From Spa to Start-up

From Spa to Start-up Success Story > From: Job To: Startup From Spa to Start-up “We had been discussing starting our own business for months, but injuring myself really gave me the push I needed.” * From Spa to Start-up Corinne Taylor had a bad case of burn out. When her back literally gave out under the strain, she realised it was time for a big change. Teaming up with business partner Daniel Henriques (who was fed up with his own unsociable work hours), she's now grown a career that helps her feel relaxed and energised. Here's their story. What work were you doing previously? I was working in a busy spa in Manchester building up my therapy experience. Prior to that I worked in hospitality for many years. Dan, my business partner, was working as a support worker for young adults with learning difficulties. What are you doing now? We run a health and wellness company that provides holistic therapy treatments and a range of handmade, organic aromatherapy products. Our range of products has been inspired by working with essential oils during my time as a therapist and learning the many health benefits they provide. All products are designed and handmade by us, and are completely natural, vegan, and eco-friendly. We sell our products online, at regular markets around Brighton and Sussex, and to my therapy clients. Recently we have made our products available for wholesale and are in negotiations with several retailers to stock them. Why did you change? Working full time in a spa I began to feel burnt out. Doing back to back treatments all day was physically and mentally demanding. Dan was also feeling the strain from working in care, which can be extremely challenging at times. We also were both on a pretty poor wage and working long, unsociable hours. When was the moment you decided to make the change? I decided to leave my job when I hurt my back from being over-worked with treatments. Dan was also at the point where he was ready to leave his job. We'd been discussing starting our own business for months, but injuring myself really gave me the push I needed to leave my job and get started on our new venture. Are you happy with the change? Absolutely! Having our own business has given us the freedom to live our lives on our own terms. We can plan each day ourselves and I can decide how many treatments I do in a day. Creating our product range allows us both to be creative. Dan works a lot with our branding, graphic design, website and photography, and I am constantly experimenting with new blends and ideas. More importantly, my back is fully healed and I now have the energy to provide the best possible treatments and service to clients. What do you miss and what don't you miss? To be honest there isn't anything either of us miss. Setting up on our own is definitely the best thing either of us have ever done. How did you go about making the shift? We had been experimenting with our products for months and had a good idea of the main range we wanted to create. We bought the raw ingredients and started making. It took plenty of trial and error before being happy with everything, and we continued to develop the products for several months before we were confident to start selling them. We opened an Etsy shop and booked onto various markets around Manchester. We also created a website, social media pages and started some local advertising so I could continue to practise my therapies. We had planned to move to Brighton so spent the next few months in Manchester really developing our brand and products, and gaining experience selling at weekend markets. When we moved to Brighton we finally had our own space to work from and a strong brand ready to go. The business was now ready to flourish! Through local advertising and attending various events in the area we were able to start building a strong local presence. We spent days walking round the area delivering leaflets. We set up a private treatment room where I could continue my treatments and started booking onto as many markets / craft fairs as we could. What didn't go well? What 'wrong turns' did you take? As with any product-based business, we were going to get things wrong before we got them right! For example, we had large batches of candles that didn't smell of anything initially; we had to keep on researching and developing until we were happy with them. There were always going to be mistakes and things that went wrong, but we are both firm believers in seeing those mistakes as positives â€" they allowed us to learn and grow. How did you handle your finances to make your change possible? Luckily, both Dan and I had some savings that we we were able to put together for the initial start-up costs. We also lived with parents for a few months while we were waiting to move to our new home in Brighton. This was a huge help as we had very few outgoings to cover. Since moving to Brighton we've been able to fully support ourselves, although we have had to be pretty mindful of what we spend! What was the most difficult thing about changing? Not having a regular wage, and having to be much more careful of how we spend our money. Neither of us had much business experience or had ever been self-employed, so we've also had to get to grips with things such as bookkeeping and tax returns. What help did you get? We've both had a lot of support from family. We also met several small-business owners at markets who have given us some great advice. What have you learnt in the process? We have learnt that it is much more important to be happy doing something we love and are passionate about, than to be miserable doing something we hate. Once we really put our minds to something it's amazing what we can achieve. What would you advise others to do in the same situation? The number one thing to do would be to develop a strong brand. No matter how good your products are, if the packaging is bad no one will buy them. Also be active on social media; it's been a great tool for us to become known and grow our business in a relatively short space of time. Getting involved in local events to promote yourself is also very important. Having lived where we do for over a year now we have built up a reputation in the area and we get a lot of new business from recommendations. Finally, we think it's very important to have a positive attitude and never give up. It can be tough at times, especially when you're having a quiet month, but it's important to keep going; use the quiet times to your advantage by doing research, developing your ideas and of course having a well-earned break! What resources would you recommend to others? The Federation of Holistic Therapists is an excellent place to go for accredited training and business resources for beauty and holistic therapists. If you are interested in making natural products, Aromantic.co.uk is a fantastic place to start as they provide courses, articles, recipe ideas and lots of information for starting out in this type of business. To find out more about Corinne and Dan's business, visit www.corinnetaylor.co.uk What lessons could you take from Corinne and Dan's story to use in your own career change? Let us know in the comments below.

