Interim Career Solutions

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?   

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.

Our Residual Magic Newsletter has moved

One of our key aims is to help interim managers, management consultants – indeed anyone in between assignments, in between jobs, or wanting a career change – promote themselves on the Internet and set up additional income streams.

Richard Wall’s Residual Magic newsletter has useful tips and links to help you. From August 2009 we have moved the newsletter from our Wall to Wall Potential Ltd. company website walltowall.biz to this interim career solutions site. We hope you find it helpful.

Here are the contents of the August 2009 issue:

  o Welcome

  o Quotes of the month

  o Are you making the most of the Internet?

  o Oprius Contact Management Software – free 30 day trial

  o Video of the month – Five Rights by Brian Tracy

  o Guest article – The Lamest Success Secret Ever… by Mike Dillard

  o Technical nuggets

  o Book of the month: Residual Magic by Richard Wall

If you are looking for more work – either as an interim manager, management consultant or someone looking for another job - the 5 page ‘Are you making the most of the Internet’ PDF document will show you how Breeze can help you promote yourself or an existing business or start something completely new on the Net.

You should find a nugget or two this month – even if it is just you are experiencing slow broadband / ADSL connection speeds the free broadband speed checker tool will help… or if you are looking for a contact management, autoresponder system there’s an excellent free trial, or if you are just anxiously looking for a way to make money on the Internet and don’t know where to start there’s a link to my updated Residual Magic eBook. If you are actively looking for another income stream there’s an excellent 2 minute video from Brian Tracy about what to look for.

Millions of people are struggling with the economic downturn. For you and me these are very exciting times if we are prepared to learn new skills and jump aboard the Internet bandwagon… it’s only just begun and there is opportunity everywhere.

Click here to see the August 2009 issue of the Residual Magic newsletter and don’t hesitate to phone or Email me if you need any advice.

Richard Wall – Interim Career Solutions. North Yorkshire, UK.

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

What is an interim manager?

Well, a good place to start is the trusty old dictionary. The adjective interim means intervening, provisional or temporary.

An interim manager is therefore someone who is a manager for just a limited period of time, maybe filling in for someone who left in a hurry, is off sick or on maternity leave. Or maybe it is a specific project that needs a special skill for a limited period of time. To the outside world the interim manager looks just like a regular employee.

The advantages for the company employing the services of an interim manager are there are no long term employment issues or costs; the interim manager will normally not be an employee and will either charge the company as an independent supplier or via an agency.

The disadvantages for the company are an interim manager will usually cost more per day than an employee.

What’s the difference between an interim manager and a management consultant? The consultant is seen very much as external to the business, providing an service usually for a very specific area of expertise. A consultant might be brought in to advise on sales and marketing, manufacturing, finance or indeed any aspect of a business. An interim manager would actually be the sales and marketing director, manufacturing director or finance director.

How much can an interim manager earn? Typically between $500 to $2,000 a day (£300 to £1,200). That might sound like a lot of money… however the challenge for the interim manager is to work enough days in a year.

For one assignment a few years ago I was earning £300 per day as Interim Finance Director… OK, that’s at the bottom of the above scale but still a healthy income. The drawback was the company could only afford me 2 days per week for the first 2 months with the hope of more work later. That presented me with a dilemma: should I find another assignment or take this one and play golf for 3 days per week?

If you are an interim manager or consultant – or you’d like to be one – over the next weeks and months I’ll be showing you how to promote yourself on the Net, and also providing you with some valuable resources to help you. Stay tuned!

Are you an interim manager?

If you are an interim manager or a management consultant it can often be ‘feast or famine’. You are probably very experienced, maybe a sales and marketing director or a managing director, or maybe you are like me and a bean-counter and finance director.

Being an interim manager is great, you can hire out your expertise for hundreds of pounds or dollars a day. Some interim managers can charge thousands per day. And the work is varied: 3 months here, 1 month there and not enough time to get embroiled in office politics and red tape.

There’s a challenge though for so many of us… what do you do while you are waiting for your next assignment? Maybe you are so busy in your current interim assignment you don’t have time to even think about the next one. How do you promote yourself? How do you turn all those years of experience into alternative streams of income? Or what if the job market and interim management agencies think you are too old?

To a lot of people it seems like things can only get worse with the global downturn… more and more well qualified people are being made redundant and being forced to go it alone. There is actually a massive opportunity right now and it’s the Internet that is the reason.

Over the next days, weeks and months I am going to help Interim Managers and Management Consultants reap the rewards for all that hard graft and experience. Not only will you be able quickly and easily to promote yourself on the Internet but you can also learn how to set up alternative income streams on the Net.

I’m here to help you – stay tuned!