Feel like your career is on life support? You are not alone. There is a cure.
"I was let go six months ago and thought it was the end of the world. After doing some soul searching, I realized that I am an entrepreneur at heart. My concern however is that with the economy, is it a bad idea to start a business during the recession? What do I need to be aware of in this recession to not only survive but thrive?"
According to Ideacafe.com most businesses start and fail not because of a lack of market opportunity but because a lack of vision.
I recently conducted an interview with the CEO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK? Brian Scudamore. He runs an incredibly innovative junk removal service. His company was ranked as the second best workplace in all of Canada by Great Place to Work Institute Canada.
He is also a very nice and generous person with his time and I wanted to feature his company in an article. A special thanks also to Tania Hall, senior PR manager at the company for identifying the company's top five tips:
1 Clear Vision: A vision is a clear picture of how your business looks, acts, and feels at any time. Knowing where you're headed, regardless of the maelstrom of change around you, is a sure fire way of reaching your goals.
2Smart Marketing: It is a mistake to begin penny-pinching the marketing budget when the economy is on the downturn. Brand awareness is more important than ever! Some strategic scaling back may be necessary, but the money you spend to raise awareness about your business now will put you top-of-mind for your customers in the future.
3Customer Focus: Maintaining a strong customer focus is essential during hard economic times. Regular evaluation of customer satisfaction is important, but when people are cautious about spending, businesses must work extra hard to earn their trust. Now is the time to show your customers why they need your business. For example, at 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, we are currently using the Net Promoter Score (NPS) system, which gives us detailed information about our customers' experience and enable us to provide a better service.
4Great People: Great people drive a great workplace culture, which in turn can achieve miracles. It takes time to cultivate a work environment that's full of passionate, hard-working people who really love their work, but the investment in finding great people is always worth it. When times are tough, great people are committed to doing the work needed to achieve success.
5Stay Positive: Keeping a positive attitude is crucial to an entrepreneur's success during a recession. People look to you as their top role model at work. Lead by example and even when there's sobering news to impart, always ask your people: What lesson can we learn from this?
Entrepreneur Contest: The president that sends me the best company vision will win an opportunity to promote their business on my show Career FastTrack. Entry deadline is June 19 at 5 p.m.
E-mail your question to: info@Dr-Career.com. Visit www.1daydreamjobchallenge.org for a free download. Listen to Career FastTrack "Live" Mondays at 5:30 p.m. on CiTR 101.9 FM or online at citr.ca.
