From Marketing to Marketplace

From Marketing to Marketplace Success Story > From: Job To: Startup From Marketing to Marketplace “I didn't want to lose my passion and desire tosucceed in my career; I just needed to do something that would allow flexibility, on my own terms.” * From Marketing to Marketplace Gemma Whates was being pulled in two directions at once; either her career or home life always had to take second place. Fed up with compromise, she decided to take a gamble. Now she's got the homeâ€"work mix she wanted and she's letting her entrepreneurial side shine. Here's how she did it. What work were you doing previously? I worked in marketing. Before I left, I was an Account Director, managing a team of five and working on retail marketing strategy for Disney's key releases. What are you doing now? I now run All By Mama, an online marketplace for products made by parents. Why did you change? I had the idea to launch All By Mama while on maternity leave. I've always been very ambitious and career-minded, and felt that I wanted to work to support my family. However, after my son was born I fell in love and couldn't bear the thought of leaving him five days a week, working long hours and missing bedtimes. I wanted to be around as much as possible, especially while he was young. I also didn't want to lose my passion and desire to work and succeed in my career; I just needed to do something that would allow flexibility, on my own terms. Starting my own business seemed like the best option. I'm more passionate than I've ever been before about working hard and I'm happy with the time I get to spend with my son. When was the moment you decided to make the change? I went back to work after my maternity leave. I needed to fund the start-up and at that point it was still just an idea in development. I also didn't want to throw away all the work I'd put into my career until I was certain I was doing the right thing. The moment came when I was at work and my son was poorly with a bug; I desperately wanted to go home and look after him but I had deadlines and meetings. I knew this would be a regular occurrence and I knew at that moment I would struggle with that lifestyle. Call it 'mum guilt' (which I still get most days for one reason or another â€" I'm sure all mums can relate!) but I just knew that I wanted to try a different, more flexible way of working. My employer was extremely understanding and very supportive of flexible working, but the industry doesn't allow for you to always work at midnight when the kids are in bed! Are you happy with the change? Yes. I work longer than full-time hours, but I'm so passionate about making the business a success that I enjoy every moment I spend working. I don't work 'traditional' 9â€"5 hours; I work flexibly around my family. I often spend an afternoon with my son and make the time up in the evening. There are lots of late nights! I feel much better in my workâ€"life balance, but it hasn't been without stress and sacrifice. All By Mama is a start-up; we're just going in to our second year and I don't earn the salary I earned before. I knew from the start that building a business would take time and I'm prepared to make financial sacrifices for that. I'm lucky to have a very supportive partner! I still have the challenge that I need to keep my brain alive (more than ever) and I get to set my own work hours, which is so important to me. What do you miss and what don't you miss? I miss the office environment. It can be quite lonely and isolating working from home (we don't have premises yet), but I don't miss the set hours and rigid routine. How did you go about making the shift? I had the idea whilst on maternity leave with my son. It really came from me spending a lot of time on social media (like many first-time mums during night feeds!) and joining mum networks as I searched for answers to my endless questions of why my son was doing this or not doing that. I found many mums on these networks that were making really cool things from home and selling them via social media, instead of returning to full-time jobs. To start with I was just interested in buying them. I loved knowing that I had bought from a mum who was supporting her family but I did struggle to find more products made in this way. I started thinking that other mums might enjoy supporting these businesses too, if they could easily access them; that’s where the idea really came from. At the same time, I was actively looking for ways to work flexibly and thinking about how I could apply my experience and skills to something I felt passionate about.It was the combination of the two scenarios that led me to All By Mama. Once I had decided to start my business, I stayed employed for as long as possible, working in the evenings and at weekends pre- and post-launch, mainly for financial reasons. I also spoke to my employer about my plans and the possibility of freelance work once I had left. I was very lucky to have a supportive employer and we agreed a date for me to leave and pursue the business. I was very honest with them and they have been extremely supportive and still help me out wherever possible with my business plans. I made sure I had enough savings (or the possibility of freelance work) to see me through the first year. I then just went for it and haven't looked back. I do think it's very important not to burn bridges and make sure you have some ideas of ways to make money during your start-up phase if you plan to launch a business. What didn't go well? What 'wrong turns' did you take? I think, for me, it was a problem not having a defined work space at home. I was set up at the kitchen table and it wasn't long before I realised my paperwork was taking over the house, and I was replying to emails during family mealtimes. I'm not sure I thought through the logistics well enough. How did you handle your finances to make your change possible? I think this is one of the most difficult things about making a change: the difficulty of finding enough money to do it and the fear of never earning anything again. For me, the key was to accept there would be a period where I didn't earn what I did before, and sometimes perhaps not anything at all. I kept in mind my long-term objectives and found ways to support myself during the transitional period. I also doubled the length of time that I thought it might all take and made sure I had a back-up plan in case things got desperate. What was the most difficult thing about changing? The financial risk and the fear that I would put myself in a weaker position long term. Then again, fear is a great incentive to keep moving and working hard, so it's not a bad thing. After all, it wouldn't be as rewarding if it were easy! What help did you get? Help came mainly from friends and family. I asked everyone I could for advice, according to their knowledge and experience. I realised I had a set of very varied and clever friends and family! What have you learnt in the process? I'm not a patient person and I've really had to learn not to expect immediate results. I've also learnt many new skills in the process. What would you advise others to do in the same situation? Plan for things to take longer than expected. Make a back-up plan to help manage the fear of change, and then just pick a date and go for it. Expect to work harder than ever before, but remember your personal, long-term goal and keep that in mind during challenging times. What resources would you recommend to others? Social media is good for networking with others in a similar situation. And Enterprise Nation offers support for small businesses and hosts some great events. To find out more about Gemma's business, visit www.allbymama.com What lessons could you take from Gemma's story to use in your own career change? Let us know in the comments below.

