Super Val-ID-ate: Eliminating Resume Fraud One Candidate At A Time

Wow! It has been almost a year since my last blog post. The past year has been jammed pack, and this year also looks like it will be full of great things.

The job climate has improved, but many are still seeking employment and ways to get in front of employers. We have been diligently presenting Val-ID-ate to users on both sides of the equation: job seekers and employers. We are preparing to work with resume writers and other job assistance professionals to give people the way of standing ahead of the pack while ALSO alleviating some of the hiring process stress for overworked HR managers.

Have you noticed all the articles about resume fraud? Some situations have made for sensational news, but what about the other applicants who lied and got the job? Or the ones who were discovered right before offer letter? Think about the hiring manager who is annoyed because of all the time and resources that were spent interviewing and processing the candidate? I am sure that they were relieved that they "dodged a bullet" when the untruths were was uncovered, but wouldn't it have been great if he or she went into the interviewing process confident that the candidate (at least) met all of the credential requirements?

We are getting ready for some exciting times and impactful partnerships. Stay tuned!

Interns To The Rescue!

I have been so distracted lately, and it has been very hard to focus. We have been hit hard by circumstances that have affected operations and it has been so easy to get derailed. Thank goodness for our new interns! As an example of how distracted I am, this semester I just gave the interns our strategic goals (one picked the consumer side and the other picked the corporate side) and I told them to determine the best ways to move forward. In the past, I gave much structure and direction, and often Jennifer and I were disappointed at the lack of creativity and innovation. The internships became this task oriented project - which is not what we believe that it should be about. Don't get me wrong: I would LOVE to hand off some of the tasks that drive me crazy (managing distribution lists, sending follow up messages, keeping resources up-to-date, etc.), but I have seen that when someone has a chance to implement their own ideas they either take on the challenge or try to hide as much as possible. My hope is that the interns will make it their goal to understand Verify-ED and Val-ID-ate, and get out there to interact with the public (physically and online) to truly learn the art of networking. This is a skill that is not taught in the classroom, yet it is THE secret to much success.

This semester will either be a roaring success or a blazing disaster. I am crossing my fingers for the success side!!

Egyptian Dirt For Sale

Last month my husband and I went to Egypt. The stars were aligned and we were able to pull it off - with the help of 2 au pairs and 1 great friend holding down the fort with our 3 children and another au pair serving as travel consultant, we were able to do the trip for a minimal expense. It is a place that my husband has wanted to go forever - and I was up for the adventure (Rome is my forever trip).

Whenever anyone asks me, "how was the trip", my response is the same: unreal. It is very hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that I can personally touch something that has been around over 5,000 years. There are almost no barriers to the artifacts and ruins - which made me skeptical about the authenticity. The are also so many statues and other artifacts that I started to feel like I was on a Hollywood set. I am not an archaeologist, so I can't vouch for authenticity, but I couldn't help but feel "hmmm, who's to say that someone didn't just make that statue?..."

The tie in to business: product perception. Think about it: you don't doubt the value of the artwork in the Louvre because you are not allowed to come near anything. That distance almost makes you want it more, and you can figure why people are willing to pay more. In comparison, in Egypt we were picking up rocks and other things from burial sites and temples that (as far as we can tell) could have fallen directly off of Hatshepsut's temple. Timewise, the Egyptian dirt would be worth more than any artwork hanging in the Louvre - but I am sure that no one will pay us money for it. The same with our Val-ID-ate product. We have to present it as the exclusive product that it is. We have a unique tool, and we don't expound on that fact enough. We need to convey just how utilizing our tool makes someone unique - and invaluable. Worth money.

For so long we have undervalued our products, and it is very hard to change pricing to better reflect worth. A basic business principle is that you can always lower a price, but raising a price is difficult. Well, SETTING a price is IMPOSSIBLE! But, I guess we learn from trial and error, or just plain pain.

We are striving to hang (figuratively) in the Louvre - Paris is my second "forever" trip

A Prayer To The Sales Gods

Today I made the executive decision to hire a pre-sales person. This is a big deal because we are very conservative about spending the money that we don't have - but it has to be done. We have been building Verify-ED for almost 3 years and we have been growing organically. Unfortunately, organically is not going to get us to the goal of Val-ID-ate being a standard part of the hiring process. Organically makes me think of a plant that slowly emerges from the seed and eventually breaks through the soil. The plant may hibernate in the winter, to re-emerge in the spring - during which there is no growth (of course). Organically is NOT the growth cycle that we want - and investing our dollars in someone who can get us in front of prospective clients is a big deal.

I have come to appreciate and I am in awe of successful sales professionals. I am amazed at their ability to "get out there" and "get appointments". As I have mentioned before, Mark LaRosa continues to be my idol. I still take the safe routes by primarily reaching out to known contacts or colleagues of colleagues. How will we really grow that way?

So, Debbie, welcome aboard! I will let everyone know how we are looking in 3 months.

Give Me Back My Money!

Apparently Microsoft overpaid the severance for some of the 1,400 workers they just laid off...and asked for the money back! Can you believe it?

When Chris was laid off by a past employer, they had also overpaid him - and asked for the money back. We did NOT give the money back. Are you kidding? We have 3 children to feed and the desire to keep a roof over our heads. Chris was not a highly paid executive, so I am sure that the overpayment "written off" as an operating loss, but to us the "extra" money was very important to the continuation of our livelihood. The way I see it, that money is like the food that our dog steals out of our hands (he can be quick): there is NO WAY that I am going after the food or asking for it back. It is his. He can have it.

Large companies fail to remember that people are not FTEs - that there are lives that are affected by their actions. As a business owner I understand the need to keep business forefront, but I also have not forgotten the people who have gotten me this far and continue to help me move forward.

So Microsoft, write it off. To the people behind the financial oversight: please realize that you gave quite a few people an extra week or two of being able to meet living expenses - and feel good.

Profits That Flow!

Today I played hooky. Yesterday Chris and I took the kids to the Coco Key Indoor Water Park. We planned an overnight on a Sunday to take advantage of lower rates and less crowds. Well... that was what we had planned.

My business hat came on as soon as I walked into this place. I really didn't know what to expect, but I was intrigued that investors determined that an indoor water park in south NJ near Six Flags Great Adventure would be a money-making endeavor. The admission fee for 1 day was $39.00 regardless of age. So, OK, I could see that weekend traffic would bring in a decent revenue - but I still couldn't see the profitability opportunity for a venture that seems geared for the colder months and would see most of the business on weekends since kids are in school during the week. Then I got there.

They are smartly marketing to the under 12 crowd. Yes, there are activities and rides on which older kids and parents can enjoy - but this is a place for the kiddies. So, let's think about this market segment. This is the population that parents want to keep corralled. Indoor, space is finite - there is no wandering off to Animal Kingdom. These are also the ages where kids have more flexible schedules, and most are not even in school yet. So, local parents who are trying to figure out in what activities to engage their children say, "hey, why not a fun water park today?" If they buy a seasons pass and go once every couple of weeks, it works out well.

We had planned on enjoying the park to ourselves on Monday, figuring that most kids would be in school. We are so naive! The place was almost as full as Sunday. Granted there were mostly smaller children this time, but there were also quite a few older kids with whom our seven- and ten-year olds were playing. I looked at the schedule and the park is smartly closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, which would most likely be dead days.

This indoor water park is capitalizing on the Chuck E. Cheese business model: a place where parents can let their kids have fun, but be within arms length of a million activities. Unlike Chuck E. Cheese it would seem that their overhead is much higher, so I am curious as to what those numbers look like (all that water and those lifeguards!). Still, I can see the consistent profits even in the summer months just from parties alone. And they smartly have a strategic alliance with the Marriott, offering "stay and play" packages.

Personally, I don't know if I would invest in such a venture - but it is always interesting to look at how others develop a business idea that seems successful. I am tempted to revisit in the summer to see how they are faring - if nothing else, the kids would be happy!

No, I Can't Do It For Free

Today I had a session with my Ladies Who Launch partner for our weekly goal-setting session and she has informed me that she may have to close shop. Trying to get clients is tough, and the state of the economy adds another painful dimension. She said something that I have been thinking about all day. She said that, "everyone wants something for free" - and that is so true. Buyers know that (business) owners are trying to move product so they have been making the boldest requests and demands. Think about the housing market: buyers know that they have owners over a log and they are taking full advantage. It is the same for the small business owner. Everyone wants to know what you are going to "give" them for their patronage, implying somehow that we are doing them a favor by providing good service - huh??! Entrepreneurs can't make a living on that. My LWL partner smartly offers an introductory session for free, but her goal is not to provide the entire kit and kaboodle gratis.

And what about the clients who don't pay? We have been trying to collect over $1,000 from a client for over 2 months. That is money that we need, and it looks like I will have to spend at least 5 hours of my day going down to Atlantic City to play collection agent. When I envisioned being a business-owner, these administrative tasks were left out of my fantasies.

These are the reasons that we are focusing on our premium product. Our volume dependent work is too precarious. Our premium product is geared toward clients who will use our services to enhance their services, making us an integral piece of the puzzle.

Our intern said that I have tunnel vision - which is a compliment because I am focused on getting away from the client who just wants favors. My goal is for our clients to consider us their electric bill: a necessity to keep their businesses running!

Classic Tortoise and The Hare Illustration

On Monday, I somehow talked my husband, Chris, into going to the gym with me for my usual 5:30 am swim. Considering that it was his day off, this was a wonderful accomplishment. I wanted him to accompany me to give me feedback on my stroke since I seem to swim so slowly (1-1/2 minutes to finish a lap). Now remember: I only swim because I hate it and refuse to let it get the best of me. This is also the reason I participate in sprint triathlons - masochism as motivation. So, I got into the pool and did my 18 slllooooowwww laps. Chris got in the pool, did a lap....rested...floated on his back...rested...etc. When he did his laps he was always faster than me but, needless to say, he did not complete the 1/2 mile workout. So, of course I find the business relevance for this experience.

It is the classic Tortoise and The Hare theme - slow and steady wins the race. But how do you prevent yourself from panicking when you see the competitor swimming by? How do you know that they are running out of steam. My last memory of Chris swimming was 10 years ago on our honeymoon when I had to sit and watch enviously as everyone swam from our boat to a floating bar. He confidently swam without looking back. Those are the memories that you have when you remember your friendly competitor's strength and dominance in the past - and you can't let that prevent you from participating in the competition. I use the excuse at least once a day: "oh, we won't bother with that RFP because we are up against those 'big guys' and we won't be able to beat their bid price" Often that IS the case, but if we don't try how will we find out when an opportunity truly exists? I sat with a great colleague today who reiterated how great it would be if we just got one major client on retainer. My excuse for not expending the energy: "oh, they only want the big guys". I am my own worse enemy. My memories of my husband's strength prevents me from competing - when in reality, my husband has lost that edge, and the only way that I would know this is by getting into the pool with him.

So, it is time to jump off that starting block and get into the midst. I have taken my swimming lessons and I am improving every day. Competitors beware.

BTW: This is my new challenge. To hold the pose in this picture for at least 15 seconds. I will let you know when I accomplish this feat - because I will ;-)

(I Will) Make Mine A Million $ Business

Yesterday I attended the Make Mine a Million Dollar Business Race Kickoff - what a mouthful! It is part of Count Me In's programs for motivating women-business owners and it was sponsored by Sam's Club in Secaucus. It was held early in the morning and organized quite well considering the venue was a warehouse grocery store whose customers consistently walked past pushing the noisiest shopping carts.

I left the event inspired to participate in the race. The idea is to set a financial goal and work with the M3 resources to achieve that goal. I was hesitant at first to join because $1 million seemed unrealistic. I am as hopeful as anyone - but I am not into demoralizing myself by setting unattainable goals. Thankfully, there are multiple goal tiers. One speaker, Nancy Michaels of Grow Your Own Business Network, was quite helpful in providing innovative ways to market products and services - I will be utilizing her suggestions this weekend. Another speaker, Bill Dueease of The Coach Connection, changed my perspective on business coaching. Although his manner was off-putting at times, his points were well-made. And I like the money-back guarantee and the coach-to-client matching process. I am seriously considering the $300 investment. The last speaker reminded me of Caroline Kennedy in her interview during her vie for the NY Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton. The hemming and uh-ing was painful! She did very well when it was an open question-and-answer forum, but seemed to have difficulty conveying ideas. Her presentation reminded how important it is to engage your audience and come across as someone who is in control of your material.

The highlight of yesterday was my determination to maximize my time by shopping at Sam's Club. In my mind, the reason that they chose to host the event at their location was the hope of converting attendees to be customers. Now, I have no intention of being a Sam's Club member (we already have 1 too many mega-grocery store memberships), but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to complete much needed shopping - especially since I needed fruit platters for my daughters' Valentine Day parties. When I approached one of the Sam's Club "dignitaries" and requested a day pass - she hesitated. Whoa! Here is a person interested in spending money in your establishment and you hesitate? I understand that you are going to try to sell me a membership, but the first answer should not be, "um, let me check." Right there, I know that if I was in the market to purchase a club membership I would not have gotten Sam's because I could see that customer service is not taught to be a priority to the associates.

It is important to remember that people note the little things. If you come across as unknowledgeable, if you seem unwilling to bend then that sends strong, negative signals.

I DID get my shopping done (I was not impressed with the prices or selections) and I cannot remember the name of the third speaker. Need I say more?

Today Verify-ED Achieves Omnipresence

At around midnight this morning (oxymoron), I was informed that I am a finalist in the IFEL Business Plan competition. As you may remember from my earlier post (Time To Visit Aunt B), I do not know anything about the prizes being offered. So my elation halted in mid jump: for WHAT am I a finalist? I still think of The Lottery.

So, now it is a game of sorts: wanting to win a contest to earn prizes that I have no idea whether I need (or want). I know, I know - who has time for games? I figure, if I am going to do something for an unknown ROI at least I am tightening my business plan in the process.

Today we were also featured in The Montclair Times! They did a story about Val-ID-ate, and the only thing about the article that made me groan is that the writer put the name of my home street vs. our business address street. Thankfully, our clients like us and I don't think that I would mind them dropping in....but only some of our clients live in town. Isn't it great we have Sammy to be our watchdog?

So, stay tuned! As usual, nothing is ever simple or boring in the Verify-ED world.

Brand Destruction

What happens when you destroy the brand that you have worked so hard to build? I guess within the next few weeks we will find out. I am talking about Chris Brown and his alleged attack against Rihanna. I started researching the Internet about the incident because I am curious from the perspective of business owner managing image and marketing self.

Here is a couple who has presented an image to the public of young love and "having it all", and that may not be the reality.

As far as I understand from the Chris Brown bios, he has built a reputation as a "clean" performer and has earned some impressive endorsement deals. His appeal is considerable and he succeeded in achieving market penetration. As I am writing this and reading his official site, my son ( who will be 4 tomorrow) is singing along to the lyrics "I am going to take you away" and informing me that he "loves that song". So, Chris Brown has figured out the "hook" - he has the product (his music), he has a piece of the market (proven by his Billboard rankings and Grammy award nominations) and investors (his endorsement deals). The young man has built an enviable brand - and it looks like the hubris of youth will set him back.

He is now accused of felony assault against another young singer who has also built an amazing brand. Up until now they were even smart enough to form a strategic alliance (romantic relationship) that brought them even more visibility. According to Rihanna's bio, she is also a powerful brand in her own right. She has released many hit singles and has won a Grammy award. Interestingly, she does not have her own vanity website. Her official web presence is via her label, Def Jam Recordings , leaving no question as to who "owns" the brand Rihanna.

This sad situation is an example of how quickly a brand can deteriorate. His reps are probably scrambling to protect as much of their product as possible. He has lost his Wrigley endorsement and the respect of many people who once called themselves fans. This is also the second story in about as many weeks of a young man losing an endorsement (investor) after acting stupidly (let's just call it for what it is). Michael Phelps, the Olympic medal-winning swimmer who has built his image entirely on the fitness platform was caught using a bong and lost his Kellogg endorsement. I mean, really! What WAS he thinking? Does he not own a cellphone with picture-taking capability? Does he not understand the basic modus operandi of humans: build up and then tear down??

Most likely, with time, these incidents will just become footnotes in their biographies about the mistakes of youth - but it is so much more than that. In Chris Brown's case, if the allegations are true, he has many more issues that must be resolved. All reports indicate that Rihanna is cooperating with the police and is not recanting, which (sad to say) is unusual - and the woman in me is proud that she is not accepting the situation and walking away. Michael Phelps must now deal with ever present doubt that he did not use performance enhancing drugs to gain his achievements even though a bong is not usually associated with increasing any athletic ability - drug use is drug use.

I don't want this to become a dictum on the evils of domestic violence or drug use, but I do want to learn the lesson that, as a business owner, you should always remain cautious. Don't act reflexively. Take time to think. In my case, I am not 19 and I don't have the luxury of time to build again - so I can't afford steps backwards. More power to those who can. I already know how this will turn out, and while a part of me is disgusted - it actually gives me hope that if I stumble, I can get back up and keep going.

Chasing Dreams

Are chasing dreams like chasing a dog? It is a strange comparison, but I started thinking about that this morning when Sammy, the dog we saved from PAWS, ran out the front door without a leash for the third time.

A part of me felt sad that he has the desire to "break out" - but, in reality we all want to explore our environment without being tied to something. Sammy always comes back, but today was scarier because he decided to exceed his boundaries by running into the street.

We have learned that 1) he does not listen, so calling to him means nothing and 2) running after him only makes it worse. So I stand in front of the house making sure that I can see him at all times, while he trots along looking over his shoulder at me thinking "ha ha, can't catch me".

We had some near misses with very pissed off drivers, but thankfully one of those drivers chased him back down our way.

While I watched Sammy, I got annoyed with each passing minute because all I could think was, "this is such a waste of my time. I have so many other things that need to get done". I also compared this pursuit of business success to waiting for Sammy. Can I believe that it will eventually come? If I just wait patiently, will it come? We all know that you can't sit back and expect things to happen, so like enticing Sammy with a doggie biscuit to quicken his return I need to keep thinking of the subtle, yet impactful, ways that I can coax success my way.

Sammy ended up spending the day in his crate. I went to PETCO, bought a dog tag with my phone number, bought a dog whistle, and asked about the obedience training classes they offer. I recognize that in order to have success with our Sammy we BOTH need to learn. I need to do this same assessment and subsequent action for Verify-ED. Because at the end of it all, Sammy WILL return when he is called and success WILL arrive when beckoned.

It Hurts When You Shoot Yourself In The Foot

I am in the middle of studying for a real estate exam. I am pursuing a real estate license to increase my level of all-around marketability. I gave myself a certain amount of time to complete this task - and I have exceeded it. Sound familiar? It is the same situation as when you give yourself a set amount of time to reach a destination - and it takes double or triple the estimate.

So, realizing that I will NOT get through 22 chapters in one night I have basically accepted a defeat of sorts (and made matters slower by drinking wine). I have re-worked my approach and set a new goal, but that means so many things will be negatively affected. This is a cycle that I see happen often that I would like to see disappear! These are detours that prevent me from moving forward. But who places these obstacles? Who forced me to tend to Verify-ED business during the class instead of paying attention?

As a balance to this setback, today I finally reduced the time it takes me to swim 1 lap. I am still very jealous of the woman who shared the lane with me and the man in the adjoining lane. Even though they were larger, they outswam me with ease. The woman seemed like she was just floating atop the water!

The key with goals: set your own, pay some (but not much) attention to the competitors around, and don't be last to the finish line! Tortoise and The Hare, baby!!

Now, back to studying....arghhh!!

Glimmer of Hope

Tonight my husband and I had dinner with dear friends who we have not really seen since "changes" (i.e. births of children). It was great reconnecting and sharing child rearing stories and just catching up on our lives. I observed the dynamics and found it fascinating that the women conversed with each other and the men among themselves. It could have just been because it was too noisy to try and converse over the table, but really the conversations were on different planes.

