Starting Your Own Business as a Career Choice

I recently learned some very insightful ideas from a great speaker, Larry Farrell, who specializes in Entrepreneurship.

He works with Junior Achievement to help prepare materials for middle school and high school programs in an effort to help young people learn more than facts, to learn the principles of starting and running a business.

One fact: Young people will have more than 9 jobs before they are 40. Why not have one of these "jobs" actually be your business and employ people to help build your product or provide your service to the customers?

Larry's Four Principles of Entrepreneurship:

• Sense of Mission
• Customer/Product Focus
• High Speed Innovation
• Self-Inspired Behavior

For more information, check out my Branding & Marketing article with more information about Larry Farrell and his mission of bringing entrepreneurship to the world.

Branding & Marketing for Enterpreneurs & Job Hunters

Yesterday evening I had the opportunity to meet with 30 students and entrepreneurs at Kent State - Stark for the first in a series of business speakers. I was impressed with the attentiveness of the group and the questions they asked. As each person walked in, it was difficult to judge who was a business person coming from work and who was a student walking in from a class -- they all were dressed in business attire. That was a good thing -- each was "packaged" for business.

Donald Thacker asked me to speak following the Entrepreneurship Extravaganza Event in October in Kent.

Some of the information I shared related to job hunting as well as launching a product. I referenced Dan Schawbel's blog called Personal Branding and all the great links that he has compiled.

We talked about having an on line branding. Dan mentions it in one of his slideshare powerpoints. You know, potential employers will google your name and find out what your branding looks like on line. See page 5 of this 16 page presentation.

When you're interviewing with a potential employer, do you position yourself? Do you have a niche? What's your one word? One color?

Picture Yourself as an Engineer!

Each year the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. hosts an Engineering Career Day for Young Women at the company's Goodyear Hall facility.

Young women in grades 6 through 12 are invited to attend this event on Saturday, April 19, 2008 in Akron, Ohio.

This program focuses not only on engineering but also on careers that can be launched from an engineering background. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in hands-on activities related to multiple engineering fields and will also have the opportunity to interact with professionals from Goodyear, other industrial companies and local universities to learn more about careers in engineering and the sciences.

Other engineering disciplines will also be discussed, including polymer, materials, biomedical, chemical, mechanical, electrical, environmental, and aeronautical. There will also be a special session on Preparing for College for students and Financial Aid for parents. Middle school and high school students will follow separate tracks geared specifically for their age group.

Encourage students to come and enjoy this fun and informative event, as did the young women who attended last year:

"This was very informative and fun!! If offered next year, I will definitely come back." "It was an awesome experience and I now know what my future dream job is!"

The day will conclude with one young woman winning the chance for a ride on the Goodyear blimp.

This FREE event runs 8:00 a.m. to 3 p.m., is open to the public and includes lunch. Participants must register at www.goodyear.com/careerday. The registration deadline is April 5, but space is limited, so register early.

Students may be accompanied by one parent during the day’s activities.

Sustainable Business Practices in a Global Economy

For those in Northeast Ohio, Cleveland State’s College of Business hosts Dave Cowan from Lubrizol to discuss “Sustainable Business Practices in a Global Economy”. It will be held February 21, 2008 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM in downtown Cleveland.

Dave Cowan the Public Affairs Manager at The Lubrizol Corporation has global responsibility for government and community relations. Jim D’Orazio is organizing the event. Jim's a friend of mine and a faculty member at the Nance College of Business Administration

Key topics include:

• How to identify and partner with key stakeholders.
• Creating competitive advantage in the global marketplace.
• Managing risk.
• Being a “good” global citizen…profitably.

The event will be Thursday February 21, 2008 from 11:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m. This is the third in a four part series on sustainable business practices.

This free discussion and networking event will be held at the Maxine Goodman Levine College of Urban Affairs, located at 1717 Euclid Ave, in the Bonda Room (UR 254) Cleveland Ohio.

Bring your own lunch but light refreshments will also be provided by the sponsors, Cleveland State’s Department of Marketing and the student chapter of the American Management Association.

Be part of a lively discussion that may help you identify a source of competitive advantage for your company.

To register, please email j.dorazio@csuohio.edu or go to the Nance College of Business web site at http://www.csuohio.edu/cba/mkt/noon