Your Goals For 2020 and How To Reach Them Faster - Classy Career Girl

Your Goals For 2020 and How To Reach Them Faster In todays podcast, we are going to talk about the goals that you all have and how you can reach your goals faster One main goal that you all have is making money in a NEW career, your perfect career. Thats what I want to help you do in 2020. How CAN we make it work? A few years back, I was unhappy with where my business was and I realized I wasnt doing the things I needed to do in order to reach my goals. I made a new goal that in one year I would be in a different place. I didnt know exactly what that was but I knew I wanted to be happier and less stressed.? Just watching OTHERS. And saying I AM GOING TO DO THAT.   I want my planners in Target. So I got into action and created a planner last year. You can wish and hope and visualize, but you have to take the ACTION to produce the results. This is me right now too. ? And things can change dramatically over the year. ? ? One year, one month and one day can change everything. Its all about the commitment and the decision to make your dream happen. Nothing happens overnight.? Subscribe  on  your favorite platform below: iTunes Google Play Music Stitcher Radio TuneIn iHeartRadio Sound Cloud Here’s how to reach your goals of making MORE money in your perfect career faster in 2020: BIG ROCKS. Get laser-focused on your big rocks. 3 things for the quarter. 3 things that really matter. Don’t want to worry about the details. We can’t do everything. We can’t be perfect at everything. We have to pick our big rocks each quarter. This quarter is my PLAN course. THE RIGHT PLAN. Create the right plan to complete those 3 big rocks. This comes from talking to people. Getting feedback. If I want to be “here” in 90 days, what do I need to do?   Pareto Principle. What’s the 20% that will give you 80% of the result? Networking. and talking to your ideal clients. I love this from Michael Hyatt   Productivity is not about getting more things done; its about getting the right things done. CLARITY ON YOUR VISION: Get clear on the vision. What do you make. How much money do you need to live on each month? What is your ideal workday? How do you get to work? What do you do each day? What do you do at night and in the morning? You can’t GET what you can’t see. November 4th   SAVE THE DATE Join us for the 2020 Planning Workshop: www.classycareergirl.com/planningworkshop

