I Need a Job! Four Steps to Find New Business Opportunities

The new business opportunity you are trying to find might be might be next door, rather than on LinkedIn.

My friend told me that she got a job as head of marketing for a new startup company. Not only is she going to be on salary, but she also gets a percentage of the startup company. Sarah, in her late 50s, is a former Hollywood agent, screenwriter, and entrepreneur. She doesn’t have an MBA, nor does she have any degree in marketing.

So how did Sarah, who has had little experience in marketing, get this amazing job when other people are aging out of the corporate market?

Sometimes a cliché is true. A dog is a man’s – or in this case, a woman’s – best friend. Sarah got it by walking her dog.

That’s right, you read this right. As both women walked their dogs, Sarah gave her neighbor great tips on launching her startup, which led to a job offer.

You see, business opportunity is everywhere. Some see it and act on it. Others are distracted by desperation and don’t notice when an answer to a career problem is right in front of them. It’s important to realize that it’s never too late to start a new career, in a different business, and have a new income stream.

Many of my baby boomer friends are shocked to find that their retirement savings are not sufficient to cover the long lives we are all facing, and Social Security payments aren’t going to give them a life that includes even grungy hotels.

Here are 4 Steps to help you find new business opportunities:

1. Get out of the house and meet new people. Branch out. Do something different. Just last weekend, while playing Pokémon Go on the Santa Monica Pier, I met a man who was having trouble with a PokeStop. Turned out that he’s a dentist who had to give a speech, and he was scared out of his mind. Guess who has a new client? Me!
2. Consider everyone you meet as a potential resource. Business opportunities are not just on LinkedIn or in an office. They can be your nextdoor neighbor whom you walk your dog with, or even your Uber driver (whose brother might run a comedy club that you have been trying to get into). 
3. Even if you don’t have an elevator, have an elevator speech. Be prepared to tell others what you do in a compelling one-minute pitch that doesn’t sound like you’re selling yourself. Sarah came to me for coaching last year as she was preparing to give a speech. We worked on The Message of You formula, a technique to market yourself -- and what you do by focusing on outcomes. This way of introducing yourself forms an instant connection to others.
4. Giving often leads to getting. Be generous. Walking her dog, Sarah gave her neighbor marketing ideas. She did it, not to get a job, but that’s who Sarah is. As a freelancer, she advises authors on how to sell more books and does product placement for movies and books.

Do these steps not looking for a hand-out, but as a way of being helpful to others.

Have you noticed that people love when they’re not looking? It’s the same with getting a job or clients. By being giving, you’re likely to generate others to do the same, and you will be the recipient. It’s more inviting than a desperate, “I need a job!”

If you know someone looking for a job, tweet this!

@JudyCarter

Get paid to speak your life message at The Message of You

How to Become a Paid Motivational Speaker

5 Steps to Having a Moneymaking Message 

In becoming a motivational speaker, I went from being a standup comic, flying coach, getting heckled, and sharing a Motel 6 to being a paid speaker, traveling first class, speaking to an appreciative audience, and staying in fancy hotels with spa soap. Rather than doing nine shows a week in a comedy club, I was now earning more doing just one speech.  

Speaking at Women's Health Event in Pensacola, Fl

In 2008, however, everything changed. When the recession hit, the motivational speaking market went downhill as companies could no longer justify hiring a pick-them-up, make-them-laugh speaker. Rather than entertainment, they needed someone with a message, someone who would deliver “take-aways” that improved efficiency, reduced sick days, and boosted their bottom line.

Seeing the writing on the podium, I switched from being a “lighten up humorist” to speaking on the topics of stress reduction and leadership. I continued to use my comedy material to keep the audience laughing, but added specific ACTION STEPS to make my points create lasting results. Developing these STEPS are essential if you want to have a moneymaking message as a motivational speaker.

