Caffeinated Marketing

Gettting through all the noise, one cup at a time

Unemployed? Sorta. February 12, 2009

Filed under: Cool News (to me),Unemployed — jenharris @ 11:38 am
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On Tuesday the 10th, I was laid off at TSheets as Head of Social Media Sales and Marketing.

No worries.

I was at NAWBO that night & met the most amazing women. We talked about social media and how it can help increase conversations and of course relationships in business. Women get it. But that is a whole other blog…stay tuned.

With the encouragement of these wonderful women, I believe I am going to do the consulting “thing”.
I had my first meeting yesterday with Karen Meyer of Handyman Connection and she is just an amazing woman. Another possibility is brewing today and another one tomorrow.

Deep breath people….here we go!

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Top 10 Reasons Why Unemployment Doesn’t Suck December 8, 2008

Filed under: Tip of the Day,Unemployed — jenharris @ 9:46 am
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lovin-chocolateYea, that’s right, I said it, unemployment doesn’t suck.  
And here is why.

1.  I had time to get my teeth cleaned
2.  I had time to talk to my dentist about his marketing practices
3.  He had time to tell me that what he was doing, and what he was spending was a big waste
4.  We had time to chat about what they had done in the past (when they didn’t have any money) and who those customers are and why they have stuck around from the beginning
5.  I had time to think…wow, I should start my own gig!
6.  I had time to think of the possibilities of what I could offer to companies
7.  I had my ego lifted by those wanting advice (in exchange for lunch!)
8.  I had options
9.  I had the confidence to know that I could succeed on my own
10.  I had the ability to say no to job offers because I had figured out and knew to my core what I was good at & that I could make it.

What did I do?  
I decided not to go on my own.  
I decided to make a difference to clients wanting to build their business in a tough economic time AND make a difference with a product I believed in could be part of that equasion.

But…I do know that if unemployment strikes again, I will be just fine.

Tip of the Day
If you believe in a skill that you have & know that you can change one persons life, you can change many.  
Jump & ye shall succeed.

 

Top 10 Reasons why Unemployment Sucks October 27, 2008

Filed under: Unemployed — jenharris @ 11:15 am
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For those that know me either 1:1 in real life or in Twitter, LinkedIn or through a community, I think it is fairly obvious that at this very moment in time…I am going nuts.  I have never been unemployed this long.  The last time was between a move from Colorado to Boise and I had a job 1/2 way lined up before I move then.

So here is my contribution to the life of Top 10 Lists:

TEN REASONS WHY UNEMPLOYMENT SUCKS!

  1. The unemployment office smells of B.O & last weeks lunch
  2. I don’t HAVE to take a shower in the morning (see reason #1of result) 
  3. I could “research” all day long & know what EVERYONE on Twitter is doing instead of finding a job
  4. The vacuume cleaner stares at me all day
  5. I think I am expected to have dinner on the table at 6pm…whaaaaa?
  6. My neighbor thinks I am one of them now (referring to a very hard job-but not mine: SAHM)
  7. I have an urge to scrapbook. Noooooooooooooooo!!!
  8. Those “work from home” and make a gazillion dollar ads are actually tempting
  9. So what is wrong w/curling up with a trilogy of Back to the Future in the middle of the day?
  10. Even though I bragged about itm I REALLy don’t want to wait tables

Any ones you could ad?

 

Social Media Job Hunt: Day 2 October 21, 2008

Filed under: Unemployed — jenharris @ 12:49 am
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Sat on the couch, watched Oprah & found the nectar of the unemployed – Bon Bons.

Whatever!  I sent out 4 resumes & connected to a few more on LinkedIn, Twitter & Facebook.  Again, thank you everyone for your support, ideas & an extra set of eyes out there for me (and others too).

While at the dentist Dr. Higginson, who we affectionately call Dr. Happy, asked for help with “my way of marketing”.  It just pained him to put any more money toward the phone book and couldn’t see pouring any money into a short lived commercial.  

Of course I have ideas…I have had ideas for years!  I actually approached them about word-of-mouth marketing when I was with BlueLine & they said their best form of marketing was a sign outside & the yellow pages.  What a difference 3 years can make.  I would love to help Dr. Happy Higginson out along with another friend who said he needed some NM/SM assistance, but my biggest fear is the tax man.

I hate the thought, and reality, of mass paperwork, but I really want to help people out.  Is there an easier way?  Yes, you hire someone like Rochelle DeLong at Consilio…ahhh, then you have to pay them!  My fear stems from the fact that for the first 5-6 months at BlueLine I was an independent contractor & had to do all the claiming of funds, pay taxes, have board of director meetings???…and 2 years later, due to some mistake I made with “some” piece of paper, we are still owing taxes for something “else” that came up.  It’s the fear of marking the wrong box.