Succeeding in a Results Only Work Environment - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Succeeding in a Results Only Work Environment - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Could you  survive and thrive in a ROWE? Where ROWE means  Results Only Work Environment. In the future you may not have a choice. It seems logical that everyone should be measured  on their output, their commitments, their accomplishments… in a nutshell… on their work. However, in the real world companies have sprouted elements of the business that seem to be designed to do nothing related to being productive. I’m sure you’ve dealt with at least one company that does not seem to be focused on any kind of result. If that company used ROWE (assuming good service was a goal)  your result may have been different.  Using ROWE as a model for growing the business is good management and smart leadership.  Those that learn how to hire and manage the best people that are offering their ROWE services will be able to Stand Our in their careers. Gen X, Y and Z I think there is going to be a significant rise in the use, need and deployment of ROWE scenarios across every type of business. The smart organizations are going to realize that  they can bypass the traditional organizational morass and seek to hire just the right people that have just the right information at just the right time they need to successfully complete a project or task. Gen X, Gen Y and Gen Z all have something to offer. Sometimes it will be expertise and sometimes it  will be execution. There will be times where these roles will flip-flop around and across each generation. Ultimately the goal will be to find the right person that can deliver the results in a predictable and repeatable manner. No matter what generation they happen to hail from. They will be measured on their ability to deliver in a ROWE. I’m not discounting The Greatest Generation. There are people in the Greatest Generation that have (almost) literally seen it all and they still have a lot to give. The wise hiring managers will seek to utilize their skills. ROWE is not all new There are several examples along the line of thinking of ROWE environments. One is the way the makers of Gore-Tex, W.L. Gore Associates used in  building their multi-billion dollar enterprise.  They’ve been going at this for almost 70 years and by all accounts have done quite well in the way of innovation as well as  keeping people dry and comfortable in the harshest conditions.  Here is a post I wrote about the Millennials and the Gore-Tex Way and  the “Lattice Network” model for developing, organizing and running a business successfully. Another example is Zappos and their recent introduction to the concept of holacracy. This is a relatively recent effort and is still yet to be proven to be effective. Zappos CEO Tony  Hsieh describes as a self-governing system that would  boost transparency and streamline operations.  In the place of bosses and managers, Zappos will create hundreds of committee-like circles filled by employees. Other examples along this line of thinking are Quality Circles that were part of the Total Quality Management (TQM) efforts in the 1980’s as US manufacturing firms sought to emulate the systems developed in Japan. Each of these systems has limitations and I suspect ROWE will surface a few flaws that may not be fatal, but may cause it to not work for every business. This is not a fatal flaw and an indictment of the whole ROWE concept. Just as Lattice Networks, Holocracy and Quality Circles don’t work for every business. ROWE may not be applicable to every business either. And, that’s OK. More Info on ROWE  â€" See Cali and Jody, the  creators  of  the Results-Only Work Environment Results matter more than location Ultimately, its not where you are Its what you do! There are absolutely roles and responsibilities that can be done effectively, efficiently and exceptionally in a ROWE model. I suspect that there will be a maturing market, perhaps something like what Elance has done today for ROWE providers and consumers. Perhaps even more specific and even more targeted to ROWE deliverables. It’s  not only possible to succeed in a Results Only Work Environment, but to really Stand Out in your career by showing leadership, management and entrepreneurial skills. I look forward to working with a lot really smart people that have adopted the ROWE model in the coming years. Perhaps you’ll be one of them.

