Interim Career Solutions

The Boomerang Generation

I was watching BBC Breakfast the other day and heard the term Boomerang Generation which refers to kids flying the nest to go to university, getting their degrees and then unable to find a job having to go back to live at home. The news item was headlined ‘Degree of Uncertainty‘… clever stuff.

It really is tough for so many graduates to find work and many are forced to get ‘internships’ which are usually unpaid. And here in the UK, A Level results were released yesterday and provide the dilemma of ever-improving A Level results in a new world of massive public sector cuts… so more and more young people who want to go to University now won’t be able to; and it’s not going to get better quickly.

Interim Career Solutions is becoming more and more relevant, and not just to the Interim Management market which is what I originally started the site for. This new economy is on the one hand tough, however it is a great opportunity to learn new skills and set up a brand new income stream. It’s all about embracing the Internet Age… and I don’t just mean getting your profile on Facebook or Twitter. Fortunes are to be made.

Are you looking for a graduate job, looking for a new career or an alternative to further education?

If you are a part of the Boomerang Generation and you need to earn some money to fly the nest (again), or you’ve been made redundant, or you’re like me and well qualified but over the hill age-wise… or if you just want a new direction I can help.

The first port of call if you are looking for another income or new career is to have a read of my free Residual Magic eBook (see panel on the right). Also have a look at my 2 main businesses which are the culmination of many years of involvement in the home-based business sector:

1. Breeze – a one-stop-shop for businesses and entrepreneurial individuals to make money and save money. Breeze has a phenomenal Internet marketing course which includes the tools you need to be successful. No previous experience needed. The Breeze Internet Package will in any event help you better promote yourself online and add important new skills to your CV. Have a look at www.walltowall.biz/breeze;
2. Amega Global – this is set to become one of the biggest things to happen in the home based business market. If you have an interest in alternative health and/or you know people in pain you need to have a look at Amega. Amega has only recently come to the West and has some powerful and influential people involved. The products genuinely change lives (check out the testimonial videos on our Wand The World website and our www.zeropointselfhealing.com blog).

Finally, if you are one of the Boomerang Generation and you are stuck at home with your parents, twiddling your thumbs, I highly recommend you read Robert Kiyosaki’s new book The Business of the 21st Century. It’ll open your eyes to why these challenging economic times are such a great opportunity for people who are willing to explore new ideas. You don’t even need a degree to become a millionaire… before you reach the grand old age of 25. Then you will be able to buy a big house and maybe even treat your long suffering parents to an upgrade.

If you are in the UK you can buy The Business of the 21st Century for just £10 including P&P and audio CD at Knowledge is King.

I repeat: Fortunes are to be made

Green shoots? Meltdown? Meltup?

Here in the UK we are back to business with the General Election out of the way and a new government. Is the recession behind us? Are things going to start getting better? A lot of people fear that things are likely to get a whole lot worse.

If you are an interim manager or management consultant these times can be good – companies often prefer in the short term to bring in managers on a temporary contract rather than commit to a full-time post. However with budgets being trimmed – especially in the public sector – and more and more highly paid professionals coming onto the job market there’ll be more people chasing fewer assignments.

Do you just ride through it and hope the economy will get better? Watch this extraordinary Inflation.us video called Meltup and you will see that sitting back is not a sensible thing to do; the world’s financial markets and our economy are in for a much rougher ride than we have seen before… it’s just a matter of when:

Our advice? Learn new skills and set up additional income streams independent of ‘convential’ business and investments. If you are concerned about your pension, your investments, your job, your quality of life etc. etc. we can help you. Call or Email Richard Wall for advice and download his free Residual Magic eBook – see the panel on the right.
Scary times or exciting times ahead? Let’s take the latter!

Richard Wall’s Residual Magic Newsletter

Richard Wall here… with a little oversight. I published the January 2010 issue of my Residual Magic newsletter and forgot to update my blog accordingly – what a plonker!

