Creating Brand You – Have you considered how important it is to market yourself? Paul Brown examines the importance of seeing yourself as a brand to be marketed and valued in this New York Times article.

The Answer to the Toughest Interview Question – Penelope Trunk from Brazen Careerist helps you answer the trickiest question a potential employee will ask: “What salary are you looking for?”

Authenticity in Business and Other Lies – I love this blog. Catherine Lawson offers great advice for business, and this time she exposes some of the more common lies told in the business arena.

Overcome Your Fear of Career Change Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 – Maret McCoy has a wonderful website for women called Compass Life Designs. But this series of articles is relevant to anyone frustrated with their current employment.

Tips to Fine-Tune Your Resume for a Career Change (Podcast) – If you’re looking to start a new career, here’s a podcast interview with Kim Isaac’s, Monster.com’s Resume Expert, talking about creating a resume design just for the career changer. It’s worth a listen.

I will try to keep you informed of the best career change information on the Web at least every couple weeks. So be sure to check back for great original posts and the Coryan Recommends reading lists.

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Virtual staffing agencies. In the last installment of this series you may recall the prediction that 1/3 of employers will be contracting or hiring freelancers in 2008. Baker expects that there is real opportunity for someone to bring together employers and contract workers.

Content aggregators. Baker predicts that we will see increased growth in businesses that compile, organize and distribute information. The Internet provides potential for information aggregators that, according to Baker, “includes content verticals (topic niches such as parenting, gardening, business and entrepreneurship) as well as format-based horizontals (newsletters, blogs, social networking sites).”

Digital content producers. The paper and ink market for information sharing is giving away ground to the growing industry of digital content. In 2008, expect to see even more digital content offered on the Internet in a variety of formats and prices.

Business and personal coaching. Baker expects continued growth in the increasingly popular arena of business and personal coaching. The lack of substantive education on real life challenges creates business opportunities for those who can support and teach others.

Business services. Business to business services will see no sign of slowing in 2008 as midsize and large companies continue to focus on their core competencies while contracting out other routine business tasks.

Environmentally-friendly construction. As other industries become more eco-friendly, we can expect construction to do the same. Contractors specializing in energy efficiency, use of unexploited natural building resources, and construction that integrates with the local environment will find plenty of work in 2008.

Oil and energy extraction consultants. With the right training and preparation, a business in this field can be quite profitable. Baker explains that, “with the focus on domestically produced, environmentally friendly energy sources, companies in the business of producing oil products and generating energy will be looking for these consultants and the guidance they offer.”

Energy-related environmental consultants. In growing numbers, homeowners and businesses are looking for ways to be more energy conscious. There is huge potential in helping others save more money and support the environment through energy conservation.

Health care service providers. Expect to see enterprising businesses established to meet the growing need for long term care, in-home health care, and hospice services. Baker also predicts more opportunities in services that assist with patients with navigating the health care system.

Personal services. As we hustle to cram more and more into our lives, some of us will begin looking for tasks we can farm out to personal assistants. Doing the jobs that others don’t have the time or desire to do themselves will be a great niche business for many entrepreneurs.

As you can see, the industries that Baker believes offer the most potential are the result of advancing technology, the environment, and the aging baby boomer population. Trends in each of these areas are creating opportunities for the self-employed entrepreneur.

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Well, I missed the predictions this year, so I’m trying to catch up. This post begins a three part series on 2008 job and business predictions. This first post is a list of trends we can expect to see in small businesses. In “Ask an Expert: Big Trends in Small Business, Part 1” | “Part 2” at USAToday.com, Steve Strauss predicted:

• “Networking 2.0 is 180 degrees, 100% different.” – Networking is not about connecting electronically through social networks such as Facebook, MySpace, or LinkedIn.

• “Work smarter, not harder.” – With technological advances, we are able to do more work from where ever we wish.  Expect more job-sharing, outsourcing, working from home, and virtual offices

• “Green is the new black.” – Businesses will find ways to work more ecologically safe and money will be available for more green business ventures.

• “It’s the economy, stupid!” - Growth is slowing as small businesses spend less and credit tightens.

