FREE Stuff for your Start-up

As you all know, right now I am temping at "Elastic," but I do web design and other odd jobs on the side.  What I have learned from my experience is that you don't need a ton on money to get your business going.   Here's some FREE advice for you:

1) Business Cards

Its your calling card. You should always have a few on you, whether you are going to a networking event or to the supermarket.  You never know when or where a business opportunity may arise.  Be prepared.

You can professional looking business cards from Vistaprint.com for FREE!

In fact you can get LOTS of good stuff from Vistaprint, like magnets, pens, postcards, lawn signs and banners for FREE.  Sign up for their emails, and you'll start receiving great deals right away.

2) Facebook Page
You really should have a website, but if you are not able to design one for yourself, you can at least set up a Facebook Page for your business for FREE.  Ask your friends to help you get started by becoming a fan of the page.  Make sure you write a good description for your business and come up with a posting strategy to keep your page current. Try to do one post a week.

3) Business Plan This should really be the FIRST thing you do.  It helps you map out the strategy of your business and define who you are and what you want to do.  It helps you prepare for talking to investors, or potential clients.   A good business plan takes time and research.  You can find Business Plan templates for FREE on the internet.  Bplans.com has some great samples to get you started.

4) Business Phone Number
I suggest getting a phone number which is seperate from your personal cell phone.  Google.com/voice  offers a FREE phone number, with Voice mail, call forwarding, texting and more.  If you have a phone with internet, you can use this service to send and receive calls from your business.

5) Internet
I made it a mission to take my home office, outside of a home.  If you have a laptop, or Ipad, this is easy to do.  You can find FREE Internet at Starbucks, Barnes and Noble and Panera.  Check out my list of other free NYC locations here.


Barb's Top Quotes on FREE Stuff:
“The best things in life are free.” -American Proverb

“Smile, it's free therapy.” - Doug Horton

“Dreams are free.”

“Living on Earth may be expensive, but it includes an annual free trip around the Sun.”

“Ask yourself, "If all jobs paid $2 an hour, what job would I want to do?" When you answer that question, start doing it, even if you have to do it for free at first” Greg Aldrik

Happy New Year....Ten New Years Resolution Ideas for the Unemployed

Well, Happy New Year friends. Where does the time go? It feels like just yesterday  I was ringing in 2009.

I've been doing quite a bit of reflecting this year. I think this is a blessing that comes out of unemployment. When you are working, you are on track, and you don't have time to really sit and think about things like, "Where am I going? What are my flaws? Where can I improve? What do I really want to do with my life? But when your unemployed, not only do you have the time, I think you have to do this "work" to get yourself back on track.

In keeping with the theme of New Years resolutions, I decided to make some employment resolutions for 2010.  They may seem obvious, but I like the idea of having things to check off as accomplishments.

Here our my 10 New Years Resolutions for 2010.
1) Leave no stone unturned.
Networking is key to finding your next job.  I am going to do a better job of networking this year. I plan to attend 1-2 networking events a month.

2) Make getting out of the house a priority.
I always say that keeping moving is the most important key to keeping sane when unemployed.   I did a great job with this last year, but I have been slacking the last 2 months. I plan to get back to my list making ways and keep moving no matter what.

3) Stay on top of  health.
This year I plan to work harder on my fitness and diet. Starting the beginning of the year, I will do the Joy's Life Diet, go to the gym 3-5 days a week and get down to 180lbs.

4) Get to bed at a decent hour.
I've been going to bed at 3 and 4 am. This has got to stop. Its counterproductive and bad for my health. My resolution is to be sleeping by 1am.

5) Start beefing up the resume.
I have a great resume, but my experience is going to get real stale.  I will sign up for a class at NYU this spring.

6)  Get ready with my plan B
Unemployment is going to run out in April.  I plan to be working full time by then, but I need to start working on a plan B.  I think this will be consulting.  I have to get myself ready to do that. Networking will be part of this plan.

7) Volunteer and Give Back.
I may not have money, but I have time.  New York Cares is a great charity that I have worked with in the past. I think it is time that I use some of my time volunteering.  I will sign up at least 1 event a month.

8) Give myself a Break.
I love travel.  I know money is tight, but I can't keep denying myself.  I would like to go to California this year.  If things don't start heating up in the next few weeks, I am going to do it using my Frequent Flyer miles. 

9) Keep in Touch
This goes back to my networking resolution, but I need to reconnect with friends and former co-workers.  I have to start making coffee dates and making connections.  I will do 1-2 a month.

10)  STAY POSITIVE
This is my number one priority.  I will not let unemployment get me down!


Happy New Year Peeps.  We can do it.  We can do it!  Yes we CAN!

Friends - You can always count on them

Thanks to Facebook, "friends" is  a hot topics these days.  I love hearing stories on how people are being reconnected to old schoolmates, co-workers and even friends-of-friends.   It is an amazing phenomena.  Facebook has revived social lives, prompted informal class reunions and built new online support systems.   Mine included.

