Not Working Yet? The Scoop On Starting A Business

By Karen Okulicz , ProfessionalEdge Guest Blogger

After becoming unemployed twice in three years, I had had it. Done! At 40, I no longer wanted the corporate setting, the 9-to-5, or the job-robbing bosses. I wanted something of my own. But what was it? The "it" of freedom to be my own boss.

I live at the beach in New Jersey. I wanted my own ... what? What was "it"?

At the shore there is ice cream available practically on every corner. That was "it." I would own an ice cream stand.

I knew nothing about the ice cream business, but knew the product and knew others loved devouring it. I decided to volunteer at a friend's place miles from where I was going to start my ice cream empire. It was pre-season, so not so busy, and they were glad to have me. I envisioned nice, easy days and nights of scooping ice cream. Easy? Never. I now know why you see 14- and 15-year-olds scooping. I have arthritis in both my hands, which flares up in the winter months. I never dreamed that scooping ice cream would trigger it.

Well, after a few evenings of scooping, I would wake up with claw hands.

The whole experience of ice cream scooping lasted 20 hours tops. My ice cream business was never going happen.

Meanwhile, my family thought I had some kind of breakdown. What is she doing down there, scooping ice cream at 40? I knew what I was doing. Well, maybe not the full picture, but I knew this was the way to new, interesting, full employment. I was on a roll. I was out there trying stuff, volunteering, being in the world. I knew the movement was going to bring the next new idea and direction.

The same summer I stopped by a pal who was in the food business. I told him I was unemployed, again. We were chatting and he told me that he was having a problem with his coleslaw vendor. I loudly heard opportunity knocking. So I said to him, "I can make coleslaw." He said, "OK, let's try it." Well, now my mind was working. Great. I could see it now! I would start with him, then provide coleslaw to every food stand on the coast. The dream began.

At home in my tiny kitchen I mixed the coleslaw, thinking, what will be the company name? Ah! My name is Karen. Mix that with coleslaw. I'll name the company K-Slaw, Inc. I would have a jingle like "K-Slaw-slaw, whatever will be, will be." It was big.

Coleslaw made, I brought a container to my friend to try it. Well, it was a bit salty. But he dragged out two 30-gallon tubs of coleslaw and said, "This is the portion I need every few days." Now it's back to the arthritic hands. I was never going to be able to chop, mix, dice or stir 30 gallons of coleslaw!

This business dream lasted until the time it took to make a portion of coleslaw for four. I did, however, use the name K-Slaw, Inc. My books are published by K-Slaw, Inc. I still sing the jingle, "K-Slaw-slaw, whatever will be, will be." In private, of course.

So there I was, still not working. Out of the vapors of an unemployment fog, a co-worker called and asked me to come and talk at a company that was laying off their employees. She had watched and listened to me at our last employment tell others about the pitfalls and traps of facing our current corporate downsizing. She said that I could do a presentation. I had never spoken in front of an audience at that point. I had no idea what to say. At that time, mind you, there were no home computers; laptops didn't exist. She said, "Just write some things down. We will type it up for you."

I never made that presentation, but I started my first book on my college Smith Corona typewriter with the correctable ribbon. Typed it on different colored paper as I revised it.

I approached an editor who lived in the neighborhood. He said, "You have something here." "Who will publish it?" I asked. "You should," he said. I asked, "How?" He said, "I don't know."

So that summer I wrote in the A.M. and learned in the P.M. about the process of publishing. My first book was written and published in 4½ months. If someone was to tell me that today, after close to 17 years of writing, I would say, "You can't do that."

Well, you can. You really can do anything you set your mind on with that first step, that first scoop, that first chop, or that first word. Whatever your time is out of a workweek -- months or years -- just start something toward the new.

As the first step toward that next new business venture -- volunteer. This is how you do it: You ask to meet with the owner of a business that you are interested in. Be honest and say, "I have always wanted to (own, operate, work) in your type of business. I would like to volunteer for (an afternoon, a day, or whatever you can do)."

If the first response is no, that's OK. Ask another business owner. This is the best way to know if you want to buy a franchise -- work in one. If an acquaintance sees you wearing a hairnet and a name tag, just wave. If the business is the right fit and you own a few franchises, who is the winner?

Just begin that step toward something. Your path may not be ice cream or coleslaw, but the process of movement toward something new will lead you to new, interesting and full employment. Your objective is to be working. With times the way they are, you may not be able to go back to what you once did. So try everything. Something will fit. And I guarantee it will be a pleasant surprise.

