Business and personal life

Aaaargh you are so frustrating sometimes! Get OUT of that head of yours!!!

You ALREADY KNOW enough to be competent at selling in any role.

Can you make some kind of inbound filtering tool, like a video series with a couple pdfs, that explains to prospects whether they should be talking to you or not?

Are you willing to make dials?

Can you qualify (ie. check, confirm, deny) whether someone who has been through your filtering step is a Fit or not? (Is their problem big enough? Do they really need what your company does? Can you work with them--how have they worked with others?)

Can you explain how you accept payment?

YES!

I know for a fact that you can do all of these things!

All you have to do is get into a spot where you have value around you. A company that can fulfill what it says it can. An organization that appreciates what you can do.

I'll bet you can double your salary income with the next move you make, if you're halfway smart about it.

And then there's commission to boot.

I know it's hard to imagine these circumstances when you've gone through what you have for the past couple years...but you do not need to be in the state of indecisiveness you are currently in. Do some information interviews with companies you'd like to work for. Get in front of them. Find out what their culture is really like. Decide what specifically you are looking for.

Sitting at home is not the answer. Just like an operations improvement project, you have to Get Out Of The Office and onto the production floor. That's where things are happening.

I am very anti-college with very few exceptions. Of course if you're going into the medical field or something similar you have no other option and I'm all for it.

When I was in high school, freshmen year I did dual enrollment, took college classes that counted for high school and college credit. Back then... the programming classes I took were a complete joke. I think they're probably still a joke and not really that practical. I took nearly every math class available aside from medical math and a few others that had no use to me. When it comes to employment, very few people verify your degree.

If you decide to go back to school it should be to acquire skills you want to have. For some people it makes sense, especially if they're ex-military and get free schooling and grants, etc.

I personally feel that if you have the drive to learn something, you can do it yourself, and gain more experience than you can with a BS course that isn't practical. Your lack of expertise in any single area isn't a result of not being in college, it is a result of you not focusing your personal education in a certain direction. You don't need college to do that for you.

I think you're also underestimating yourself. You don't have to be a world class expert... you just have to know more than other people about a certain area and you're an expert to them.

Now... your other questions. Community events, political events, charitable groups, etc. are great things to take part in.

Community events - If you're a business person in your city or county, whether you do business locally or nationally you are effected by your community. The growth, whether things are getting better or going downhill, caring for people, etc. Community events are a great thing to take part in. They also position you to benefit from networking with important people in the community. Never underestimate the power of influence in your community. This is something I've been working on all the time lately and have an army of support whenever I need it. The neighborhood I live in and where my office is, I have met pretty much everyone I could... they send referrals, look out for the property, the value that being involved in the community has helped immensely.

Political Events - Great thing to take part in I think. I'm a political junkie, nationally and on the local level. I've been able to work with some big name politicians. The thing with political events, to really benefit from networking with local politicians is that you need to focus on a friendship or genuine interest in the person. Throw your political beliefs aside and be as valuable as you can. Politicians can help you get a very nice city contract... my city's website cost them $125,000...for what most people on here would charge maybe 10K or less. Also, the people that support politicians even on a local level are people with money, usually in a position of great influence.

Charitable clubs are a good thing to be a part of but I haven't done it. I know a lot of people that are and they love it. I'm against joining a charitable club like rotary and such, if the reason is for networking and gain. You can make a real difference in peoples lives without a charitable group, and people will remember you for it. It isn't always about money either... sometimes it could be as little as giving someone a ride to a doctor appointment.. picking up a couple groceries.. even just checking in on some elderly people.

As for friends as business partners... it doesn't work. Don't do it. Your business partner should be your friend, but not your friend prior. The success stories you hear about friends are the exception, not the rule.

Overall, get involved in your community. Support local businesses, attend community events, it makes you more interesting and the more interest you take in other people, the more other people become interested in you.

Make people first and you can never go wrong...I wish I would have learned that earlier, but I was too selfish.

It is difficult to merge both personal and professional life at the same time. Expecially if you have to take career, education and personal life hand in hand.

I would say, do this..

1. Find a goal
2. Find a way to achieve it (MLM, online marketing, etc)
3. Find out the #1 skill you need to get the goal you want (Communication, Selling, Productivity, Persuasion)
4. Learn that skill, and use it in step 2 to achieve more