fit, you may have to try different strategies until you find a strategy that works best for you. I encourage you not to stop trying if being an independent professional is the right fit for you, that’s a big IF.

Be honest with yourself when answering these questions
To find out if the freelance lifestyle is a good fit, research trends for freelance jobs you want to work. Also, speak with people who are already doing the type of freelance work you want to do. Get clear and ask these people about steps they took to build their clientele, where they go to source for open gigs and how they manage their cash flows. Hear the downsides and the challenges that they share with you as much you hear the advantages and benefits. Don’t put up blinders, as these could come back to haunt you.

If the feedback that you receive from experienced freelancers doesn’t scare you off, you could be on the right track. Other signs that you may be ready to freelance full-time include a desire to get out and network with business owners. Working as a freelancer is similar to owning your own company. It’s not the time to be shy.

You’re going to need the confidence to step right up to business leaders, including executives at the helm of Fortune 500 firms, and tell them about your services. You’re going to have to become comfortable with selling yourself. It should only take you 30 seconds to get your point across.

Success as a freelancer could also be yours if you possess a willingness to take more control of your taxes and the ability to focus and work 8 to 10 hours a day 5 to 6 days a week from home. Additional signs that you may be ready to freelance full-time are:

• For you, business acumen is as strong as your talent or craft.
• Marketing your services appeals to you.
• You have a minimum of eight months of gross income saved.
• Inner beliefs that limit the amount of money you’ll let yourself receive aren’t a part of your experience.
• Only networking online is not for you.
• Talking with other people feels natural.
• The quality of your services is unsurpassed.
• Continuing to learn is right up your alley.
• You know what a job contract looks like and you understand contract legalese.
• Should you need it, you know where to go to get legal support.
• You’ve done your research and understand tax deductions that you can take advantage of as a freelancer.
• You have the space and the lifestyle to support a full-time freelance career.
• Managing a budget effectively is something you have been doing for years.

If you have a history of working in sales and also have strong administrative skills (you’ll need those to organize paperwork, file important documents, etc.), a freelance career could prove perfect. Why? You’re going to have to keep detailed records to accurately track your expenses, understand which client relationships are profitable and stay abreast of legal filings. Don’t go it alone. Seek out a mentor, someone who doesn’t feel threatened by your future success.

Ask questions and be flexible. After all, what works for you during the first few months of your freelance career might not bring in the dough should market changes occur. Above all, should freelancing prove right for you, commit to regularly marketing yourself and your skills (not to mention be consistently confident and uncommonly resilient) to gain clients. The rewards could be huge.

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Save money during winter travel

Posted on January 10, 2015 by admin

By Rhonda Campbell
Plans to stay indoors on snowy, winter days don’t always pan out. After several days, not venturing outside starts to bring on feelings that travelers feel while they’re stranded on a deserted island. Despite the best intentions, it’s not easy to limit yourself to the living room sofa, basement recreation area or den for a week or longer. As any submarine sailor knows, cabin fever starts to set in.

Tracking winter weather conditions before traveling

Client meetings, faraway visits home to see family and face-to-face management discussions could also pull you outdoors and onto snow covered roadways. Head outside during winter and you’ll have to devise a way to deal with rising hotel rates, airline prices, rental car fees, winter skin treatments, car accessories, medicine and clothing gear.

One of the biggest ways to save money while you travel during winter is to plan all winter trips in advance. Weather forecasters communicate expected temperatures and precipitation several weeks out. Stay in tune with winter weather forecasts until the day of your trip. For some trips, you’ll want to check in on weather as far out as possible.

Reserve airline tickets six weeks in advance. According to the Airlines Reporting Corporation, you might save more money if you book international flights as far as 20 to 23 weeks in advance. International flights to the Caribbean might need a 12 week advance reservation to get the best savings. Also, be willing to reserve a flight that has one to two stops built into it.

More about winter flights and what to pack
Should you have to cancel a nonrefundable flight, you might be in luck. Contact the airlines you purchased the nonrefundable ticket from and tell the representative why you are unable to travel. If you can’t get a cash refund, see if you can use the ticket on a future flight. Don’t just assume that you’re out of the money. This tip applies to anything travel services that you pay for.

As you’ve probably learned in other sales exchanges, you never really know how price discount and refund negotiations will turn out until you pick up the phone and call the travel organization’s customer service line. Build a relationship with the customer service representative who answers the phone the same as sales reps build a relationship with you to make a sale. Explain your situation to the rep, clearly outlining why you need and deserve a refund.

