Friday, April 20, 2007

How to make a living doing what you love

Work is an essential part of life. For starters we are judged by our careers. Go to a party sometime and the first thing people ask after an introduction is 'so what do you do?' If your job is prestigious they admire you, if it's lucrative they resent you and if it's satisfying they respect you a lot. We sometimes hate to get out of bed on a Monday morning but deep down inside we are grateful. Work pays the bills, keeps us busy and gives us a sense of security. Sometimes a false sense of security...

Our ancestors worked hard. Civilisations have been built by bare hardworking hands. Work shouldn't define us and yet it tells a part of the story. It's what grown-ups do; what respectable individuals should aspire to. However, nowadays more and more people crave to make a living doing what they genuinely enjoy. It's not the preserve of singers and dancers only. It's a birthright. As loving relationships satisfy our desire to be loved, fulfilling work meets the need we all have- the need to express ourselves; to make a difference.

If you're fed up with meaningless routine, you have the right to forge a different path. For instance, 'movie stars' did not really exist until after 1910. Centuries ago actors were one of the most poorly paid professionals on the face of the earth. An actor was the equivalent of a clown, not the sort of person you could take very seriously. A lot of these talented people lived in debt, worked without pay and endured ridicule. Gradually a handful of pioneers began to change our perception of the industry. Although many actors still struggle today, a good number are extremely wealthy. Some have even gone on to become political leaders and entrepreneurs. They influence what we wear, what we eat, how we live.

I'm going to share with you 5 steps to making a living doing work that doesn't seem like work for the most part. You can take the word 'starving' out of starving artist, you can turn any hobby, habit, skill or craft into a decent livelihood. Bored with your day job? You can change that. Perhaps you've got children and want flexible work that allows you to be the best parent you can be? Create it. Want some extra income on the side? Go for it. There's no better motivator than satisfying work. With a bit of courage and these 5 steps, you can have the best of both worlds.

1. Find what makes you tick- On a sheet of paper list your talents, hobbies, unique life experiences, educational background and practical skills. What does your dream career look like? What sort of work would make you truly happy? How can your life experiences, education and practical skills contribute toward creating your desired lifestyle? Thoughtfully write down the answers to these questions. If you require further insight, get some feedback from family and friends as well. Work with what you've got. For instance, if you love gardening, consider setting up shop as a florist. If you are a lover of the outdoors and don't like the idea of being stuck behind the counter, you can do without a shop altogether. How? Invest in land, seeds, gardening equipment and a decent website. Do some marketing- perhaps positioning yourself as an organic farmer who supplies flora straight from the source. When you receive orders via cyberspace, ship the plants off. With proper planning and execution, anything can be achieved.

2. Get refined- When crude oil is drilled out of the earth's crust is it supplied to gas stations right away? No one shells out their hard earned money to amateurs. Work on your skills so that you can compete with other professionals. Better still, aim to offer the best value to your customers. For instance, if you dream of making a living as a fashion designer, learn from the best in the industry. At the very least, go on a refresher course or practice devotedly.

3. Find a need- Sometimes people assume that there is an instant market for the products and services they offer. Okay, so you really enjoy folk singing or writing poetry. Is there a sizeable demand or at least growing appetite for your craft? If you have faith in your work, press on by all means. The world needs pioneers alright but be prepared to make a lot of sacrifices and accept the fact that change may come in another era. Vincent Van Gogh's paintings are worth a fortune today but he died a pauper in the year 1890. On the contrary, Picasso lived a life of affluence- perhaps walking a path paved by prior artists. If you plan to pay your mortgage in the mean time, be willing to think outside the box. For instance, greeting card companies are always on the look out for verse; consider supplying lyrics to bespoke card makers whilst you write your literary masterpiece. Are you an aspiring musician? TV and movie studios are always in need of royalty free intro music. Consider catering to such hungry markets whilst you put finishing touches to your debut album.

4. Sell to that need- Take time to study trends and assess potential markets. You don't want to invest precious time and money crafting a product, only to find out that demand isn't steady. You want the need (for whatever you plan to sell) to be as regular as your utility bill. One can't go wrong in the food industry for instance because whatever happens people have to eat. In order to serve their customers, cooks have to buy crockery from the manufacturing industry. People who eat also have to defecate at some point and that's where toilet roll production comes in. Think strategically. Seek to meet a genuinely pressing need or at least have the ability to convince your target audience that they can't do without your offering. Again, determine the need and sell to it.

