Category Archives: Basic Business Concepts

21st Century Sweatshop

I am republishing this article I wrote some time ago because some of you readers should be exploring alternatives to corporate life. Becoming an entrepreneur or a professional consultant or counselor may be the answer to your future security. In … Continue reading

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How to get by with a little help from your friends

When I think about the vital necessity of networking, I do not view it from an academic viewpoint. Finding new friends and linking up with them for our mutual benefit is how I have supported myself since I left the mothership (Sun Microsystems) in 2001.

When I occasionally do career counseling and use the dreaded word "networking", it is not unusual to see the beginning of an eye roll or a curl of the lip as "networking" has been downgraded for many people to an exchanging of business cards at job fairs or business mixers.

The truth of the matter is that an independent business person selling directly to customers is always networking whether he delivers music lessons, custom framing, or handling bankruptcies. It is an attitude one creates that makes customers want to refer others to you for services.

It is an attitude that you carry with you of wanting to help others. If you truly want to help others, it shows in your conduct and it prepares you to discuss what you do at the drop of a hat.

When you meet someone, one of the first questions that gets asked on both sides is, "What do you do?"

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The new age of Do-It-Yourself hard drive data recovery

 When your laptop or desktop computer dies, you can recover the data yourself. In the recent past, when your computer crashed, you had to hunt down a professional to recover the data from the hard drive. That is no longer … Continue reading

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Are we circling the drain yet?

With unemployment steadily worsening, our elected representatives living a life of luxury on our tax dollars, and favored companies and individuals getting "waivers" to avoid the effects of recently passed laws that will cripple most American businesses, it sure is … Continue reading

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