Anyway, one friend manages HR for an engineering company, and I told her about the Val-ID-ate goal: to become a standard part of the hiring process. She ABSOLUTELY thinks that recruiters should do some of the vetting before they present candidates to her. YES!!!! These are the words that keep me going - because I know that she is not the only one who feels that paying for recruiting services should include receiving candidates whose credentials have already been verified.

So, I go to bed tonight dreaming happy thoughts because I received some justification for moving forward. Thank you, G.E.!!

Bang, Your Dead!

In order to be an entrepreneur you ultimately have to be a multi-life cat. Forget about 9 lives; you need at least 100. Basically, you get shot down so many times and need to pick yourself back up that you need some type of Heroes power (I like the Claire Bennet, the cheerleader).

Today I presented the goals for Val-ID-ate to an executive recruiter - and she said the same thing that many recruiters say, "oh, we don't deal with background screening. Our clients have a much more sophisticated background screening process and they handle everything". I still say: what happens when you give the client confidence that the credentials check part of their screening is redundant? Are you seen as a valuable provider? Well, maybe the person whose job it is to manage the background screening process may not like you because you may threaten his or her job (and in this day and age EVERYONE is trying to justify their existence), but to the small- to mid-sized company where the recruiter is also the hiring manager you will be seen as golden! "What? You mean that when I get a candidate from you, he or she has already been vetted? You mean that all I have to do are criminal and drug tests (when applicable)? Wow!"

One of our star interns also started some pre-sales activities today and she has learned of the frustrations associated with sales. The doors are slamming quickly and I am trying to explain the "law of numbers", but as the person who has to listen to people barely hide their annoyance, the "laws" are moot. I am ecstatic that she doesn't give up easily!

It is the really strong person who can talk themselves into trying to "win a sale" everyday. To not get frustrated when hearing "no". My strength has wavered (which is why I always find an excuse not to do cold calls), but I would like to think that I am getting better at explaining why a prospective client should not be too quick to say "no".

I also have this dream of being like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman and going back to these same executive recruiters who didn't see the value in our service and saying, "Oh, you lost over 50% of your client base because they wanted to see more value for the money they spent? Our clients have seen an INCREASE in their client base. BIG mistake not using Val-ID-ate!"

Shhhh - Can You Keep a Secret?

Stealing ideas. It is as old as prostitution (or so I would believe). Every day people take credit for the ideas and the work that others do. This is why we have patents and patent lawyers. Most people don't take the time to protect ideas, because often you don't realize just how great your idea is. When I am at a dinner party and people ask me what I do, I don't respond by handing them a non-disclosure contract before we can continue the conversation - but today I started thinking that maybe I DO need to be more discreet in discussing our product ideas and goals.

I attended the LegalTech event in NYC today to finally meet a vendor with whom I had only interacted via email and phone (I develop so many great relationships that way - HI JEN!!). I told her about a service that we wanted to institute in India and she recommended that I speak with a gentleman who she regards as a great entrepreneur. He was also in attendance, so I told him about what we wanted to do and where we are in the process. Now, I didn't get any concrete vibes that he was thinking, "hey, this American has no idea about India - but I do and I can get this up and running before she can", but it did cross my mind. Who is to say that I am not just feeding ideas to the person who has more money and resources for them to just increase their wealth. The movie Flash of Genius is a great example of this.

I am from the school of thought that "if I thought of it, someone else has already thought of it or is doing it". It is not about origination; it is about "first to market". I keep plugging away, head down and I don't want to look up from my work and realize that I missed the boat. Even with Val-ID-ate, we are working against the possibility that a better-funded competitor says "hey, why didn't we think of that? We can pull something together in a month and advertise it everywhere with our big marketing budget". So the race is on.

And here is the other worry: what if we are the Sony Betamax to the competitor's JVC VHS? A better product that didn't get the proper traction to take the market.

Uh oh. I think that I am sounding a bit paranoid...or maybe not...

