From TV to Own Businesses

From TV to Own Businesses Success Story > From: Job To: Startup From TV to Own Businesses “I've endured lots of late nights along the way, but it's been so worthwhile and rewarding.” * From TV to Own Businesses When her role was made redundant, Sarah Best took the chance to strike out on her own. Now she runs a consultancy drawing on her previous experience, while also nurturing a more creative sideline business. Here, she shares how she's using a staged shift to finance where she wants to be long term. What work were you doing previously? I used to work at ITV Central as a Senior Print Designer. What are you doing now? I currently run two businesses. I have a graphic design consultancy, Soda Design, and an online boutique, Mrs Best, which sells art prints, personalised gifts and homeware. Why did you change? ITV Central underwent some major restructuring and as a result I was made redundant. Using my redundancy and a business grant from Birmingham City Council I decided to set up my own design consultancy. More recently, the concept for Mrs Bestcame to me whilst on maternity leave. I found it difficult to source design-led interiors for my daughter's nursery, so I drew upon my 15 years' experience in the design industry to create my own range. As a working mother, it's taken me a long time to bring this to market and I've endured lots of late nights along the way, but it's been so worthwhile and rewarding. When was the moment you decided to make the change? Friends had seen the bespoke pieces of art I'd created for my daughter's nursery and asked if I could create something similar. Before I knew it, I had a few orders from family and friends; I started to wonder if I could make a business out of it, something that I absolutely loved. So, Mrs Best was born and I haven't looked back since. Creating art out of special memories and making people smile is the most rewarding job I could ask for. Are you happy with the change? I'm so glad I made the change! Mrs Best is still very much a sideline to my design consultancy, but I hope it will be my sole source of income one day. That's what I'm working towards. Having only officially launched three months ago, I've been overwhelmed by the response my new business has received. I've gained such lovely feedback from customers and social media followers. One of my art prints has been recently featured by the Good Web Guide in their Mother’s Day Gift guide, which was a real privilege! I was also selected by Country Living to receive a free pop-up stand at their renowned Spring Fair in London. I was very excited and grateful for this opportunity which enabled me to sell my wares and network with other small-business owners. What do you miss and what don't you miss? I miss the office banter now I work for myself â€" just the simple things like being asked if I've had a nice weekend. Hopefully, I'll get this back one day when I can have extra hands helping me in the business. It can be lonely working for yourself and I miss bouncing creative ideas around with others in a team. Fortunately, my husband also works in the design industry so we're lucky to have each other to chat things over with. I don't miss the office politics. Working for myself I only have myself to answer to. How did you go about making the shift? Once I'd developed my products, I designed and created my own website. I really wanted to have my own selling platform. I also decided to sell through other online marketplaces, including All by Mama [started by Gemma Whates, whose story you can read here], Dorothy Theodore, and Gift Wrapped and Gorgeous. What didn't go well? What 'wrong turns' did you take? Looking back, I invested a lot of time in developing a wide range of products. Now that I've launched I wish I'd perhaps launched sooner with a smaller offering. I'm now trying to grow more organically and I fine-tune Mrs Best's offering according to customer tastes and needs. Customer feedback is so valuable; I've found customers really like to be involved with product ideas and development â€" it makes them feel part of the journey. How did you handle your finances to make your change possible? As a graphic and web designer, I've been able to create my own brand, website and marketing materials. Set-up costs have therefore remained low, so I've been fortunate in this respect. What was the most difficult thing about changing? Over the years, I've worked mainly on B2B projects, so it's been a real challenge and change for me to design items with the public in mind. What help did you get? I have a very supportive husband and family who have all helped with child care along the way. As a working mum to a toddler, it's been tiring at times but it's also been so worthwhile. What have you learnt in the process? I've learnt to be patient. It takes time to see results, so I need to be patient and think about the bigger picture. What would you advise others to do in the same situation? If you have a business idea, then go for it! With lots of hard work and determination, anything is possible. What resources would you recommend to others? My favourite resource has been good old Google! Whenever I've needed help â€" whether business, industry or technical â€" I've been able to find invaluable advice through business forums, blogs and YouTube videos. To find out more about Sarah's business, visit www.mrsbest.co.uk. What lessons could you take from Sarah's story to use in your own career change? Let us know in the comments below.