The Fraud Mindset A Womans Career Nemesis

The Fraud Mindset A Woman’s Career Nemesis Do you feel like a fraud? This article is for you! ed.   A female co-worker asked me today, “What does it take for a woman to get ahead? How did you get to where you are in business?” This was an easy one for me to respond to, “It takes a lot of work and pushing and not giving up, and fighting and not backing down. It takes being a pitbull basically.” When I shared this concept with her, she said, “That’s hard to do, because most women don’t want to appear bitchy.” Loosen Your Own Leash This conversation struck a chord in me. Here this woman is bright, beautiful, talented and interested in advancing. And, while I don’t know what level she will rise to, I do know that what WON’T hold her back is her talent. This woman has everything it takes to get ahead. Yet, the only thing that could potentially hold her back is she herself. Her decision to not want to appear a certain way, bitchy or otherwise, would be her only leash.   She made another great comment to me that really resonated with me; she mentioned that when she moved into her new role one that she did not have previous experience in she felt like a fraud. In fact, she felt so much like a fraud that she let her husband know that she had a Plan B in line in case they discovered that she was not qualified for the job. I Feel Like a Fraud I find this interesting as this “fraud” epidemic has been admittedly alive and well in me throughout fleeting moments in my career. But, while it’s a trait that I’ve seen so often in women, I have YET to see it in a man. Quite to the contrary, the men I work with feel the opposite way. If I’m interviewing a man on my team and he wants to advance without prior experience, he will simply use his prior success as the catalyst to determine that he WILL succeed in his new role. There is no big leap in his mind, it is a natural progression along his path to future success. My Secret Is Out Women often times don’t see this natural progression and instead feel afraid of being “found out.”   Found out that they are not perfect, found out that they have commitments at home to their families, and found out that they simply don’t have all the answers. Conversely, I meet with men on my team that can’t wait to share with me that they leave work early to coach their kid’s team and how it benefits the company because their “coaching” techniques are refined on the field and applied back in the workplace. Let’s Put Things into Perspective Everything about how we approach things is in the perspective that we take and the lens in which we see things through. By making a definitive decision to no longer accept the idea that we are a fraud, but instead find a lens to look through that allows us to celebrate our unique and refreshing approach and skills instead, we will finally end this epidemic of holding ourselves back. So, yes, I have been one of the “frauds” at different times in my career, but the difference with me is that I have been lucky enough to stop myself in that moment and reach out to someone in my life to remind me how I can see myself differently. Perspective is everything. And settling for a perspective that the opposite sex would never even consider is the fastest way to short-change ourselves professionally. Let Us Be Frauds No More Let us be “frauds no more” is my new mantra for the female faction. Lets embrace a refreshing new perspective, even if it’s sprinkled with a touch of testosterone here and there. Let us celebrate what is different and unique about us, and what makes us worthy of the opportunity in the first place. We rule the roost with no qualms, we learn as we go, we make executive decisions that are steadfast; this is life. No one knows everything. So, let’s be frauds no more with our careers and in the boardroom. This guest post was authored by Heather Monahan Heather Monahan is a women empowerment and business expert, mentor, and author, helping women discover their unique attributes and strengths to achieve success in every aspect of their lives. Whether it’s landing a first job, or THE job, The Monahan Method is Heather’s easy to follow, step-by-step guide with tips and tools that provides women the knowledge, power, and confidence needed to elevate themselves in business and in life. Heather’s inspiring attitude, tireless passion, and hard-won wisdom have enabled her to work her way up the corporate ladder, where she has gained the firsthand experience she now shares with others.

The hidden costs of studying an art degree at university

The hidden costs of studying an art degree at university This article was written by an external contributor. Sarah dissects a worrying trend in the art world. What pops into your head when you hear the phrase ‘arts student?’ I bet I can guess. They’re probably wearing a beret, drinking red wine and smoking rollies with a pensive look on their face. They’re slightly pretentious and probably have a double-barrelled name. Above all, they’re wealthy. Sorry arts students (if you’re still reading); clearly, it’s wrong to paint you all with the same brush (see what I did there?). All jokes aside however, the stereotype does have some truth to it at least on the financial side of things. With squeezed state schools struggling to keep arts subjects going, in the UK we’re currently seeing a continuing downward trend in lower-income and working class students taking up art at A Level and GCSE leaving the richer kids to it. Even if you make it, more roadblocks stand in your way Let’s say that you’re a low income student attending a school that does have the facilities and cash to enable you to study art at GCSE and A Level. Your love and talent for the subject outweighs your (and probably your parents’) reservations about taking on a non-vocational arts-related degree course. Then, after going through UCAS and applying for student finance, you get to uni and find yourself face to face with yet another financial barrier to your education: the cost of the materials necessary to carry out and complete your degree. Like most other degree courses, an art qualification from university will set you back the usual £9,250 in tuition fees each year, with the same maintenance costs (though a lot of the best courses are in London) as any other. It’s hugely expensive; yet whilst students reading any other subject can expect to find books in the library and equipment in their labs, arts students are often expected to bear the brunt of costs for materials, printing and final degree shows. The extra costs are often unclear Many course websites are suitably vague on the issue, stating that “extra costs may be incurred” or “your material costs will vary”. Quite a few art degrees include fieldwork trips rarely covered in your tuition fee. Gloucester University’s website is about the only one to include projected costs for an art, illustration and photography degree, and it all adds up eye-wateringly quickly. Over three years, for instance, a student taking fine art can expect to spend £1,000 more than if they’d taken a different degree course and that’s just the base cost. Of course, some of these costs are cited as “optional” but any student enthusiastic about their subject wants to take advantage of everything the degree offers and it hardly seems fair that poorer students should miss out or risk their grade because of their financial situation. Financial contributions are limited Naturally, some universities offer financial contributions towards materials, or include basic materials in the cost of tuition fees but this rarely covers the needs of those on the course. One student who I spoke to studying art at Manchester Met said that while the university does contribute £200 towards material costs, it rarely stretches to everything she needs over the year. It also doesn’t reach students until after term begins, meaning students are forced to reach into their own pockets until it does. To any student from a low income background already facing the prospect of paying thousands in tuition and maintenance fees, the prospect of paying extra on top of this can hardly be appealing. Top this with anxiety about employment beyond university, and it’s easy to see why it’s predominantly the wealthy who take up art degrees. Creative careers need to be accessible for all It may seem inconsequential to some, but working class students being barred from the art world has consequences for everyone. If only the wealthy are able to make art, what follows is a logic that only the wealthy are able to properly appreciate it, meaning gallery space remains a middle and upper class affair. What’s more, art made only by one particular group or class of person can never represent a diversity of experience, not only meaning a lack of subject diversity but also an inability for many of us to relate to, understand, or see ourselves reflected in art. Until universities start absorbing more of the cost and barriers to the arts are eliminated, working class students with artistic talent will be denied the chance to develop their skills or begin a creative career and that’s a national shame. Download Debut  and connect with us  on  Facebook,  Twitter,  and  LinkedIn  for more careers insights.

