How to Support Your Wanderlust

Been bitten by the travel bug and need a way to finance your dream? You don’t have to win the lottery in order to see the world. Finding a way to fund your travel dreams can be a creative adventure in and of itself. While many might forego travel or spend years scrimping to save up for a big excursion, there are other options for those willing to take an entrepreneurial approach. Numerous opportunities are available to those wishing to set up shop in the global village.

If you’re ready to become an entrepreneurial gypsy, this seminar will introduce you to some of those opportunities and show you how to generate ideas of your own.

You’ll learn:

  • How to make travel a regular activity in your life
  • Ways to earn money as you go
  • How to create a portable business
  • Off the beaten path sources of support
  • How to use a hobby or avocation to fund and enhance travel
  • Ways to get paid to travel (other than working for the airlines)

If you’re ready to travel farther and stay longer, this seminar will show you what others are doing and how you can, too. Get out your suitcases, grab your passport and camera-but, first, take this class!

You helped me to open up to a whole new way of thinking about work — about life, really. I now have my own little business. The greatest joy for me is that this enterprise has bubbled up out of my life naturally and easily, coming from my heart and soul.

~ Laurie, San Diego

 

Establish Yourself as an Expert

What is the difference between a book that becomes a bestseller and one that doesn’t? Why is Julia Child a household name and your Aunt Ruth, a fabulous gourmet, known only to her household? Why is someone else becoming rich and famous doing what you can do even better? As the Information Age continues to explode, the opportunities for those with a desire to share what they know continue to expand, too. Just being knowledgeable about a subject isn’t enough to earn you expert status. You have to know how to connect with the people who want what you have to offer. This seminar will show you how to do just that.

You’ll learn:

  • Inexpensive and free ways to establish yourself as an expert in the field of your choice
  • Shortcuts to finding the people who want what you have to offer
  • The easiest way to begin packaging your information
  • How to expand your base of influence
  • How to find and attract interest from the media
  • How to keep building your reputation as the authority worth listening to

In short, you’ll learn what every expert knows. In addition, you’ll be given an overview of the potential ways in which an expert can earn money. If you have a story to tell and expertise to share, or want to enhance your business, this course will show you attention-getting ways to let others know you’re around.

I left your seminar so excited and filled with ideas that I drove 30 miles before realizing I was going in the wrong direction. I have always had a passion for the past; now I have a passion for the future.

~ Julie, Minneapolis, MN

Making a Living Without a Job

Ready to leave behind the 9-to-5 world and start building some-thing on your own? Don’t know where to start? Millions of Americans have already traded in their corporate lifestyle for the satisfaction, freedom and creative challenge of jobless earning. So can you. This seminar is for everyone who has dreamed of being their own boss, as well as for those who are out of work, soon to be out of work, or wishing they were out of work.

After “real” jobs as a teacher, employment counselor and interior designer, Barbara J. Winter decided to test her own ideas and strike out on her own. That was in 1974 and she’s been joyfully jobless ever since. She shares her experience and passion with would-be self-bossers in this informative seminar. Barbara will give you the basics you need to join the ranks of the successfully self-employed.

You’ll learn:

  • Three important techniques for success
  • How to recognize and manage the obstacles you’ll face
  • How to develop multiple income channels
  • How to design a work life that’s perfect for you
  • How to get started quickly with little or no money
  • The best ways to make a living without a job
  • How to find support and resources for building momentum

While the conventional wisdom may still be telling you, “Get a job,” this class will show you new possibilities for working when you want, where you want and how you want. Whether you want to make the transition from employee to entrepreneur or create another source of income, don’t miss this one-of-a-kind seminar. Come prepared to be inspired and informed.

I have attended various seminars before on wealth, personal development, making a fortune in real estate — this, that and the other thing. None can compare to the three hours I spent with you.

~ Gail M. Ferris

Cheap Tricks: Marketing On A Shoestring

Very few people start a business because they love marketing. And yet, without marketing it’s unlikely that a business will succeed. Whether you’re a webmaster or window washer, an artist or an accountant, you know that success is dependent upon securing business and that attracting and retaining clients and customers is fundamental to your future. That’s what this seminar is all about.

You’ll learn:

  • How to master marketing fears and make marketing fun
  • The essentials of making your business stand out
  • How to find clients in off the beaten track ways
  • How to generate word of mouth endorsements
  • Free and inexpensive sources of promotion
  • Skills that will generate a growing customer base

 

Whether you own a business that’s ready for a makeover or you have just printed your first business cards, this seminar will offer dozens of ideas that will help your business stand out amidst the competition. Even if your marketing budget is small (or non-existent) you’ll come away with tried and tested practical ideas that will transform your approach to marketing and boost your confidence. It might even help you learn to love marketing!

 

 

One of the reasons that mature people stop learning is that they become less willing to risk failure.

~ John W. Gardner

Feeding Your Joyfully Jobless Spirit

Entrepreneur is not a job title. It’s the state of mind of people who want to change the world. ~ Guy Kawasaki

My definition of job security is having a strong, healthy entrepreneurial spirit. That can only occur if you feed yours regularly with activities and thoughts that are nurturing. Here are some of my favorite ways to do just that.

Give yourself a change of scenery It may be efficient for factories to standardize their production lines, but our creative selves thrive on variety. Take a different route when running errands, take a sabbatical, take a vacation, take your laptop to the park. You can be productive without being routine.

Tithe your time. Don’t just send a check to support things you care about. Find ways to share your time. Joe started his own insurance agency and decided he’d spend 10% of his time doing volunteer work. Eventually, he worked his way up to 50% volunteer time. Did his business suffer? Not at all. He made so many contacts along the way that his insurance business grew naturally. This is another way to back up your personal values with action.

Create a research project. What would you like to learn more about? Look for a way to fund your research. Start by checking the grant directories at your local library. You may have a project that someone is eager to fund. Get clear about how this will enhance you personally and entrepreneurially. You could find yourself photographing mosaics in Morocco or interviewing artisans in Ecuador. Use your imagination to come up with a fresh research project that excites you.

Share what you already know. Write a tip sheet and get it published—or publish it yourself and distribute it. Mentor a new entrepreneur or a kid. Put your experiences together and teach a seminar. There’s no better confidence builder than sharing your unique insights and experiences.

Find great entrepreneurial stories. On a recent flight, I read about a mother and her daughters who started a fascinating business called Junk Gypsies. I was so enchanted by their story that I logged onto their Web site the next day and became a customer. There are thousands of inspiring stories out there. Make it your hobby to find them. After all, it’s your tribal history.

Offer praise. Master the art of writing the exquisite fan letter. Let other people know that you noticed. After I read Monica Wood’s breathtaking novel Any Bitter Thing, I began planning a review for my local library Web site as well as Amazon. And the author deserves a letter of thanks as well, I decided, to let her know that her writing has touched her reader. Catch others doing something good and let them know you noticed. It’s good for them and good for your soul.

Learn how to synthesize ideas. We should have learned how to do this in school, but I fear many of us haven’t. For instance, I was reading Jim Miller’s Savvy Senior column in my local paper. He was asked by a reader how to find a reliable handyman. He offered dozens of suggestions. As I read what he had to say, I thought that anyone wanting to have such a business could find some great suggestions for marketing themselves using the suggestions in Miller’s article. It’s equally important to look at enterprises that are nothing like yours and figure out what you can adapt from their way of doing things or their overall philosophy.

Attend with a friend. I always like to see pairs of people showing up together in seminars. I realize that sometimes a friend comes along hoping to discourage their companion from doing anything foolish. However, sharing a learning experience with an entrepreneurial friend can be a great way to extend and deepen the lessons learned. There’s nothing like building dreams with someone who gets it.

Record your journey. Keep an illustrated journal of your entrepreneurial life. Don’t just include the big events; do a photo essay of an ordinary day in the life of your business. The sooner you begin this, the better. It might become your grandchildren’s favorite storybook. Even more importantly, when we record and acknowledge our own lives, it raises our self-worth.

Eight Things I Wish I’d Known Before I Started a Business

It is when we all play safe that we
create a world of utmost insecurity.
~ Dag Hammerskjold

When I started my first business, I didn’t know another self-employed person. There also was no Internet and not many books that were written for someone wanting to create a one-person operation. It was all trial and error…lots of error.

Today there are abundant resources, but some of the most important things I learned still aren’t being acknowledged. Here are eight things I wish I had known sooner.

  1. The business you start out with is not the business you end up with. By it’s very nature, business is an evolutionary process. As you change and grow—and as the marketplace changes and grows—you’ll make adjustments. The good news is that you can get started wherever and whenever you want without having to know every detail. Be willing for your business to deliver pleasant surprises.
  2. Refuse to take advice from uninformed sources It’s easy when you’re filled with self-doubt to listen to dreambashers. Don’t do it. And don’t solicit advice from those who have failed. It’s amazing to me how often I talk to people who have abandoned a great idea because someone who knew nothing about their business (and probably wasn’t even an entrepreneur themselves) talked them out of it.
  3. Know the difference between an expense and an investment. Many new self-bossers see any outlay of money as an expense. While your business will have costs associated with running it, spending money now to produce a greater good in the future is an investment. Your money needs to go to both.
  4. What you don’t know can be learned. Part of building a successful business is determining which parts of it make your heart sing and which make your heart sink. Once you know that, you can farm out the parts that you’re not good at. Equally important is learning how to research your ideas and connect with informed sources. If you operate on the assumption that you can acquire the information and skills you need at every stage of development, you’ll always have the pleasure of being a voluntary student.
  5. Personal growth is a daily activity. Paul Hawken says, “Being in business is not about making money. It’s a way to become who you are.” I became an entrepreneur because I was curious about what I could become. Self-employment continues to be my best teacher. There’s a basic truth you need to keep in mind: you can’t outperform your self-image. In order for your enterprise to reach it’s fullest potential, you have to reach yours. An occasional seminar or personal growth book or CD isn’t going to have the impact that daily work on your self will. Happily, there’s an abundance of tools to help you do just that.
  6. Don’t confuse a project with a dream. Your dreams are your ultimate destination; a project is a step along the way. Too many people use a project failure as an excuse to abandon their dreams. Know the difference.
  7. Patience is your best friend. There’s a fine line between being patient and being a procrastinator. It seems to me that what many people call failure is simply running out of patience, giving up before their idea had a chance to blossom. For most entrepreneurs, patience is an on-going challenge.
  8. Know the difference between taking a risk and taking a calculated risk. Timid people who are not self-bossers think that you’re a wild person jeopardizing your family and finances. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Studies have shown that successful entrepreneurs take risks, but they’re cautious, calculated ones based on research—and intuition. Part of the appeal and adventure of being joyfully jobless is not always knowing exactly how things will turn out.

10 Sure Fire Signs That You Should Leave the Rat Race and Embrace Your Entrepreneurial Spirit

By Bizymoms

There are many of us who have that proverbial entrepreneurial fire in the belly, but sometimes we just tend to miss the signs. If the constraints of your job are getting too much for you to handle, perhaps you ought to look for the signs whether it is your natural entrepreneurial spirit that is stifling you in a typical “9 to 5” routine that offers little excitement and a lot of bureaucracy and boredom.

Here are 10 sure fire signs that should tell you that it is time to get out of the rat race and embrace your entrepreneurial spirit:

  1. You do not get repelled at the thought of becoming a “work at home” dad or mom. You are mentally prepared to leave the frills of an office environment and ready to start small, even from your home and without any support staff or fancy overheads that you could afford at your job.
  2. You have a family history of entrepreneurship. It could be your parents or even  your grandparents who were entrepreneurs in their own right. Perhaps in your younger days there was a time when you imagined yourself becoming an entrepreneur one day just like them, and now that thought keeps revisiting you.
  3. You are not passionate in your current job, and in fact at previous places of  employment you have remained unenthusiastic. Even the frequent change of jobs has not been able to help you find the “right” job for you.
  4. You are excited, not in the office environment, but out in the marketplace where you meet customers. You like to get involved with the customers’ problems and solve them with a personal interest, quite unlike your dull behavior at the office.
  5. You dislike taking orders from your superiors and working within the prescribed set of parameters. You like to set your own pace of work and develop your own style of functioning.
  6. You get excited about new business ideas, and like to be innovative even if your employers are conservative and do not agree to your out-of-the-box proposals.
  7. You have discussed the idea of starting out on your own with your family and friends frequently. The steam of this idea has refused to fizzle out, and you are constantly thinking about it.
  8. You have saved enough money that is required to start a small business. You do not like to fritter away your savings on luxuries, and have rather kept the money in a secret hope of providing fuel to your entrepreneurial ambitions someday.
  9. You do not mind working hard and there is no laziness or lethargy in your approach towards work. However, it is the lack of independence and the politics at work that tires you down.
  10. You are a natural at creating a network of friends, acquaintances and clients. You are extrovert by nature and like to create new opportunities out of your networks.