In my online speaking workshop, students find these crucial action steps by examining their own “mess-to-success” journeys and taking advantage of the specifics that worked for them. Few thought to examine how they lost weight, conquered a depression, or started a business. They were so busy keeping up with LinkedIn and Facebook, they overlooked what they’d learned about overcoming a particular challenge. Getting in touch with those steps is the way to earn extra income as a speaker and can even transform into a book.

Here are some steps to help you find your Action Steps to become a motivation speaker:

This is excerpted from my book "The Message of You": 

1. Make a list of your successes.
2. Next to each, note your starting point, i.e., bad health, living with your parents, directionless, whatever.
3. Explain how you got from your “mess” to your “success.”
4. Find 3 things you did differently that worked. 
5. Give a name/label to those 3 things that got you to success as those are your Action Steps.

Watch free video lessons, get coaching, and join online workshops to find your message and become a paid motivational speaker.

https://themessageofyou.com

Message Marketing: 6 Essential Entrepreneurial Marketing Skills for Your Home-Based Business

Attend Free Online "Marketing Your Message" with Judy Carter

Thursday, August 4 - 6pm to 7pm (Pacific Time)

Register HERE. 

Yesterday, when I asked my neighbor’s kid if she could walk my dog, she directed me to her dog walking website, complete with client reviews, a message statement, customer testimonials, and pricing tiers. In the About section, I learned she is 10 years old.

Say what you will about Millennials, but today’s kids have more sophisticated message marketing skills than most Baby Boomers. Still, even if you aren’t a born entrepreneur, you can learn 6 essential skills necessary to earn extra income with your home-based business.

Why become an entrepreneur?

With company’s hiring fewer full time employees, careers like my father’s, who had one job for his entire life and retired at 55 years old with a lucrative pension, are few and far between. According to The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average person now has 12 jobs in his or her lifetime, and many of them are at the same time. If you want to afford a great lifestyle, it is necessary to be a self-starter and know how to maximize your earnings.

When starting a home-based business, BEFORE you hire someone to design your website, write copy, and handle the marketing, learn these 6 marketing skills:

1. Know your message. Your essential business message has to be front and center on your website. This is called Your Promise Statement which is a 5 to 7 word statement that conveys the results of someone using your service or product. That should go onto your website, form your social marketing campaign, and be reflected by your logo. http://themessageofyou.com/webinar-jane/

2. Get Google to Find You. Like the old adage goes, what good is a website if Google can’t find it? You can DIY SEO marketing to increase your online ranking without hiring an expensive expert.

3. Write Findable and Sizzling Web Copy.  Data driven websites are a bore. Communicate with clients using STORIES. There are 3 Essential Stories you have to have on your website.

4. Create a great demo video. Before you hire an expensive video production crew, assemble an authentic video that will connect with Millennials. A phone and selfie stick will be useful as you want to be authentic.

5. Connect with stories. Know your 3 Essential Business Stories that include: the story of your customers, the story of your business, and your own personal heart story.

6. Use public speaking to promote your business. Yes, speaking is scary, but there is no better marketing than a 12-minute TEDx talk to turn you into an International Expert.
Your message is your foundation to your marketing. To help you find your message and
other marketing skills, view free video lessons here. It all comes down to message
marketing.

Overcoming Procrastination: Read this now or you never will

Attend Free Online  Workshop with Judy Carter

Thursday, Aug 4 - 6pm to 7pm (Pacific Time)

Register HERE. 

Writers Block? Overcome Procrastination Now

Overcoming procrastination is possible! I’m a total procrastinator, yet, I have published five books, written TED talks for myself, and others, and run my home-based business where I’ve developed an online speaker and comedy workshop. 

And further more, I got this blog done!

You’re probably thinking that, “That doesn’t sound like a procrastinator.” You want proof of what a nut job I am?

Here’s a video of a day in the life of a writer (me) struggling to write a new speech where I keep looking for ideas in the refrigerator which has the same stuff in it as it had in it when I looked 5 minutes ago. Squirrel!