Other ways to save money while traveling during winter focus on packing. If you pack the following items during winter, you could avoid dry itchy skin and colds, events that lead to pharmaceutical or doctor’s bills. So, be sure to pack:

  • Vaseline
  • Vitamins
  • Lotion or body moisturizer (ceramide helps to treat dry skin)
  • Long johns or thermal underwear
  • Hat and gloves that do not soak thru when they get wet
  • Winter boots
  • Extra socks
  • Batteries
  • Flashlight (for road travel)
  • Cell phone and cell phone charger
  • Winter coat
  • Laptop and laptop case
  • Two to three extra blankets if you’re traveling by car
  • Enough perishable food to last one week (again if you’re traveling by car)

Hotel prices and other ways to save

To save money on hotels, book hotels in warm locations early. Snow birds will be looking to grab up rooms at the same time, enticing hotel owners to raise prices to yield a bigger profit. Use applications like Kayak and Hotel Booking App to compare hotel prices. Got a friend who works for a major corporation? Ask her to search for great hotel deals for you. Corporations contract for low price deals with hotels.

Take advantage of membership discounts (this is when your AAA membership could save you 10%). Also, book hotels, flights and rental cars as a package deal. You could also save money by booking travel to off season locations. Be sure to ask about group discounts.

If you have friends who travel for business or pleasure, ask them to suggest winter travel deals to you. While traveling through airports, keep a close eye on your laptop. After all, laptops are the number one stolen item at airports. No need to have to put out money to buy a new laptop.

By creating and sticking to an agenda, you could avoid spending extra money on clothes, food and entertainment. Consider bringing a journal to capture memorable events. Your cell phone is also a good resource for picture taking. Track how much you spend on your winter trip in case you return to the area. This way you’ll have an idea of when you’re getting a good price on flights, hotels and/or rental cars.

Posted in Business Management | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Get the job you’ll love

Posted on January 4, 2015 by admin

By Ericka Simpson
If you’re like many American adults, losing weight isn’t the only resolution that you’ve set for the new year. You’re also committed to getting a new job, a job that brings you closer to your ultimate career goals.

You could post your resume on every major job board and hope that luck strikes, search company websites aimlessly and apply for dozens of jobs a day. But, don’t be surprised if that approach wears you out, leaving you frustrated, angry and jaded.

Improve your chances of getting the best job

Do yourself a favor and cut down on the time it takes you to get hired into (and appropriately paid for) a job that you’ll love and appreciate for years. Start by considering your passions. If you take a job that never allows you to use your passions, you’ll long for a new gig soon. Note skills and abilities that you have gained over your work career. Information knowledge counts.

Do you possess knowledge about financial, technological, educational or local political systems? Your knowledge has value. Consider this knowledge when conducting a job search.

This is important. Should you (and you probably do) have the skills and knowledge to work two or more jobs, create a separate resume and cover letter for each position that matches your skills. For example, if you’re a courtroom stenographer who teaches graphic  design software programs at a community college on weekends and you also have in-depth knowledge about local real estate markets, you could significantly increase your choices of landing a job that you’ll love if you create a teaching, a graphic design and a courtroom stenographer resume and three corresponding cover letters.

Include keywords that are listed in descriptions for positions you are searching for in your resumes and cover letters. Two to three keywords repeated twice should do it. Monitor the results that you get from keywords that you use. Be open to using different keywords if you’re receiving less than a 10% response rate from recruiters and hiring managers.

Steps to getting hired right

Speaking of monitoring your job search results, a spreadsheet is an effective tracking tool. Fields that you could include in your spreadsheet are the dates that you apply for jobs, the names of companies you applied with, email addresses or other contact information for recruiters or hiring managers that you sent your resume and application.

Highlight rows (jobs) that you receive a response on, whether that response is an interview request, inquiry for more information or a personal “thanks, but no thanks”. Use a different color background to highlight jobs that you land (even if you decide not to accept the jobs due to low pay, etc.).

This spreadsheet tells an important story. It reveals what is working and what is not working with your job search strategy and action steps. Pay attention to it.

For example, if you apply for three different types of jobs (i.e. teaching, courtroom stenographer, graphic designer), one look at your job tracking spreadsheet may reveal that you’re getting the best results with your graphic design keywords, resume and cover letter. If you tweak (i.e. updating keywords, adding licenses, including credentials) your courtroom stenographer and teaching resumes and cover letters, you might improve the results that you’re getting for these roles.


More job search tips are:

  • Post your resumes on professional industry job boards.
  • Attend professional industry networking events. While engaging in sincere conversations, let other attendees know that you’re looking for work (also let people know the specific type of work you want).
  • Follow up on jobs you apply for three to four days after you submit your initial application. Follow up on each job that you apply for at least twice.
  • Let family, friends, former colleagues, neighbors, etc. know that you’re in the job search process, asking them to let you know if they learn of open positions that are similar to what you’re looking for. Ask them to email me the link to open positions, again, saving you time.
  • List the top 15 organizations that you’d like to work with. Search these companies’ job boards twice a month for jobs in your fields.
  • Create job alerts at major job boards.
  • Create Google alerts for jobs that you want to work.


Save yourself time and search two to three major job boards three to four times a week. Only search for jobs that have been posted in the last 24 hours. The same applies to sites like LinkedIn. The longer jobs have been posted, the less likely it is that recruiters are still searching resumes and applications for those jobs. Be patient. If you don’t quit, a door is bound to open.

Posted in Employment and Finding Jobs | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment