gainfully unemployed » entrepreneur

Richard Branson’s TED Talk

chris — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 05:32:14 +0000

One of the world’s most well-known entrepreneur and owner of the Virgin companies Richard Branson discusses his life and career at TED. He has some interesting things to say.

Digg Interview with Sir. Richard Branson

chris — Tue, 05 May 2009 19:01:05 +0000

The more I read or see about Richard Branson, the more I realize that he seems to really have it figured out. What I mean by that is he is completely happy with his life and his career.

In this video, the Virgin brand creator and one of the wealthiest entrepreneurs in the world, answers questions submitted by Digg readers.

What Separates Entrepreneurs from Employees?

chris — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:02:51 +0000

The obvious thing that sets entrepreneurs apart from employees is that entrepreneurs work for themselves, while employees work for others. This is obvious.

But the thing that I think really separates these two types of people is a mindset. Entrepreneurs like to be in control of what they are doing, they’re passionate, and they are ambitious. They also don’t know they’re place and don’t need someone to tell them what to do, although, if theyr’e any good, they can take advice and really listen to other people.

Employees have the comfort of a steady paycheck. They tend to know what they are going to be doing day-in day-out. They hope to slowly climb the ranks in a given company, get raises, use vacation and sick time, and get a Christmas bonus. Employees may end up making good money, but they might not ever make great money.

Since a dominant percentage of people work for other companies, it is hard to really separate them out from entrepreneurs in terms of personality or characteristics–it’s far easier to separate out entrepreneurs as a group since there are less of them. Employees may just be where they are because they’ve always worked for other people, have gotten used to the security and the 401k and the health insurance being taken care of, and haven’t had the initiative to move on and try other things. Either that or they are making a lot of money.

But I think that everyone should experience working for themselves. It teaches you a lot of things about balancing your own books, paying others for services, and it teaches you one more thing.

It teaches you not to be afraid of not having a job. You can fend for yourself out there in this world. Read more about online business here at my blog.

Top Online Entrepreneurs Work Hard and Smart

Earn Money Every Hour of Every Day Online

chris — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:40:47 +0000

The beauty of internet business is that it is possible to earn money every hour of every single day. You can literally earn money while you sleep. Picture it. Your head is on your pillow while you lie in your comfortable bed. At the same time, your website is working for you.

If you run a blog, website, or an online business, every single article you publish is out there working for you every hour of every day. They’re like little salesmen making cyber house calls. Actually, it’s the other way around. People are actively looking for content and information, so your pages are more like employees waiting for visitors they can assist.

If you are successful with a few websites, you may begin to earn a decent hourly wage. How does $8.00 an hour sound? It doesn’t sound like much when thinking about the traditional 8 hour day.

But multiply it by 24.

10 Clues You Have the Entrepreneurial Mindset

chris — Wed, 28 May 2008 18:25:08 +0000

An entrepreneur is someone who wants more control over his or her life. He or she is naturally curious and fascinated by the business and marketing of everything and the world in general. An entrepreneur wants to try new things and is willing (and eager) to take risks.

For true entrepreneurs, it’s not about the money as much as it is about doing something interesting. You might be an entrepreneur and just not know it yet.

The following are 10 Clues that you Have the Entrepreneurial mindset:

1) No cocktail napkin is safe from the frantic scribbling of your pen.

2) You wake up in the middle of the night and smile because you’re dreaming about multiple streams of income knocking down your door.

3) You decorate your cubicle with a copy of the famous Scream painting because that’s how you feel when you’re sitting in it.

4) It’s 2 a.m and you’re awake.

5) The next time you plan to go into an office is when it says “Boss” on your door.

6) Your idea of hell is a building that requires key card access.

7) You tell your children that they shouldn’t worry about monsters in closets or boogie men under their bed. They should worry about middle management.

8 ) You own one white collared shirt—for the eventual meeting with venture capitalists. Because even though your angel investors say they don’t want to see you dressed professionally, you know it will help you get them to give you a check.

9) Coffee isn’t a choice. It’s a necessity.

10) In an entrepreneur’s eyes, the piano key necktie is not just a novelty gag gift from the 80′s. It was a product created by an astute entrepreneur filling a demand in the marketplace. Okay, disregard this one. Move on to the real #10.

10) When you walk into a store, you think about what the rent costs, what the markup is, how much the employees cost, the store location, lighting bills, and the company’s position in the marketplace. In other words, you think too much.

But it’s this thinking that just might make you rich. Or better yet, happy.

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The Entrepreneur’s Journey

chris — Fri, 16 May 2008 21:52:04 +0000

After graduating from college in 2003, I quickly decided to keep the “real world” at bay for just a little longer by seeing more of the, uh, real world. With nothing but a big red backpack I purchased at REI, I hopped on a plane headed for France.

I backpacked with a friend and saw some of the most incredible man-made structures ever created, iconic pieces of artwork, and encountered interesting people from all over the world.

A lot of my time on this two month journey of haphazardly criss-crossing western Europe with a few trips into eastern Europe (I had an unlimited Eurail pass) I did a lot of thinking. When you’re sitting on a train staring down the barrel of a 13 hour overnight journey, there’s not much else to do.

I thought a lot about what I wanted to do with my life, how I would go about finding a job when I returned to my home in the United States, and what I wanted to do in terms of a career. I wondered if I should go to law school like I told myself I would.

I didn’t come up with any concrete answers. And now I realize that there really are no answers–at least for me. And I know a lot of other people like me. I realize that the only way I’m going to be happy is by pursuing what I’m interested in today. I am not going to be happy in a job that I am not totally excited to go into each and every day, minus vacation days and holidays. Sure, sometimes we have to work jobs we don’t like to pay the bills. That’s life.

What I’m getting at here is taking steps everyday to inch closer to what you really do want to do with your life. This makes having a not-so-fulfilling job sort of fulfilling: the fact that it helps you pay the bill while you move closer to your goals.

I realize that you have to take action. Today. Right now. If you want to be a writer, outline an article or jot down some ideas, do some research. If you want to be an internet entrepreneur, take steps to start a blog or a website today. If you start a project today, continuing to work on it tomorrow or next week becomes much easier.

This website is about finding the entrepreneurial path that works for you. I want Gainfully Unemployed to be a resource of articles, news, and information about working for the best boss in the world. You.