So, a little belatedly here is a screenshot and the link: www.interimcareersolutions.com/web/ezine/201001.html

Residual Magic Newsletter

If you are an Interim Manager, consultant or anyone looking for another income stream or if you just want to learn how to promote your existing business on the Internet you will find some real nuggets in this edition – even if it is just one of the ‘Quotes of the Month”. This one by Mike Dillard is very timely:

“I couldn’t be more excited about this economic upheaval, because times of great change, are times of great opportunity.” Mike Dillard

There’s also a link to a very good 10 minute video by Lee Brower. If you are wondering why inherited wealth often doesn’t survive down the generations Lee has the answer… and a very practical piece of advice for every household:

Residual Magic Newsletter

The economy might have bottomed out (I don’t think so by the way) – and although I agree with Mike Dillard in that for many of us these are exciting times, for a lot of people 2010 is going to be very tough and very stressful. Since I wrote the newsletter I saw that author Dan Kennedy has a new book coming out… I certainly agree with his main message:

“There’s no denying it: the old economy is shattered, and GONE FOREVER. It’s never coming back as it was, and in its place a generally tougher, more demanding marketplace is emerging.”Dan Kennedy

If you need advice please let me know. Call me anytime or fill in the contact form on my website.

All the best

Richard Wall

Did you know? Video

The current economic downturn is the catalyst for many professionals in the corporate world to have a career break, add new skills to their portfolio or even retrain for something new. The pace of change in the corporate world is accelerating and it’s bringing with it huge dissatisfaction and stress for so many people.
If you are looking for a way to get more work, set up additional income streams or change careers you need to position yourself.

Are you ready for the future?

If you are an interim manager, management consultant, in a job or have your own business you can’t afford to be left behind. ‘Did you know?’ is one of those cool viral videos doing the rounds at the moment. If you are not sure just how huge an impact technology is having on your job and career prospects this is 4 minutes of essential viewing:

Just how do you jump on this money making machine called the Internet? If you are like me and in the over 50 bracket it can seem daunting… where do you start and who do you trust? It’s not difficult once you know what to do however it’s not simply a matter of setting up a Facebook or Twitter account, sitting back and watching the money roll in. And it’s also very easy to do the wrong things.

Interim Career Solutions can help steer you through the Internet marketing hype and get you up to speed quickly. You can learn how to better promote yourself and your business on the Internet (or even turn your hobby into a profitable Internet business) and start seeing results within a few hours. Did you know if you would like any advice you can give Richard Wall a call or drop him an Email?   

Why do most people hate MLM?

If you are in between jobs, looking for a work at home opportunity or even looking for a career change, it won’t be long before you are presented with a Multi Level Marketing – also known as Network Marketing – opportunity.

It started for me when I left the rat race as a Chartered Accountant / Finance Director and became an interim manager and consultant. I wasn’t working every day and it just seemed a great idea at the time to fill in the gaps by building a team of people selling a Chinese herbal drink and diet cookies. OK… maybe not the smartest move in my career. I then realised my mistake and moved onto selling skin care and vitamins. My family and friends thought I had a screw loose and it took a few more mistakes before I found one that worked.

There’s always been a stigma surrounding MLM… our neighbour said when he heard about the Chinese herbal drink business “it’s not bloody Amtrak is it?” It wasn’t Amway so I could say no. Lucky escape.

Why is it that the very letters MLM strike fear into people? It’s because they’ve either experienced it firsthand or they’ve heard MLM / network marketing horror stories:

- Weird or suspect products (Himalayan wonder berry juice etc.)
- Expensive products (£1 a chunk for so-called ‘healthy chocolate’, £20 for washing up liquid etc.)
- Selling to your friends (having them round for dinner and after the first course having to whip out a whiteboard from behind the curtains)
- Filling up your friends’ (soon to become your ex-friends) garages with water filters or intruder alarms
- Pyramid selling, gifting schemes etc. (no product, just a money game…when the music stops the last people in lose their money)
- Outdated products (e.g. telecoms/broadband/utilities which in the UK was a great opportunity in the early days of deregulation but is getting ‘tired’ now.)

And for business people there’s another reason. Let’s say you are a printer and someone comes along and says “would you like a secondary income stream?” In these challenging economic times you might well say “yes”, however when you find out that the opportunity is based on selling cheap imitation perfume or a unique miracle drink from deep in the Amazonian rainforest, it probably won’t strike a chord with you. You’re finding it hard enough to make money as a printer and this would be a big distraction. No wonder business people have mainly steered clear of MLM.