Today I have over 300 friends on Facebook, and the list grows bigger every day.  I know some people would argue that these people aren't all my real friends, but I would argue they are, in their own ways.

I'm always touched by thoughtful comments on my status updates, and the good wishes sent my way.  Some are from people I see and talk to every day, but many are not.   It makes me feel really special and lucky.  And now the leads coming from Facebook as I search for a job...unbelievable.   It just more proof (if you need it), that you really can count on your friends (on Facebook and everywhere) when you need them.

Last week, as part of my networking strategy, I tried posting a "work wanted" ad as my status on Facebook.  In my posting, I offered to help earn you a referral bonus from your employer.  I got a few immediate responses with leads (which I am in the process of pursuing).  I was happy with the results, but I figured I better go back to the drawing board with my networking strategy.   I didn't count on the friend factor...

The underlying message of my post was, "I need your help."  And that's a message that friends hear loud and clear.   In the past week, I've gotten private emails offering to connect me with various headhunters and friends-of-friends in my industry.    That's the amazing power of friends.  They are there for you when you need them the most.

As Thomas Jefferson once said, "But friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life; and thanks to a benevolent arrangement of things, the greater part of life is sunshine."   I couldn't have said it better myself.  And I am looking forward to enjoying the sunshine with (and thanks to the help of) my friends.

Today, in honor of my 300+ friends on Facebook, and everywhere, I would like to share these friendship quotes.   Send one to your friend and let them know how special they are to you.

Top 10 Quotes that Celebrate Friendship:
(AKA - thank you for being a friend)

1) "Life's truest happiness is found in friendships we make along the way.”

2) “Friendship is the golden thread that ties the heart of all the world.”

3) “Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together.” -Woodrow T. Wilson

4) “Of all the things which wisdom provides to make life entirely happy, much the greatest is the possession of friendship” -Epicurus

5) “Life has no pleasure higher or nobler than that of friendship”-Samuel Johnson

6) “A man's friendships are one of the best measures of his worth”-Charles Darwin

7) “There are not many things in life so beautiful as true friendship, and not many things more uncommon.”

8) “Celebrate the happiness that friends are always giving, make every day a holiday and celebrate just living!”- Amanda Bradley

9) “True friendship multiplies the good in life and divides its evils. Strive to have friends, for life without friends is like life on a desert island..to find one real friend in a lifetime is good fortune; to keep him is a blessing.” - Baltasar Gracian

10) “So long as we love, we serve; so long as we are loved by others, I should say that we are almost indispensable; and no man is useless while he has a friend.” - Robert Louis Stevenson


So that's my quotes on Friendship...Have any stories or quotes you would like to share?  Post a comment today.

Working the Network

Well, today is the first day of September and I am kicking the job search into high(er) gear. That means NETWORKING.

First, I started with the Headhunters.
Companies bring in headhunters to help find candidates for various positions. You never pay a headhunter to get you a job. They get paid by the company that hires you.  You can work with as many headhunters as you need to find a job, though you will find that some are better than others making the right matches for you.

Headhunters are constantly combing the resume posting services and networking sites (like Monster and Linkedin) for potential candidates who have worked at specific companies or have a specific skill set. They get the majority of their leads from people who know people who are looking.


Each time a headhunter contacts me, I add them to my database with their name, contact information and the company they contacted me about. I've been building my list over three years (since my last layoff).   I also have a list of people that I know are looking (with email and phone numbers) in case a headhunter asks me for potential candidates.

I've shared my headhunter database with my closest friends that are also looking (most are in the same industry as me) and now I am using it for myself.

Today, I sent each of my Headhunters a personalized email with the following information:

• my updated resume (thanks to the feedback from JobFox)
  
• a description of my experience
  
• what area of the country I was looking to work in
  
• my desired salary range
  
• the type of companies I would like to work at
  
• list of companies where I have already applied directly*  (headhunters cannot get credit for introducing you to companies that already have your resume. I've also been told that it is worth consulting them first before you apply directly (through a job board), as they have a better chance of getting you in. I don't have evidence to prove otherwise, so I'll have to take their word for it (it makes sense).

Then I posted a status on Facebook. 
 I have never done this before, so I don't know if it will lead to anything, but you never know. If you can't count on your friends to help you in a time of crisis, who can you count on?  Here's my post (I thought it was funny.) 

ME + YOU + JOB = $$$ in your pocket *I'm a talented online marketer looking for a job. Your company has a referral bonus. Hook me up with a lead and you may collect some $$$! * Your company's referral bonus restrictions apply. Void where prohibited :)

Next stop...Linkedin.
This post will be a little more professional.  I've got hundreds of contacts on this site, hopefully one will be able to give me a good foot in the door.


This is only the first level of networking.  I'll be digging deeper later in the next few weeks.  Stay tuned.