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It’s amazing to watch the Olympic athletes, the best in the world at what they do. When you think about the years of training and complete dedication it takes to get to that level, each one has a story of sacrifice and absolute focus.  That’s the same attitude you need to start your own business.

As the employment situation remains bleak, and improving unemployment statistics are only due to more people running out of unemployment benefits and they fall off the statistic screen, the best way out of the jobless mess remains the option to start your own business.  But starting a business is much like working toward an Olympic gold medal - it takes dedication, sacrifice and focus.

Perhaps it’s no coincidence that February is also “National Start Your Own Business Month.”  Now is the time to evaluate your skills and abilities, then decide how you can capitalize on those to turn them into a successful business.  To browse through a list of business ideas, visit our guide to 101+ business ideas at EntrepreNecessary StartUp Ideas.

Enjoy the Olympics. Get Inspired. Then go for your own personal gold with your new business startup!

When you’re thinking about how to start a successful business, a great exercise to go through is to look for ways to reinvent your chosen industry. Are there different ways to do what has become the standard operating procedure for everyone in your field? That’s where the little guy has an advantage. Big business is slow to adapt and adopt new methods, while as the small guy you are quick and nimble, able to change your approach with a moment’s notice.

Patti Hill started Blabbermouth PR three weeks after 9/11 shocked the nation. She said,”Downtowns are not interruptions; rather opportunities for confident decision-making.”

She tooka different approach to the PR world, offering only senior level employees.  That’s a great idea, because I know from my experience, the owners and senior level executives of an agency come and sell themselves to you, then when your company becomes a client all the work is done by interns and junior level employees. Patti knew there was a new way to approach business that would be attractive to potential customers.

“Realizing the necessity of creating a business model and a service offering that catered to the needs of all types and sizes of organizations, we broke with prevailing tradition by creating a new model for the PR industry, offering solely senior-level representation and electing to stock her firm with executives–skipping interns, trainees and junior-level representatives altogether. This senior-level practitioner model translates into a host of other differentiators: Only BlabberMouth offers the accountability, efficiency, strategic thinking, and agility to represent diverse industries that naturally arise from 100 percent senior-level practitioners.”

Blabbermouth PR took off and became successful. Their growth took them to a new level where they felt a name change was necessary, but that success came from taking a new approach to an old business model.

How can you re-invent the business model you’re about to enter?  It gets back to the age-old saying… Build a better mousetrap and they will come!

For many years, 7-Up has built their brand by being the “UnCola,” suggesting that it’s better to break out of the pack and be something different than all the other cola products out there. Their message invites you to drink something different, unique, individual – breaking away from crowd of mindless, faceless followers.

So if there’s such power in being “Un” in the cola world, how does that translate to being “Un” in the employment world?  To really tap into that power, we have to shift our thinking about unemployment.

When you first lose a job, “Unemployment” really means “UnJob.”  I’ve lost my job so I have no employment. It’s a very negative perspective. No job. No income. No insurance. No security. No inner peace. Looking at it that way, un-employment is a very bad thing.

The flip side to “Un” in the employment world is to look at it as freedom.  Without the constraints of working for someone else, I am free to start my own business where I’m the boss. No more timeclock. No more asking for a raise. No more being told what to do. Now your success is all up to you.

This positive way of looking at un-employment is unconventional. For those who view unemployment as a negative, it’s also unbelievable. But if you have an entrepreneurial spirit, you know the potential of running your own business is UNLIMITED!

If you’re looking for ideas of businesses you can start, check out our start-up ideas at www.EntrepreNecessary.com/101_Business_Ideas.

On a whim, I sent the President a bill for my lost earnings.  Do you think I’ll ever receive payment?  Thought you might enjoy reading it…

Dear Mr. President,

I know you are used to signing bills, but I have a different type of bill for you. Consider this letter an INVOICE for $100,000. What is it for? Let’s just call it a Family Stimulus Plan.  When you took office in January, I was happily employed earning six figures a year in an executive position. Five short months later in May, as the economy spiraled out of control and your administration began a wreckless spending spree, my company downsized to save money and I was suddenly unemployed. Now I’m just one of 15 million Americans who have no income, yet have families to support and bills that need paid every month. Your promise of “Hope and Change” has become “We HOPE we find enough CHANGE in our house to pay the bills this month!”

