Making Ripples: post-corporate adventures in Floyd County Virginia

Use all of your skills to offset tough economic times

Manufacturing jobs may have left the country but there are still jobs in service industries as well as in creative design occupations.

You can scramble around looking for jobs like you used to have or you can take stock of your skills and assess the opportunities to put them to good use.

Look at the situation as one of potential exchange. Someone needs something done, can you do it and get some worthwhile exchange for it?

If you keep your eyes open for opportunities to help others in some way, you are likely to stumble across an opportunity that you will not find in the want ads.

The other side of the coin is to look at what your former customers are doing now instead of buying products or services from you. Small businesses that are still operating after four years of economic uncertainty have figured out what customers are willing to pay for and have adjusted their product offerings accordingly.

If you do not have useful skills or products that are in demand, perhaps it's time to regroup and figure out what skills and products are needed and wanted and do whatever is necessary to produce what is wanted.

Keep on refining your offerings even when you achieve a measure of stability because we may be in for many years of increasing uncertainty.

Try to develop multiple sources of income.

Job hunting for the older professional

If you are trying to find a professional position in an organization and you are 50 years old or older, you need to adopt a different strategy because you will have extreme difficulty finding work through conventional means.

Conventional job search includes sending out resumes, responding to ads, and working through a headhunter or professional placement agency. These are pretty much a waste of time unless you are a prime candidate with current experience, no health issues and show interest and enthusiasm ... and are as young as the other candidates for the position.

There are job opportunities for older applicants with the right qualifications. But this is the typical scenario:

You get the interview with Human Resources instead of the hiring manager with the live job requisition. The HR person is probably your daughter's age. She will be very polite, but it will be difficult to bond with this person and your experience probably started when she was in grade school. She will probably feel sorry for you but you will not meet any of the requirements she is looking for. The interview has nowhere to go but down.

If you don't know what the situation is and you walk in cold for an interview, you are not doing yourself any favors. I want to emphasize that your biggest enemy is exposing yourself to situations where you will get rejected for reasons you cannot control.

Repeatedly exposing yourself to rejection will damage your self esteem and will eventually cause you to doubt your suitability for any job. The conventional job search procedure is a real confidence killer for the older job applicant. Save yourself a lot of grief and avoid the conventional job search entirely.

Most positions are still filled through personal recommendations. This means that you need to know someone who knows where there is work and is willing to introduce you to the right people who can help you get the job. This is where you must learn to make new friends through the friends you already have.

This is called networking and is done daily by all successful people. It is a process of sharing information about job opportunities and potential clients with others. If you can connect people to people who can help them, they will manage to find ways to connect you to people who can help you.

Almost all job opportunities are discussed informally with employees and their families before the organization places an ad for the position. You need to meet and become connected to people who are employees of organizations that are hiring. To get started, you ask your friends who these people are.

If you network wisely, you will have already had several informal discussions with the hiring manager or his very close friend or wife before you show up to "apply" for the job. At this point, you only have to show competence to the interview team and that you will probably do very well.

I was 62 years old when Sun Microsystems hired me as a Project Manager, and it was because of a friend's recommendation, so I know that networking works. I became a Senior Project Manager and I was 67 years old when I was laid off, so I know that experienced older people do command high salaries.

By that time I realized that I needed to start my own business to get the hours and benefits I wanted. I had finally realized that control of my time and freedom to work on interesting projects was more satisfying than being a highly paid cog in a giant machine.

If you have been looking for work for more than a year, you should seriously consider creating a job for yourself rather than looking for a position created by others. I will cover this on future articles.

How much government can we afford?

With all of the discussion of public sector pay vs private sector pay and the retirement benefits of government workers vs private citizens, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that government employees are a cost which is supported by taxpayers.

Govenment is supposed to produce services which provide security for an area. It is also supposed to provides services to educate citizens so that they can become more productive and contribute to the economy. Governments provide services which regulate trade and traffic so that a business economy can operate and flourish. Governments have grown to embrace the idea of being a safety net for those citizens who have difficulty fending for themselves.

There are a lot of dedicated and conscientious people serving in governmental positions, but that does not alter the fact that every one of these public employee is paid through the taxes imposed on his neighbors or more distant countrymen.

