Quick & Easy Tool to Keep You In The Loop (and on top of things)

 

A word to the wise…never stop researching your market!

We are living in marvelous times.  Every day, every hour, even every minute you can easily keep our finger on the pulse of your industry.  How?  Google.

Google has added some new features that are just amazing.  Check it out:

1.      Go to Google.com

2.      Type in the keyword or phrase you want to search and hit return.

3.      When you have the results on your screen, in the left hand corner just above the search results you will see Web + Show options…   Click on “Show options.”

4.      From there you will see all of the search options available on the left sidebar.

These are the search categories:

All results:  This allows you to see what is on the web by category.  If you just want to know what videos are on the web, click the video link.  Looking for books on the subject?  Click on the books link.  And so on and so on.

Any time:  Another terrific feature is the time range option.  You can see the most recent postings or even specify a specific date range.

Standard view:  This is a fun section.  “Related searches” is just that.  This option will allow you to see what other phrases people are using to search for the same information.  “Wonder wheel” gives you a snapshot of other phrases surrounding your search phrase.  “Timeline” shows the search trends for your search phrase and shows past postings starting with the first posting on the internet.

Standard results:  These are a few more options to find images or shopping sites connected with your search phrase.  The “more text” option simply gives you more text for each site listed versus the standard two or three sentence description.

As you can see, utilizing the options for Google search can give you a wealth of information.  Take some time to become familiar with Google and all of the options available. 

In addition to these great tools, you may want to open a Google account.  It is free to join and gives you yet another level of tools to utilize.  For example, have you ever found a site that you found particularly helpful but forgot to save it to your favorites?  Your Google account comes with a Web History tool that will help you find the site, not to mention search the full text of pages you visited.

This just scratches the surface.  There are many, many more options and tools available including website analysis, gmail, and an excellent keyword search tool, to name a few.

The most successful businesses are those that stay on top of what is going on in their industry – what is being said and who is doing what.  Google has done the work for you and it is all at your fingertips with just the click of a mouse.  

Unload Your Marketing Baggage

We often hear the word “baggage” to describe those negative things we take with us from one relationship to another.  If we have a history of failed relationships in the past, counselors and therapists typically ask us to look at all of our previous relationships and determine what underlying themes are consistent to help us understand the issues we need to work through in order to maintain healthy relationships.

The same is true when it comes to marketing.  The biggest challenge most of my clients face when it comes to marketing is the “Marketing Baggage” they carry with them into business.

If you don’t have a healthy outlook on marketing, it can make you feel vulnerable, stupid, ridiculous, inadequate, and the list goes on.  Marketing can bring out some of your most personal and deep-seated fears.  This is especially true if you are marketing for our own businesses. 

Some of the most common fears and negative thoughts my clients have around marketing are:

·         Marketing leads to rejection.

·         What is the point?  It never works anyway.

·         People won’t be interested in my services, so why bother?

·         Marketing turns people off.

·         Only “people persons” are good marketers.

·         Marketing bothers people.

·         I’m too embarrassed to network.

·         I can’t speak in front of people! 

·         I suck at writing.

·         If I ask for referrals, I will look desperate.

Do any of these statements sound familiar?  To be blunt, marketing scares the crap out of people!  Why?  Because if feels so personal.

The fears you have around marketing are just symptoms of something deeper.  If you want to overcome your Marketing Baggage, you need to step back and try to uncover the root of your fear. 

As your marketing therapist, I suggest you follow this simple exercise next time you find yourself avoiding marketing or gravitating towards those things that you enjoy, but not necessarily those marketing tasks that need to be done:

1.      Write down the original negative thought you had about marketing.  Start with my list and see if any of those resonate with you, or write down one of your own.

2.      Identify the particular fear connected with that.  Is it rejection?  Embarrassment?

3.      Indentify the feelings attached to that fear.

4.      Identify the way you respond physically (do you slouch, hang your head down, talk softly, etc.).

5.      Do you remember a time or times in your life when you felt this way?  When this emotion was particularly strong?  Write those down.

Are you with me so far?  If you have gone this far you are already much further along than most.

Now comes the best part – the next step in this process is to look at these fears for what they really are – lies!  Most of the fears we have around marketing are lies we have told ourselves for years.  They have nothing to do with where we are today or how others perceive us.  Here are the final three steps:

6.      Ask yourself – is the initial negative statement true?  Yes or no.  At this point, you may actually say, yes.  That’s okay.