5+ Best Housekeeper Interview Questions Answers - Algrim.co

5+ Best Housekeeper Interview Questions Answers - Algrim.co We’ve compiled the absolute best housekeeper interview questions to help you with your upcoming job interviews. Housekeepers, maids and sometimes home assistants are those who help out with the operations of a home. There are many tasks that a home needs to have done on a regular basis to stay in operational order. Especially when the two heads of a household are full-time workers and there are children or family present. This is a fantastic job for those who appreciate home economics. Housekeeper Interview Questions & Answers 1. What products would you use to clean the home? I prefer green cleaning products. But it depends on the homeowner and if there are pets or children present. We would normally recommend biodegradable and child safe chemicals as that is what’s going to be best for the home. We can even make our own cleaning products using vinegar. 2. How would you ensure the safety of the home? Home safety should be a top priority. That means whenever the homeowner is not present, ensuring all doors are locked and that all alarm systems are turned on. Anyone who enters the home needs to be accounted for by the homeowner as well. 3. What are some tools you use to go above and beyond? Checking the laundry, checking the kitchen and ensuring that there’s food or clean sheets to go on the bedding. Taking a large analysis at what we do most often inside the home, writing that down, accounting for it, and then ensuring it is part of my routine is going to help us go above and beyond. 4. How well do you interact with children? I love children. I’m more than happy to drop off children at sports games or to a friends house if that is helpful. 5. How are you with pets? I love pets. I would look after the pet as if they were my own. Meaning, ensuring that they have food, fresh water, are let outside on a regular basis and much more. I’m open to any and all pets. Related Hiring Resources Housekeeper Job Description Sample Housekeeper Resume Example

Picking the Ideal Lighting for Your Home Office

Picking the Ideal Lighting for Your Home Office Lighting has a huge influence on the look and feel of your home, whichever room it’s installed in. But the lighting you choose becomes even more crucial when you’re considering functional, working spaces like your home office.    Badly lit areas may have an impact on your mood and productivity, perhaps even causing you to strain your eyes.  So with that in mind, here are some ideas for home office lighting: Utilize Natural Light While natural light may be a bit of a nightmare when you’re looking at a computer screen, your creativity is aided when you let as much of this in the room as possible. Blinds are great for avoiding any glare on your screens as you can adjust them accordingly, and you can also move your desk so the sun’s rays can flow in without affecting your screen. Introduce Ambient Lighting Struggling for natural light in your office? Then you’ll need to emulate this same feel with your artificial lighting, ensuring you’ve got enough lighting for each task you’re going to do. Ambient lighting often comes from ceiling lights â€" i.e. one central light that hangs down in the middle of your room. This should light up the entire space so there aren’t any dark shadows or bright areas. Cox Cox, for example, have some fabulous ceiling lights that will also add an inspirational touch to your office. Lampshades help soften the glare of the light if you don’t need to work directly underneath it. Add Task Lighting Last but by no means least, you’ll need some task lighting that’ll help you get those daily tasks done with ease. It doesn’t matter what you do for a living, whether you’re writing the next best-selling self-help book or you’re sketching a masterpiece, you’ll need ample illumination from task lighting. Thankfully, you won’t struggle to find these types of lights either. And because they’re also available in a range of designs, from contemporary to traditional, you’ll be able to complement your ceiling light and office space beautifully â€" adding further inspirational touches to your workspace. Consider focused illumination if your job requires good lighting, or dimmer options if you need to vary the amount of light on your work. Task lighting also helps reduce the strain on your eyes, particularly toward the end of the day, which is why it’s just as imperative as your ceiling light. Often, it can take a bit of trial and error (moving lights around, trying different bulbs etc.), but you should find with the above handy trips that your office becomes a warm, inviting and creative well-lit space in no time at all.