8 Blogs I read when Im stressed about funding my company

8 Blogs I read when Im stressed about funding my company People ask me all the time, What blogs do you read? The answer is that I read different ones at different times. Its a mood thing, I think. I could give you my favorite blogs for finding cool research, or my favorite blogs from my friends, or my favorite fashion blogs for when I dont know how to wear a pair of shoes I love. But the list Im going to do today is the list of blogs I read when I get frustrated that running a company is so hard. ValleyWag Oh, I love Owen Thomas. He has a knack for making anything in Silicon Valley look totally stupid. And he is so sharp, that when I am feeling totally stupid, he can actually make me believe that Im not alone. Art Spiegelman elevated the comic book format by using it to talk about the Holocaust. Owen Thomas elevates the gossip rag format by using it to tell people how to run a business. TechCrunch You know what? I hate reading this blog because its like a frat party but they forgot the beer and the girls. Still, I know that part of feeling like a competent entrepreneur is knowing whats going on in the community. Plus, who can begrudge Michael Arrington kudos for making the most boring topic in the world big egos taking down big egos funny and interesting? My own blog Anyone with decent traffic who denies going to their blog for comfort is a liar. The first thing I do is go to the posts with more than 200 comments. I tell myself everyone loves me and Im part of a vibrant community. So what if, on a typical post, 50% of the commenters say that Im an idiot? Then I look at my stats page, and click obsessively to the posts people are reading right now. Then I look at the post about how high-earning women get more oral sex and I try to figure out how much money Ill earn this year. Waiter Rant The problem with being a CEO is that when its going well, you think everyone is good and kind and the world is a great place. And when things are not going well, suddenly everyone is an asshole. So when things are not going well for me, I go to this blog because my asshole factor is nothing compared to this real-life New York City waiter. Bonus: The writing is beautiful. Debauchette (not safe for work) Look, if you dont know what to do next with your company, youre probably going to stop working for the day, and you will either eat or masturbate. What else is there? If you dont want to put on twenty pounds while youre trying to get funding, then go to debauchette. Is such good writing about sex: so honest and intelligent. You must see the interview the blogger does with Diane Sawyer. And you must check out the American Apparrel ads on the sidebar: Bare breasts. So unexpected. GigaOM In my fantasy world, Brazen Careerist and GigaOM are very similar. In fact, Om and I were both columnists at Business 2.0. So hes doing great over there with something like $50 million gazillion in funding or whatever so I think that somewhere there are people who think my model is similar and money is going to fall from the sky really soon. Then I see that GigaOm made itself a little darker blue and I think about doing the same thing on Brazen Careerist. How to Change the World Theres a lot to love about Guy. First, I think Alltop is genius. The fact that Silicon Valley makes fun of it is evidence to me that the rest of the country will find it very useful. And he is so smart about finding fast ways to construct good blog posts. And hes great at marketing himself as a speaker. When Brazen Careerist runs out of money, I think about Guy: I should be better at marketing myself as a speaker. I got paid $15,000 a speech last year. I should fund the company with speeches. Duh. Copyblogger The problem with me running my company is that its much more fun to be a blogger than a CEO. In this recession, funding my company is harder than writing posts about the intersection of the workplace and sex. So if I feel stuck in funding, I go to Copyblogger, get a few pointers, put them into my post, and then congratulate myself that I am such a good blogger. If only there were hockey stick financials for a blog like mine. Id be set.