I’ve been around the MLM industry for more than 10 years. The above reasons for the ‘cringe factor’ are bad enough, however from an insider perspective there is another reason why even I dislike most MLMs: there’s too much hype and too many lies. Many opportunities are run by ‘crooks’ selling a very expensive health product which, when independently analysed, does you no more good than grape juice (and you are encouraged to buy lots of it.)

It gets worse… without mentioning names there’s a good example going around at the moment whereby a big health and nutrition company – where just a few months ago the leaders were proclaiming the best product ever and best ever opportunity ever – has seen many leaders and most of their downline jump ship into another health and nutrition company. Why would they do that? Simple really: they were enticed to move their downlines into the new company with a whopping transfer fee of a million dollars or more. MLM is rarely to do with product and often to do with greed.

There’s another major flaw. Even if you find a health and nutrition MLM company and product you love you will make some of your money retailing the product however the big money will come from building a team of ‘opportunity seekers’, the vast majority of whom would not normally be allocating $100-$200 of their stretched monthly family budget on expensive pills, potions and lotions. However good the products are most of these people will quit after a couple of months of spending more than they are making. This huge attrition rate and the resulting bad feeling is largely what creates the bad feeling.

It’s not all bad news though. If you find the right company and products, MLM is a very powerful business model which has been endorsed by people like Donald Trump, Robert Kiyosaki and Richard Branson. I’ve recently added an MLM to my business portfolio which is attracting many of the world’s top personal and business development trainers and authors; it doesn’t have any negatives for business people because the products are all about helping them be more successful. And because people like billionaire Bill Bartmann and top speaker/author Brian Tracy are directly involved in an MLM for the first time it has instant credibility. So, if you are looking for another income stream get in touch with me or at least have a look at what Bill and Brian say on our eLearning page.

Is a recession a good time for interim managers and management consultants?

High-end interim managers and management consultants thrive in economic downturns. Many interim management appointments are for company turnaround work and clearly in a recession this is in demand.

Many companies finding it tough in a recession might not necessarily need a turnaround specialist or company doctor however maybe they do need to appoint an interim manager or consultant before committing to a permanent position. In economically challenging times short term contracts make a lot of sense.

So, many interim managers are benefiting from these troubled times; indeed a lot of interim management agencies and recruitment consultants will tell prospective candidates “trade is brisk – come onto our books, we have lots of jobs.” That may be true but it’s not all good news. There are now more and more interim managers and management consultants who didn’t choose the independent route – they just found themselves on the scrap heap due to redundancy or even old age (over 40?!) As more and more talented and experienced managers move from the permanent job market to the temporary market the pool of talent gets deeper which is only great if you are an employer.

I spoke to an executive recruitment consultant recently who said that there are indeed a lot of temporary executive jobs and interim positions available, however whereas a couple of years ago they would put forward to a client 3 or 4 strong candidates, now there are 10-20. And all 10-20 are top quality. It’s getting very competitive out there.

It gets worse for management consultants at the ‘discretionary expenditure’ end of the scale – for example training and development consultants where company training budgets are often one of the first things to be cut in a recession.

So, what do you do while you wait for your next interim management or management consultancy assignment? The Internet gives us all a golden opportunity not only to find that next job but also to turn our talents and experience into money while you wait. You might even want to do what I have done and carve out a new career for yourself and be one of the next wave of Internet entrepreneurs.

Come and join me – it’s fun!

 

Richard Wall set up Interim Career Solutions to help interim managers, management consultants and other professionals promote themselves and set up additional income streams on the Internet. If you are suffering from the downturn or you fancy another income stream, Richard’s Residual Magic eBook will help get you started, free download link available here.

Are you an interim manager or just a part time manager?

A few years ago I was a full time Finance Director. When I left and was in between jobs I did some management consultancy work here and there and called myself an Interim Manager.