Bill Murray as Joelle Ware in Verify-ED, The Movie

Yesterday was Groundhog Day, and I felt like Bill Murray in the movie with the same name. I had to complete 10 outstanding hours for my real estate training so I attended the past 2 days of the current training session. Same teacher, same schedule....same delivery, same jokes, same statements invoking the same questions from the class. It was an amazing deja vu experience! Although most of the cast were different, the lead role never wavered from the script. I wouldn't be surprised if the instructor was wearing the same sets of clothes that he wore for the first 2 days of my session last month.

This experience made me think about the mechanisms that we have in place for survival. The instructor (who is a very nice man, even though I can't figure out why he dyes his hair) depends upon his script and anticipates the responses. I have seen how flustered he can get when presented with an ad libber in the class. You can almost see his eyes saying, "WHAT are you doing? That is NOT in the script".

We all have a set of activities that we do for which we anticipate the same results - and we depend on those outcomes. That comfort helps us get brave to venture into other things - because we know that we can "go home". Although I know that I have those "comfort activities" for my personal life - doing laundry on a Sunday, walking the dog (or tying his leash to the stoop while I run to take a quick shower) - I don't feel as though I have "home" for my business life. My head is kept down most of the day answering email messages and trying to whittle my Reminders queue down that when I have a lull - I feel lost. I am not taking the time to go "home", and "home" would be that comfort activity that always produced a result (money, more clients, etc.).

Wouldn't it be great if "home" was picking up the phone to do cold-calls?

Hey! That Was My Idea!

What does my local Shop-Rite, which offers online grocery ordering with in-store pickup, and the BrickHouse Child Locator have in common? These are 2 ideas that I originally had, researched and started developing. I am sure that many of you have had those moments (whether after a few glasses of wine or just daydreaming) when you have come up with the "next big thing". Some of you may have explored it beyond the dream and many -like me-hit walls that made you put the dream on a shelf. So I know the frustration of seeing someone else take the dream that you had and profit. Of course you still pump your fist in the air when you see "your" product on the shelf or on TV because it provides validation that you "are not crazy" - but you can't help but think: THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME!

This is one of the main reasons why I continue to put my energies into Val-ID-ate. I believe in our service and the tool, and I know the impact that it will have. I also know that if I don't see it through to the success it will achieve, someone else will - and I am tired of turning to the invisible person sitting on the couch next to me and saying, "hey, that was my idea" as a well-known TV personality hawks "my" product.

So, to all of you who have that "next great thing", try to follow through as far as you can - because that distance you travel may be just the right amount to get you "there" (wherever there may be).

Business Resolutions

At this time of year, most people set personal resolutions: "I will lose 10 pounds"; "I will finish that great book"; "I will learn to meditate". I also set my personal resolutions (none of which are the aforementioned), but my focus this year is going to be on my BUSINESS RESOLUTIONS! My resolutions aren't as extensive as the Bootstrapping Blog from last year, but here they are:
1) Make more sales - sounds easy, but in order to sell you have to do legwork that I never seem to get around to do because I get caught up in the administration of our company. My goal is to reach out to prospective clients on a more consistent basis.
2) Realize a greater return on the energy I expend- My husband marvels at the amount of time Jennifer and I spend on establishing Verify-ED - for what could seem like small returns. My goal this year is to bring that equation into balance.
3) Get Val-ID-ate to the forefront as a standard part of of the hiring process. This is my lofty, but ACHIEVABLE, new years goal.
4) BLOG MORE OFTEN :-)

Are you ready?....

Test of Professional Friendships

OK. Here goes. I am just going to ask for help - let's see what happens.

We are trying to form partnerships with the big guys: Monster.com, The Ladders, Dice.com, etc. To do so, we have to show our value. Well, we know quite a few staffing professionals who post jobs on these sites. We are going to ask them to add this tag line to their job listings:

We appreciate candidates with Val-ID-ate profiles!

The goal is to prove the benefits to staffing professionals who have to sort through a million resumes and to obviously gain endorsement for our services.

Our Feedback Tour is proving to be quite effective in providing proof that YES recruiters would appreciate receiving proof of credentials at the start of the hiring process. ESPECIALLY with the increase in resume fraud (too many people on the market competing for the same jobs tend to make people embellish more - go figure).

My belief is that this should be straightforward (unless the staffing company has to pay per word for their job postings).

What could be the objections?...