3 Tips for Caring For Your Children While Caring For Your Career

3 Tips for Caring For Your Children While Caring For Your Career While many people still feel like women can’t have a successful and fulfilling career while simultaneously taking care of their own children and giving them the lives they deserve, the fact of the matter is that this type of life is entirely attainable. And although it may take more planning and active management than you might think you have time for to be a working mom, if you have the dedication and determination to have it all in your life, the only thing stopping you is you. So to show you how you can have a great home and work life as a mother, here are three tips for caring for your children while caring for your career.  Work As Hard As You Can When You Can  If you don’t yet have children but expect to in the future, the best thing you can do for both your career and your future family in the present is to work as hard as you can now in preparation for the future. Christa Carone, a contributor to Forbes.com, shares that if you can prove yourself as a great employee by working as hard as you can when you can, you’ll develop for yourself a relationship with your employer that could give you a lot more freedom and flexibility when you need it as a parent. By showing your company that you have what it takes to do the work, they’ll be much more likely to work with you on creating a good balance in your life in order to keep you around the company.  Know How To Find Your Own Balance  Creating a work-life balance is important, but it’s not the same for every women. It takes different amounts of care and effort in each area of your life to feel that you’re fulfilled as a whole. For this reason, it’s important that you discover what you need to be contributing in each realm of your life to feel that you’re in balance. Is it important for you to be there for the birthday parties your kids have with their friends or to spend some individual time with each child once a month? Lauren Lake, a contributor to SheKnows.com, shares that when she begins to feel that her balance is slipping, she maintains control by ensuring she spends at least one meal a day sitting down with her family. Find what works for you and make that your priority in creating your own work-life balance.  Embrace A Village Mentality  Despite how hard you may try, you simply can’t be in two places at once. So although you may want to be the one taking your kids to school each morning and picking them up from practice in the evenings, it may be impractical to do this on nights when you have a late meeting. This is when you’re going to want to have a village behind you to help pick up the slack. Laura Vanderkam, a contributor to Fortune, recommends finding people in your community that you can trust, be it friends or family, and relying on their helping hands when you’re in need of assistance without feeling guilty or less-than. With the right attitude and a little creativity, you can be the career women you want to be and the mother you want to be. Use the tips mentioned above to help be a successful working mom. . Image credit.  

Keeping Fit and Eating Well During Exam Period

Keeping Fit and Eating Well During Exam Period Exercise Exercise is good for you. That is the first point that I’m going to address, but I’m sure you all know that. However, with all that exam stress on top on you, remaining fit is the least of your concern. To be honest, it shouldn’t be. If you feel that you should be dedicating all your time to revision in order to gain the best possible grades, then there’s nothing wrong with that. However, do you think your brain can handle all the heat? I feel that what individuals forget to realise is that exercising and keeping fit helps the brain function properly. Most importantly, it improves your sleep which also helps you revise efficiently. Even if you’re doing any last minute revision or you’ve realised that you haven’t left enough time to revise, spending all your time ‘cramming’ isn’t going to do you any good. Take a Break Take a break, go for a run or walk. Even if it’s only for ten minutes, it will make a difference! Not only will it rejuvenate your body, you are allowing yourself the opportunity to think through your revision and clearly sum up what needs to be done to make your revision more effective. Additionally, you’ll come back feeling refreshed and ready to conquer your work load. Eat Well Eating correctly during revision is also good for you, no surprise there! It will also prevent you from putting on any unnecessary weight. If you’re continuously eating junk, such as consuming big bars of chocolates, and not burning the calories, you’re going to add on the pounds. I know this, because this was what had happened to me and, as I walked past a mirror in New Look, I was astounded on what I saw! Revise, but Dont Let Revision Take over Your Life That’s the thing you don’t realise what happens to you because students are too busy cooped up in another world where revision takes over your life! Now, before you go all ‘devil’s advocate’ on me and argue that there’s nothing wrong with setting everything else aside and making revision your number one priority, then you haven’t understood my point.  I’m not saying that the time you dedicate to revise isn’t important and not worth it, of course it is! In fact, I admire those who push themselves and, furthermore, are ambitious in wanting to aim higher. However, there’s no point in pushing yourself to extremes if it’s only going to do be in your disadvantage. Nobody is out there to get you and, as they say, you are your own worst enemy. Image credit: RDC 1