Why Do People Procrastinate?

According to Oregon State University, there are Six Reason why people procrastinate. 

#1 "But I Don't Know How"

When I was teaching standup, so many comics didn’t do any advance work because if they didn’t get laughs, they could cop-out by saying, “I didn’t work on this.” Nobody likes to feel dumb. In my comedy and speaking webinars, the attendees who do their homework and put themselves out there, get better. Just ask past comedy student, Seth Rogen.

#2 "This Stuff Is Just Plain Boring"

I was complaining about all the boring database work I have to do to promote my new book "The Message of You Journal" to my buddy film director, Cathryn Michon. Meanwhile, Cathryn commiserated because although, she got to write, starred in and direct her movie "Muffin Top: A Love Story," rather than spending her time drinking Champagne from a crystal Tiffany flute, she spent her time re-linking audio files, color correcting, and searching for corrupt pixels. As she said, "People don’t realize that 90% of having a dream job is boring, grueling, grunge work.” Take our dreams... please!

#3 "I Don't Feel Like Doing It"

If you want until you’re motivated to do something, you’re going to die waiting for that burst of inspiration. Getting tasks done is like married sex: you make an appointment, start doing it even when you don’t feel like it, and then your both surprise yourself that things got rolling.

#4 "But What If I Can't Cut It?"

Fear of failure is another reason people procrastinate. I remember when I was teaching comedy, that there was a student whose cell phone went off right before it was his turn to go onstage. He would shout, “My wife has an emergency!” But, the third time, his wife gave birth within a month, we were on to him. In my online Comedy Workshop, generally, the people who show up are the ones who succeed.

#5 "You Can't Make Me"

Many times, my internal voice sounds like my mother saying, “Do your homework, NOW!” And my rebellious reaction, “NO!” We baby boomers were the protesting generation. I can just see us in Assisted Living being pushed to the bathroom going, “Hell no; we won’t go!” Oh look, you already went... in your pants. 

Here’s the thing, if you are a procrastinator, there are workarounds to overcoming procrastination:

ADMIT IT

As in all first steps, you have to admit that you are a procrastinator. If your first thought right now is, I’ll admit this "later” rather than, “Now,” you are a procrastinator. I remember listening to Jane Fonda interview in the '80s where she called herself “Lazy.” Mind you, at the time she was a movie star, teaching workout classes, raising a family, as well as putting out exercise DVD series. Once you admit it, then you can accept fixes.

GET APPS

Turn to a power greater than yourself – an APP! Yes, there is an app for that and here are some good time management tools. According to LifeHacker.com here are the Top 15 Time Management Apps and Tools 

HIRE A BOSS

So now, even though, you have a list of time management tools, if you are like me, you “Dismiss” those annoying reminders on your iPhone telling you to do something. So, hire a boss via TaskRabbit .I tried hiring a Virtual assistant and that was a disaster. So, when I was writing a book, I hired someone whose sole job it was to sit next to me on the couch and not allow me to get up and wake me up when I fell asleep. That book is "The Comedy Bible" and has sold more than 500,000 copies.

STOP WORKING

I know, this is a weird tip. Avoid procrastination by procrastinating. Yesterday, I was beating myself up because I couldn’t get anything done. So, I just got out of the house, walked my dogs on Venice Beach, had some frozen Yoghurt, went shopping, and had a lovely cocktail. And the next day, I got stuff done, as I wrote this blog.  Sometimes, you have to give yourself space to let your brain relax.  Beating yourself up is never a way to overcome procrastination.

The good news is that you’re not alone. There are millions of us avoiding stuff and many of us are successful. We all need help and that’s why I created the ultimate Stop Procrastination tool,  The Message of You Website where we can all empower each other and overcome procrastination.

3 Simple Steps to Get a Business Mentor for Free: Enroll Others in your Message

As a newly single person, I get excited when someone asks me out to dinner, especially when I hear, “I’m treating!”