I know you claim you can’t just write checks, but you sure are good at spending money. A hundred thousand is regarded as spare change in Washington, so this shouldn’t be too much to ask. Last week I heard one Senator call 56 Billion too small of an amount to worry about in the big picture, so $100,000 is nothing more than a rounding error. But to my family, it will bring peace and security and help us start our own business, which seems to be the only option for many today as it will take years for companies to create 15 million new jobs.

Just forward my bill over to Tim Geithner at Treasury, and he can take it out of the stimulus money. I know he’s very focused on collecting taxes (as long as it’s not his own), so the great thing for the government about paying me is that I’ll turn around and give half of it back to you in taxes.

To make this easy for you, feel free to send my $100,000 payment through Paypal. Please send it to david@entreprenecessary.com.

One last thought – you’re trying to sell the country on the idea that Healthcare is the number one problem. The reality is the number one problem is the economy, which results in huge unemployment. Fifteen million voters are unemployed, and many, many more are underemployed. There is so much uncertainty that businesses are not hiring.

15 million is an interesting number to think about. You only won the election by 8 million.

I look forward to receiving your payment.

Sincerely,
–David

David Archer
www.EntrepreNecessary.com
Resources to go from Fired to Fired Up!

The one job sector that is growing right now is the government.  Everyone talks about having a government job and being set for life - you’ll never be fired, you have great benefits, and you receive a great retirement plan. But is that always true?  Perhaps not.

I went to the Oregon Employment Division website the other day, and much to my surprise they had a big CLOSED sign on the site. It seems the employment department, along with every other non-essential state office, would be closed on Friday as part of the state’s budgetary cutbacks to save money. This was the first of 10 days throughout the next few years of mandatory unpaid days off.  And Oregon is not the only state that is cutting into their employee’s wages and benefits to meet budget deficits. We’ve all heard about California’s woes, and the list goes on from there.

So even those cushy government jobs are not without uncertainty. That’s why the best solution is still self-employment. Starting your own business, while full of it’s own stresses and uncertainties, is the best way to be in control of your own destiny.

Our children recently started back to school, and that’s always an exciting time – catching up with old friends, finding your new classroom, meeting the new teacher, but after the newness wears off and they settle down to the old routine, their favorite subject remains the same year after year. You’ve probably already guessed – that’s right, it’s recess. That got me thinking, that there really is a “recess” in “recession,” however it’s not fun and we don’t ever look forward to it.

At school, recess is when kids take a break from their studies. For adults, our recession recess is when we take a break from financial peace, job security, profits, and for many of us, gainful employment. Not quite as fun as when the recess bell rang when we were kids.

On the playground, we also had the security of the ‘recess lady’ who stood there with her whistle and bullhorn, keeping everyone safe and under control. Unfortunately during the recession recess there’s no one watching over us, assuring we survive alive. In fact, those in charge in Washington seem to doing their best to divert attention from the real crisis in the country (unemployment and the economy) to their politically manufactured crisis (healthcare).

It highlights once again that for many in today’s world, the only real solution to end their personal recession is to start their own business. If you’re still thinking about the right business for you, check our page of 101+ Start Up Ideas. In this economy, we’re all going to be happy to say “recess is over!”

Successful businesses can come from the most unlikely places.  The following success story was submitted by a pair of entrepreneurs who found that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure!…

Dan Ryan sat in the chair with thoughts racing a million miles an hour, mostly questions, as his boss told him he was being laid off. It’s a feeling that hits pretty close to home for many people. Ryan was in New York, miles away from his hometown of Detroit. When he couldn’t find another opportunity, he moved back where he could surround himself with family, and he called his old friend Patrick Lipa.

Ryan and Lipa grew up together in Detroit and attended Notre Dame High School, which has since closed. Throughout childhood they played on the same hockey teams, including traveling teams and their high school team. The close relationship of a teammate is a bond that never weakens.

After high school, they enrolled at Wayne State University. Both graduating in 2007, Ryan majored in communications and Lipa in marketing. Ryan moved to New York where he was a television producer until he was laid off last year.