If you find some or all of the above-mentioned signs matching with your personal profile, perhaps you ought to consider giving up your comfort zone at your current job, and take a plunge into the challenging, uncharted waters of entrepreneurship.

Bio:

Bizymoms has been dedicated to helping women for over 10 years! Visit today to enjoy our interactive message boards, informative articles, help and advice from the Bizymoms’ Home Business Support Team and achieve your own work from home dreams with our home business start up kits.

Winning Ways

We’re all pilgrims on the same journey,
but some pilgrims have better roadmaps.
~ Nelson deMille

New ideas, information and inspiration arrive in your mailbox (your real mailbox, not the one on your computer) six times a year when you subscribe to Winning Ways newsletter.

In my own journey, I’ve discovered that just wanting to grow and change isn’t enough. We need tools, ideas, reminders and role models to keep us moving ahead. That’s exactly what you’ll find in Winning Ways. That and much, much more!

This isn’t a slick and glossy publication; it’s more like a scrapbook of the good things I’ve uncovered that I now use in my own business. Each issue brings you ideas, information, inspiration and insights on the Joyfully Jobless Journey. You’ll find:

  • Creative ideas for turning passions into profits
  • Profit center ideas and success stories
  • The best books for self-bossers
  • Shoestring marketing tips
  • Resources to feed your entrepreneurial spirit
  • Fresh ideas to spark your imagination
  • Ideas for taking care of the boss
  • Tools for helping you tune into opportunity

So while you’re busy building your business, I’m busy researching books, articles, blogs and Websites looking for the very best ideas to pass along. My hours of research will save you time—and costly mistakes.

(Click to Read a Sample Issue)

Give Winning Ways a try and you’ll see why every day brings mail like this one from Jean in Ireland:

You have no idea what your newsletter means to me. Winning Ways has sustained me on an inspirational path all through last year when my beloved dad was diagnosed with advanced, inoperable lung cancer in February. The sight of those bright, cheery envelopes bringing each new issue kept me connected and inspired all the year through. How I love to see e-mails from your site, but nothing beats the morning sound of the postman’s flop of an envelope on my hall floor. Thank you for all your inspiration and motivation. May you be truly enriched as you have enriched me.

If you are living or you want to live the Joyfully Jobless life, if your idea of building a business is as much about having fun as it is about turning a profit, if you are part of the new breed of entrepreneurs that see self-employment as an opportunity for personal growth, Winning Ways is for you. After all, lifestyle is just as important as livelihood.

Now in its twenty-fifth year, Winning Ways continues to be a favorite of intrepid entrepreneurs around the world. In fact, many longtime subscribers tell us they keep every issue, referring back to them again and again as they’re growing their own businesses. Not only l save you time—and costly mistakes.

has Winning Ways built a loyal following, it’s also the longest-running newsletter of its kind.

Subscribe and find out why it’s outlasted the others.

New Subscribers

$36/year in USA $41/year outside USA

Renewing Subscribers

$29/year in USA $34/year outside USA

I’ve been a subscriber to Winning Ways for almost 10 years now and have been uplifted and motivated by each issue. I appreciate your perspective on joyful joblessness. Your message has touched my life in very profound ways.

Lori, California

Beating the Work Alone Blues

One of the most difficult things for new entrepreneurs is the isolation that often accompanies launching a business. If you plan to work alone, you can head off the blues by incorporating these ideas into your schedule.

Know your own rhythms. Plan your working time to take advantage of your high-energy times and don’t push yourself during your low-energy periods. You’ll not only accomplish more, you’ll feel more harmonious and that, in turn, will keep you in touch emotionally as well.

Break up your day. Run errands, make phone calls, get away in the middle of your working day. Some self-bossers think running your own errands is a waste of valuable creative time. I disagree. A short change of scenery coupled with a bit of physical activity is energizing. You’ll return refreshed.

Create a Master Mind Group. This idea was first popularized by Napoleon Hill in his classic success handbook, Think and Grow Rich. Meeting regularly with a small group of enterprising people provides creative stimulation — and keeps you accountable.

