Do you want to up your career game and bust bigger moves in the world? Check out my new virtual coaching group, Flip the Bird to the ‘R‘.

In this day and age where salaries are down, expectations and job requirements are high, it’s tempting to start a business on the side.  Not only can it fulfill a passion that might be missing from your full time gig – but the truth is that is can help pay some bills. I know I’ve read a few articles recently (check out http://bit.ly/ci4R4R and http://bit.ly/bXWYTm) that suggest even white collar workers who traditionally worked only one job are taking on side gigs or even starting their business in their off hours.

For some, it will be impossible to go this route.  If you have a high level executive position where you can run away with the company secrets, it’s highly unlikely that you could (legally that is) start a business outside of your full time employment.  There is probably a clause in your employment contract prohibiting it.

But for those who are not under those guidelines, there are many benefits.  Here are a few to get you started brainstorming your ideas: Continue Reading »

I left work after 10pm one evening this week with my head spinning with ideas – new clients to reach out to, contracts and proposals to write, and wondering how I was going to manage all of it with limited time.

I was approached by a woman on the train platform.

For those who are unfamiliar with NYC subway etiquette – you don’t approach strangers.  And you certainly don’t approach them and hand them anything.  But she was dressed in professional work clothes and didn’t seem like she might be harmful so I glanced down at what she handed me.

It was an Avon catalog. Continue Reading »

“The most powerful force in business isn’t greed, fear or even the raw energy of unbridled competition. The most powerful force in business is Love. It’s what will help your company grow and become stronger. It’s what will propel your career forward.” – Love Is The Killer App by Tim Sanders

The chart below is the U.S unemployment rates from 1990 – January 2011. It’s no secret that the numbers have been hovering around 10%. Rates are higher in some states.

U.S Unemployment Rate © Google, 2011

About 40% of people find jobs through their network. Showing some “love” or playing the networking game is a full-time job. It’s like a garden it needs attention and not just when you need help…especially when you’re job hunting. People who wait till they need something before cultivating or paying attention to their network are parasites.

According to Allison Hemming of The Hired Guns in her book Work It! wrote -
The best networkers are people whose enthusiasm for meeting other people and learning about them is driven by genuine interest, not hard-nosed agenda of maximizing the short-term return on every encounter. They know that every exchange is a two-way street.

Develop a keep-in touch strategy if you aren’t naturally good at maintaining connections with others or just find it hard to fit into your schedule.

If you’re already on social networks. Ask yourself how you are using them.

For example if you use LinkedIn start creating tags for the members of your network. Put notes about the person when you connect… be it where you meet them, or anything you feel that’s relevant for that connection.

Gist provides the only full view of the contacts in your professional network by creating a rich business profile for each one that includes the most news, status updates, and work details. Gist is a Social CRM and Online Contact Management system.

Other tools to try are :-

• BatchBlue – Turn business cards into Batchbook contacts, generating invoices, sending email newsletters or simply syncing your address book
• Zoho CRM
• HighRise – Store every conversation, email, call, meeting, document, and deal you’ve ever had with a contact. If you have less than 250 contacts HighRise has a free plan. Great for an individual or solopreneur.

Don’t keep your relationships digital. Handwritten notes or small gifts are great. Don’t wait until someone does something big, show your gratitude regardless.

People ALWAYS ask me how I became a Master Networker…and honestly, I think it has a lot to do with my personality—I will talk to just about anyone and just about everyone talks to me. That does NOT mean that they become a part of my network, but that there is a comfort zone, a trust value I have in people and confidence I have about myself to always want to help others.

There is no magic equation or one specific way to network—which is why there are so many books, articles (including this one) and workshops that help people learn the art of networking. Those of us in this business simply hope that some of what we do and have gotten results from will help those of you who attend our webinars, events, become our clients and read our blogs. Continue Reading »

If you’ve ever attended a networking event, you’ve probably been asked this question “So tell me what do you do?” Seemingly simple, this question strikes fear in the heart of many – how do you answer in a memorable way ?  In other words, will they REALLY remember at the end of the evening when they are staring at a stack of new business cards? Or does your card get tossed because they don’t remember what made your business valuable to them?

If you are an employee, you can share your company, title or industry.  Whatever you think someone will find memorable or impressive.  And it’s no sweat if it isn’t – unless you are a sales person. Continue Reading »

It’s that time of year when there are more parties per evening than there are minutes to  attend them.  You spend time scheduling the ones you want to attend (is it the work or the  friends event?), wrapping gifts,  buying holiday outfits – and measuring the time you’ll have to rest and recover from the celebrations.

