From Corporate Marketing to Start-up

From Corporate Marketing to Start-up Success Story > From: Job To: Startup From Corporate Marketing to Start-up “I wanted to be in an environment where thinking differently and taking risks were encouraged.” * From Corporate Marketing to Start-up When redundancy finally forced Scott Cooper to make the career change he'd been longing for, he grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Now, he's created his own business and does things his way. Here's how he broke free of the corporate mindset to land the creative role he always wanted. What work were you doing previously? I was a career marketer, working first with big corporates like HSBC and American Express, then later as a strategist at creative agencies. What are you doing now? I'm the co-founder and head of Sandpit Lab, a marketing technology lab. We design and build products that we believe will change marketing and empower marketers. Why did you change? I'm not a person who is motivated by old, safe models, especially when it's pretty obvious that they've lost a lot of relevance. I wanted to be in an environment where thinking differently and taking risks were encouraged. When was the moment you decided to make the change? I'd been ground down by the corporate machine over a number of years but hadn't jumped ship. Eventually I was rescued by a redundancy that forced my hand and gave me a few months' pocket money to play with. Are you happy with the change? Absolutely. The lesson for me was that if you don't like something, you change it. It's not that complicated. What do you miss and what don't you miss? I miss having massive resources behind me that mean I can (in theory, if not reality) have a go at anything. Corporate cards and fancy offices were nice, too. I don't miss investing so much energy into managing the bureaucracy and fighting to the point of exhaustion for ideas that needed to happen. How did you go about making the shift? Before the redundancy, I'd started to reshape my role to be closer to what I wanted to do. I'd become the Head of Innovation, at a time before every business had one. I'd also sought out training in the areas that I wanted to develop towards, including a masterclass with the forward-thinking training company Hyper Island and a design thinking course at Stanford University. After I was made redundant, I decided to use my redundancy payout (a few months' pay), topped up with a bit of money from freelancing, to start my own business. In effect I'd committed to not getting another job in the same industry. The best thing I did was to start reaching out to people, attending events and accepting any opportunities I was offered to make further connections or have more conversations. Eventually, I met my co-founder off the back of an introduction from a fellow London Kiwi, whom I'd reached out to after reading a press release about her business. Essentially, I made things happen by saying 'yes' to things. What didn't go well? What 'wrong turns' did you take? I was a bit of a 'wantrapreneur' to start with, planning what I was going to do without actually doing anything. It took me a while to unlearn a lot of the bad habits I'd picked up from working in big, risk-averse businesses. How did you handle your finances to make your change possible? The redundancy money helped, as well as some savings, but I just took short freelance roles to top up the bank balance. I'm not a flash-cars-and-fancy-clothes kind of guy so I didn't need a lot to be comfortable. What was the most difficult thing about changing? Letting go of what I knew and stepping outside my comfort zone. What help did you get? I probably did things on my own a bit more than I needed to. Once I started to reach out to people, most were pretty generous with their time and advice. That said, everybody was on a different journey, so I had to be careful not to be influenced away from what felt right for me. What have you learnt in the process? That to get what you want you have to go outside your comfort zone. What do you wish you'd done differently? I probably could've done it earlier, but everything has value in hindsight. What would you advise others to do in the same situation? If you long for something different, if you're drawn to it, it's right. Do it now. What resources would you recommend to others? It's a bit cheesy but Paul McKenna's book Change Your Life In 7 Days is actually a pretty accessible, practical guide to Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and other things that help you overcome whatever obstacles you're creating in your own head. To find out more about Scott's services, visit www.sandpitlab.com. What lessons could you take from Scott's story to use in your own career change? Let us know in the comments below.

Writing Resume Bio

Writing Resume BioWriting resume bio to get noticed is not an easy task. You need to follow certain guidelines while writing a resume bio and if you are a beginner then it will be difficult for you to write resume bio to get noticed.When writing resume bio try to include relevant information about yourself and highlight your strengths. Your resume bio should include your education, your professional experience, achievements etc. Always be sincere and do not over-dramatize the resume.While writing resume bio be sure to include what made you successful in your career. Do not put all of your achievements in your resume bio. Give out only the information that needs to be mentioned. Make your resume interesting by adding few words like 'Life Style 'Passion 'Leadership Skills' etc.Your resume bio must contain very few words with maximum power. Your resume bio should be clear and clean to get noticed and also should be focused on your field.Before beginning your resume bio, make sure that y ou have your high school diploma, your GED or equivalent and some relevant educational qualifications that will help you get hired by a company. Nowadays, some companies do not ask for any degree to be passed before hiring.While writing resume bio, always think of the company's requirements and write according to that. Do not put down anything extra, as you do not want to get any error.Your resume bio should give a first impression of your CV (Curriculum Vitae). Your resume bio should not look too formal and must not appear awkward as you want people to notice you and like you. If you are looking for the best resume writing resume that will help you get noticed then try to use them from highly reputed resume writing websites.Remember, writing resume bio is not a difficult task as long as you have been dedicated and diligent in the job. So be positive, happy and optimistic, focus on what you want and get noticed.

