From Music to Environmental Enterprise

From Music to Environmental Enterprise Success Story > From: Solopreneur To: Job From Music to Environmental Enterprise “I had achieved so much of what I aimed for… but somehow I knew it wasn't for me.” * Newly Updated From Music to Environmental Enterprise Alex Robinson had what many would consider an enviable career in the music industry. But when he looked into his future, it just didn't seem to fit. Here's how he found a way to combine his skills with a passion for social impact, and how it's all working out for him two years on. What work were you doing previously? I worked in the music industry. I ran my own business providing label management services to US-based record labels. I also managed acts and ran my own label. What are you doing now? I've just finished my year as an On Purpose Associate. On Purpose helps professionals from a wide variety of backgrounds transition into the social enterprise sector (more on this below). I'm about to start a new job as Commercial Lead at Hubbub Enterprise, the business arm of an environmental charity called Hubbub. How did you feel in your work before you decided to make a change? Frustrated, confused and out of place. It was a strange time because I had achieved so much of what I aimed for. I had my own successful business, worked with many of my favourite artists, got to travel and be part of a world that had always fascinated me. I also had a great team around me. But somehow I knew it wasn't for me. Or at least, not forever. Why did you change? There were lots of reasons. My relationship with music changed. Once it wasn't the be-all and end-all for me as a person, I was able to take a closer look at the industry. I couldn't see anyone happy and successful in their middle-age who I felt could serve as a template for my career. And I didn't want to be chasing youth trends in my forties and beyond, faking enthusiasm for things I didn't like or understand, as so many people end up doing. When was the moment you decided to make the change? I came back from a business trip to LA and New York one Christmas. I'd felt like an outsider looking in on my own career. I spoke to my girlfriend (now wife) and just decided to make a clean break. How did you choose your new career? Slowly, and with great difficulty. I felt unable to find a new path while I was running my own company as it was all-consuming. I was able to sell it and take some time off. I went travelling, got married, and learned how to relax again â€" which took a scarily long time. After a year or so I tried to focus on my next steps. I knew I wanted to use my business skills. I knew I wanted to do something socially valuable. And I knew I needed to be proud of what I was doing, to find meaning in my work and its results. I was interested in sustainability, the environment and socially responsible businesses. But I didn't know how to make the leap. Are you happy with the change? I'm thrilled. I've discovered purposeful work related to an issue I'm passionate about, in a sector full of smart, forward-thinking and good-hearted people. I feel like I fit, and I'm learning new things all the time. What do you miss and what don't you miss? I miss the freebies! Guest lists, free records, free clothes: the independent music industry might not make you rich, but you will never run out of t-shirts… But I mostly miss the moment when you know you have a brilliant record on your hands, you've just started to work on it, and everything seems possible. I don't miss the culture. I think a lot of music businesses think that because they're in a creative sector, they don't need to be professional. In fact, sometimes they resist it. It has negative effects on artists and industry alike. How did you go about making the shift? I joined the On Purpose Associate scheme, which changed my life! It's set up to help people like me who want to make a big jump. Associates work in two different social enterprises for six months each, and gain real on-the-job experience. On Friday afternoon there's training with your cohort of 15-20 peers, which could be on anything from storytelling to finance. Plus there's a strong personal development aspect to the programme. I really benefited from my two mentors and my coach throughout the year. And along the way you can't help but make new contacts and explore new ideas outside of the scheme itself. The job at Hubbub was advertised through the On Purpose network. I'd just started to reach out to people in the areas I was interested in and had compiled a list of prospective companies to target. But the right job turned up at just the moment I was ready to start applying! What didn't go well? What 'wrong turns' did you take? I found my 'sabbatical' difficult at times. Between the travelling and planning my wedding I was keeping busy, because that's what I was used to, but I lacked real purpose. Sometimes I felt isolated and unsure of how to spend my time. It was also strange to lose all the status that came with my previous position, and to suddenly find myself no longer needed by all the people who had relied on me for so long. I knew it was coming but it was still a blow to my ego! How did you handle your finances to make your change possible? I had money from my business so I wasn't under any great financial pressure. On Purpose paid a stipend to cover expenses for the year too. What was the most difficult thing about changing? Working out what I wanted to do. Realising that after a decade in the music industry, some doors had closed on me. Going backwards to move forwards! What help did you get? As well as the On Purpose programme, my cohort of fellow Associates were brilliantly supportive and challenging. What have you learnt in the process? I've learned that my skills are more transferable that I expected. Things I took for granted, such as a working knowledge of digital marketing techniques, are rare and prized in many other sectors. I suspect that's true for a lot of people: it can be easier to think about the obstacles to a career change than the reasons you might be valued. And through the On Purpose programme I've learned enormous amounts about social finance, impact measurement, public sector reform, and much, much more! What would you advise others to do in the same situation? Listen to your gut. I know it's a cliché. But if you're unhappy then carrying on as you are and not making the change is unlikely to end well. We caught up with Alexrecently to see how hisshift was working out, two years on. Here's what he's been up to, and the biggest lessons he's learned. What's