Therefore, every public employee should be cognizant of the fact that their jobs must enable their neighbors to get on with life and make money. I feel that many public employees see that as their main mission and do their best to operate as economically as possible.

In Floyd County, Sheriff Zeman is an example of someone who communicates a real sense of understanding the need to make every dollar count while maintaining county security in the face of increasing crime. On the other hand, the Floyd County school system has been operating with no real oversight for years and has only recently been persuaded to open their budgets to scrutiny.

We need law enforcement and we need schools and a host of other services, but these have to operate within a budget that can be supported by taxpayers. We do not need a nanny state to look after us. We just need government that we can afford.

In today's economy, we private citizens are making do in many areas. Is it too much to ask that every one of our government entities at the local, state and federal level do the same?

The Floyd Tea Party is working toward more responsive government at all levels. If you believe that government should be more responsive, the next Floyd Tea Party meeting will be on Tuesday May 17th at 7:30 pm at the Jessie Peterman Memorial Library.

How to get by with a little help from your friends

When I think about the vital necessity of networking, I do not view it from an academic viewpoint. Finding new friends and linking up with them for our mutual benefit is how I have supported myself since I left the mothership (Sun Microsystems) in 2001.

When I occasionally do career counseling and use the dreaded word "networking", it is not unusual to see the beginning of an eye roll or a curl of the lip as "networking" has been downgraded for many people to an exchanging of business cards at job fairs or business mixers.

The truth of the matter is that an independent business person selling directly to customers is always networking whether he delivers music lessons, custom framing, or handling bankruptcies. It is an attitude one creates that makes customers want to refer others to you for services.

It is an attitude that you carry with you of wanting to help others. If you truly want to help others, it shows in your conduct and it prepares you to discuss what you do at the drop of a hat.

When you meet someone, one of the first questions that gets asked on both sides is, "What do you do?"

Hard times don't last - if we remember to vote wisely

One doesn't have to be the brightest student in class to see that our country has fallen upon hard times. Confidence in our elected representatives has never been lower. Frustration with the corruption in Washington and elsewhere has never been greater. Many of us are out of work or our customers are out of work which amounts to pretty much the same thing.

Out country is as close to bankruptcy as it has ever been, yet our leaders vote themselves healthy raises and take extended vacations on taxpayer money. There are some who claim to be ready to make the hard decisions that will put the country back on its feet economically and not continue borrowing money in hopes of "stimulating" the economy, but these new people are untested as yet and may turn out to be less effective than the incumbents.

Folks are divided between those who are hoping the government will bail them out and those who are looking for a foothold to begin bailing themselves out. As times get harder, more people opt to file for bankruptcy. They do not have the government option of printing more money.

So, what can we do as taxpayers and citizens? Take note of who has voted for increased government spending, unconstitutional acts, amnesty for illegal immigrants, and legislation that harms private enterprise. Their voting records or lack of them are available on the Internet. Vote against those who do not support your needs and ideals. Not every incumbent acts like they are a member of an elite class, there are some who are responsive to their constituents needs.

Deeds, not words are the keys to identifying those we should support in the next elections. You can find their voting records at these following links:

Some sites will list votes by representatives and other sites show all who voted on a particular measure.

Here for example is Rick Boucher's voting record posted by Project Vote Smart: http://tinyurl.com/28uhp62
And here is Rick's voting record at the Washington Post's Vote Database: http://tinyurl.com/27klkh3

If you are looking for information about the bills that were passed and who voted for them, this list of Roll Call Votes posted by the Library of Congress provides that data: http://thomas.loc.gov/home/rollcallvotes.html

If there were bills passed that affect you and your family negatively, you can find out who voted against your interests and take appropriate action.

YOUR VOIP PHONES CAN BE LISTED IN THE CITIZENS TELEPHONE DIRECTORY

This is a great deal for a growing number of Internet Phone users.

If you have switched from a traditional landline telephone to one of the new Internet telephones (VOIP), you can still have your telephone number listed in the Citizens 2010 Telephone Directory.

Some of you may say, "Are you crazy? Why would I want to have a listed number?"

Those of you who have friends and potential customers trying to reach you probably know the value of being listed in the Telephone Directory White Pages and Yellow pages. You also know how much money you save using a VOIP telephone.