How to Advance Your Career With a Side-Hustle [INFOGRAPHIC] - Classy Career Girl

How to Advance Your Career With a Side-Hustle [INFOGRAPHIC] Your career isn’t just about the job you do from nine-to-five â€" it’s about the way you develop in your personal time. There’s probably nothing more depressing than seeing someone whose life is strictly divided into work and play and spends one half or the other wishing they were doing something else. Developing a mutually complementary balance is a great way to fulfill yourself if youre a high-achiever who is passionate about business. One way to begin is to start your own small business (which seems like a big scary word, even though it isnt that difficult) or side-hustle in your spare time. Figuring out how to establish even a small eBay account and make it economically viable for the amount of time you put in is like a business career in miniature. With organization  and focus, you can put the lessons of your day job into a new context â€" while sending you back to work with new ideas to try. And of course, a successful side-hustle will also involve earning a bit of extra cash to help make ends meet or to put in a special fund for your next big trip or investment. [RELATED: Time Management Tips for Working Your Side Hustle] What’s more, in this age of the internet, the options for a side-hustle that’s easy to do in your time off are plenty. eBay may be kind of a dead end once you’ve sold all your stuff â€" but if you like to get crafty, there’s always Etsy. Figuring out your angle on affiliate marketing, or becoming a virtual assistant on FancyHands, are excellent ways of developing skills that may be more specific to your regular career. Whether you decide to do something professional like that or you would prefer to find a way to monetize the things you already like to do in your spare time, you’re sure to find a good idea for a side-hustle in this new infographic from QuickQuid. Give it a look and keep this weekend free â€" it’s time to rustle up a business plan! How to Advance Your Career With a Side-Hustle [INFOGRAPHIC]

Understanding Hair Loss in Women

Understanding Hair Loss in Women We often think of hair loss as being a typically male problem, and while the rates in men are much higher (30-60% compared to roughly 5% in women), women also suffer from hair loss. Because of its perception as a ‘male’ problem, many women suffer in silence and don’t seek treatment, even though it is easily available. ‘Female pattern hair loss’, as it is known, would be easier to combat if it were more widely understood. Women who have a firm understanding of hair loss are also less likely to feel the same sense of shame or embarrassment about the condition. It is unfortunate that hair loss can so negatively impact the lives and self-esteem of both males and females, but by encouraging a better understanding we can hopefully dispel some of the misconceptions and put patients’ minds at ease. Alopecia Alopecia is the most common cause of hair loss in women and has what doctors refer to as a ‘strong genetic component’. This type of hair loss can be inherited from either the mother or the father and can start in the late teens, although most commonly it manifests later in adulthood. Androgenetic alopecia, to give it its full name, tends to be more severe with earlier onset. Those who start suffering in their late teens often suffer total hair loss. Pattern Hair Loss For women who get pattern hair loss, there aren’t the same tell-tale signs that there are for men. For example, the receding hairline and bald spot, both of which are characteristic of pattern hair loss in men, are absent in female pattern hair loss. However, for both men and women, a shortened growth cycle leads to hairs becoming miniaturized and the hair doesn’t stay on the head as long. How is it Treated? There is only one FDA approved thinning hair treatment, called minoxidil. Thinning hair treatments from reputable companies will contain this as their chief ingredient â€" see the aforementioned link to ScalpMed for an example of a minoxidil based product. Minoxidil is a topical medication that the FDA has approved for female pattern hair loss and some studies suggest that it has a success rate as high as 81%! Liquid preparations of minoxidil, with concentrations between 2% 5%, are available over the counter. Minoxidil works through a complex mechanism, but the end result is a prolonging of the hair growth cycle, specifically the growth phase. This allows hair more time to grow and means that more of it can reach full density. Results from minoxidil are not instant, in fact they often take 3 to 4 months for noticeable results to take hold. It is important that the product is used every day, and it will be most effective when used soon after the emergence of symptoms. Hair loss in women can have an enormous impact on self esteem. Many women feel not only that hair loss limits their options and impacts their appearance, but also that, as it is seen as a typically male problem, it is stigmatized. Fortunately, there are now pharmaceutical solutions which are easily available to women who think they need them.

Do You Still Employ Yourself Writing a Resume?