Do you have the guts to live a life that sings

Do you have the guts to live a life that sings I spend hours and hours in cello lessons. Not that I pay attention I answer emails a lot of the time. But theres no way to not learn if you sit in enough lessons, and the big thing Ive learned is being a great performer takes guts. I knew that was true about gymnastics. My editor has a daughter who maybe was on track for the Olympics, but at some point he realized she wasnt willing to try the crazy, daredevil moves required to compete at that level. Its similar in music. You have to let yourself go and trust that the notes will be there. But not everyone has the guts to perform like that. I get it now. After sitting through a gazillion lessons and  reading a gazillion posts from  Noa Kageyama  about being brave in performance, I see there is memorizing a song and then theres having the guts to play a song with your heart. Its true with work, too. Each day I wake up and I hope Ill have the guts to write a blog post. Do not send me topic ideas I have a million:  Like, in the future work teams will be flash mobs, which is very consistent with super-temps  who  move in an out of the project-based workforce. I could write more about that.  But itll be boring. Writing with guts means not just being right, but showing fear. Its being vulnerable in front of the reader by wholly committing to something and letting everyone see you try to get it. For you, it is probably something at work. But it might not be. If you relocate twice for a girlfriend, you are showing guts in the relationship department. You are not even married and youre probably killing your career for hers. For me, right now, being wholly committing is telling you about my new company.  Every day I worry that I cant give you the link to my companys web site because Im scared it wont work. I need you to do this company with me. I have to build something you like in order to get it off the ground. What if you dont like it? I ruined my life getting three rounds of funding for Brazen Careerist. My kids lived in a house with no electricity while I grew the company. Insane. I cant let this happen again. Yet I am. I got funding for a new company. I hired four employees. And tons of contractors. While my son plays Bach. I dont know if this means I have the guts or I dont have the guts for this new company. But I know that everything Ive ever done that Im proud of in my life was something that took a lot of guts. There was no rational reason to think it would work out well, and I did it anyway. Heres what it takes in the guts area: 1. You have to know where youll have guts. No one has guts in lots of areas, but only in the area where you stand out. My son has guts in music, but he spent five months learning a back flip and never trusted his hands completely. Find your place where youre special. Maybe youre great with people. Or writing, or coding. Find what youre great at, and take your big risks there. 2. Dont ask other people if you have guts. It looks like I have guts to move to the farm. I was living in LA and NYC and then, all of a sudden I met a farmer in rural Wisconsin and my kids and I moved there. The culture shock is a daily thing for me here, but it didnt take guts because I had nowhere else to go. My family is scattered and riddled with drama. And I was in love with the farmer. My job lets me live anywhere, and I have. So moving to a rural community was not that big a deal for me. I remind myself all the time that this was not something that took guts. Its something I was dying to do. 3. There must be something at stake. If you have guts, you are letting people see you fail big. They might see that. Because what we have to lose, ultimately, is our idea of ourselves that we are good at what we are risking. We might have to reframe our idea of ourself. And losing our identity takes a lot of guts. I dont want to be here again. I am too scared. But I am here. There is going to come a time, when Im doing this company, where I will have to tell you how great it is. Right now, I dont have to do that. I can tell you that behind every great anything is a person who is scared. Every time I hear an incredible musician, I think about the bravery they play with and I want that to be me. I want to open my heart and show you the best that I can do with this company and not be fearful that Ill fail. No great music came from fear, and thats true of careers as well.

How to Write a Nurse Practitioner Resume

How to Write a Nurse Practitioner ResumeIf you have a yearning to become a registered nurse, it is necessary to have a good nursing care provider resume. As a nurse practitioner, you need to have an excellent nursing care provider resume. This resume can be very important in gaining a job interview.A lot of people will not be able to write a good quality nursing care provider resume. What this means is that you need to do the writing yourself. The best way to go about it is to read several sample resumes and find out how professional each one is.You can also create your own resume. Just make sure you use your best judgment when you write it. For example, if you are doing something with your doctor, then your resume can include that. Don't put anything in the resume that is going to be embarrassing.For example, if you are applying for a position as a family doctor, you may not want to mention your career as a nurse practitioner. Your interviewer probably will not be interested in your history in the profession. That's why you need to know your subject well before you start speaking about it.On the other hand, if you are applying for a position as a health professional, you may want to talk about some of your experiences in patient care. Nurses are known for their compassion, but you do not want to talk about your particular medical area too much. After all, it is not your primary area of expertise.You should also make sure that you list any experiences that you have had outside of your profession that you consider significant. If you write down all of the experiences that you have had in your state, and then you try to compare them to the things that you have done in the career of your choice, you may be hurting yourself. What you reallyneed to do is list your personal and professional life.Using personal stories about the specific things that you have done as a nurse practitioner or nurse oncologist is what makes up the basis of a nursing care provider resume. You should always remember that these people are looking for a person who can provide excellent patient care. This person must be able to provide compassionate care while dealing with a wide variety of medical issues.This is the kind of thing that is going to be on your good nurse practitioner resume. If you are able to show what these people value, they will find you to be a valuable employee. Good care provider resumes need to tell the right story to the employer.