7.      Ask it again – is it really, really true?  Just about everyone will say, “Well, honestly if I think about it, no.”

8.      Turn the original statement around.  For example, if your statement is, “People won’t be interested in my services,” turn that around to, “People love my services and have been waiting for me to help them.”

Notice anything different?  Do you feel stronger?  More confident?  Do you see a different truth than what you have been telling yourself?

I love this process and use it all of the time.  You don’t have to limit yourself to just marketing issues either.  This is great for all kinds of negative baggage we carry in our lives.

Marketing can actually be fun, exciting and a wonderful part of your everyday business life.  However, just like our personal relationships, if we do not identify the root of our marketing baggage, our businesses will suffer.

Is Marketing Baggage holding you back?  Unload it today and find the success you deserve.

Tick Tock…Manufacturing Time

 

There are two things we all talk about – time and the weather.

 

The difference is, we can’t control the weather but we can control our time.

 

We never seem happy with our business lives.  We complain when we are too slow.  We complain when we are too busy.  Too much time on our hands and we’re bored.  Too little time and we’re swamped.    At the heart our business lives, good or bad, is time. 

 

You may think I am going to talk to you today about getting organized or setting priorities.  Maybe the 80/20 rule, answering e-mails no more than twice a day, going over your “to-do” list the night before, or any number of things I have been taught (and spent a great deal of money to learn) that basically are just plain common sense.  Nope – that is not what this is about. Today I am going to talk to you about outsourcing.

 

If my calculations are correct, I would venture to guess most of you just grimaced.  “What – me outsource?  Yeah, right.  Guess again.  People are losing their jobs every day and you want me to outsource?”  I can hear your resistance already. 

 

Unfortunately, when most people hear the term “outsourcing” they think of friends and relatives losing their jobs to a business in a foreign company.  Images of a warehouse of people with headsets come to mind.    

 

Although that is one way outsourcing is being used, that is not what I am talking about today.  Outsourcing is not just for corporate America.  Outsourcing is changing the face of small business.

 

First, it may be helpful for you to know the definition of outsourcing (according to Webster’s New World Dictionary 4^th ed.).  “To transfer (certain manufacturing operations, administrative activities, etc.) to outside contractors, so as to reduce one’s operating costs.”

 

Chances are, whether you realize it or not, you have already experienced outsourcing.  If you hired someone to create your website – you were outsourcing.  If you hired a service to handle your payroll – you were outsourcing.  If you hired someone to handle public relations – you were outsourcing. 

 

Simply put, outsourcing is hiring an outside contractor (not any employee) to perform a function for your organization. 

 

Just like everything else, the Internet has changed the face of business.  This has never been truer than in the area of outsourcing.  According to statistics published by the US Small Business Administration, 56% of US small businesses with 100 employees or less has fewer than five employees.

 

Owning a business that falls into that category, I can assure you I am often over-stretched for time.  Although my business is growing and all my hard work is paying off, I am also keenly aware that I need to make a choice. 

 

I can choose to stay at the same level – meaning I can take on only as much work as I can personally manage (without getting sick, forfeiting my family life or putting a bed in my office) or I can choose to grow – meaning I need to outsource.

 

Just like any other business decision, outsourcing will require time and effort.  You need to have a clear understanding of what tasks can be outsourced (typically those that can function independently), weigh the costs and be prepared to “shop” for the right person or organization.

 

There are a number of great articles and books to help you determine whether outsourcing is the best choice for your business.  New businesses are popping up every day, many offering services to support companies looking to concentrate on growth while managing their expenses.

 

Regardless of whether you are a business owner or not, there is only so much YOU to go around. If you are feeling overwhelmed, over worked and missing opportunities for growth, maybe it’s time for you to consider outsourcing.  Who says you can’t manufacture time?  

Inspired Service

What word describes how you serve your clients or customers? 

In preparing for a recent interview for a state-wide woman’s organization , I reviewed the questions I was told would be asked – why did I start my business, what services do I provide, etc. – the usual stuff.  However, one question stopped me dead in my tracks.   Which of your personal qualities do you think are most valuable to your business?

Interestingly enough I had never been asked that question before, although as I thought about it, helping my clients identify the personal qualities they bring to their business and incorporating that into their marketing efforts is a foundational piece of our work together.

As I pondered my answer, this question kept coming up repeatedly – what word would describe how I serve my clients?

Although I dreamed of having my own business for several years, fears, doubt, low self-confidence, lack of money and a number of things kept me from pursuing what I knew in my heart I was placed on this earth to do – start a business. 

It was not until the defining moment came when I had to make the decision – do I continue on this path or not – it was then I knew I had no choice.  It was time.

Is starting your own business for everyone?  No.  Has it been easy?  That would be a no also.  To be honest with you, it has been the hardest thing I have ever done.  Am I rich?  Monetarily, no.  But if you are talking about richness of life, I am the wealthiest woman on earth.

Inspired.

That is the word that describes how I serve my clients.  I feed off them, like a child listening to their favorite story.  They inspire me.  Their gifts, talents and skills.  Their dreams, visions and desires to make a difference in this world.  Through our work together, I am inspired to serve them and in turn hope to inspire them.  Together we create something phenomenal.

Let me ask you again – what word describes how you serve your clients or customers? 

We have one shot at this thing called life.  Every day we have the opportunity to make a difference in some else’s life.  My husband is a greeter at our church.  He smiles, he jokes and he hugs – a lot.  The pastor recently told him, “The hugs you give out may be the only hugs these people get all week.”

Who says you can’t make a difference?  Only you.  Bloom where you are planted as the saying goes.  Every life you come in contact with is a life you can influence.

Ten years down the road, how will your clients and customers remember you?

Stopped Dead In Your Tracks

 

The price we pay for fear

Have you ever been stopped dead in your tracks?  You see or hear something that grabs your attention to such a degree that it immediately makes you stop what you are doing.  Fear can do that.  Fear can grab us from behind or can hit us head-on.  It can stop us dead in our tracks. 

Does fear have you in a chokehold?  Are you fighting, wrestling, running, gasping for air, struggling to get free?

Fear is a powerful force that drives us as human beings.  Sometimes fear can protect us and keep us from harm.  But most of all, fear keeps us from moving ahead. 

I see a lot of fear in my business.  Fear of the economy.  Fear of loss.  Fear of not being liked.  Fear of rejection.  Fear of lack.  Fear can come in many different forms. 

I hate fear.  I hate what it does to a business.  I hate what it does to a soul.  It keeps us frozen and in a state of indecision.  Fear comes with a high price.

Marketing can bring out some of our most deep-seated fears.  In my experience, a great deal of fear in marketing comes out of a desire to be liked and admired.  Marketing often has a way of making us feel stupid, vulnerable and judged.  Even the most basic of marketing principles can stir fear in the strongest professionals.  Let’s use these basic marketing activities as an example – writing, speaking and networking.  Did you feel a twinge of fear when you read one of those? 

Does fear have a grip on you?  Is you marketing or other areas of your life suffering because of it?  If so, I suggest you follow this simple, but powerful formula from Byron Katie called “The Work.”   You will see fear for what it really is – a liar.  You do not have to limit this to your marketing fears.  This formula works wonders in any area of your life where fear may be holding you back.  I suggest you write out the answers to these questions:

Doing The Work

First, choose a thought or belief that is opposing your intention to be a successful marketer of your services. This might be:

“I don’t have the time to market myself.”

Now ask yourself this first question:

1.  Is this thought true?

Answer with yes or no. Then answer the second question if you answered Yes.

2.  Can you absolutely know it’s true?

      Answer with yes or no. Then answer the third question.

3.  How do you react when you believe that thought?

List all of the things that you do (or not do), mentally and physically, other thoughts and feelings you have when you think the thought you are working on. Then answer the fourth question:

4.  Who would you be without that thought?

If that thought was impossible for you to think, how would things be different?

5.  Now turn the thought around to its opposite.

A turnaround to this thought would be: “I do have time to marketing myself.”

Then ask if the turnaround is as true as or more true than the original thought.

That is all there is to it. Now you are looking at your original thought in a completely new way. You will find you are less attached or identified with this thought and have new options. You have loosened its grip.  You have the choice of what thought would serve you better to achieve your goal.

If fear is stopping you dead in your tracks, remember this:

FEAR = False Evidence Appearing Real

Take the time now to identify the truth about your fears and move ahead with confidence.