I wish there could be a big, sespool beautiful pool of smart and extremely good looking people that want to consult, but don’t want to deal with the paperwork of owning their own business.  We all give the “employer” a 1% cut for doing all that work for us & we all go and do our own thing.  If anyone out there knows of this, let me know.  Could be that I am extremely tired & hungry, but that is one brilliant idea!  Hellloooo Google…Can you hear me now?

Looking forward to Tuesday.  CCC lunch & an eye appointment (aka: potential future client?)

 

Getting Laid off Sucks October 19, 2008

Filed under: Uncategorized,Unemployed — jenharris @ 4:24 pm
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Getting laid off sucks.  That’s obvious.

You could feel it in the air (and read it on the Yahoo boards) and you could tell something was weird.

So, I get laid off at 2:30 and had to hesitate not to twitter it as fast as I could…must-tell-husband-first: so I txt him.  My Twitter access is denied through the work servers already…ah grasshopper, have you not heard of The BlackBerry?  Send a quick text via my “just” downloaded app: TinyTwitter (love it btw)-

“Just laid off. Same handle @gmail.com. Need break, lunch and afternoon date tomorrow…anyone??”

Husband calls as I am throwing my stuff in one of 3 bags as quick as I could while my phone is going off from all the Twitters & DM from friends.  It’s good to have friends…regardless if I only know them by their Twitter handle.  He says “are you $hitting me?”.  Nope, gotogo…packing & I still need to let some people know via email.

I am on my knees franticllay sending emails & a few Skypes to my contacts at Intel, Lithium and others before that ability is turned off too.  

I am done…printed off what I had created (simple strategy stuff-no high level secrets…like there are any) and I and another gal from Marketing head out.

They have 3 people at our check out gate taking the paperwork, our badges and checking our bags…so at this point you know it is not just the 3 or 4 others that I saw on the way out too.  They obviously didn’t read the post by @GuyKawasaki titled The Art of the Layoff.  I sat in my truck for an hour replying to the Tweets of concern & encouragement…thank you everyone!  Ironically, a gal from Denver that I just started following on Twitter & seems incredibally talented was let go earlier in the day.  I consoled her through DM’s & felt the same pain, anger & fear she did just hours later.

How can you not feel good though with Tweets like this…(of course it is in “Twitter read”=read from bottom to top).

Scott Nicholson
snicholsonboise @JenHarris09 they’re idiots, you’re too good for that role anyway, you are awsome 7:25 PM Oct 16th from TweetDeck in reply to JenHarris09
bcritchfield
bcritchfield @JenHarris09 I expect to see the LinkedIn profile change. 5:30 PM Oct 16th from TweetDeck in reply to JenHarris09
bcritchfield
bcritchfield @JenHarris09 WTF is right!!!!! Sorry to hear that. I am sure you will land on your feet quickly. I will keep my ears peeled. 5:18 PM Oct 16th from TweetDeck in reply to JenHarris09
Rick Smith
mightysmith @JenHarris09 Been there recently. My grandpa always said, creative people (like yourself) always land on their feet. 5:08 PM Oct 16th from TweetDeck in reply to JenHarris09
Brian Harrison
brharrison @JenHarris09 very sorry to hear that news. That’s terrible. 4:12 PM Oct 16th from twhirl in reply to JenHarris09
unhampered.us
UnhamperedTees @JenHarris09 FOOLS! Some other valley employer just got REEEEALLY lucky. Still, sorry to hear it. Hunting is never fun. 3:57 PM Oct 16th from TwitterFox in reply to JenHarris09
Renee Daniels
renee_daniels @JenHarris09 ohh I hate to hear that. I’m going to hope it opens the way for a great opportunity for you. 3:43 PM Oct 16th from web in reply to JenHarris09
Greg Harris
Idahocaddis @JenHarris09 some very lucky company will pick you up very quickly. I don’t doubt that at all. 3:26 PM Oct 16th from web in reply to JenHarris09
Tac Anderson
tacanderson @JenHarris09 did @mpccomputers at least give you decent severence package? it’s my goal someday to get a severence package. 3:25 PM Oct 16th from TweetDeck in reply to JenHarris09
Chris Blanchard
LGM1 @JenHarris09 OMG! Jen I am so SORRY. This is terrible. I hate what this economy is doing to good people. 3:18 PM Oct 16thfrom web in reply to JenHarris09
Justin Foster
brandmilitia @jenharris09 man, that sucks. Will check in with you when we are back from PDX 3:16 PM Oct 16th from txt in reply to JenHarris09
Tac Anderson
Brian Harrison

As I was heading out of the parking lot at 4:30, I got my first job offer.  I have other possibilities too, but I am working all angles as fast and as efficiently as I can.   Honestly, I don’t know if I want to be a consultant…the taxes just stress the crap out of me!  I have so many ideas of where I could help different organizations, so I am going to be out there blatently pitching them my ideas & I will go from there…so look out, my ideas are a-coming!

You can follow me and my job hunting follies at #jensSearch at Twemes

I have already been to the Unemployment Office and told my husband that I will have a gig by Friday.  Cross my fingers.