5 Tips for Writing an Effective Resume CareerMetis.com

5 Tips for Writing an Effective Resume â€" CareerMetis.com If you’re seeking a new job, whether it’s for the ability to make more money or simply to get out of your current job situation, you will need these five tips for writing an effective resume.Your resume is your first opportunity to impress prospective employers. It needs to shine so that you are guaranteed the ability to come in for an interview.evalDon’t devalue the process of this first step to achieving gainful employment. A bad resume is quite capable of costing you the ideal job you have waited for your life to attain. And, in truth, there is a certain finesse and skill to writing effective resumes. Hopefully, these steps will help you be on your way to the job of your dreams.1) Check Your Grammar and SpellingNo matter what area or field you are applying for, grammar and spelling can make or break the success of your resume. It is imperative that you edit all correspondences before sending them out.A resume that includes misused or misspelled words is highly likely to end up in the trash can rather than on a manager’s desk. Go over your finished product with a fine-toothed comb. Read it aloud. If possible, have someone else read it to guarantee you haven’t missed something inadvertently.2) Minimize the LengthWhile you might have pages and pages of experience that you think will be beneficial to the company, it is best to reduce the length of your resume. Remember, it is just an overview of your qualifications and experience. Most resume experts suggest keeping resumes to two pages in length. You only need the most important information. You will have plenty of time to give examples and share stories about your merit once you land the interview. It is best not to overwhelm potential employers with too many pages of resume material.3) Make it Your OwnSure, there are tons of resume services out there and some great templates that can help you craft an acceptable resume. However, managers will not be looking for acceptable; they want exceptional. It is why it is so important to customize your design.When you are applying for specific jobs, sending out a generic resume is ill-advised. You want to ensure that your resume points to the qualities and experiences the employer is looking for it. A good way to do this is to read the job description and use some of the company’s verbiage to describe your abilities and knowledge.evalMake your resume correlate to the position they are advertising, so they know you are the perfect match.4) Make It ChronologicalAlthough you may have had previous accounting experience at the real estate company you worked at when you were 15, that should not appear at the top of your list of employment experience. Instead, make sure that you work backward.Start your job experience list with your most current employer. Managers and other hiring agents want to know what you are doing now, in your current job, that will benefit them. And, they will look at your most recent positions as an indicator of your a bility to perform the tasks expected of the position you are applying for.5) Honesty is Always the Best PolicyPerhaps your mother told you that honesty is the best policy. If not, consider this a lesson to be learned and applied throughout the rest of your life. When it comes to resume writing, honesty is always best as well. So, stick to the facts.evalIt will not take long for an employer to figure out you fibbed on your resume once you hire. Your inability to perform as you suggested will be abundantly clear. Do not embellish any of your skills, knowledge, or experience. The truth will get you a job that you are prepared to do well in it. A lie will ultimately get you fired.Knowledge is PowerNow that you know the five tips for effective resume writing it is time to get busy penning that perfect resume? You will be thrilled with the results, and the interviews, that roll in once you have followed these five tips.And, just as a reminder, please do not forget to edit it before you se nd it out. It cannot be expressed with enough intensity, the value of writing your resumes before you send them off. We have seen resumes come in that have the person’s name misspelled. If you cannot even spell your name or care enough to check that, you are probably not going to be a good fit for any company.Your resume is an extension of who you are. Make sure it shines that truth for all who read it. Happy job hunting!These professional resume tips are willingly provided by paper writers from CustomWritings.com organization.

Istanbul HR conference - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Istanbul HR conference - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Im writing this from the VIP room at the MCT HR conference in Istanbul (its good to be a speaker). The conference was kicked off by some good presentations: Lars Kolind launched his crusade against bureaucracy Elisabet Sahtouris used her background in evolutionary biology to show us that businesses are living organisms Ricardo Semler spoke via satellite from Sao Paulo on how Semco manages to do things incredibly different and incredibly well After a very nice lunch, there are several sessions to choose from this afternoon well see who wins the race. And of course the best part of any conference is making new friends and having great conversations and this conference certainly doesnt disappoint. More updates later. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Tips For Resume Writing

Tips For Resume WritingRecruiters need to be careful in their selection of resumes from the tens of thousands submitted every day. To them, it is essential to consider certain factors that should always be considered before any resume is considered for processing. These factors would include the length of time the job seeker has been working in the same job and whether or not they have additional qualifications such as trade experience or education. The ideal job seeker, who is looking for a better job and who can also meet the employers expectations, should submit his or her resume in one of the following manners:o Online resume writing tips: a wide range of online job portals are available for making your resume look professional. However, make sure that the professional and official font used by the portal is a font that matches the business logo. It is always preferable to opt for a template-based resume. Though, many websites allow users to customize the font and content for the ir resumes, but most of these sites require the users to create their own resumes instead of having a template.o Word documents: a resume can also be created using plain text documents. Most of the times, it is not necessary to use professional resume writing tips for a lot of jobs. In fact, the commonly used word processing programs can create very professional resumes.o Career development: a person who has completed several years of work experience can present his or her resume as an example of their professional skills and experience. A job seeker can highlight key positions that he or she holds and can highlight any publications or achievements that the job seeker might have received during his or her career.o Photographs: a recent trend that most companies have adopted is to use photographs along with their resumes. Many companies do not allow applicants to upload personal photos on their resumes. While some companies do provide applicants with pictures of themselves, it is alw ays advisable to use professional photographs.o Company website: a lot of companies have websites on which they showcase their products or services. Companies such as Apple and Microsoft have a 'career section' on their official sites where they showcase job opportunities, job postings and even articles on how to get into the specific job. Employers can make use of this information to highlight certain opportunities for job seekers.o Educational qualifications: for some companies, the most important qualification they want to highlight on their resumes is that of an applicant's educational qualifications. Employers do this to ensure that the person has already accomplished a long list of education and experience requirements to obtain the job. Using certain academic qualifications for resume writing will ensure that the right kind of job is being offered to the person.Resume writing tips for a lot of jobs often provide tips for getting a job interview. It is not a requirement to be proficient at English and resume writing, but a good command of English grammar points is a must for an applicant to stand a chance of getting an interview.