• “China’s capitalist revolution touches everything.” - China’s continued economic impact will be felt in some way in nearly every business transaction.

• “Search is still king.” - Businesses need to understand the value of the technology search function to put their business in front of the consumer.

• “Say hello to your new assistant – your cellphone.” - We will see continued technological advances in the use of cellphones that take us far beyond just typical voice communication.

• “Entrepreneurs of the world unite.” – There will be a continued increase in small and microbusiness development.

• “The year of marketing creatively.” – Expect to see more nontraditional marketing competing for an already over-stimulated consumer.

• “Your PC is going virtual. Is your business?” – Businesses will use more online applications, virtual communication, and helpful gadgets.

What small business trends do you expect to see in 2008?

Next in the series, employment trends from CareerBuilder.com.

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Note: This is the first time I’ve posted a title that looks like the traditional “get-rich” information that you will find on some other blogs. That is not the intent of this post or the U-Turn blog. And no, I didn’t get paid to post this. But I did choose this title because I wanted you to read Christine’s story. I found Christine’s blog about a month ago and regularly read it because I find her career change inspiring. I hope it inspires you also.

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Here are seven ways to take advantages of keeping your job while starting a business:

1. Use your job to identify business opportunities. Many successful businesses were started as solutions to reoccurring problem. And what better place to identify problems then at the workplace. Years ago I knew a fundraising event coordinator who started her business in just this fashion. Karen worked for a small nonprofit organization that had put on their own fundraising events for years. But with the increased resources needed to put on these events, the agency was considering dumping one of their major events. Karen, who had always worked at these affairs, saw an opportunity. She and a friend started an event planning business specializing in nonprofit fundraisers. After a few months the business was doing so well that Karen left her job to run the company full time.
2. Consider your employer as a potential first customer. This works great if your new business can fill a need of your current employer. Just be sure the work is not already a part of your job description. Schedule a meeting to present your business idea and how you would deliver the product or service. It’s important to keep everyone informed of what you are doing (especially your immediate supervisor) and avoid anything that would create conflict or competition for your employer. If your new business would be competition, it’s best to leave your job first. By the way, Karen’s employer was her first customer.
3. Fund your business with your paycheck. Not only can your current job make the house payment, but you can also pay for business expenses. Use your salary to invest in your business. Set up a separate bank account for the business and be sure keep your personal and business finances separate. Planning is the key. Only invest money that you can afford to risk.
4. View your current employer as a potential investor or partner. This is really a great idea if your business idea is complimentary to the work of your employer. For example, if you work for a moving company and you are wanting to start a file storage business, your employer may make a great partner. Prepare a presentation just as you would for an outside investor or partner and schedule the meeting. You want to show your employer how their involvement will strengthen their business and provide a good return on their investment.
5. Take advantage of training opportunities. If your employer provides or pays for trainings that would help you in your new business, sign up immediately. When starting a new company, it may be difficult to pay for such trainings. So, go to the all day workshop on becoming a better salesperson, it will make you a better employee and business owner. Consider attending trainings on accounting, sales, marketing, planning, and technology.
6. Consider coworkers as potential partners or employees. There’s nothing wrong with identifying key individuals that would benefit your company and offering them employment, or even a partnership. Be selective and have these conversations away from the office. It’s important to respect the boundaries at work. I also suggest you limit these offers as the good will of your employer is a benefit you don’t want to easily lose.
7. Use the business reputation of your current employer to your advantage. If your employer is considered a leader in their industry, that can really work to your advantage. It may reflect well on you for your potential customers who know where you are employed. Again, be considerate of how you promote yourself. You don’t want to say your employer is endorsing your work if, in fact, that is not the case.

For more reading on being a jobrepreneur, check out Cassandra Black’s article at AssociatedContent.com.

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Located in the small business section of the New York Times online, the Shifting Careers blog showcases the knowledge and writing talents of Marci Alboher. If it is true that great content is critical to creating a great blog, then Marci’s posts pass the test. Her style is engaging while the information she shares in insightful and resourceful. And, like any good blogger, she is alert to the wealth of information around the blogosphere as can be seen in today’s post, “Friday’s Links: Dads Go Back to Work, Freelancers Name Their Rates.”