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Karen Okulicz is the author of three motivational pocket books. Try: A Survival Guide to Unemployment; Decide: How to Make Any Decision; and Attitude: For Your Best Lived Life. Each book captures the best successful personal responses to job loss, decision making, and keeping a positive attitude. Written in stream-of-conscious style with lots of short snappy sentences, quips and phrases, Ms. Okulicz imparts her wisdom and shares ideas and suggestions for successfully navigating the world of work and thriving there. For more information www.Okulicz.com or Karen@Okulicz.com.

Is it time to get out of your social media comfort zone?

Learn how to put a plan in place that will increase your small business success.

I saw a sign recently that said "Success begins at the end of your comfort zone." Isn't that the truth? Usually once we begin to move past the discomfort we open up opportunities beyond our expectations.

Social media is no different. We are marketers and at times over the past several years we have felt like we are standing in a room with our heads spinning round and round trying to figure out how to stay ahead of the changes. We'll talk about how marketing has changed over the past 20 years in the upcoming issue of Solutions magazine http://www.gettheprofessionaledge.com/solutions.html.

As small business professionals, it can be overwhelming trying to keep up with the latest and greatest. But it's critical to the success of our businesses.

Over the coming weeks and months ProfessionalEdge Associates will share some helpful methods and tools to help you stay on top of the ever-changing world of marketing and media. We'll talk about blogs vs newsletters, which social media platforms are best, and how to maximize your return on investment, plus a whole lot more.  We'll also introduce some guest bloggers who will talk about other topics vital to your business' success.

So, let's step out of our comfort zones together.  We'd love to connect with you and to hear what specific topics you'd like to talk more about. Click on the @wibiya toolbar at the bottom of the blog to connect with us and click on the comments link below to share your thoughts and challenges with us.

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Kerry Brooks is Co-owner of ProfessionalEdge Associates, offering a wide range of marketing and support services to businesses that want to increase their success, but aren't in a position to add to their staff.

Is it better to outsource some of your business needs?

Have you seen the recent Xerox commercials where flight attendants are busy working customer service phone lines in flight and the Michelin Man is being asked to work on accounting while fighting off evil gas pump monsters? They really hit the mark. It's smart business for these very large companies to outsource this part of their business to Xerox (and even smarter to have a joint advertising campaign!)

This concept may be even more appropriate for small businesses.

As a small business your limited staff has to manage everything. They are your customer service liaisons, your sales force, your manufacturers, and everything else.

Does it make more sense for your small staff to focus on building your products or delivering the services you provide instead of managing the books, doing your own taxes, or managing your marketing and social media campaigns?  There are other small businesses all across the country who have mastered the art of providing small business accounting, administrative services, marketing, and more. The right business models offer you a whole staff of support for much less than you would pay for one annual salary.  While you may not be in a position to add to your staff, it may be an excellent business decision to add to your team with outside consultants. This decision can help you grow your business by allowing consultants to take on some of the important tasks that need to be done so you and the rest of your team of experts can focus on doing what you do best.

What small business services could your business benefit from outsourcing?

The Many Hats of a Small Business Owner - Which Hat Are You Wearing Today?

We often joke about the different “departments” in our business: 

“I’m having trouble with my computer; I’ll need to call the IT department”

“That’s a decision for the accounting department”

“The sales department is having a great month!”

The truth is we are a small business, and we are all “all” of the departments. Over the years we have developed some trusted partnerships for professional services, both for our needs and those of our clients. 

There are countless technical tools to help small businesses streamline their processes, reach their customers, manage their contracts, stage webinars, etc.  This list is endless.

And never assume consultants are too expensive.  The great thing about consultants is that they can deliver just what you need, when you need it, quite often at a very reasonable price. 

No one can do everything.  And no one has to! Click the comments link below to share your hat for the day!

What was your favorite Super Bowl commercial?

Yesterday was the most talked about advertising day of the year. Companies spent millions – an average of $3.5 million for a 30 second slot – to get their ad in front of 100+ million Super Bowl viewers.

More than half of the ads from yesterday’s Super Bowl were released last week online. Seemed to spoil the surprise a bit, but there were still several worth mentioning. There were ads for cars and trucks, candy and colas. There were vampires vanishing under new ‘daylight’ headlights, ‘naked’ M&Ms, and the traditional cola bears and Clydesdale horses. There were definitely ads targeted at specific demographics, and lots of 80’s references.

There were several ads that tickled the funny bone, like a moon walking dog, a speed dating baby, a grandma sling-shotting her grandbaby for a snack, and a graduate thinking he was getting a very cool car instead of a pretty lame dorm refrigerator.

There were even a couple of controversies, including chimps at work and certain truck brands surviving the apocalypse when others didn’t.

My personal favorite included a very determined canine who would stop at nothing to slim down so he could chase the new red Beetle.

It is certain there will be many conversations over the water cooler today, not only about the big game, but about the ads that made it all possible.  Click the comment link below to tell us about your favorites!

Kerry Brooks