See us speak in San Francisco on August 4 - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

See us speak in San Francisco on August 4 - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Update: 106 sign-ups already thats fantastic. The venue holds 130 people, so if you want to be there, make your move :o) Do you ever feel like work has stopped being fun and become just a chore? When you wake up on a Monday morning, do you feel energized and excited about the work week ahead of you or do you feel tired and dispirited? What would it mean to you if you LOVED your job? What would it do for your business success, for your work days and for your spouse, partner, friends, family or children? Come hear some of the worlds leading experts on happiness at work when Danish company Woohoo Inc. comes to San Francisco. Well be talking about these topics and more: Why you should be happy at work and the cost of hating you job. The business value of happiness. What makes us happy or unhappy at work. What you can do right now, to start enjoying work more. What some of the worlds happiest workplaces do. The presentation is aimed both at people who would like to become happier at work themselves and at HR people and managers who want to make their employees happy. You will get: A deeper knowledge about happiness at work Specific tools that you can apply on the job right away A boost of energy to get you started on improving your work life Here are the details: Time: Thursday August 4 7PM-9PM Place: The Hub, 925 Mission St, San Francisco Price: $0 yep, its free! Sign up here to attend. Please help us out by spreading the word about this event any way you can (twitter, facebook, Google+, etc) Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Should You Consider a Recruiter Or Leave This Job Search to LinkedIn?

Should You Consider a Recruiter Or Leave This Job Search to LinkedIn?Can LinkedIn provide resume writing services to employees? Should you seek out the help of an outside resource for the job search?If you are hiring a recruiter, LinkedIn is probably not going to be a factor. Recruiters have access to only what is visible to them and, as an employer, you do not have access to that information.But, if you are a potential employer and you have hired an employee who has been promoted from within, that employee has found a way to have some of their connections exposed in the search engines. And, they also have likely published their articles on LinkedIn to further promote themselves and their skills. That makes their connection information available to you.Therefore, it is worth taking advantage of this for both your career and your resume. You can use the profile of other individuals to highlight their connections with your company. However, you will want to keep in mind that when you u se this information in your resume, you need to ensure that the information is unique.Do not give duplicate information. However, if the name and contact information are consistent with the profile of another potential employees, then you can still use it in your own resume.So, a good rule of thumb is to follow the profiles that are similar to yours closely. Only take a cursory look at all the other profiles that you don't really care about. That will allow you to concentrate on what you should put in your own profile, rather than what you should avoid.You will also want to put some effort into keeping up with the activities of the people you want to recruit into your organization. This includes highlighting their postson LinkedIn to send a signal to them that you value their contributions to your company. Your recruits will appreciate this gesture of favor and will be more inclined to opt in to your network.However, there are some simple steps you can take to ensure that your resum e is as professional as possible. Getting quality resumes done by a professional service is a good investment.