The Shifting Careers blog is a regular read on my stingy RSS list. I suggest you give it a visit.

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So, what does it really take to start a business? And how do we tell what is myth and what really works? In his guest post on How To Change The World, author and professor Scott Shane offers the Top Ten Myths of Entrepreneurship. In he article, he corrects myths such as:

• It takes a lot of money to finance a new business.
• Venture capitalists are a good place to go for start-up money.
• Banks don’t lend money to start-ups.

I believe one of the most important myths that Shane addresses is the myth that “most entrepreneurs start businesses in attractive industries.” In his post he points out that many new business startups are in industries with a high percentage of failure. Selecting the right industry is critical to success. And Shane also makes the point that starting a business is difficult and often not very profitable. He claims that “the typical profit of an owner-managed business is $39,000 per year.”  To read the entire article, click here>>>

To get trustworthy information about starting a business, without the myths and speculation, talk to real business owners or organizations that work with new businesses. Two great FREE sources of information are SBA and SCORE. The SBA, or U.S. Small Business Administration, is a branch of the U.S. federal government established to help small businesses succeed. The SBA website is a great source of information. SCORE, actually started by the SBA, is an organization of volunteer business owners and retired executives who provide counseling and advice for those starting a business. Similar resources exist in Australia at business.gov.au and in the U.K. at BusinessLink.

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It’s important to do your research and know the potential for the career you are considering. A couple weeks ago, U.S. News and World Report published it’s second annual list of Best Careers. Criteria for making the list of 31 included job satisfaction, training difficulty, pay, prestige and job market outlook. The only job to score top marks in each of these categories was fundraiser. The five highest paying jobs with an “A” in satisfaction were:

1. Higher Education Administrator ($103,000 national annual median)
2. Optometrist ($99,700)
3. Usability/User Experience Specialist ($98,800)
4. Systems Analyst ($91,000)
5. Professor ($85,300)

Last year when U.S. News first published the list of Best Careers, the emphasis was on jobs that required a college degree. However, Marty Nemko of U.S. News reports that this years list includes four entries that do not require a college education. In fact, Marty’s accompanying article, Best Careers for a Changing Job Landscape suggests that college grads may want to consider one of these blue-collar careers. These careers include firefighter, locksmith and hairstylist.

While preparing their report, U.S. News identified a dozen exciting careers that show great promise, but are too new to predict the long term outlook. The “Ahead of the Curve” article includes interesting careers in health care such as wellness coach and patient advocates. The emerging careers are also influenced by current events with positions in emergency planning and green-collar consulting resulting from issues of terrorism and the environment. U.S. News included a list of the 13 most overrated careers that included chefs, architects, and small business-owners.

If you are researching a possible career choice, be sure to visit U.S. News today. Each top career has a link to a well researched description that includes median pay, training requirements, smart specialties, and links to other resources. Click here for access to all of the mentioned lists and articles.

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The Simple Dollar has been publishing a series of articles this past month that review and discuss What Color is Your Parachute?. Trent is only halfway through with the series, so drop in and get caught up. Here are the articles so far in the series:

A Quick Note About The Book Club Reading of What Color Is Your Parachute
What Color Is Your Parachute?: Buy or Don’t Buy?
What Color Is Your Parachute?: Overview
What Color Is Your Parachute?: Resuming The Search To Find Your Dream

This read would be a great way to start the New Year!

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The word may be new to you, but jobrepreneurs have been around for a long time.  Now we have a word to describe the practiced art of working for others while working for yourself.

I coined this term to describe something I will be speaking of regularly.  And being a practicing jobrepreneur, I wanted a word to describe those of us who are not ready to give up our job or our business. I’ve even added it to U-Turn’s newly revised categories list.

So, whether you freelance while still employed or wait tables and run a dog sitting business, you are a jobrepreneur.  You might even be someone who is operating a business, but decided you also need a regular job. Being a jobrepreneur is a proud tradition.  So go ahead.  Say it out loud.  I know, it doesn’t roll off the tongue.  The word is a bit challenging…but then, so is being a jobrepreneur.

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