We are switching gears this week from talking about our usual topic of Internet marketing to letting you know about a webinar that I have been selected to participate in with a presentation on “Working from Home Online.” The event is called International Super Saturday Business Event. In case you want to join us, I will provide the details at the end of this post.

Home-based Business:

While researching for information to include in my presentation, I came across the following interesting statistics about home-based businesses. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in the United States alone there are over 18.3 million home-based businesses and close to 60 million worldwide!

Statistics:

I feel these statistics are the driving force in the number of home-based businesses online. According to MITAgeLab, there are approximately 450 million baby boomers worldwide. The number of baby boomers in the United States is approximately 76 million.

The unemployment rate for people 55 and older is at the highest level ever recorded in the post-World War II era.

The ILO (UN International Labour Organization) projects a global unemployment rate of 6.1 percent, equivalent to 203.3 million unemployed. In United States alone, the unemployment rate is 9.1 %, which equals 14 million unemployed. This doesn’t include the 8.8 million other people not counted as unemployed — part-timers who want full-time work.

Internet Users:

According to the UN’s International Telecommunications Union (ITU), there are over 2 billion Internet users. With the world population at 6.8 billion and rising, almost one person in three is online.

Forecast:

According to a recent International Data Corporation (IDC) forecast, the number of home-based U.S. businesses will increase by more than 10% over the next four years to about 21 million.

Work from Home Online Coursework:

As a baby boomer and unemployed, I decided to start-up a home-based business almost 10 years ago. I made numerous mistakes and wasted a lot of time. Therefore, I wanted to provide those of you who are considering starting up a home-based business some information to help you make an easy transition from working for someone else to being unemployed to not being able to find employment to starting-up your own business.

If you fall into the above-mentioned categories or know of anyone who has found themselves in this position, click here for more details on the coursework that I created. Blessings on your start-up home-based business.

Webinar Details:

As promised, here are the details for the webinar: ASA Online International Super Saturday Business Event 10:00 am – 12:00 pm EST September 24th. Doors open 30 minutes early with Music, then 15 minute Slide Show Presentation. Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/746576072. Click here to learn more about All-Star Success Alliance (ASA).

RJ’s Internet Marketing Services

Working for someone else and working for yourself is as different as day and night.  I suddenly realized this having worked in the corporate world for over 25 years compared to now being an entrepreneur.

It is quite an adjustment to become accustomed to not having to answer to anyone or feeling inferior to a superior.  I call this conditioning yourself into a mindset of an entrepreneur.  It is not an easy transition, but well worth the transformation.

Your client is not your boss, but your equal.  This type of relationship fosters a mutual respect for each other to the point where you can even brainstorm on certain topics or issues.  Sure your boss in the workforce may have attempted to show you mutual respect, but there was always that element of inequality that existed.

Having an entrepreneur’s mindset gives you the freedom to express your ideas or creativity without being worried about being stifled or causing confusion in the office or the boardroom.  An entrepreneur’s mindset gives you more confidence in yourself and your capabilities.  It can also build your self-esteem, especially for female entrepreneurs.  Women in the workforce have come a long way, but there is work yet to be done.

In today’s economy, being an entrepreneur is rapidly becoming the norm.  According to Entrepreneur Magazine, self-employment rates have been growing at an average of 4.5 percent annually. With all the layoffs, especially among baby boomers, that percentage will increase.  Age discrimination still exists; therefore, it will be difficult for them to find employment, forcing them into becoming entrepreneurs.

Overall, thinking like an entrepreneur rather than an employee is a process, which takes time.  As I mentioned before, it is a conditioning that takes place.  It is not easy, especially for baby boomers after so many years in the workforce; however, it can be done.  Enjoy the ride!

From the mindset of an entrepreneur,

RJ’s Internet Marketing Services

According to a study done by Experian, small businesses make up 99.7% of all U.S. businesses. Small business is described as employing fewer than 500. Who are these small business owners? Today’s small business owner is between 48-51 years old and is likely to have a college degree. They also tend to participate in physical activities, as well as being active travelers. Women start 1,600 businesses a day, according to Intuit Future of Small Business Report.

Intuit’s report states one of the main reasons that women become small business owners is to get around the “glass ceiling.” Mothers with small children find it more feasible to work from home; therefore, becoming mompreneurs. The percentage of women business owners is growing almost twice the rate of all businesses.

I find these statistics to be quite interesting because they reflect me. I am a 53 year old, educated, woman who exercises on a regular basis. When I received my marketing degree, my plan was to work in the marketing department of a corporation. It never occurred to me to become an entrepreneur. Needless to say, my plans to work for a corporation didn’t quite pan out. Graduating from college at 44 years old presented obstacles. After numerous applications and several disappointing interviews, I decided that if they won’t hire me, I will hire myself. So, I combined my experience and education; therefore, coming up with the concept of providing virtual assistant services. And the rest is history.

Based on the aforementioned information and statistics, I guess I am what is known as “today’s typical small business owner.”

http://rjsinternetmarketing.com

My husband and I recently traveled to Nashville for his family reunion, and we noticed that there is a new face in airlines. We flew on two different airlines, and one of them in particular employs mature flight attendants. Obviously, when flight attendants were known as stewards and stewardesses, they were not quite as mature. As someone who just had a 53^rd birthday, I appreciated seeing the new face of today’s airlines.

When I received my bachelor’s degree, I was 44 years old. Needless to say, changing careers at that age had its difficulties. One of the reasons I started my own virtual assistant business was due to the type of positions I was offered.

There are stereotypes surrounding older workers; for example, they won’t last long or they have health issues, which leads to absenteeism. In fact, employees who are 50+ are more reliable, have stability, knowledge, and experience. The workforce can’t survive without this group of people who are also known as baby boomers. According to an article by Marian Stoltz-Loike, PhD and David Madison, PhD entitled “Making Full Use Of The Maturing Workforce,” there were 76 million baby boomers born between the years 1946 – 1964. Due to the erosion of retirement savings or lack of retirement plans, baby boomers can’t afford to retire.

The workforce is comprised mostly of baby boomers and, if they all retire taking their knowledge with them, it will be up to the younger generation to carry on. No matter how educated younger employees are they lack the necessary knowledge that is required to run the business. It would be in the best interest of employers or hiring managers, who are generally younger, to realize this important fact. Apparently, American Airlines is aware of this vital detail. The flight attendants look just like me.

http://rjsinternetmarketing.com