5 Questions To Ask Yourself Before You Start A Business

5 Questions To Ask Yourself Before You Start A Business Starting a business is a big move to make, and a lot of people simply aren’t ready to take the plunge. Even if you’ve got a great idea in your mind about how your company is going to work, you need to have the support and the planning there to make it a reality. Without this, you’ll find that you don’t live up to your potential, which could ruin your dreams of business forever! We’ve put together a list of 5 simple questions that you should ask yourself before you start your business, so that you can make a great success out of it, the first time. 1. Do you have the time? What most people don’t realize about business is that it takes up a lot of your time. You have to be ready to sacrifice some parts of your life, possibly for a few years as your business takes off. Some business owners work upwards of 12 hours a day, and you need to be willing to put this time in if you’re going to make your endeavour a success. Sure, you don’t always need to take it to this level, but you still need to put the time aside, and you need to be aware of this before you take the plunge into business. Can you and are you willing to spend the hours that it will take to establish yourself? 2. Do you have the resources? When it comes to setting up your business, you need to make sure that you’re as prepared as possible. This doesn’t just mean that you have the cash to get yourself off of the ground, but it also means that you have anything that you may need to provide your services. Perhaps you need to look into recovery trucks for sale, or you need to purchase farming or building vehicles? Whatever your company is going to be doing, make sure that you have enough resources to keep you going for at least a few months. Sure, you can build them up at a later date, but make sure that you start out well. 3. Do you have the team behind you? Whilst your business success will largely be down to what you do in order to make it a reality, the truth is that every business person needs some great people behind them. Think about those people that you’ve encountered during your professional career, that would be great for your business, and ask them to come on board. You need honest, reliable, hard-working people, and you may have to pay out a little more than average in order to get them. If it will get you through those crucial first few years in business, however, it is certainly worthwhile, so pick out an experienced and committed team. 4. Are you ready to make mistakes? There are a few rules of business, and one of them is that you’re going to make mistakes. In fact, everybody does, and if you didn’t, then… well, we’d be pretty shocked! Whilst a string of mistakes can feel like the end of the world for a business owner, it’s actually what builds you up as the person that you need to be. What matters the most is what you learn from these mistakes, and how you deal with them. If you throw the towel in at the first sign of something going wrong, then you’re not ready, but if you keep battling through, you’ll be glad that you did when you come out of the other side victorious. 5. Are you ready for the most exciting experiences? OK, so we’ve drawn on some of the stressful things about business, but we’ll give it its due. As a business owner, you’re going to meet some amazing people. They’re going to inspire you, and you’re going to work together to create things that really make a difference. You’re going to learn a lot about yourself, about your skills, and about what you can do if you really push yourself that extra step further. And it’s going to be great, especially when all of your hard work pays off, and you can reap the benefits of all of your labors. Whatever you do, keep going, and you’ll be glad that you did! So, before you start your own business, be sure to ask yourself these 5 simple questions. If you feel pretty confident in them, then go ahead! You’ll be glad that you finally took the plunge and went your own way into the world of business.

