What Part of Handwriting on the Wall Dont You Understand - They Dont Hire People Over 50

In a recent talk to the Detroit Economic Club, President Bush told of a powerful statement made to John Bailey by his wife, "Just what part of the writing on the wall don't your understand - companies don't want people over 50!" The White House staff had become aware of an amazing story of entrepreneurial success stemming from John's wife's words.

John's wife was very quick to read the writing on the wall, rationalizing that it would be virtually impossible for John to find a new job. An extremely insightful woman, she saw that John's competition in his job search was a wealth of people, albeit less experienced, that would be applying for each job John sought. In order to land a job over these younger, less-experienced applicants, John would have to sell himself before the topic of pay was placed on the table. Once pay came into the picture, even if John was willing to accept a lower rate of pay it is doubtful he would get the job.

According to my friend, headhunter Jeff Breza, "If someone can choose between an applicant with some experience earning 40K and another with vast experience earning 120K, they would much rather give the 80K position to the first. The second person will grow to resent the pay and become bitter while the first person will be very indebted to me for such a great offer."

Faced with the prospect of a long job search, the Bailey's had to make an important decision:

use their savings to fund an extended search realizing a job offer may never come

use their savings to invest in their own business.

It is important to make this decision as early as possible. The longer one is unemployed, the more discouraged they get and the more difficult it is to shift back into a daily high-energy routine. To start a business takes time, energy, and a positive attitude. The best chance one has is to jump into the game early.

Marty found his position eliminated after over two decades. Instead of spending his time feeling sorry for himself, he took the opportunity to write a book about his experience as a business coach. His book, "In There Presence", catapulted him into his own business as a leadership developer and multi-rater feedback coach.

Dave had wanted to start his own Human Resources business for many years. When he heard there may be an opportunity for a severance package, he was excited that he would finally have his chance. He started immediately to find clients for his company so that he would have enough to support himself once the severance ran out.

Joe's corporate job ended abruptly with a management change. He used a settlement he received to buy a building and start a martial arts school. He now enjoys a stress-free career working for himself.

Each of these individuals recognized that by starting their own business, they would not be in a position where there career relied largely on a single individual. They knew that age, regardless of law, was a handicap that would be difficult to overcome, so they had to think differently.

If you are in the unique position where the transformation form a corporation professional to an independent self-employed businessperson is a available, carefully consider the advantages and disadvantages of each. Each has pros and cons.

ā?¢ One is a world where your pay is preset versus the other when pay is unlimited

ā?¢ In one a single supervisor determines your fate, in the other that single individual is you

ā?¢ One provides benefits while the otherā??s benefits are purely financial

John's wife was very insightful in her comment. She knew that looking for a traditional job would involve many months of heartache and disappointment. She saw John's talent, and she help him catapult a lost job into a major human relations firm.

Rick Weaver is President of Max Impact, a national leadership and organization development company based in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Rick is an accomplished business executive with experience in retail, market analysis, supply chain and project management, team building, and process improvement. He has worked with hundreds of companies to improve sales, processes, and bottom-line results. MaxImpact offers leadership and organizational development services along with employee assessments and background checks. Contact Rick at 248-802-6138 or via email, rick@getmaximpact.com. MaxImpact is on the web at http://www.getmaximpact.com

RELATED ARTICLES

Secrets of My Favorite Government Auction
I love bargains. And there's no better place to find bargains than an auction. And there are no better auctions than government surplus auctions. My favorite government surplus auction takes place the 3rd week of September every year in the County Park. I won't tell you which county park as this is my best-kept secret! Even though the auction is advertised in the local papers (as required my law), I usually find the same 20-30 people mulling around, looking at all the lots. And many of them I know are not high-bidders!

Could a Book About Your Company be Worth $1.7 Billion? Building Value Through Publishing
"Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) to purchase Clayton Homes for $12.50 in cash per share. Deal worth $1.7 Billion."

Franchises - Success and You
Many people believe owning a franchise will make them rich, financially secure, and provide the life of their dreams. True, franchises have an extremely high success rate, and a very high satisfaction rate among their owners. But is that success guaranteed when you purchase a franchise? NO!

Solo Mojo for Solo Entrepreneurs --- Where?s Your Juice?
I recently read a magazine article about Andrew, a 42-year old businessman. He gave up a demanding law practice in the Northeast, moved South to launch a new furniture and interior-design store, and wrote his first fiction novel in the midst of that transition. He persevered with his passion for writing, buoyed by the love and support of his family, by drafting ten pages daily for two years. Since the completion of his novel, he started a new advertising business and is co-authoring a non-fiction tale on top of his other interests.