This year I recommend that you use the opportunity of reconnecting with friends and family at Holiday gatherings from both a personal and professional aspect.  It is a great time to reconnect with your warm, slightly warm and lukewarm network. Continue Reading »

Today’s guest post comes from Cher Hale, a student at College of Southern Nevada and the University of Nevada Las Vegas. When not busy using her intelligence, heart and wit to change the world through organizations like Students Making a Difference and Circle K International, Cher is an avid baker and the creator of the terrific blog, Uniquely Cher (a hip fusion of her musings on philanthropy, baking, crafting and financial know-how. You can (and should!) follow her on Twitter @CherIsANerd.

Do you remember how fast rumors spread in high school?  A guy would tell a friend about a girl he likes. Then, his friend would tell a different girl who would spread the information around school, ultimately blowing it out of proportion. By the time the bell would ring, even the teachers were privy to the fact that Joe has asked Ginny to marry him at fifteen, and they were running off to Arizona to elope.

If utilized correctly, the speed at which rumors are spread could be the same speed that your network can grow during your university years.

As a CAREERpreneur and college student, I am given the opportunity to connect with people with diverse backgrounds, unique interests, and thousands of connections every single day. And while it is beneficial for me to join student organizations on campus to increase relationship building, I actually do not have to look further than my scheduled classes for networking opportunities. Each class has a minimum of fifteen students, sometimes as many as thirty or forty. Most college students carry 4-6 classes per semester. That is anywhere from sixty to a couple hundred people that college students like me see on a regular basis each semester. As an emerging CAREERpreneur, I have an opportunity (and responsibility!) to start conversations with my peers. It can be as simple as asking: What is your major?

This is a very generic question, however. I recommend to other students and young professionals who are learning how to network, try to be diverse with your initial sentences. Tell me about your background.  That _____ your wearing is terrific. Where do you like to shop? It makes you more memorable.

I have found that coming up with that initial sentence is the hardest part of the relationship building process. After you get through that, there are four simple steps that you can take to ensure that the connection you have garnered will stay intact for as long as you choose:

1) Greet openly! A simple hello and a smile while passing a new member of your network in the Student Union/Coffee Bean/parking lot can remind the person who you are, that you are willing to talk with them outside of class, and that you are friendly.

2) Spark conversations before class. At first, you can start conversations based on class material and eventually delve into more personal communication. Once you can get people to start talking about themselves, you will realize that you can find many things that you have in common.

3) Show a genuine interest. People are reactors to body language, and they will be able to tell when you’re not actually interested in what they’re talking about. Never feign interest or knowledge! If you’re not actually intrigued about what they’re saying or aren’t sure what they’re talking about, then say, I’ve never really been interested in that topic, or I’ve never really known much about that, could you explain it to me? This allows the opposite person to get the hint that you want to switch topics, or lets them fall into a comfort zone when explaining to you something they are really knowledgeable about.

4) Make plans. Every semester, there are these terrible little occurrences…called tests. Group studying is one of the best ways to learn material, and a large majority of students are used to meeting up in study groups. So be sure to utilize them as networking opportunities! Make sure to be understanding of the other people’s schedules, and compromise when it comes to location, time, and date to pick solutions that are best for the group. This is a very important step in creating relationships in college, and it often leads to ongoing relationships via social media, such as Facebook or Twitter.

Meeting new people and starting conversations can be an awkward process for many people—in college and in life. But like so many other skills, it only requires a bit of enthusiasm and practice. Once you are able to implement these four steps into your day-to-day college life, you will become accustomed to and comfortable forging relationships every day.

Although we like to think that we are pretty good at identifying how others see us, most of us can still use a studio audience from time-to-time to test out our assumptions. I received a clear reminder of this in one of my recent workshops. When sharing her WOW Factor–the 3 most significant and positive qualities about herself–a participant mentioned something that really didn’t ring true for me in the couple of hours I had spent with her. Now, perhaps that quality manifests in most other situations, but I suspect that the quality was something she was told an emerging leaders should possess. She wants it to be a part of her brand. It’s just not.

And that’s okay. Branding is about authentically finding what about us is irresistibly attractive to the people we want to reach and ensuring we communicate this in  way that will be remembered. It’s not supposed to be an exercise in creative writing. Continue Reading »

I recently participated in Keith Ferrazzi’s Relationship Masters Academy’s (RMA) 2nd Pilot. I have also read both of Keith’s books “Never Eat Alone” and “Who’s Got Your Back?” explaining some of the concepts of networking that I truly believe in. He stressed the need to give before you receive and he’s absolutely right. Networking isn’t just about receiving, it’s really about giving. Eventually, if you keep giving, you’ll receive. Here are some excellent ways to start any relationship—professional or personal.

Help Out

When first meeting someone don’t request their help, see how you can offer your help, advice or product/service to whomever it is that you’re trying to network with to really make a connection. Help the person for the good of it, not in order to receive something in return. If you do it in such a way that it is memorable, people will always be more willing to give back to you. Some people are experts and do it by nature like, Keith Ferrazzi from Ferrazzi Greenlight. Continue Reading »