Welcome To The Grave New World - January 2008
Hello and welcome to the first APD newsletter of 2008. First up I would like to wish
you and your family a very happy and prosperous 2008.
I don’t want to start a new year in a negative vein, but sadly I am going to…however,
on a brighter note, the big black cloud will have a silver lining – promise!
If you can remember back to 2007 (yes, it already seems a long time ago doesn’t it?) I
was saying that I thought 2008 was going to be a bumpy ride, and I’ve seen nothing to
change my view on that. Indeed, even Gordon Brown has publicly stated he thinks
things might not be so good this year!
Well done Gordon, very astute. If I could see it coming last summer and it takes you
until January 2008 to realise…just who should be running the country? Send your
votes in now please!
Seriously though…there will be a lot written by those doom and gloom merchants I
was talking about back in August last year. In fact, it would really help to read that
issue again in view of what I am going to say today.
You see it was brought very firmly home to me that the situation is very real.
Mortgage defaults are up, people are not spending so much and believe me when I tell
you the number of jobs out there will decrease during the year.
However, what you must remember is that it is up to you how you react to all of this.
Also remember what I told you… the media will build this up to be a huge economic
wave when really it’s just a mere ripple.
So, what happened to jolt me back into the real world after the festivities? Simply
waiting in the check out queue in Sainsbury’s and listening to two people recount
their stories of a pre Christmas redundancy! It was quite sad as the two guys chatting
were both really down and just didn’t know how to react or what they should do. My
estimate is they were both in their mid fifties.
I also had one of my old City chums on the phone telling me the software house he
worked for had just suddenly, out of the blue, shut down their recruitment branch. No
warning, he got called to a meeting and that was it…out.
The bottom line is that job security is disappearing. It has been disappearing for a
number of years. When I first started work for a clearing bank back in 1976, it was a
“job for life”. Such a thing no longer exists.
I’m not just talking about losing jobs to layoffs and business closings, which is
happening at an alarming rate in some regions. I’m also referring to a new trend that has emerged… outsourcing. And this is good news for you!
Many employers are starting to outsource more and more of the work that was
traditionally performed by employees. Now something that is very interesting has
started to emerge. Yes, the large chunks of work are off-shored to places like India, but…the smaller packets of work are going to freelancers and other specialised “micro-businesses” with just a few employees.
One factor forcing this trend is today’s high speed of technology change. The
necessary expertise to perform certain functions can literally change from year to
year. In many cases it’s simply easier and cheaper to hire different people on a limited
time basis instead of continuously having one employee trying to keep up with all the
different tricks of the trade.
This trend will have far reaching consequences for today’s workforce. Even the more
experienced employees will have to stay sharp. They can’t sit on their laurels anymore
because they will continuously have to prove their worth in new situations, more now
than ever before.
Some consider this outsourcing trend a huge threat to their career. The truth is though
that it’s an opportunity, a big one.
To give you an example, I recently purchased a software product called Keyword
Elite. You can read my review at the following URL…
Initially I just got the product to help with my own PPC marketing and keyword
research. However, I was telling a friend about it (he used to work for me and now
owns his own recruitment agency in the North West) and he suddenly got all excited.
“I’ve been looking to get into some PPC marketing to see if I can cut my advertising
costs…could you help me out?”
I agreed and spent a few hours researching a market for him. I sent him the results and
he came back to me a couple of days later delighted and with a new niche market
open.
Two days later a friend of his called me asking if I could do some work for him as
well. Personal referrals – very powerful!
You will know from past newsletters that I have relatives in Vancouver. Some of the
family were visiting and they complained they couldn’t make Adwords work…guess
what? Yep, I showed them the product and before I knew it I was doing some
keyword research for their t-shirt printing business!
They gave me a glowing testimonial, and the penny dropped…hey, there’s a market
for this.
This is exactly the sort of work that small and medium sized businesses don’t have the
time and skills to keep up with. So, I now offer the use of my software product and
services in this area. How cool is that? It pays a premium as well!
What skills or abilities do you have that you can use in a similar way to protect
yourself? Think about it.