Do You Still Employ Yourself Writing a Resume?Do you still employ yourself writing a resume for future employers? Are you ready to get the right resume back into the hands of your employer? It seems that it's a difficult and an uphill battle, but I don't think there is any easier way. Don't despair, because there are still some ways in which you can use to improve the efficiency of your resume.You have to write it correctly. One of the easiest ways to be able to know that you have written it properly is by checking it over again. The truth is that there are a lot of things you can forget or skim over, or things you can be too brief on, but if you can't be certain of it, you're probably not done with the job.Write it out with a sheet of notepaper, preferably written on a word processor. It makes a big difference if you can write it out without actually looking at it. With no one looking at it, you can also be sure that you have not slipped up in any way. If you are using notepaper, ma ke sure that it's something that you like, that it doesn't fade or make an ugly impression.After you have it written out, you should check it out. Actually, this is a good time to get rid of the notepad and go out and do some shopping. The biggest mistake a lot of people make when they are writing resumes, especially those for jobs that are new, is to just sit down and start writing. Instead, go out and find an opportunity to take a look at your resume.Employers will be more willing to take the time to look at your resume if they think that you are actually going to send it in. If you feel that you don't really want to send it in, keep it with your - you never know - cellphone or in your purse.Once you've read it a few times, make sure that you have checked it over in all the places that you've thought that you had. If you haven't checked it in your personal office, and you've still got it with you, you have two choices.If you're trying to save time and money, you can self-check it once or twice. For example, you can call and ask the human resources department to show you the changes that were made to your resume. They will have all the previous versions of your resume, which is an added bonus.If you're not comfortable doing that, you can send it to an employer and they will do it for you. This can often be a great way to ensure that the changes are for the better. After all, they're new.

Upgrading To A Nicer Area - Some Helpful Tips

Upgrading To A Nicer Area - Some Helpful Tips It’s unlikely that unless you are forced to, your move will be to a less-quality area than you are currently residing in. We all hope to aim up, be that in career moves or of course our living situation. Upgrading to a nicer area does require some insight on our part. Moving to a nicer area isn’t as simple as choosing a nicer looking or larger home and being done with it. There are many factors that go into ‘nicer’ and they might mean different things to different people, or be weighed with various priorities. Keeping the following as a handy checklist will allow you to attach your hopes and tastes to a home, and make certain compromises where necessary: Consider The Payoff Moving to a nicer area can be wonderful, but it’s also something that might come with it’s own downsides. For example, a larger home will require more time cleaning, or will require investment in a professional weekly cleaning service. It also seems that the more you upgrade, the more the upkeep costs can be. For example, it might be that living in a gated community seems like a wonderful idea, but the payment you must make to ensure the collective security of the guard and fence station might be an unwanted side effect of the purchase. People have different levels of interest in different features and benefits of home living, so simply make sure the majority of the new considerations appeal to you rather than prevent you from enjoying your new home. House market values can also change. It might be that a recent development near your new property is threatening to actually reduce the house prices of your new area, somewhat mitigating the financial cost in a manner you might not desire, despite the actual asset being a better living experience. This is up to you, so consider it carefully. Consider The Neighbors Moving to a nice area is likely to put you in contact with people who are a little more affluent than you have been used to experiencing. There is nothing wrong with this, but it can lead you to certain different social situations. For example, heading to dinner with your neighbor might be a much more expensive affair than you were used to as default. It might be that you feel a pressure to host a wonderful and extravagant dinner party simply because you were invited to one that blew your socks off. Also, it does seem that when people have plenty, they are more adept and inclined to compare their home to those in their neighborhood. That might put you in the ‘keeping up with the Jones’ mentality from the moment your moving company places your last belonging carefully on the floor. This might not be the personality flaws of your neighbors, but your fault, as trying to adapt to our new social surroundings is a very common occurrence. This might not influence your decision to buy or even be a problem, but guarding against your own response can help you enjoy your property from the first moment. With these simple tips, upgrading to a nicer area is sure to be well considered.

PayScales Salary Negotiation Guide - CareerEnlightenment.com

Women are more likely than men to state that they are uncomfortable negotiating salary; 31 percent vs. 23 percent and that holds true even among C-level executives where 26 percent of female Chief Executives said theyre uncomfortable negotiating compared to 14 percent of male Chief Executives.The gender split between people who negotiate was largest in the Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction industry. More women than men in this industry have asked for a raise (51 percent vs. 40 percent), but men in the mining industry are also more likely to report that they received a raise without having to ask or have always been happy with their salary. For those that do ask for a salary increase, women in this field appear to be a bit more likely to receive the increase they requested (54 percent of women vs. 47 percent of men).Women holding an MBA degree seem to be struggling most with potential gender bias when it comes to salary negotiation. Of those who asked for a raise, only 48 percent of female MBA grads received the requested raise compared to 63 percent of male MBA grads. And, 21 percent of female MBA grads received no raise at all after requesting one, compared to 10 percent of male MBA grads.Gen Y is far less likely to have asked for a raise and far more likely to be uncomfortable negotiating or worried about being perceived as pushy. Both likely stem from lack of experience. Baby Boomers, however, are more likely to say they didnt negotiate for fear of losing their job, which could indicate a concern over age bias in the workplace.Alaska had the highest percentage of respondents who said they had asked for a raise (53 percent), followed by Rhode Island (51 percent) and then Oregon and West Virginia (both at 48 percent). The states with the lowest percentages of raise seekers were South Dakota (31 percent), Arkansas (34 percent) and Nebraska and Nevada (both at 37 percent).Workers with low job satisfaction are more likely to ask for a raise (54 perce nt) than those with high job satisfaction (41 percent), but only 19 percent of people with low job satisfaction receive the amount they asked for, whereas 44 percent of workers with high job satisfaction receive the amount they requested.