5. Stay focused- Always remember that your primary objective was to 'make a living doing what you love'. Don't get so caught up in red tape or profit making that you forget to enjoy yourself. Of course running a business of your own will never be all fun and games but if you are in the right line of work, you should feel passion and fulfilment despite the hassle. Having said that, life is a journey. People grow; circumstances and needs change. Time may come when you have to move on to yet another challenge. We live in the age of diversity and opportunity, don't be afraid of trying something new but strive for excellence in all that you do.

So that's it- 5 steps to making your dreams come true. But whilst self help articles make for excellent reading, it's extremely vital that you 'take action right away'. Good things no longer come to those who wait around.

About the Author

Ọgọ Ọgbata is a writer, speaker and founder of the inspirational website http://www.creativityandsense.com . A lifestyle expert, she empowers people to create more fulfilling lives by discovering, developing and harnessing their many talents. A variety of helpful articles, FREE resources and specialist business tools are available on her site. Respond to this article by sending a brief email to: ogo-ogbata@aweber.com.

Introducing the World's Best Personal and Professional Problem Solving Site

Abstract
This article introduces the world's best personal and professional problem solving site (http://www.triplacc.com/), comparing it against its competitive environment. It concludes that the site stands high and above its competitors by miles, so that it is normal to expect a high level of performance from it.

Introduction
The aim of this article is to introduce to the world its best available personal and professional problem solving site, and to assess the site in the context of its competition.

It is a common fact of life that we all have problems and that all too often we are frustrated and we tend to lash out because of our inability to find accessible and reliable information about our problems. This site fills this need - as our pragmatic friend for solving our personal or professional problems.

To be of the greatest use to people a problem solving web site must combine pragmatic discussions of their personal and professional problems with merchant products that provide more detailed information. Typically, the web site will provide free information in the form of news, articles, and advice, which direct the visitor on what to do to solve her problems. Complementing this, the web site must also provide merchant products which discuss in detail how the visitor can go about resolving her problem. This means that the most effective, visitor-oriented problem-solving site will be an information-packed commercial site - and so is the world's best personal and professional problem solving site (http://www.triplacc.com/).

Motivations
The main motivations for developing this site come from:

The need to fulfil the webmaster's quest for an avenue to exercise his life's philosophy, which is centred on interdisciplinary problem solving as a means of advancing humanity and fostering its personal, professional, and intellectual development.

The need to fulfil the webmaster's drive for taking on intellectual changes, conquering complexity, and achieving continuous intellectual development.

The webmaster's need for financial self-sufficiency while advancing his life's goals.

The lack of real competition in the niche area of accessible, reliable, and visitor-oriented content on personal and professional problem solving.

The customer's need for a one-stop information hub from which to address her personal and professional problems.

Competitive Offerings
Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Problem_solving) has provided a brief intellectual account of the history and structure of problem solving. This is a free online encyclopaedia that has good introductory definitions and content on various academic topics. Its main weakness is that its presentation satisfies only an academic curiosity, with little pragmatic analysis of the topic. The writing style is heavily academic and as such is not amenable to a wide audience. It does not teach problem solving skills, but merely describes the nature or structure of problems.

The Free Management Library (http://www.managementhelp.org/prsn_prd/prob_slv.htm) adopts a pragmatic approach to problem solving and recommends good practical books on the topic. Its main weakness is that it offers limited scope, covering only managerial problem solving.

MindTools (http://www.mindtools.com/pages/main/newMN_TMC.htm) offers excellent tools for business problem solving. The tools are actually specific techniques or methods for business / managerial problem solving. Its weaknesses are that the content is technical and that it is intended for business professionals only.

Thoughts on Problem Solving (http://www.engin.umich.edu/~problemsolving/) offers a simple and practical account of problem types and problem solving. It covers a broad range of problem types, but does not address the daily needs of individuals. It also treats problem solving in a general way.