“Wow, that’s promising. Someone really likes me!”

But, my enthusiasm is dampened when I hear: “I’m treating because I want to pick your brain.”

Now, at my age, I’m thrilled that anyone wants to pick a piece of my body, but my least favorite part to give away for free is my brain.  Isn’t that called intellectual prostitution?  I’m whoring my brain away for a fillet of Salmon.

I understand why I get approached this way. After all, I’m a former standup comic turned speaker and one of the few people who actually gets paid to do what I love – to stand in front of others to entertain and inspire. Most people who consult with me on improving their presentation skills want to learn how to quit their day job and get paid to speak.

I know that the comic or speaker who asks me out for a date has good intent, but there’s a better approach to get information, than offer a meal. It’s not like I have a sign on my door that says, “Will consult for food.”

After all, I’m sure you, just like I, have spent a lot of money filling your brain with marketable skills and professional know-how. We’ve gone to college, attended meetings, got CPU credits, not to mention years of therapy to correct a dysfunctional childhood so we can go days without Xanax.

And you want me to tell you how togged paid to speak for a slice of pizza?

Now, I DO give stuff away. But, it’s usually when someone approaches me with a MESSAGE that I believe in. Then I don’t even care about the meal. I WANT to help because the person has ENROLLED me in their message. They get a “piece of my mind” and a boatload of my talent when they offer me to be a part of something I believe in.

I have donated speeches to cancer, children, veterans as well as assisting with writing TED talks for discounted fees because I believe in the MESSAGE. That’s what happened when Muslim scholar, Dalia Mogahed asked me to write her TED talk which resulted in over 1.5 million views. Even though I'm not Muslim, I’m proud to be a part of her message of ending Islamophobia.

So, when you need help that you can’t afford, think about how you approach someone. Rather that paying them with paella, know how to enroll someone in your message.

3 Steps to Enroll a Business Mentor

1.  Describe your business without using these three words, “I” “My” “Me.” Rather, describe what you do in terms of the RESULTS you create for OTHERS.  
2. Identify the “Problems” your business solves. Another words, when Dalia Mogahed came to me, rather than telling me all about herself and the TED talk she wanted to do, she told me of her concerns about the stereotyping and discrimination of Muslims. Although not Muslim myself, I fully got onboard as I wanted to join her in making a difference.
3. Create a simple statement that contains the problem you want fixed, the audience your business addresses, your credentials to fix the problem, and the results you can create.

Master these simple 3 steps and you will not only enroll a business mentor, but interns, followers, and especially customers. Practice these three steps and use them to promote your business and even get paid to speak!

Get access to Judy by becoming a member of TheMessageofYou.com

Turn Your Life into a Deduction

In the interest of being more independent and, OK, saving money, this year I decided to do my taxes myself using Turbo Tax, rather than my expensive Westside LA accountants.  It triggered some past math trauma as I remembered Mr. Roche, my high school geometry teacher referring to me as the "dumb broad." This was way before Gloria Allred so there was no lawsuit, just a major amount of self-doubt and humiliation.

So, my BFF Laura is a do-it-yourself-er who takes DIY to the extreme — no task rabbit for organizing this girl’s spice rack. She handled her own divorce, details her car, and I’m for her to do her own open heart surgery on herself with a knife in one hand and watching instructions on YouTube.

So, Laura comes over and we dig into itemizing deductions, figuring out just how many rooms in my house are used for business, and can I deduct my dog expenses as providing me emotional support?

No, but cat food, I discovered, can be considered a legitimate business expense. This is based on a case where a junkyard owner brought in local stray cats in order to drive away mice and rats. The IRS accepted that the cats were essential for his business. Still, it wouldn’t work for me as I can’t even get my cat to stop throwing up fur balls, let alone participate in my business as cats aren’t great at writing jokes.