We Are Blessed Indeed

Tomorrow, July 4^th, is a day set aside to celebrate the birth of our amazing nation, the United States of America.  A day filled with picnics, family and friends, parades and often a fireworks display at dusk.  In spite of our economic, political and social challenges, we still live in the greatest nation on earth.  Americans are resilient by nature.  We don’t give up, we don’t give in – we just keep moving forward with optimism.

On this the 233^rd anniversary of our independence, stop the bickering, complaining and grumbling.  Our nation remains a beacon in a world full of darkness.  A symbol of hope and prosperity.  She is still calling out to the world – our land of opportunity – welcoming nearly 400,000 new arrivals every year.  Appreciate the freedom we so easily take for granted and for those who fought and are fighting so gallantly to preserve it.

“Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom.” – Albert Einstein

Eavesdrop On Your Prospects

Can you imagine being able to eavesdrop on your prospects?  Wouldn’t you love to hear their conversations and have the ability to gain insight into their problems, challenges and what they are frustrated about?  Armed with that information, just think how much easier it would be to determine how your services could help solve those problems or what services you could offer that would fill a void.

Below you will find three ways you can eavesdrop on your prospects and gain insight and understanding into their worlds: 

Internet Forums

An internet forum (or message board) is an online discussion site.  There are forums on just about every subject you could possibly imagine. 

It is easy to connect with industry forums.  You simply go to your favorite search engine and type in whatever industry you are in, followed by the word “forums.”  Don’t be afraid to try a few different scenarios and see what pops up.  For example, if I was interested in the automobile industry, I might search for “automobile forums” or more specifically, “corvette forums.”

And don’t forget about Amazon.  They’ve got all kinds of discussions taking place on their site.  Logon to Amazon and click on the Discusson Boards tab at the top of the page.

Blogs

Blogs are a little different from forums.  Blogs are also a type of website, but are usually maintained by an individual who periodically posts regular entries or comments about a particular subject.  Anyone who comes to the site has the opportunity to comment on the entry. 

You can search for blogs in your industry the same way you would search for forums.  You would just replace the word “forums” with “blogs.”  If I was searching for blogs on marketing, I would type in “marketing blogs” or if I wanted to be more specific, “consultant marketing blogs.”

Social Networking Sites

Social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or MySpace all have opportunities to listen in to what is being said in your industry.  There are even social networking sites that are industry specific, but it is more difficult to find them.  Instead of following the search process outlined previously, just search for “social networking sites.”  There you will be able to find lists of sites that you can dig through.

Each of these sites is set up a little differently, so you will have to spend some time on each one to learn how to best utilize the tools available.

Forums, Blogs and Social Networking sites are an excellent way to eavesdrop on your prospects and hear the conversations going on in your industry.  You can learn what your prospects like, don’t like, what’s bothering them, what they are having issues with and the number one problem they need help with.  It is all there.  All you have to do is listen and take notes.

Perks and Parking

 

I recently visited a manufacturing plant to drop off something to a friend who worked in the office.  It was raining pretty heavily so I naturally looked for a parking spot closest to the door. 

 

As I started to pull into a convenient vacant space, I immediately noticed a sign.  Without thinking I assumed it was a “Visitor Parking Only” sign.  When I looked up and shut off my car, there it was – “This spot reserved for Employee of the Month.”  Ooops, I thought.  Some poor sucker who is down to their last few days of having a prime parking spot will be pulling in at any moment to give me “the look.”  I wasn’t thrilled about having to move, but I thought it was a nice gesture for the employees.  

As I started to look for another spot, it soon became apparent that the “prime spot” was not so prime after all.  Next to the Employee of the Month parking spot (and the spots even closer to the door I might add) were spaces designated for other employees.  The signs read, “Reserved for ___________.”  Recognizing the names I realized they were spaces for the Big Shots of the company.  I must admit, I didn’t have quite the same response as I did for Employee of the Month.

Now don’t get me wrong, I believe that it is important for employers to give perks along the way, but this whole parking thing got me steamed.  Why is it that the customer is so often an afterthought for so many businesses?  What if I had been a very important new customer?  Would I have been in a better or worse frame of mind having walked half the distance of the parking lot to get past the employee designed spaces – in the pouring rain no less?

It also reminded me of another local business.  The owner always parks his big huge truck right in front of the door (not even in a designated space).  Not only do you have to walk around it to get into the door, but it is apparent that it shouldn’t be parked there at all.