Lipa was working for a property management company when Ryan called him about a business venture he was looking into. His cousin Nick Friedman had started College Hunks Hauling Junk a few years ago and the company was rapidly growing. He decided to buy an Oakland franchise.

“Of any franchise opportunity out there, I was attracted to College Hunks Hauling Junk because of what it does for the community and the environment,” said Ryan. Most of the junk he will collect from homes and businesses is either donated to charities or recycled. Very little of it will end up in a landfill, which is extremely important. This business will be a great opportunity to help clean up the city – it means making a living, while helping the planet and employing others; exactly what Oakland needs right now.

Once they agreed on the franchise opportunity, these two 26-year-old entrepreneurs were faced with a lot of opposition from banks. They struggled to find investors willing to financially back their new business.

But in the end, their persistence paid off. All the details worked out, and they’re ready to get moving. Ryan and Lipa opened their doors April 27^th for business. In their first month alone, they served over 55 clients – the best start for a location in College Hunks Hauling Junk’s history.

ABOUT COLLEGE HUNKS HAULING JUNK

The College Hunks Hauling Junk concept began 2003. Today, it is a multi-million dollar enterprise that provides commercial and residential junk removal by dialing 1-800-Junk-USA nationwide. As the largest US-based junk hauling company, College Hunks Hauling Junk donates a portion of revenue from every job to the College Bound Scholarship program. Visit: www.1800junkusa.com or call: 1-800 Junk-USA

I love to hear the success stories of others who have taken their idea and turned it into a business. Have you ever heard of philanthropic green travel?  That’s what Dominique Callimanopulos, Founder of Elevate Destinations, decided to specialize in.

Why did you leave your last job?

Prior to starting Elevate, I was working as a psychotherapist, but was getting restless, and wanting to work on global issues again, not just with individuals. I began by consulting with international non-profits on strategic development and fundraising, but then formed Elevate Destinations to focus exclusively on philanthropic travel.  It is great being able to catalyze substantive support for leading international non-profits doing such good work in emerging communities.

Why/how did you start your business?

I wanted to play a role in raising funds for community and conservation projects internationally, while also supporting small to mid size non-profit organizations by expanding their capacity and reach.  Elevate Destinations organizes many donor trips that bring board members and donors to visit projects they are investing in overseas.  Such first hand witnessing in the field is powerful and transformative.  I had previous background in non-profit work and was well networked in the field, so that helped me to quickly advance our philanthropic travel agenda.

What does success mean to you?

For most women, success means being able to balance many agendas.  In my case, balancing my personal, creative and family life with a professional agenda while making an impact in the global arena is front and center.  Creating a strong company based on good values which promote a creative, satisfying work culture & collegiality and results in happy clients and beneficiary projects is currently my top priority.

You can visit her website at www.ElevateDestinations.com.

I’ve been asked why the EntrepreNecessary logo has this cool looking guy who is juggling a bunch of balls. My first answer is, “Didn’t everyone want to run away and join the circus?”… Which reminds me that I was reading job listings a few weeks ago, and there really was a job opening for the circus.  They wanted you to start in June in Oregon, and then travel by yourself or with your significant other through the west and throughout Canada until September, visiting towns ahead of the circus to hang all the posters advertising that the circus was coming to town.  But that really has nothing to do with the juggling dude on the EntrepreNecessary logo!

The reality is, when you start a business you have to be a juggler, keeping many jobs and duties in the air at one time.  The thing I liked about working in a big corporation, was that there was a department for all the details you didn’t want to deal with.  If my computer had problems, I’d call the guy from IT who would bring his little cart full of tech tools down the hall and figure out how to fix it.  As a small business owner, there is not an IT guy or a techie cart. When a computer has issues, it’s usually a late night of experimenting until you find the problem. The same can be said of accounting issues, shipping, payroll, and every other department you may have had at the touch of your phone in a corporate environment. Now, as a business owner, it’s all about you. You are the IT guy, the HR gal, the Shipping clerk, the CEO and the Janitor.  You are juggling all those duties, as you build and grow your business.

Essentially, you are the ringmaster of your own circus.  It’s crazy at times, but that’s the joy of being an entrepreneur.