Business Archives - The Voice of Job Seekers

How to Become a Boss In 12 Months With Melinda Emerson

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This week, my feature conversation is with Melinda Emerson, AKA Small Biz Lady, and author of How to Become a Boss In 12 Months. Near the beginning of our conversation, she told me, “…the future of work is going to be, um, part and parcel.” I never heard it put that way. She’ll explain it future as you listen to the conversation.

You are more than welcome to join the discussion. Here are three ways you can:

– Call and leave a voicemail at 708-365-9822, or text your comments to the same number

– Go to TheVoiceofJobSeekers.com, press the “Send Voicemail” button on the right side of your screen and leave a message

– Send email feedback to [email protected]

Show Lineup

Here’s the show flow for this episode:

Clip from a recent episode of my appearance on the CareerBuilder’s podcast with Mike Bird and Lisa Plain. You can listen to the complete episode here. Leave them a review about what you think of the show.
Excerpt of my live stream show#JobSeekerNation with my co-host Jack Kelly and our guest Ruth Sternberg.
My featured interview with Melinda Emerson

More about Melinda:

Melinda’s book, How to Become a Boss In 12 Month is the second edition, is a manual on how to build a business before opening the doors. She should know as she is known as “Small Biz Lady” worldwide. No, I’m not exaggerating. If you were securing your Twitter account back in 2009-12, she was your first ten suggestions of people to follow. She also had a New York Times column, and her Twitter account showed she was a content machine!

Conversation highlights:

Melinda believes the future of work will see businesses demand employees handle themselves as a whole or part-time business.
She says there’s a difference between doing something because you need money and building an actual business.
“And honestly, it takes 12 to 18 months on average to break even. That ain’t you collecting a check every week. That’s you covering the basic expenses of the business!”
Melinda created a quiz to see if you’re ready to build a business at BossQuiz.com.
“I want you to be a side hustler. I want you to work both jobs till. Until that second job is making real money, and do not cannibalize your paycheck because let’s not get it twisted–you got to make sure that if you have an opportunity, you need to keep that opportunity until you’re ready to walk away.”
She says that clearing debt is essential, as is your credit score must be above 700.
“What is the one fundamental difference between then and now for you? The biggest difference between starting a business 22 years ago and now is video mark. Video marketing has become so pervasive.”

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

How Good Writing Skills Can Build Your Brand with the Grammar Goddess

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Employers want employees and new hires to good writing skills. If you find writing a challenge, this is a good show for you. Susan Rooks, the Grammar Goddess is back to revisit the value of good business writing.

I also mention it’s National Punctuation Day and what better way and reason to celebrate it.

How important is good writing to you?Let’s discuss! You can do this in three ways:

Call and leave a voicemail at 708-365-9822, or text your comments to the same number
Go to TheVoiceofJobSeekers.com, press the “Send Voicemail” button on the right side of your screen and leave a message
Send email feedback to [email protected]

NEED A HOLIDAY JOB?

In the first segment of the show, Victoria Crispo offers some holiday job search advice. She is a Career Development Expert, Manager of College and Professional Outreach at Idealist.org. I first met her as she was the Content Manager at IdealistCareers.org. IdealistCareers.org is a not only a nonprofit job board but also has good content for your job search.

More about the Grammar Goddess

Susan Rooks is the Grammar Goddess and can be found at the GrammarGoddess.com. She is a copy editor and a corporate educator. Susan traveled the world training audiences on various subjects including business writing.

Here are some highlights from our discussion:

Susan talks about manners in writing in using “please” and “thank you”–not used enough
The misuse of commas–the Oxford comma she says is still essential–Helps guard against misinterpretation
E.g., My heroes are my parents, Superman, and Wonder Woman vs. My heroes are my parents Superman and Wonder Woman
Susan advocates a refresher on grammar usage. It has been since high school most people have taken a class
Most people should stop using colons and semicolons because they are often misused
I reference using Grammar Girl and Strunk and White, “The Elements of Style”
Although Word grammar check helps, it covers only a fraction of grammar usage

Do you need coaching or instruction?

I am here for it! Use my contact information above to inquire about individual or group coaching. You can also sign up for my weekly newsletter at the top of my page.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Your Career Trajectory, and a Business That Will Pay You Back

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This episode should equip your career in two ways:

It will stimulate your thoughts to create a business as an option to finding a job, and for some that aspire to be entrepreneurs it might be the best career option
You will be motivated to look way past your next job, add new critical feedback to your personal brand, and clarify your career trajectory

David Van Rooy (@dlvanrooy), author of Trajectory: 7 Career Strategies to Take You From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, is Senior Director of International Human Resources Strategy & Operations at Walmart. In his prior role at Walmart, he was responsible for the world’s largest performance management and employee engagement programs, covering nearly 2.2 million employees globally. David received his doctoral degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Florida International University (FIU). Much of his work was covered by many national and international outlets including USA Today and CNN.

David explains why career trajectory is an important element to everyone, and why will it affect the outcome for someone’s career
I ask David, “Do job seekers/employees discount the value of feedback? Where should people seek feedback?”
David shares about Think Big, Act Small, Move Quick (BSQ) strategies to one’s career trajectory from his book.

Laura Humphreys (@Liber8me) is the author of the nominated small business book of the year, “Liber8me.” Liber8me exists to help small business owner operators build a business that is not dependent on their time to make money. In essence, it’s a simple, practical formula that first shifts the mindset then puts steps in place to grow with confidence. She has been a freelancer/entrepreneur for the last 24 years, and believes that “… going out on your own with a view to building a business instead of being employed by someone else is a viable option for people these days.” Her book is a “2014 Gold IPPY Award Winner”, and nominated for a “Global Business Book Award.”

These are a few highlights of our conversation:

Laura shares that she started out as a secretary and learned a lot about running a business through that experience. She built a public relations firm from scratch and sold it for multi-millions (some sources said 15 million dollars)
She shares why it is important to build a business that people can be freed financially
I asked Laura to share about this article that perfectly is aligned with the ideas from her book that was published in Entrepreneur New Zealand magazine ( The 9 Don’ts of Business), 1) Don’t start a business without knowing what you offer or what is needed 2) Don’t be afraid to hire people 3) Don’t run a business without a budget 4) Don’t let them grind you down! (Love this!)
We also talked about another blog post, “Have you created a business or a life-long job?” that resonated with me. At the end of the article, there is an profound line that reads, “Are you choosing to build a business that will pay you back or are you choosing to work for a living?” She offers insight to the advice for others to build a business that would pay he or she back

Correction: I gave a shout out to Penny Sanseveri, whom I gave the wrong company. The website is www.authormarketingexperts.com. I apologize for the error, Penny.