Actually I wasn’t really an interim manager, I was a part-time Finance Director. There’s a big difference: an interim management position is full time, usually filling in for the person who is no longer doing the job, either through illness, leaving, maternity, company turnaround etc. Or maybe the interim position is for a permanent job that hasn’t yet been filled. Interim management is a career in its own right. Being out of work, in between jobs or working for a company for 2 days a week because that’s all they can afford is not being an interim manager.

It sounded good to call myself an interim manager. In one interim period of my career (or ‘mid life crisis’ a lot of friends and family called it) I left the rat race completely and went into Multi Level Marketing (MLM). When people asked me what I did for a living I had a choice of answers:

1) “I’m in Pyramid Selling” or
2) “I’m an Interim Manager.”

It was a tough choice.

Whether you are an interim manager, management consultant, part time manager, MLMer or even pyramid salesperson I can help you market yourself and set up multiple income streams on the Internet. Let me know how I can help you.

Do you want more work as an interim manager or management consultant?

If you are an interim manager or management consultant you have probably experienced ‘feast or famine.’ You’re either turning away work or you’re not busy enough and waiting for the phone to ring. And when you’re working flat out you don’t have the time to market yourself and line up your next assignment.

So you need more work – where do you look?

If you are an interim manager you can try interim management agencies – just do a Google search and you’ll find there’s lots of them out there. Don’t rely on an agency though – most good interim managers are good because they have a reputation and most of their work comes from referrals i.e. people they know. Almost all of my interim assignments and the temporary accountancy jobs came from my ‘warm market’.

What else can you do? Well the really exciting news is you can now promote yourself 24/7 on the Internet. As a first step it is essential you register on business and social networking sites such as Ecademy, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter (if you click on those links it’ll take you to my profiles… do connect with me!)

Even more exciting is you don’t have to restrict yourself to getting more interim manager and management consultancy work… the Internet now gives you the ability to get multiple income streams, which can be completely unrelated to your day job. You can ‘monetize your hobby’ – maybe you are passionate about steam trains, fly fishing or art collecting. Well you can now turn that passion into an Internet business, if – and it’s a big if – you know what you’re doing and you can clear a way through all the get rich quick hype.

It could even lead you to do what I’ve done and change your career… I’ve recently hung up my Chartered Accountant hat and am now full time on the Internet. It’s a lot more fun than being a bean counter, I don’t have the commuting or the office politics and I can earn far more than I could in the rat race.

Don’t be worried about the economic downturn or recession. Those of us who jump aboard this New Economy – who learn the right skills and find the right vehicle – will make a fortune.

Where do you start? Well, although I’ve been marketing on the Internet for a number of years I’ve had to throw a lot of my experience out of the window because I recently got hold of the ‘Breeze Academy’ online course. Things have moved on so much that many of the so-called Internet marketing gurus are now ‘old hat’ and many of the other ones don’t teach this stuff. Breeze is not just about training and also give you the tools you need for your online business all wrapped up in a three year package. Before recommending Breeze I decided to set up a brand new project with a brand new domain name their claim that I would start seeing results on Google within hours was valid. It’s very affordable and works out at less than a dollar a day (or for those of us in the UK that’s less than 60p per day.) Check out the Internet page of our website for more information.

If you need advice don’t hesitate to drop me an Email (richard [at] interimcareersolutions.com) or phone me (+44 1423 325090). And finally, don’t forget to download my free Residual Magic eBook (link on the right) which will help get your multiple income streams flowing. Good luck!

Are you in between assignments or jobs?

Maybe you are an Interim Manager or Management Consultant in between assignments, in between jobs or maybe the downturn in the economy makes it tough for you to find work. Or maybe you are like me in my accountancy days and a square peg in a round hole wishing you had made a different career choice.

In business or your career we all have disappointing experiences. It’s a simple choice as to whether we look back in anger and frustration or we turn them into a positive learning experience. Being in between jobs can be a great time for you to evaluate what you are doing and find new business opportunities. Just be careful when looking back at past ‘mistakes’…

…I only play golf a couple of times a year and in 30 years I have scored under 100 just once. Picture the scene: I’m playing golf… getting round the golf course in less than 100 is my target for the round. I’m thinking positive… it’s only about 2 shots per hole more than Tiger Woods.