Customer Profile
It is important to be very clear on what type of visitor a web site addresses, and here we describe the target visitor characteristics of the world's best personal and professional problem solving site (http://www.triplacc.com/). We have designed this site to meet the needs of a specific type of visitors, who have a personal or professional problem bogging them. The site is designed for both males and females, even though it is often convenient to refer to just one sex when writing.

We have designed this site for the visitor who uses search engines to research information about her personal or professional problem, with the intention of finding solutions to it. Such a visitor is serious about solving her problem and is therefore willing to buy products that help her achieve her mission, provided that she can find reliable and honest information about relevant products so that she can make an informed decision about which products to acquire. This information will help her to apply her finances economically, and hence avoid wasting money.

The visitor wants high quality information products (usually in digital form) and wants to pay the cheapest price for these (without paying so much emphasis on price that she compromises quality). The visitor also wants free bonus offers that are attached to the purchased goods.

The visitor's problem is not life critical, so that she can afford to investigate her problem and educate herself about it before seeking help from a consultant, if necessary.

Unique Selling Points
The world's best personal and professional problem solving site (http://www.triplacc.com/) offers many unique selling features that stand way and above what any competitors offer. The full range of USPs is described on the site, at http://www.triplacc.com/problem-solving/unique-selling-points.html (Unique Selling Points).

Target Markets and Product Offerings
Now that we have looked at our unique offerings, let us turn to our target market segments and the products offered to them. We have positioned our segments to address the various needs of a customer over a period of time, and at any given time a customer may belong to one or more of the market segments. The market segmentation follows standard practice on the Web for niche markets.

There are four general classes of products offered to each market segment: ClickBank products (http://www.triplacc.com/products/products.html), Google products, eBay products, and SiteSell products (http://www.triplacc.com/employment/self-employment/sitesell.html). Google and eBay products are presented on each page of the site. SiteSell products are applicable only to self-employment seekers. ClickBank products are grouped into product categories that match the target markets.

The full range of target markets and matching products are given in the full version of this article, which is located at http://www.triplacc.com/editorials/site-marketing-articles/site-editorial.html (Introducing the World's Best Personal and Professional Problem Solving Site). Here we present only a sample of the markets and product offerings, which are given as follows.

Educational Problem Solving (http://www.triplacc.com/educational/education.html)

This consists of visitors who have educational problems and are looking for solutions. Their needs are met through the Educational Product Catalogue (http://www.triplacc.com/products/educational-pc.html).

Employment Problem Solving (http://www.triplacc.com/employment/employment.html)

These visitors have employment problems and want real solutions. They consist of three groups:

Career Planners (http://www.triplacc.com/employment/career/career.html). These people are seeking career advancement solutions and want to formulate a plan for their career direction. Their needs are met through the Career Development Catalogue (http://www.triplacc.com/products/career-pc.html).

Job Seekers (http://www.triplacc.com/employment/job-search/job.html). These people have a career plan already and are seeking jobs that fall within their plan. Their needs are met through the Job Search Catalogue (http://www.triplacc.com/products/job-search-pc.html).

Self-Employment Seekers (http://www.triplacc.com/employment/self-employment/self-employment.html). These persons don't want to work for another person, cannot work for another person for one reason or another, are entrepreneurs looking for new opportunities or for advice, or are employed persons looking to go it alone. Their needs are met through the Self-Employment Catalogue (http://www.triplacc.com/products/self-employment-pc.html), and through SiteSell Products (http://www.triplacc.com/employment/self-employment/sitesell.html). SiteSell offerings consist of SiteSell's e-Commerce Philosophy (http://www.triplacc.com/sitesell/sitesell-e-commerce.html), Site Build It! (http://www.triplacc.com/sitesell/site-build-it.html), Net Marketing e-Books (http://www.triplacc.com/sitesell/internet-marketing-ebooks.html), and SiteSell University (http://www.triplacc.com/sitesell/sitesell-university.html)

Financial Problem Solving (http://www.triplacc.com/finance/finance.html)

These are typical people with financial problems or successful people who want to expand their wealth. There are six classes of them:

Debtors or Persons Crippled by Debt (http://www.triplacc.com/finance/debt/debt.html). These persons have a debt problem and are seeking ways to overcome it. Their needs are met through the Debt/Credit Catalogue (http://www.triplacc.com/products/debt-pc.html).