Now I know that I will ruffle some feathers – especially for those of you who are employees.  I was an employee for a very long time and believe me when it came to parking (or other perks) I thought I not only earned it but deserved it. 

I remember years ago when I was transferred to a different location and received a prime spot, I was shunned.  I’m not kidding.  I actually had someone ask me, “So what did YOU do to get a spot closer to the door than mine?”

So yes, I get it.  But now that I am an employer and am paid to enlighten people on the importance of their customers, I see things differently.  I hope you will take this for what it is – advice.  Just as a side note, I strongly believe the more unhappy an employee is the more they live and die by the perks.  At least that has been my personal experience.  But that is another newsletter altogether.

So let this lesson in parking etiquette be a reminder to you – when you are making decisions within your business or organization ALWAYS ask yourself, how will this affect those I am trying to serve?  You may have the greatest business or service in the world, with the greatest intentions, but you could be turning your customer off before they even make it to the door.

Recession Busters – Opportunity #4

This is the fourth article in a series of 4 articles regarding opportunities for generating additional income.  The information shared in these articles comes directly from my own personal experience.  I am in no way attempting to discount or ignore other businesses in the industries referred to in these articles, nor should it be taken as such.

Link to Intro article: http://tinyurl.com/cof8ao

Link to Recession Buster – Opportunity #1:  http://tinyurl.com/dyvdp8

Link to Recession Buster – Opportunity #2:  http://tinyurl.com/oceehv

Link to Recession Buster – Opportunity #3:  http://tinyurl.com/q9emc5

Over the past few weeks you have joined me on a journey to discover opportunities for earning additional income.  Up to this point we discussed three recession buster ideas – network marketing, internet marketing and moonlighting your expertise.  In today’s article we will talk about something that will be familiar to you and one that I have talked about on more than one occasion – joint ventures and partnerships. 

In the past I have discussed JV opportunities as an extremely effective marketing strategy for attracting new clients.  The basic principle behind all of this is aligning your time and resources with another company that has the same target market as you do. 

Here’s an example:  If I am a marketing company that targets service businesses, it would make sense for me to have a joint venture with a CPA who works with service businesses.  Perhaps we could hold a workshop together.  The CPA would discuss tax alternatives for small business owners and I would talk about marketing a service business.  We both invite our clients.  This is a win-win for both of us as we both have clients that could be prospects for our JV partner.  Make sense?  JV partners are crucial alliances to have in any market.

You can take JV opportunities one step further and turn them into partners for a new business venture.  I am currently doing this with a colleague in Chicago.  We are bringing his expertise together with my expertise and creating an information product.  Once the product is complete we will market and promote the product together and split the profits.  I started out working with him as an apprentice in an area I was ramping up in my business and out of that came a terrific friendship and now a new business partner.

Challenging times such as we are currently experiencing actually serve to produce some of the biggest ideas as well as some of the most creative and cutting edge products and services.  Why?  Because we start thinking outside of the box, we are more creative and are more open to collaborations.  

Now, how do JV partners and Partnership opportunities hold up to my guidelines:

1. The initial investment had to be small – zero – $10.  ü

Initially all that I had to invest was my time.  Ideas are free. 

1. If training was required it had to be free or cost very little.  ü 

No training required.  I do this stuff every day.

1. There had to be potential for growth.  ü  

I’m a big thinker.  Nothing really gets my attention unless there is a potential for growth.  Both of these opportunities are totally motivated by the potential for growth, both financially and mentally.   

1. A small amount of time was required to get started – no more than 10 hours per week. 

Working together makes a job light (and more fun I might add).  I have to admit, these options both required a great deal more time than 10 hours per week so I couldn’t put a check here.  However, I was willing to invest more time for the potential ultimate outcome. 

1. It had to be something I could feel passionate about and in the end, help others.  ü 

I love JV partners and Partnerships.  It is awesome to take the combined gifts and talents of separate individuals to create something bigger and better than you could do on your own.  How cool is that?

I hope you have enjoyed this series on Recession-Buster Opportunities.  As always, I have shared my journey with you in the hope that you could learn from my experience, and in this case, improve your financial future.