changed for you in your career since we first published your story? Quite a lot! After nine months at Hubbub Enterprise I was promoted to Managing Director. I went from a sales and marketing role to managing a social enterprise through a period of rapid growth. How do you feel about your work now? I love it. I relish the challenge of growing a business that's making a positive social and environmental impact as well as making a profit. And I really enjoy working with my colleagues at Hubbub; it's a really committed and creative group. What challenges have you come up against since making your shift, and how exactly have you dealt with them? Imposter syndrome, of course â€" but as people just assume I'm an expert I've learned to go along with it, and let my expertise catch up! Recruiting and retaining talented people is hard, especially when you can't pay them what they could get in the private sector. I've thought carefully about what our team needs and how to improve our recruitment process. It's an ongoing process. How is the financial side of things panning out, and is this what you'd expected? So far, so good. I took a step back when I joined Hubbub, compared to what I was earning when I ran my own business. But my promotion helped and our company is working to bring salaries in line with the sector. What have you learned, since making your shift? I've learned a lot about communicating environmental issues, how to engage people by using things they're already interested in, and the importance of positive and creative approaches. I've strengthened my management of people, finances and projects. And I've learned to be more flexible and open-minded when I assess new opportunities. Is there anything else you'd like to share? I occasionally write things on Medium. You can find me here: medium.com/@alex_chase. To find out more about the On Purpose Associate programme and apply, please visit https://onpurpose.org/. What lessons could you take from Alex's story to use in your own career change? Let us know in the comments below.

Jump in! Have fun! Build your CV!

Jump in! Have fun! Build your CV! If youre about to join us as a new undergraduate, heres some really important advice. Getting involved is what University is all about! Of course academic learning is important but it is only one part of the personal development experience which is university life. You need to seize the opportunities which come your way and make the best of everything. This really is one example of the more you put in, the more you get out! Claire Norman a recent graduate shares her thoughts on extra curricular activities and her personal development with us. During my 4-year course at Warwick I was an active member of societies, took part in sports and assumed roles within my Department. From teaching fitness  and tap dance lessons, to being the President of a Dance Society, to being a Careers Representative for French, I got stuck in straight  away. Not only did these  make my CV glow, but  they also kept me busy and allowed me to meet some amazing people, some of whom I expect to be friends for life.  Warwick offers an infinite range of opportunities that one will struggle to find elsewhere. There really is something for everyone. All you need to do is give  things a go! You can achieve anything you want! I became the President of Street Vibe dance society after having completed  only  two terms at Warwick. I proved to myself that if you put your mind to something that you  really want, there is NO reason why you cant achieve it. Im a stammerer which made it really difficult  for me to take on this role. I needed confidence and  initiative and had to be able to do  public speaking. It sounds corny to say that doing all this made me the person I am today, but its true! Youve already got great skills You may think that when you come to university for the first time that you have a wide skills set, and to some extent youre right.  Youll be good at  IT, can probably have a decent stab at making a presentation and your time management isnt bad. You managed to juggle everything at school and still got great A Levels. However, I guarantee that if you get involved in university life,  your skills will improve exponentially while youre there. Be reflective as well as proactive. Your current  skill level will probably get you through your first year, but if you want to move on and do really well youll need to develop. Youll have to work on your  skills â€" not just your academic studies. Think about what youre not so  good at and work on an improvement plan. Thats more challenging than working on the things at which you already excel but in the end will make more difference to your future.  Itll  allow you to present yourself as a well-rounded individual to employers. People will tell yo u that with a degree from Warwick doors will open  they’re not lying. However, these doors will open  much wider if you can demonstrate and showcase all the extra skills you learnt while you were here. Employers will love you! The confidence to campaign In January during my final year I decided that I really wanted to make a difference. I set up a campaign called STUC (Stammerers Through University Campaign), designed to support staff and  students who stammer, to make the most of their time at university and to achieve to their full potential. By the time my finals were over that May, I had set up a  website, Facebook page  and Twitter feed  . I had also involved others. I held a Focus Group at Warwick to help me get going and obtained a grant of £500 from the university to assist me in my campaign. I guaranteed partnerships with Newcastle University and the British Stammering Association. A few months down the line  I now have interest from Oxford University, UCL, KCL, Cambridge University and Google! I am so proud of this. From pushing myself outside my comfort zone in my first year I developed the skills and the confidence to set up this campaign single handedly and it now has a life of its own. I needed all my powers of manage ment, communication, perseverance and initiative to get to where we are with the campaign. I saw that something needed doing and did it! So can you! Take advantage of everything I know of some people who have just graduated from Warwick who did not  participate in any societies and sports; I think they missed out! University is one of the only times in your life when things are on your doorstep, either  at a very low cost or even free of charge. So dont graduate from a top university  without having taken advantage of all it has to offer!