Entrepreneurship Story; Over Regulation in Franchising Final Chapter
Sally and Jim have launched their automotive franchise business and are now selling franchises; problems arise as lawyers and over regulation threaten to ruin their life's work, see how it ends; tragedy or success. A realistic story of modern day franchising. . .

From Entrepreneur to Infopreneur: Make Money Selling Info Products
The term "Infopreneur" is a relatively new industry buzz word that is making waves because it opens doors for entrepreneurs to generate new streams of income. Simply put, an infopreneur sells information.

Key to Starting Your Own Clothing Company
Starting your own private label clothing company is not as difficult as you may think. I assure you that the founding members of Volcom, Paul Frank, Hurley and Von Dutch, are not mad geniuses of fashion. You can duplicate their rise to brand stardom provided that you have the following:

Drive Website Traffic Unconventionally, Force Your Children To Do It
If you believe that every little bit helps then keep reading...

The Business Leader as Ultramarathoner
Have you ever heard of an ultramarathon? A standard marathon is just over 26 miles. An ultramarathon is usually on the order of 50 or 100 miles, though there are some that span one thousand! Imagine the endurance required to run such a race.

Prescription for the Future and Technological Revolutions
The world sure has changed in the last two-decades hasn't it? When I started out in business, there were no cell phones, fax machines, computers, etc. And I am not that old, having just retired at age 40. Indeed, in the better part of two-decades everything changed. And it is still changing and moving along. What will the next two-decades bring? You can probably figure it out with a little thought and watching the trends, new discoveries and think of what kinds of things the military, health care, entertainment and government industries will want. I recommend this book which foretold much of what we see now about a decade before we had it:

Business Name - How to Choose One
It's very important to get your business name right. You may already have a business name but it's not too late to change it. Let's face it; big organisations change their business and product names all the time.

Walt Disneys Failures Could Inspire Entrepreneurs
You are a struggling entrepreneur and sometimes it feels like you are pushing a 3 ton boulder up a steep hill. Costs keep mounting and you are considering giving up. Well before you do, check out these 10 setbacks that Walt Disney had, some were financial nightmares that put him millions of dollars in the red:

What Kind of Business Should I Start?
It's not uncommon to reach your 30s, 40s or even 50s and still wonder, "What do I want to be when I grow up?" Few people are fortunate enough to be certain of their destinies early on and the rest of us are forced to do some soul searching.

Interview with Best-selling Entrepreneurial Authors Barbara Winters and Nick Williams
Ray Bradbury's quote, "You've got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your wings on the way down" may sound extreme but, as anyone building a business knows, it has a lot of truth in it.

Financing Your Business
Anyone who is serious about making some money is already very well aware of the fact that it takes some type of investment to make this happen. I've read a lot of copy that suggests one can build a business for free, if they are willing to spend an extra amount of time to compensate for their lack of financial backing.

The Boss is DEAD!
Some of us are born into families with "it", some of us are just driven over the edge to "it", and some of us crave "it", but just haven't figured out how to attain "it." That "it" is an Entrepreneurial Spirit that is a powerful force that can be the key to your success, and yes?sometimes even failure.

Executive Suites - A Way To Save Cash
Cash is one of the most important resources to a new business. One of the best ways to conserve cash for a startup business that is in need of office space is to rent an executive suite rather than to rent traditional office space. Most people don't even know this little secret. In fact, most people don't even know what an executive suite is.

Independent Auto Detail Shop VS Biz Op or Franchise
Owning a detail shop can be an exciting and rewarding business indeed. Many times an owner of an independent Detailing Shop will wish to add those items he/she believes their customers want. Since an independent detail shop is not a franchise or affiliate they can try new things and do what ever they want. They use their knowledge of the industry, a little intuition and luck; it is a best guess issue. For an independent detailing shop entrepreneur; there is no proven business plan to go by, but the savvy operator who is in touch with their customers seldom has to face a shot in the dark.

Identifying the Right Venture Capital Firm Partner
Venture capital firms are comprised of individual partners. These partners make investment decisions and typically take a seat on each portfolio company's Board. Partners tend to invest in what they know, so finding a partner that has past work experience in your industry is very helpful. This relevant experience allows them to more fully understand your venture's value proposition and gives them confidence that they can add value, thus encouraging them to invest.

Oil Change Guys History; Part II
Franchise companies are not born they are made and when studying the history of franchise companies, it is amazing how similar they really are. To continue this story we are in the height of the Dot Com Bubble with money flowing in Silicon Valley and personal services and labor is at a premium indeed;

Home |Site Map