I do have a word of advice as I close.  Even though many of these opportunities did not require a great deal of time, they still require work.  Don’t let that scare you off!  Please don’t be one of those people who sit in front of their television or computer and complain how bad things are.  Each and every one of you has amazing gifts and abilities.  Think outside the box, take a risk and try something new.  Remember when you were 17 and the life ahead of you was filled with possibilities?  It’s still the same world!  Don’t let fear hold you back.  Experience life!  Get out there and take a risk.

 

Recession Busters – Opportunity #3

This is the third article in a series of 4 articles regarding opportunities for generating additional income.  The information shared in these articles comes directly from my own personal experience.  I am in no way attempting to discount or ignore other businesses in the industries referred to in these articles, nor should it be taken as such.

*** Click on the links to the right to read the Intro article, Recession Busters – Opportunity #1 and Opportunity #2

Okay, so far we’ve discussed two alternative recession buster ideas – network marketing and internet marketing.  In this article we will tackle something that has been the springboard for many business ideas.  I call it “moonlighting your expertise.”

Every single one of you reading my newsletter has skills and talents you could be using to strengthen your pocketbook.  Moonlighting your expertise is not a new concept, but one that I believe is strongly worth considering.  Even if you own your own business and are already “selling” your expertise, I know you have skills and talents that you could be using to earn extra cash.

Before I had my own business I was a marketing director for a title insurance company.  This was my “9 to 5” job.  In the evenings and weekends I started working with a handful of small business owners helping them with their marketing.  I gradually added more clients and eventually went into business full time for myself.

A great way to determine if moonlighting your expertise is right for you is to start by writing down your skills or strengths.  Some of these will be obvious.  But it is the not–so-obvious skills and strengths that might also be your ticket to additional income.

I will use myself as an example.  My obvious expertise is marketing, just as it was when I worked for someone else.  However, outside of that my not-so-obvious skill is writing.  This is something that comes pretty naturally to me but a skill that I have found not everyone possesses.  I am aware of a ton of business owners that know they need to write articles but hate to write, or just don’t feel they have the talent.  Potentially I could create additional income by being a ghost writer.

When our skills or strengths are something we do naturally, we may not identify them as having the potential to help us earn additional income.  There are a couple of ways to determine what those skills or strengths might be.  First of all, what are some of the things you have received awards for or compliments from?  Or what have you been told you are really good at?  If you’re still not sure then ask!  Your friends and co-workers can really help with this exercise.  Besides that, if you start talking about your ideas for moonlighting they might be a great referral source as well!

Let’s say you are a dental assistant by trade, but have also identified you have great organizational skills.  I can guaranty you there are businesses out there that could utilize your organizational talents.  Maybe they need help with filing or have workflow issues, for example.  There are numerous ways your organizational skills could help you earn additional income.  If you are still baffled, go to a job site like careerbuilder.com and type in organizational skills and see what job descriptions pop up.  Get creative!

So here’s how moonlighting your expertise stacked up to my opportunity guidelines:

1. The initial investment had to be small – zero – $10.  ü

You can get started for basically nothing; however, having business cards would be a good idea if you need more than one or two clients.  There are a ton of websites where you can purchase nice business cards for next to nothing (my favorite www.vistaprint.com). 

1. If training was required it had to be free or cost very little.  ü 

You already have all the training you need to get started so there is no cost here.  If you want to continue to hone your skills you can always read blogs or register for newsletters specifically targeting the area you want to work on.

1. There had to be potential for growth.  ü  

The opportunity for growth depends on the amount of time and energy you want to sink into this.   

1. A small amount of time was required to get started – no more than 10 hours per week.  ü

You can choose the number of hours you want to invest.  It might be 2 hours a week or 10. 

1. It had to be something I could feel passionate about and in the end, help others.  ü 

Personally this was why I started moonlighting in the first place.  I had a passion to help small business owners with their marketing, but I also had strong desire to become an entrepreneur.  Moonlighting covered both.

As a side note, there is another piece to moonlighting your expertise that is worth considering.  Bartering.  Bartering or trading services is a fantastic way to put extra money into your pocket.  I know a gym owner who trades services such as winter plowing and advertising for gym memberships.  There are endless opportunities for bartering, especially in these challenging economic times. 

I hope Recession-Buster Opportunity #3 – moonlighting your expertise - has given you more ideas to work with.  Never underestimate the value of your skills and talents.  Who knows, you just might find a new career lurking beneath it all, not to mention some extra cash as well.

** Please share your comments below **