Are You Limiting Your Teams Potential

Are You Limiting Your Team’s Potential It’s easy to put people in a box. To pigeon-hole them, put them in a category, stick a mental label on or use a shorthand description. Like “he’s good at math” or “she’s emotional” or “he’s a liberal”. In fact, it’s natural. We humans are wired to make quick judgments about others. While it was essential for cavemen to know asap whether or not something was going to eat them for dinner, it’s not so helpful now. But when you put people in a box, it can stifle their development and hurt their confidence. Then, it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy and ultimately limit the success of the team around you. It’s easy to fall into the trap Recently, my husband and daughter were coaching a junior basketball game. After the game, our daughter pointed out that my husband was only pushing two of the five players to bring the ball up the court. She said, “Anna and Rose can also bring the ball up the court and need to develop those skills. But if we don’t give them a chance, they’ll get the message that they can’t do it.” They both agreed that while they could try to win this one game with this strategy, sending that kind of message wouldn't help their players develop and be successful down the line. Longer term, we’re going to need our players to be versatile if we want the strongest possible team.” They resolved to push Anna and Rose to develop the skills and confidence to be ball handlers too. My husband is a highly experienced coach and someone I regard as open-minded and fair. If even he could fall into the trap of putting Anna and Rose in a box (“they’re shooters, not ball handlers”), then it truly could happen to anyone. The self-fulfilling prophecy It starts with the power of impressions. What happens is the coach â€" or boss â€" sees you doing certain things well or badly and gets an impression of you, often without noticing the impression is even forming. And because it’s much harder to unlearn something than to learn it, once an impression is formed it’s hard to get rid of. Then, when you get treated that way long enough, you start to get that impression of yourself too. You stop practicing or doing that thing. And soon, the label becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. That’s why negative self-talk is so destructive â€" the more you say to yourself, “I’m no good at X”, the more it becomes ingrained. And that voice in your head is like gum on your shoe â€" hard to get rid of. So, you end up being no good at X and, paradoxically, almost pleased to be right about it! How to stop limiting your team’s potential When you’re the boss, you want to create the strongest team so you can collectively produce the best result. Or as my friend Chester Elton’s book title says, The Best Team Wins. While specialization seems attractive in the short term, in the longer term, it’s a losing strategy. At best, you’ll end up with a bunch of role players who can’t learn, adapt or grow. Worse, you risk people becoming unhappy and leaving because they don’t see potential for a better situation. And worst of all, they might stay and “quit in place”, causing all sorts of management problems. In an environment where things are changing all the time, you need people who are nimble, flexible, and able to retool quickly. So, challenge yourself to stop (unintentionally) limiting your team’s potential by taking these five steps. Observe the behavior Take a hard look at the behaviors in your team â€" both theirs and your own. To what extent are you unintentionally behaving in ways that condition your people to think, “I can’t do X”, “I’m only good at Y”, or worst of all, “that’s not my job”? To what extent are your people already suffering from the self-fulfilling prophecy that stunts their growth, morale and performance? When you find such behaviors, don’t let it get you down â€" even the best of us fall into the trap. Remember that everyone is doing their best, including you. And now is a great time to create new habits and help your team do the same. Keep an open mind Instead of rushing to judgement and having your team members lined up in neat little boxes, see if you can keep an open mind just a little bit longer. Use that time to explore what each team member is interested in and capable of. Get to know who they are, their special strengths, their best working environments, and what motivates them. Start to see the possibilities for how that maps to the mission of your unit, and how they can contribute in the most energizing way. Suspend judgment Take a look at the assumptions you’re currently making about your team members and ask yourself, “what if I’m wrong?” Challenge yourself to identify the real evidence you have versus the impressions you’ve formed, including what others have told you. See whether there are areas where it makes sense to explore further. Become fascinated to see where that person’s full package of strengths lie. What are the possibilities? How could that help the team and your overall performance? Give people a chance Give them opportunities to try different roles or tasks, and support them while they’re developing those new muscles. Unleash their talent and help them fulfill their potential. They may surprise you, and you might appreciate it sooner than you think. You’ll almost certainly gain loyalty and appreciation, which usually leads to people going the extra mile. Don’t go overboard While you’re doing all of this, realize that it’s not about asking people to go against their grain or do the impossible. In fact, some people might love having a specific role and want to keep doing it. It is about challenging assumptions â€" yours and theirs â€" about what’s possible. So, you don’t need to make a 180-degree change in how you lead and manage. You’re just giving yourself permission to get out of your own straightjacket as a boss and becoming comfortable with some mental shifts in how to lead your team. What to do if you’ve been put “in a box” And if you’re a team member who has been pigeon-holed, here are five strategies you can pursue. Start with your sphere of control I’ve found it’s always best to sort my own issues before asking others to change. When I’ve been “put in a little box”, I start by asking myself what I’ve allowed to happen. Just because my boss thinks of me as a great number cruncher who’s not good with clients doesn’t mean I have to start believing it myself. I don’t have to allow the self-fulfilling prophecy to come true. Once you realize what’s in your sphere of control, you can shift your own behavior and mindset. And that’s a great start. Ask for the opportunity Once you’ve sorted out your own mental baggage, the next step is to ask for the opportunity to practice and show what you can do in these new areas. When you make the ask, put it in terms of “What’s in it for You” (WIIFY), where the “you” is your boss or whoever you’re asking. Explain how it’s good for the business and in the best interests of your boss to give you a chance. Create your own opportunity Since you can’t count on others to give you a chance, at least not right away, it’s a good idea to take some initiative to create opportunities for yourself. These are likely to be outside the immediate scope of your current projects, but it’s worthwhile to flex those muscles and have a chance to practice your new craft. Maybe it’s in a volunteer organization, maybe it’s a special client project. Keep a lookout for opportunities to show you can operate outside of the pigeon-hole, and ideally have your boss see you in action while you’re at it. Help someone else Like my daughter in the basketball example, you could help a team member who’s been put into too small a box by pointing this out to your boss. Choose your words carefully, of course â€" it’s all about the way you do and say it. But this could clue your boss in to the concept more broadly and benefit everyone on the team, including you. Find another team If all else fails and you’re unable to get people to see what you’re capable of where you are, the last resort is to find another team to join. Or to form a team of your own. But don’t do this lightly. Always do your homework before making any big move! Bring out the best in everyone Whether you’re limiting your team’s potential or you’re the one who has been pigeon-holed, there are ways to change the situation. The first step is awareness, and the rest is up to you. Either way, it’s totally worth it to bring out the best in everyone. After all, the world needs us all to be at our best so we can be better, do more, and make the difference we’re meant to make. Now, I’d love to hear from you. What are the things you do to bring out your team members’ potential? Leave a comment and let me know.