When I discontinued my land line phones and went to VOIP last year, I talked to Steve Mack of the Citizens Directory and discovered that I could have my new VOIP home phone listed in the Citizens Telephone Directory just as if it were a regular telephone and the listing cost me only $35 a year! Since my VOIP phone with unlimited calling cost only $24.95 a month plus tax,etc. this was just what I needed.

Steve called me today to renew my listing and I asked if this was open to everyone in the Citizens area or was I getting a special break. He said that it was open to those who wanted it and the only hitch was that the 2010 telephone book signups are closing as of February 5th.

If you want to be listed in the Citizens Telephone Directory and you are not now in there, call Steve Mack at 540-556-5003 to add personal and business VOIP listings to the new 2010 telephone directory for area codes 540 and 276. Business listings cost more than personal listings but I find them both to be reasonable.

I get nothing from this referral except a great sense of satisfaction sharing a real bargain for the small business owner.

I think the same opportunity must exist in other areas. Contact the people who publish your telephone directory, not your phone company.

Life has been interfering with blogging again

In a down economy where income can drop drastically overnight, small business owners like myself have to go from production mode to full-on promotional activity.. All non-income generating activity gets put on hold. Blogging is an incredibly satisfying and rewarding experience, but it does not produce income in the short term so it gets relegated to non prime time activity or never.

Promotion is the only way that new business relationships are created and it can take many forms. There is only so much advertising that one can do with limited funds, but there is almost no limit to the amount of personal contact that can be accomplished if one is sufficiently motivated.

About two months ago I figured out that customers still wanted custom picture framing, but most of them needed to feel that they were getting an amazing deal as well as an extraordinary buying experience in order to part with their dwindling disposable income.

After all, that was what I was doing and is what my friends are doing for almost every purchase. We still want the good things in life and are willing to do with a more economical version, but it takes a really special deal from a business we like dealing with to justify spending money.

So, I have been making friends with potential customers and have been promoting ways for them to save money on picture framing for several months and this activity has finally begun to produce results.

As I've mentioned before, promoting a business follows the well known Law of Ketchup. You promote and promote and it seems like nothing is happening until finally people show up in bunches and you are suddenly racing around like a madman trying to stay ahead of the rush.

I am enjoying the flood of work, but it has temporarily put a halt to my blogging. Lots of interesting things are happening in Floyd and I will do my best to catch up on those that are most interesting.

I hope to be back blogging next week. Stay tuned.

Pricing strategies for hard times

This year has been a learning experience for me as a consumer and as a small business owner.

As a consumer:

As a consumer with less money to spend, I find that my buying habits have changed significantly. I am switching to cheaper alternatives in many areas: Internet phone service instead of regular land line telephone; less expensive cell phone plans; store brands at the supermarkets and specials instead of the brands we used to buy.

Many purchases have been put on hold: clothing purchases; household construction projects; landscaping projects; auto tune-ups;

Trips to nearby cities for supplies are carefully scheduled so they are kept to a minimum.

Small purchases for entertainment continue, but the outlay is greatly reduced. If we eat out while on a shopping expedition, it is more likely to be at Subway than Applebys and a regular coffee instead of a latte from Starbucks.

I borrow tools for short projects where I used to buy them to add to my collection.

We shop online for everything we cannot buy in our local stores.

We look for opportunities to barter whenever possible.

In short, we look for special deals in almost every transaction and do not buy until we find a seller that is willing to give us a price that makes us feel satisfied with the opportunity. Spending money has become painful and it takes a special deal to make buying something satisfying.

As a small business owner:

As a small business owner selling services and products to people who are hurting for money, I have not found much useful advice in the various online forums I follow. The usual advice is to increase my level of advertising and promotion and there is a shortage of strategies for pricing to suit hard times. Promising the same services to more people does not seem to address what consumers are experiencing need and want.

As a consumer, I find myself ignoring advertising except for things I really need at a price that I can't refuse. If my disposable income is at a rock-bottom low, my attention goes to those offerings that will provide me with things I really need at prices that make me feel comfortable buying them. I am not attracted to off-brands at low prices, but to known brands that are being offered at savings that can't be resisted.

If there is a rational reason that the goods are being sold at very low prices, it sweetens the deal for me as a consumer. Overstocks, special buys, and closeouts offer a chance to get needed products of standard quality at prices far below normal.