Use background music. London-based needlework/knitting designer Kaffe Fassett spends long hours alone in his studio. He acknowledges the companionship of the BBC’s classical music station. I feel the same way about Minnesota Public Radio. Classical or instrumental music makes the best soundtrack for your work.

Leave some time unstructured. Being spontaneous is as important as being efficient. At least once a week, do something that’s a pure diversion. Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way, urges her readers to make an Artist’s Date once a week and use it to explore a place that stimulates creative thought. Daydreaming in your back yard is also wonderfully therapeutic.

Plan a collaboration. When she was in college, my daughter went to Europe by herself. She became an enthusiastic proponent of solo travel, although she frequently would spend a few days traveling with others she met on the way. When they tired of each other or had different destinations in mind, they parted ways. You can adopt this idea for your business. While you may not want a long-term partnership, you might find working on a project with another person rewarding and fun.

Attend seminars. While all self-bossers are in charge of their own growth and education, savvy ones know that there are fringe benefits in participating in programs designed for enterprising folks. You never know who you’ll meet.

Have a change of scenery. A temporary move can recharge your batteries. If you live in the city, take a walk in the country — and vice versa. Take your laptop to a coffee shop and work in a fresh place. If you feel stuck or worn out, put on your walking shoes and go to the mall. Being in the same place day in and day out can dull our creative spirit. Move it around.

Reward yourself. There’s a good reason why big companies have contests and prizes for achievement. When you’re on your own it’s equally important to plan ways to pat yourself on the back. When you’re in charge, the prize can be absolutely perfect.

There’s more where this came from.
Order Winning Ways now!

Why I Will Never Have a Job

Almost everyone who chooses to become self-employed faces a barrage of questions from dreambashers and skeptics. The most popular question is, “How can you give up your security?” I am tempted to say, “You mean a puny little health insurance policy and two weeks’ vacation?”

There are tradeoffs, of course, but the skeptics have no idea what they really are. When I traded in my job, here’s what I got back.

Mobility. I can live anywhere I want or live nowhere if I want. With today’s technology, running a business is only a cell phone and laptop away.

Creativity. Never again do I have to experience the frustration of being unable to bring my ideas to life. Like most self-bossers, I have discovered that ideas beget more ideas. Now I get to try them outÑthe good ones and the bad.

A lovely working environment. No cubicle or windowless office could possibly be as welcoming as my home office. I can listen to classical music, burn incense, watch my orchids bloom. If I had pets, they’d be in here, too.

Personal growth. Running a business is the ultimate seminar in self-discovery. No year in business leaves me the same person as when the year began.

Security. When most people think of security, they think of health insurance, a regular paycheck, etc. When I think of security I think of knowing—absolutely—that I have the ability to create everything I need and want regardless of the economy or world events.

Values in action. What I am most passionate about is what I express through my business. I never have to compromise the things that matter most to me.

Variety. Doing the same thing, in the same place, with the same people day after day is death to the creative spirit. I love doing many things, but I don’t want to do any one of them every single day.

Freedom. Now more than ever our freedom is threatened. Participating in one of our greatest freedoms, the free enterprise system, is standing up for this valuable gift. People who take freedom for granted are most likely to lose it.

Health and longevity. Studies show that people who love what they do for a living are apt to live longer and age more dynamically. Without the stress that accompanies most jobs today, we are free to become as healthy as we can be.

Fascinating friends. I love being around people who are passionate about the contribution they’re making in the world, who are excited about new ideas, who are committed to their own growth. I can’t imagine spending time complaining about my supervisor, the company, or co-workers.

Mistakes. Yes, you read correctly. I have no fear about making mistakes and even failing miserably sometimes. It’s part of the learning process. It’s also really empowering to know I can make mistakes and it’s not the end of the world. Most of the time it’s a learning opportunity.

Perfect benefits. Being the boss means I get to decide what benefits I should give myself. Retirement accounts, health insurance, and time off are available to the self-employed, too. The difference is we get to decide what the package should contain. Mine once gave me an eight-month travel sabbatical.

Tax advantages. The American tax system is structured to favor the very wealthy and the self-employed. I may never love paying taxes, but I am delighted to take advantage of the breaks given to a small business.

Lifelong learning. For me, the best thing about being self-employed is that it gives me a perfect excuse to keep learning. Staying curious is also essential to longevity and personal growth.

There’s more where this came from.
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