Laura and I then researched whether or not I could deduct my considerable therapy expenses. What I found out about that makes a statement about the American culture.

Did you know that therapy for treatment of sexual inadequacy is deductible, but a couple’s counseling to improve a marriage is NOT?  So, if a couple goes to therapy to improve communication – that’s not a medical necessity. But if someone isn’t getting laid, STAT Code Blue – that’s important. These rules were surely written by a dude who doesn’t value talking.

I also learned that if you want to help solve your husband’s sexual problems by going to the gym and looking hot, you can’t deduct that either unless your doctor is willing to say that your life might be in danger if you don’t start exercising and losing weight. But, it gets even more confusing. Elastic hosiery to treat blood circulation problems IS deductible, but my Spanx tights that make me look thinner and may make the difference between my getting laid or not are NOT deductible. This doesn’t make sense as the elastic hosiery could well be the reason a couple has sexual inadequacy. When was the last time a guy said, "Wow, you look so hot in those support hose?"

It seems that expenses for female items are less likely to be considered important enough for a deduction. Artificial limbs can be write-offs, but not artificial breasts, even if you are diagnosed with gender-identity disorder. You can deduct various surgeries and hormone therapy, but breasts are considered to be cosmetic and deemed nondeductible. The exception is if you need big breasts to work as a stripper, then the IRS considers them to be props and a business expense.

So, after a few cocktails, Laura and I finished our returns. Lo and behold, I’m getting a 50% larger refund than I did when I used the fancy accountants. And now that I’m onto the IRS, next year my refund will be even larger as I’m going to redesign my life.

• There will be no more restaurant meals with friends. These will be business networking meetings… with friends… at restaurants.
• Supplements I buy on Amazon are to prop me up to work, making my gummy bear multi vitamins and Vitamin D part of my business operating expenses.
• My cat will no longer be a pet, but a YouTube star, bringing in revenue. No clicks, no kibble.

 Hey, Mr. Roche – whose the dumb broad now?

6 Tips to Using Humor in the Workplace Without Losing Your Job

As a funny female business speaker, I gotta say-- Corporate America has truly become humor impaired. You know how it is; you’re in a meeting or hanging out in the office chatting with a co-worker. He makes a joke about an STD, which you find absolutely hysterical. And then, PANIC. What if his playful joke offended Susie Q from HR and you’re accused of workplace harassment and then you’ll get fired and your family will starve and you’ll all die!!! All because of this one joke!

As a humorist and corporate speaker, I punch up speeches that aren't going to be performed at a comedy club, but rather, at an 8 AM sobriety meeting. Goodbye swear words, references to God, and nipples. 

Here are the rules for joking in the workplace without getting HR on your… derriere. 

1. Don’t joke about other people’s religion, race, ethnicity, or sexuality. In other words, if your joke begins with, “A Jew, African American, and a gay man walk into a bar…” stop talking ASAP!

2. If somebody sends you a funny video that begins with NSFW— stop watching ASAP! It’s labeled ‘Not Safe For Work’ for a reason. Others can see the Game of Boobs video and will complain.

3. Play it safe and joke about yourself! Everybody else is already doing it, so join in on the self-mocking fun. That’s not a receding hairline – that’s a punch line. Although, careful not to poke fun at your muffin top while standing next to your overweight boss. She just might not appreciate it.

4. Be a "clean comedian." If you want to tell a few jokes while chatting to your coworkers in the break room, do have a collection of clean jokes memorized. That way, you won’t recite the joke you heard last night at the bar… “So there was this stripper and this pole and…”  Be sure to keep your jokes short. People are busy.

5. When you mess up or make a mistake and someone criticizes you, don’t get mad… get funny. How? By validating just how big of a jerk you are. You'll get laughs and keep your job.  A former student of mine recently wrote me that she used this very technique when a client criticized her work: “After reading this report your wrote, I can tell you're a complete idiot.” My student retorted, "Oh my God ('Gosh' in South Carolina), you're so smart! You figured out I was an idiot in just one minute!  It usually takes people three months to figure that out!” The client laughed. Tension gone. Account saved. 