As a small business owner, I have been experimenting with ways to extend my line of products and services so that I offer limited specials at irresistible prices while maintaining my ability to produce high end products and services for those customers who need them and can afford them.

The results have been encouraging. I started seeing more business at the low end as soon as I started offering special pricing. Customers have been spreading the word that custom framing is still affordable for those who need it.

The turn-around for me as a business owner came when I started looking at my needs as a consumer. I only buy when there is a compelling reason to purchase. I had to give my customers the same opportunity.

Has anyone else had a similar experience?

Local cooling trend continues - more firewood needed

We seem to be right on target for a colder winter this year. My store of firewood is way above last years level, but I am concerned that our wood may not last until the weather turns warm again in the Spring.

Fortunately, we have friends and neighbors who help with our woodpile in exchange for framing and firewood. Times are hard and the future seems to be grimmer than usual, but people are still pulling together and sharing resources wherever possible. 

Our daughter Marjorie and her boyfriend Jeff came down from Roanoke and helped us split and stack firewood this weekend. The inclement weather kept them from climbing mountains, so they worked on our log pile and reduced a lot of it to stove-sized firewood. We are very grateful for their help.

We have been keeping a fire burning in the Dutch West wood stove almost every morning to take the chill off the house and give us a pleasant start for the day. There is something very comforting  about sitting at the computer near the wood stove with a fresh cup of coffee and checking on the latest news from around the world. We can even get a little bit of local news on the Internet because  some of our bloggers also write for the local paper.

Over the past few years, we have been getting the vast majority of our news from the Internet. The only hard copy news we read is the Floyd Press which does an admirable job of presenting straight news on matters of importance in Floyd County.

We have given up on the alphabet networks for any semblance of news, as they serve opinion in the guise of information. Sorting through the hype for real information is a waste of valuable time. At least on the Internet, we can check alternate sources to see what the information looked like before the spin started.

In Floyd County alone I can find opinions and occasional facts on all sides of almost every issue. We have a lot of bright people who offer interesting solutions for county problems, political misbehavior and even global warming. I would like to see more of them writing online essays so that those ideas would get the exposure they deserve.

Right now, most people limit themselves to comments on local blogs or to letters to the Floyd Press. With all of the talent that exists locally, we should have running commentaries on the decisions of the County Supervisors and on the voting records of our local delegates and congressmen.

I think that secrecy is greatly overrated since it almost always involves covering up acts that will not stand the light of day.

That's it for now. Tomorrow is another day with new challenges.

Creating a support network to survive hard times

Going through hard times alone is a grim and desperate business. I found myself in that situation many times until I learned that being part of a supportive group is not a luxury, but a vital necessity, .

The worst times of my life occurred when I made lifestyle changes that put me into a different culture with no friends to call upon for support. These included: going off to college, starting jobs in strange cities, and being forced out of a company I had helped to found.

In each of these situations, I found myself facing new and difficult challenges with no one to offer a helping hand because I did not have the forethought to develop a network of trusted friends.

Things did not improve until I learned how to locate and join groups that shared resources and advice and were interested in promoting our mutual survival.

Today, we do not have to move to another city to find ourselves faced with hard times. Too many companies are having to lay employees off or are closing outright. Money is hard to come by and everyone in the community is affected eventually. Customers buy less, employees are working fewer hours, and bills are going unpaid in all sorts of areas.

The best way out of this painful situation is to find others like yourself and do what you can to make life easier for each other. What you need to do is find people you can trust and see what you can do to offer each other mutual support. This doesn't mean getting into a "pity party", it means sharing resources, bartering, going the extra distance to help each other get through these difficult months ahead.

There are good people in almost every environment. You build mutual trust by understanding the basis on which people judge you. These are good ones to remember:

    1. Promise only what you intend to deliver
    2. Keep your word once given
    3. Follow through and meet expectations

It may not happen overnight, but if you do these things and help those around you, you will accumulate a group of friends you can rely on. Your certainty will increase and your increased confidence will enable all of you to do more and to shake off negative emotions.

There is really no other option. If you know and understand this data, you will spend very little time bemoaning your fate. You will start making inquiries and developing friends you can trust.

If you are facing hard times right now, find some people to share resources with. That will enable you to start taking control of your life again.

Make friends by being a good friend. Your future depends on it, and you'll have a great time doing it.