Company of One

Career fears are those silly things that keep us from making wise career decisions we want to make. So many of us look in the mirror and know that we are CONTROLLED BY OUR FEAR.The Big Career Fears  (Podcast Outline)Here are the primary fears holding us back in our careers. Perfectionism - I will make a mistake. I cannot do anything unless it is perfect. Wrong Path  - Once I pick, I am stuck. Care...

How do you recognize and overcome fear? Fear plays a dominate part of most lives. But success often is found on the other side of fear. How to Recognize and Overcome Fear (Podcast Outline) What fear really looks like Excuses Procrastination Perfectionism - Seth Godin -  SHIP IT. What it feels like Panic attack Frozen (not like the song or movie) What drives fear Danger - Reality  Ego and Pride How...

It's OK If You Don't Want to Be an Entrepreneur. Really! You see the message everywhere that you should quit your day job, take the risk, and make money. You might be hearing statements like: You are busy making someone else rich. You are selling out. Entrepreneurs are modern heroes. Business owners make the big bucks. University Entrepreneurship programs are booming. Must be something -...

You should want to grow your career. Right? It just makes sense? But wanting to grow your career is not enough - you have to work at it. Once we start our engineering career (or any career for that matter), we get busy. Work and life take over, and we are so tied up in just keeping up that we forget we need to keep growing. Last week we hit on the subject of WHY you need to grow your career.  This...

Do you grow as an engineer or technology professional? You know the saying"If you are not growing, you are dying"It is true for your career - a lot more than you think. You see, many of us engineers think "We've got this." The technology changes going on around us are the one thing we know well. In fact, we sometimes created them. But blinders are everywhere. Today I hope...

Do you really need a college degree to become an engineer? This subject is an often debated topic - especially in the hallowed halls of higher education. Many of my peers hotly disagree with me on this subject.  They think I am committing blasphemy to bring up the idea that we may not be adding as much value as we (or any other institution) think we are adding. Can you become something without the...

“Where do you see yourself in five years?” is one of the most frequently asked questions in an interview. Yet, I often wonder if your answer matters much. After all, many interviewers are just following a script. But forget the interview and think about it for yourself. Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years? If you do not know - think about it. Why is this important to what you do today? Lea and...

Develop confidence. That is the challenge. The desire to develop more confidence and composure under pressure is a common theme we see in our professional graduate students. Even those who seem like they are highly confident will confess one-on-one that they are lacking. A quick look will show that everyone lacks confidence at some level. And all want to develop confidence to a higher level. Yes,...

Where you go to school matters - right? With all the attention to college acceptance bribery cases involving actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, we might think that it really matters where you go to school. After all, why would they pay a ton of money if not? But when we peel back the layers of the truth and the norms, we see that most of us fight to get our kids into top schools and rar...

Engineering Management (EM) vs MBA? That is a question I have talked about a lot in the last few years. I have both a masters in engineering and an MBA. And since joining the university, I have been running an engineering management program (Information Engineering and Management or IEM). So I have seen them all up close and personal. I have the conversation almost daily with engineers and technol...

Ever heard of hidden engineering jobs? Estimates indicate that over 80% of jobs filled each year are hidden jobs. What is a hidden job? Many will define hidden jobs as jobs that never get formally posted to job boards. But it goes further than that since many jobs posted on sites like Indeed are not real. They have already been filled before they were posted. They were hidden, and once the company...

Finding hidden jobs is like finding a rare coin in your spare change - easy to go unnoticed but fun when you find it. And sometimes, valuable. Clients and students often tell me how there are so few jobs available. But when others look, they see jobs everywhere. In today's podcast, I am going to give you some examples of how to see jobs everywhere you look. Finding Hidden Jobs Everywhere You...

Do you need a 6-week plan to start a side hustle? I know I did. When I start projects, I like to have some idea of where I am going. But in business startups, I have found I am often running blind. When I meet with clients who are in the startup phase, I find they are often confused about what to do next. The advice they listen to (assuming they are listening to any) is often poorly thought out an...

Going to start two businesses at the same time? Entrepreneurs usually abound in ideas they can offer to the market. Often you will see those with an entrepreneurial spirit starting multiple businesses back to back. When you talk to them - they even have ideas for other money-making ventures. But is being a multi-passionate entrepreneur a blessing or a curse? Opinions vary widely. So today we will...

Trying to decide if your startup should be an LLC or S-Corp? In the startup world, this is one of the most frequent questions I get. It falls closely in line with Do I need a business license? Should I incorporate or not? How do I find an attorney and CPA?I have dealt with parts of these subjects in past episodes. Ep 115 - What you need in terms of LLC or business license Ep 56 - Do I need a busin...

Where do you find the time and the money to start a side business? You never have enough of either - right? But do a reality check. Others have. Other people have been more broke and had less time and found a way. And ... they are not any smarter than you. But yet, we struggle. Families. Jobs. Friends. And even just fatigue saps us of time. So today I will unpack several common practices that othe...

Want to know how to find a business idea for a side hustle? To some, it seems daunting - to others simple. You might be the person who comes up with 20 ideas a day, or maybe you are the person who has no ideas. Either way, there are traps in both sets of thinking. Today I will go over some simple ways to uncover ideas and common mistakes others make. How to Find a Business Idea for a Side Hustle (...

How can you use the reverse interview to stand out in your current company? In this podcast, I will should you just how to do that! Here is my outline of how to use the reverse interview on your current job What is a reverse interview? Check out my previous episodes for details on the process. A quick summary would be that the reverse interview is used to help you connect to people by asking speci...

What I want to hear you say in an interview is how you will help me win. It is as simple as that. But while most of us understand this simple message, we think we have to talk about ourselves - accomplishments, strengths, all that stuff. STOP!Remember that you are a Company of One. You are looking for a new customer. So in a job interview, you are trying to sell a POTENTIAL customer. Customers do...

Looking for a job after 50?How many of these thoughts are going through your head? I will have to start over! I am so specialized in my area of expertise that I can never find another job that needs my skills. I am going to have to go back to school to learn new skills. No one will hire me now that I am over 50.I am competing against people of a very young age who will work for less. You might be...

How can you make the best use of your day while on a job search? If you are out of work, or about to be, you need a solid plan to make the best use of your day. After all, every day out of work costs you money. I have had the honor of helping many professionals in job searches. But I have noticed that most people on the search really do not know what to do. How to make the best use of your day on...

Being a Christian and being wealthy can seem like an oxymoron. I confess I have struggled with money and faith. As a Christian should I give it all away and go live a life like Mother Teresa? Or as a Christian, how do I recognize my gift of serving others through education and business? Could it be that the Bible is the best business book ever written? Today, I will share a bit of my story of how...

Overwhelmed at work? You have to learn to eliminate, delegate, and automate. I know what you are thinking...Eliminate? What can I stop doing? It all has to be done. Delegate? To who? Automate? I do not have time (or the skill) to do that. Really. Then why do some people, who are busy like you, seem to get more done? Come on - you know some of them just like I do. The number one issue professionals...

We have all heard it. You might have even said it “The harder I work, the less I make.” If you feel that way, you are doing it wrong. Back in episode 129, we explored the idea of being a Company of One. That means you, yes you, are an entrepreneur right now. And what reasonable business owner would settle for working harder and making less money. Today we will explore some simple and practical (ye...

How do you become a company of one? What does it mean ot be a company of one? It seems everyone wants to be an entrepreneur. We want to get control of our time and income. We want to have the ability to serve more and grow. But I want to help you see a new perspective. You already have more control of your time and income than you think. Whether you are an employee or an entrepreneur (or unemploye...