And that brings me to another “slant” on this story. It was great to be back at “work”.
The time off was fantastic but I was so ready to dive back into work. What did you
feel on Wednesday 2nd January (Thursday 3rd if you’re in Scotland)?
Taking time completely away from work is a necessity for many reasons that I won’t
go into here. But here’s a reason I’m willing to bet you have never thought of, and
more importantly what it can tell you about yourself and the business you are in…
If your work / business is ideal for you - you should’ve noticed a certain feeling over
the break. With each passing day away from work you would have felt yourself being
drawn back to work.
First of all you just feel a bit uneasy about not “doing something”. But…it keeps building with each passing day away until you just can’t take it anymore. Finally to simply keep your sanity you just HAVE to get back to work.
If you have no idea what I am talking about, the chances are you are in the wrong
business. If you took a (long enough) break and weren’t itching to get back - you need
to evaluate your business and determine if it’s right for you.
If your business is not calling you back while you’re away, it’s likely you’re not playing to your strengths.
I’ve written about this before, so I am not going to go into detail today - but hopefully
the whole reason you decided to go into business (aside from the money) is do
something you love doing each day…so that it’s not just a job…a chore.
Too many people find themselves doing things they hate, and I find that so sad. This
is especially so when opportunity abounds! We are surrounded by opportunity, it’s
everywhere.
So, what about that silver lining?
Well, when the economy turns downward there is always an increased market for the
“how to make money” products. What do you know how to make money with? What
could you turn into a product that could help people make money? How could you
help people earn in return for payment?
When companies have to tighten the purse strings there is always an increased
demand for “packets of work” as described above. What services can you offer that
will fill such a need? What skills and abilities do you have that might be useful for
local / small companies? What are you specialised in?
You should know the market you work in, or your interest of preference…what can you offer to others?
When one door closes, another opens. It’s the old accountancy syndrome I talked
about last year. They make money from doing all the accounts when the economy
does well and also make money from the insolvencies when it goes badly.
Can what you do or want to do be turned on its head?It’s the same as the banks will do in the coming choppy waters. They will hedge and bet on derivatives so that when one market loses, they’ll be on to another that wins.
There is always a way to stand on your own two feet. Everyone has something that is
a saleable asset, and I mean everyone.
Think about what yours is and how you intend to use it for your benefit in 2008. It
may be the best move that you ever make!
This is a vitally important area and I will put up a PDF in the freebies area of the main
site to help you with this over the next week or so. I’ll send a mail out when it’s
ready.
How To Get What You Want (Edit 2009, here it is)
And, finally, just for a giggle, I’ve decided that I need to lose a bit of weight after the
excess of the festive period. So, to aid my discipline in this matter, I have decided to
go public with my efforts. I’ve started my first blog and you can find it at:
(Edit 2009…weight loss campaign over - blog now shut down)
To be honest, I had no idea what I was doing when I started it, so that’s why the name
doesn’t really reflect what it’s about. But, hey I wasn’t going to be stopped!
Feel free to have a laugh at my expense and add comment if you wish.
But, as much of a laugh as this might cause, it does have a serious message. You see, I
didn’t have a clue how to put up a blog, how to put up a post, I still haven’t got a clue
about most of it…but…did it stop me? (Edit 2009, look at me now!!!)
No, it didn’t. And therein lies a very serious and vitally important message. Don’t
procrastinate! Even if you don’t have a clue, just do something. I did and I got a
result. OK, not the best result, but I will get there.
And that’s the vital point…I will get there. It may not be the finished article right
now, but at least it’s up there, available on the world-wide-web and it has the
possibility to make me some money!
In fact…to take this a step further 18 months ago I didn’t have a clue about anything
to do with internet marketing.
Did I let that stop me? Obviously not!
I have said many times before…I am nothing special. If I can do it…YOU CAN too.
On that very bright note, I will wish you all the best for a successful 2008.
As always, I’ll be back next month with more great information to help you profit in
2008.
Now…go for it!
As always…to *YOUR* success
Cheers now, and have fun!
Derek
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