Posted on 09/05/2013 2:40:28 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
t's the best—and worst—of times for older workers.
The unemployment rate for Americans 55 and older is lower than for any other age group the government tracks, and far below the national average. But if an older worker loses a job, the length of time that person will stay unemployed is typically much longer than for any other age group.
"There's a much higher prevalence of unemployment among young people, but the time that you spend in that state is much shorter," said Linda Barrington, executive director of the Institute for Compensation Studies at Cornell University.
Darrel Keesee, 61, is among those struggling to find new work. This past January, he lost a job as a package handler with a major delivery company after working there for four years.
The Mesa, Ariz., resident has sent out countless resumes and kept himself busy volunteering in his community and at his church. But he says what he really wants is the satisfaction of going to a paying job every day.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnbc.com ...
Did you hear about USAA hiring 680+ IT people soon in Plano?
No, thanks. I’ll look into it for sure.
Thank you for the encouragement, it helps.
Good luck.
My education and experience is in accounting.”
There really is a niche out there for someone who can provide accounting services to small businesses, primarily sole proprietors, and I’m amazed at how many feel they are significantly better off because they can pay attention to other parts of their business. First few were hard to get but they now come by referral. Commercial fishermen, rental property owners, small repair shops, solo docs, etc. Most of them were trying to do everything themselves and they know how to do their work but not how to keep track of the paper and the money. Each is just a few hours a month and the hourly rates are somewhat less than I would like but every little bit helps - and the income is all mine.
I have been thinking about starting a business with that very same target market, small business. How did you market yourself at first? Place ads (web and paper), drop off and/or mail flyers are the 2 ways I thought of.
Actually many of my accounting clients came to me from my other business which is practice management for mental health clinicians. Some of them were patients who would ask the “do you know anyone who...” kind of question from their doc.
Two things that I found worked best - small ads in your local neighborhood papers just offering basic services and a free consultation. The other way involves shoe leather - a simple one page brochure and some business cards. Find out the name of the business owner before time and what they do. Cold calls - go back if there appears to be some interest and they don’t say yes the first time. Mailings are a waste of time and money IMO. If you have a land line, you get one free listing in your local business phone book. Lot of people use the web now so a very simple ad might be an option but the people I’ve had call as the result of a web ad were just shopping around and primarily interested in price so I don’t do that any more. Tell everyone you know what you’re doing and ask them for referrals. Not quite sure how to do what they think they want done? It’s just numbers - you’ll figure out how to get it done or think about showing them another way. Some people I do their bank deposits, pay their bills, do their payroll, reconcile their bank account. Others I just do a monthly P&L from their check book and warn them about tax issues, red flags in spending, suggest better places to buy their supplies, etc. Create your own need.
Most small businesses can’t afford a full time accountant at their place of business but maybe with your services they could get by with just a part-time clerk that you could hire and train for them. Found that I had to do a lot of training of business owners as to why they needed to have a P&L that they understood and why they needed a budget and how to prepare one. Just keep everything as simple as possible for them and for you.
I keep all my clients records on my computer and just pick up stuff from their offices. Keeps them from spending money on software that they maybe won’t use - a side benefit to them and then you can work at home on your schedule.
Just think small and simple. The big ones will come. If you have lots of small clients and one leaves, the impact on your receivables isn’t as great.
Probably more than you wanted to know but now you know most everything I know. Good luck.
-— Texas is the place you aught to be. -—
I would love to be there, except all my family is here.
My father left Poland for freedom in America. I’m glad that he did, but I’ve never known any members of my extended family. It’s a tough decision.
-— & I now run our own business and I’m doing far far better than I was at my last ‘real job’. -—
Thanks for the encouraging story. I started a side business 7 years ago, sensing something coming, and it should be self-sustaining soon. If it works out, it will be much better than the 9 to 5 grind. I especially won’t miss the daily commute.
Thank you so much Grams, your advice helped more than you could know.
I will pray that you will find employment soon. What area do you work in? And geographically, what’s the nearest urban center?
I am a USAA customer. A terrific company without equal IMO. They must treat their people very well, because their attitude and dedication are very Old School.
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