I’m having the round of my life: I’ve played 17 holes and I’ve taken only 90 shots so far. I need a 9 on the last hole and I’ll have a second ‘sub-100’ under my belt. Amazingly, my tee shot at the 18th goes straight down the middle of the fairway. My excitement is building. Just a steady 2nd shot… whoops; it’s into the trees. Never mind, I’ve been on personal development courses… the past is history etc. The 3rd shot hits a tree and the ball ricochets off into a bush. One penalty and I’m now playing 5 out of the bush. No problem, brilliant shot… the ball flies towards the green, oh no… it falls short and lands in a bunker. I can still get down in 4 from here and get a 9, phew. The 6th shot is a monster. Well it’s the furthest I have ever hit a grain of sand; the ball stays in the bunker. The 7th is almost as good but the sand didn’t go nearly as far. Now, before I take the 8th shot from the bunker, what do you think is going though my mind? I can’t change the past so there is absolutely no sense in thinking about shots 1-7 is there? Is my 100% focus on that 8th shot?

It’s hard for most of us golfers to put the past 100% behind us. We allow the past or our worries about the future spoil our enjoyment of the now.

It’s the same in life. Golf is a great analogy to life. How many of us dwell on our past shots in life? The expression ‘if only’ crops up a lot, both on and off the golf course. What are the only things we should focus on? The now and what we want in the future.

And the main reason why golf is a great analogy? Golf is a game for enjoyment. Many golfers forget that. It’s the same off the golf course…

Life is a game for our enjoyment…

So if you are in between jobs or assignments and feeling a bit gloomy about your prospects, there are some great business opportunities out there. I can help you find one!

How to get ahead in a recession

If you are one of the hundreds of thousands of professional people who are finding the global downturn tough, it can be a very worrying time. Add age to the equation and it feels worse – people like me over 50 are ‘over the hill’ in the job market.

One thing most people do in a recession is cut ‘discretionary expenditure’… the non essentials. One of the first casualties is often the training budget. Maybe you are an Interim Manager or Management Consultant and you are waiting for the phone to ring, your income is down and you need to trim your expenses. There’s one area though you need to spend more on: personal development and business development.

Personal development is often thought of as just happy clappy motivation and positive thinking – well it’s a lot better than negative thinking which is somewhat popular in the UK ( here in Yorkshire if you ask a lot of people how they are they’ll say “not bad”, “could be worse” or “mustn’t grumble.”)

Until now access to personal and business development material meant spending a lot of money on books, DVDs and courses.  I’ve found a wonderful solution for busy professionals and entrepreneurs… I’ve just teamed up with one of my heros, Brian Tracy, and a remarkable company called iLearningGlobal (iLG). It’s very exciting to be working directly with Brian – who is one of the true giants  in the personal and business development world.

iLG’s philosophy is very refreshing: if you could change your life completely by changing less than 1% of your daily routine would you do it? By investing 7 minutes per day (roughly ½% of 24 hours) in yourself and your education you can dramatically improve your skills and get more out of your life.

So if you don’t have an hour a day to spend on your continuing education, iLearningGlobal has divided its Hi-Definition content into 7-9 minute segments; packed with valuable material so that you can take your education in bite sized (or should that be byte sized?) chunks. Directly from the experts in personal development, business, sales, finance, teens, parenting, relationships and much more.

Why continuous learning?

 - The average person will increase their salary by only 2-3% annually.

 - Each year inflation increases by approximately 2-3% annually.

 - That means, without lifelong learning, it’s virtually impossible for the average person to get ahead.

However…

Top Achievers, people who are continually learning and growing, DOUBLE their income every 3-5 years. This is why the top 10-20% earns more than the bottom 80%.

To separate yourself from the pack,  you often need to know just one additional skill… and that could make all the difference in your pay packet or if it is you who gets the next interim assignment or consultancy job.

Free eBook

iLG is attracting some very high profile people like Brian Tracy, BNI founder Ivan Misner and billionaire Bill Bartmann. They have never been anywhere an MLM venture before. Check out the free eBook “The Way Out!” to read more about the people behind iLG and how you really can thrive in the global downturn not just survive:

Free eBook

Finally, don’t take my word for it, here’s Brian Tracy:

Find out more