6. But, do have snappy retorts when people say or do stupid things. Sometimes a great punch line is the best defense for an office heckler. For example, if someone is talking to me and staring at my chest, I'm going to say, "Hey buddy, if they talk back you can have them!" Zing! It makes the point without having to make it even weirder. 

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Marketing Tips From A Few "Mad Men"

Last week we said goodbye to the hit series Mad Men, an inside look at the scandalous world of advertising in the 1960s -- featuring sex, smoking and drinking. Don Draper gave modern day entrepreneurs lessons on how to present messages that will captivate an audience. David Letterman covered some of the same territory more recently, but we’ll save that for another blog. 

Below are a few of the best marketing take-aways from Mad Men:

1. Find that story about the product. Stats and data are boring. Leave them to Pew and Nate Silver. What Don Draper did so successfully was tell a story that connects to people’s hearts, knowing that’s what they respond to. As he said, “YOU are the product. You have to feel something. That's what sells.” Don’s disturbing past – that he came from a poor, troubled family – allowed him to understand what ordinary people go through. He learned from his past that a story has to touch others. Keep that in mind on how you can turn your mess to a success.

2. Take your clients out. Tweeting is the one night stand of connecting. It’s not enough. Back in the 60s, they had to make a call on a land line and take a client out for dinner and as many drinks as it took to win them over. They didn’t count on emoticons and fast sells. When was the last time you had a meal with a client? It’s an excuse for fun and a dirty martini. 

3. Don’t wait to be invited or for something to happen. Be pro-active. In the final episode, we saw Joan passed over by the male hierarchy. She remained angry only long enough to register what happened, and then moved on to form her own company. I’d like to say that sexism ended twenty years ago, but I won’t lie to you, especially as you flip through the channels looking for a female talk show host to replace the guys. I’ve ranted about this here.

We can learn from women. Like Joan, comic Kathy Griffin wasn’t satisfied by what was being offered to her (more accurately, what wasn’t) so she started her own room and told her stories with such great humor. She celebrated being on the D-list, turning that mess into a successful career. Put on your walking shoes and take your cues from women, as well as from men. The world can be your stage. If you don’t believe me, Shakespeare said it too.

Want to develop your message? Speak? Or just be funnier?

Come to a Judy Carter workshop in LA, SF, and Chicago. Info Here.

A Rap Song For Admin Appreciation Week

Yes, the bad news is… no raise, but the good news is you’re getting appreciation. 

With over 22 million of you in the U.S. alone, working longhours with not enough pay— you really are the Gods and Goddesses of our corporations. I mean, aren’t you the ones who are supposed to stay late, make everyone else look good, and know who the hell “Bob” is when you answer the phones? (What are you, the Psychic Network? “BOB”WHOM?!) 

And what about all those computer programming headaches?This boss is PC-only. That boss is all about Apple. And for those baby-boomers who still use a freakin’ dictaphone- this isn’t Mad Men! Get with the software program!

Who has time for a love life? When you’re an admin, getting lucky is finding someone to fix your computer. It used to be when you had bugs, you called an exterminator; now you need an ET. Forget about tall, dark, and handsome; what you want is a guy with a big hard drive, a lot of RAM and knows how to use it. 

And that’s not all you put up with. One minute you’re working on the 500 “priority” deadlines your boss throws at you, and the next you’re his therapist, babysitter, or shoulder masseuse (or worse— but we won’t even go there.) 

There should be a song for you Admins. This isn’t that – but I wrote the Admin Rap Song just for you. Please forgive my lack of musical talent and soul.

So— crank this up when you’re stuck in overtime. This one’s for you! 

DOWNLOAD the Admin Rap Song Free