Persons with Miscellaneous Financial Problems (http://www.triplacc.com/finance/general/general.html). These persons are looking for insurance, credit cards, tax advice, and grants. Their needs are met through the General Finance Catalogue (http://www.triplacc.com/products/gen-fin-pc.html).

Investors or Investment Seekers (http://www.triplacc.com/finance/investments/investment.html). These persons are looking to invest money. Their needs are met through the Investment / Stock Trading Catalogue (http://www.triplacc.com/products/investment-pc.html).

Loan Seekers (http://www.triplacc.com/finance/loans/loans.html). These people are looking for loans. Their needs are met through the Loans Catalogue (http://www.triplacc.com/products/loans-pc.html).

Mortgage Seekers and Home Owners (http://www.triplacc.com/finance/mortgages/mortgage.html). These are looking for mortgages or re-mortgages. Their needs are met through the Mortgages Catalogue (http://www.triplacc.com/products/mortgage-pc.html).

Wealth Seekers or Accumulators (http://www.triplacc.com/finance/wealth/wealth.html). These are looking for means to amass wealth. Their needs are met through the Wealth Generation Catalogue (http://www.triplacc.com/products/wealth-generaction-pc.html).

Health Problem Solving (http://www.triplacc.com/health/health.html)

This consists of visitors with health problems. They fall under the following categories:

Addicts (http://www.triplacc.com/health/addiction/addiction.html). These are people with addiction problems. Their needs are met through the Addiction Catalogue (http://www.triplacc.com/health/addiction/addiction-pc.html).

Disfigured Persons (http://www.triplacc.com/health/appearance/appearance.html). These people have appearance or beauty problems. Their needs are met through the Beauty Catalogue (http://www.triplacc.com/products/appearance-pc.html).

Disable Persons (http://www.triplacc.com/health/disability/disability.html). They have obvious disability and are looking for solutions fitting their predicament. Their needs are met through the Disability Catalogue (http://www.triplacc.com/products/disability-pc.html).

Unfit Persons (http://www.triplacc.com/health/fitness/fitness.html). These ones want fitness programmes and advice. Their needs are met through the Fitness Catalogue (http://www.triplacc.com/products/fitness-pc.html).

Medically Ill Persons Looking for Alternative Solutions (http://www.triplacc.com/health/alternative-medicine/alternative-medicine.html). They want complementary medical solutions to their problems. Their needs are met through the Alternative Medicine Catalogue (http://www.triplacc.com/products/alt-med-pc.html).

Medically Ill Persons Looking for Conventional Solutions (http://www.triplacc.com/health/western-medicine/regular-medicine.html). They are looking for Western medical solutions to their problems. Their needs are met through the Western Medicine Catalogue 1 (http://www.triplacc.com/products/reg-med-pc-1.html) and Western Medicine Catalogue 2 (http://www.triplacc.com/products/reg-med-pc-2.html).

Women with Health Problems (http://www.triplacc.com/health/womens-medicine/women-medicine.html). They want alternative and Western medical solutions to their problems. Their needs are met through the Women's Health Catalogue (http://www.triplacc.com/products/womens-med-pc.html).

People with Eating Problems (http://www.triplacc.com/health/nutrition/nutrition.html). They are looking for dieting solutions. Their needs are met through the Nutritional Catalogue (http://www.triplacc.com/products/nutritional-pc.html).

Psychologically or Mentally Ill Persons (http://www.triplacc.com/health/psychological/psychological.html). These are people with mental problems who want advice. Their needs are met through the Psychological Catalogue (http://www.triplacc.com/products/psychological-pc.html).

Obese Persons (http://www.triplacc.com/health/weight-loss/weight-loss.html). These are overweight people looking to cut their weight by whatever means that gives lasting solutions. Their needs are met through the Weight Loss Catalogue (http://www.triplacc.com/products/weight-loss-pc.html).

Conclusion
This article has introduced the world's best personal and professional problem solving site (http://www.triplacc.com/), and assessed it against competitive offerings. It is clear that the site stands high and above its competitors by miles, and as such it is normal to expect a high level of performance from it.

About the Author

A A Agbormbai has a PhD from Imperial College London and enjoys an interdisciplinary upbringing having worked or studied in aerospace engineering, information systems development, and management.