Personal Branding Interview Jim Camp - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Branding Interview Jim Camp - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Today, I spoke to Jim Camp, who is the best-selling author of negotiation books Start with No ® and No: The Only System Of Negotiation You Need For Work and Home, and is chairman of Camp Negotiation Systems ®.   In this interview, Jim tells us what challenge we all face, what people need to know about how to negotiate, how emotions come into play and what to do about it and more. Jim, you have trained hundreds maybe thousands of people world wide over the last 20+ years, what one challenge do they all face? No matter the culture, no matter the language, no matter the country, Russia, China, Japan, Brazil, The Philippines, U.S., I see the same thing every time. People don’t really know what negotiation is and what it is not. When you ask the audience or the client to define negotiation they are all over the map. For example some will say, “get as much as you can but leave the other guy happy.” Or I’ll hear, “it is a process of give and take and no one is really happy.” Or I’ll hear, “ give up what you must but take all they will give you.” The list could go on all day. But that is the very first challenge. Well then how does their thoughts on what negotiation is impact their efforts in negotiations? It is like opening a can of worms. But the first worm out of the can is the struggle to absorb that decisions we make are made in the emotional arena of the brain. Now that is a difficult thing to swallow. After all, society works hard to know the answer. Across the board intelligence is cheered and strived for. The world believes they make their decisions intellectually and they don’t. In fact it is impossible to make an intelligent decision. Research has proven that decisions are made emotionally but not only do people not know it the don’t believe it, in fact they get angry about it. I have had people get out of their chair to argue the point with me. The audience around them sees the emotion roaring like fire and they start to get it. To argue is not intelligent, it is emotional fueled by the emotional need to be correct. To need to protect our hard earned intelligence. Ok, so if I buy that decisions are made emotionally, and I am not sure I do, how does that usually impact a negotiation? It has an impact in so many ways. For example, if you believe it is intellectual how do you think? You think with facts. Time and again I here new clients say, “I want to make them understand.” Well now what happens? They prepare by lining up the facts. They prepare with heavy factual presentations. They prepare with past compromises. If they gave a 6% discount last time, they might figure that it makes sense to give the same discount. Or the intelligent thing to do is to be sure to keep the business so it makes good sense to open at 6% and be willing to give 8% as a fall back, or BATNA. Now all of that is intelligent. Well no it is not intelligent. It is emotional. Driving the decision to give up anything is fear of losing the deal. Why risk losing the deal? It makes perfect intellectual sense to give up at lease the same percentage. So we enter into bargaining. And guess who’s money we are bargaining with, yep you guessed it, ours. They say they want 12% or they are going somewhere else. Now the fear really sets in. We were willing to give up six but they are asking for twelve. So what do we do, we ask to split the difference. Stop. Stop. What is now driving our decisions? Intellect and understanding or fear and the vision of them going somewhere else? If we had started with their vision of what we are delivering and what it solves for them we have a chance to raise the price not start with a compromise. A whole different game. Interesting, but, if it is emotional and I’m still not convinced then explain to me how it impacts the relationship? Oh, great word, I hear it all the time. You must protect the relationship at all costs. Right! No matter what, do not hurt the relationship. Well I ask, what relationship? The friendly relationship? The business relationship? What relationship? Now that is intellectual for sure. The fear of damaging the relationship. Look back at the definition of negotiation they lay out for me in the answer to the first question. Keep the other side happy. That drives the emotional decision to compromise thinking that will keep the other side happy. You give they take. They are happy all right. They have the power and leverage. Right. No you just gave away your precious profit because you believe it is intellectual to do so. In fact, sometimes the other side will tell you they are not satisfied with your service, delivery or what ever. What are they attempting to do? Drive your emotion and vision of losing the deal. If they succeed, they take and you give. They might even say to you, “does this relationship mean anything to you?” What are you going to say? Especially when you know intellectually you must keep the relationship safe. I don’t know about you but I can’t and never have been able to make anyone happy. They have to make themselves happy. To do that they must see a solution to their problem and embrace it. That makes us happy. Well then what do you do to solve the basic challenge of knowing what negotiation is and what it isn’t? The key is to work with the client to develop a vision of what it is and isn’t. “Negotiation is the human effort to bring about an agreement or agreements between two or more parties with all parties having the RIGHT to VETO.” There is a great deal of vision here. For example who on this planet doesn’t have the RIGHT to Veto? Now remember, think this through. How many times have you heard a small child say the word “No” I don’t want to eat my spinach. Or a man or woman on death row say “No” I don’t want to die. Extremes I realize but when you really think this through you will discover no is nothing more than a decision to be changed. You will also discover there may be consequences to bad decisions but you still have the right to make them and correct them. Lastly I’ll leave you with this thought. When someone tries to run over you and take away your right to say no, how do you feel. Mad, upset, taken advantage of or maybe just turned off. They are trying to steal your RIGHT to VETO! Knowing what negotiation is starts us down the path to doing a much better job negotiating. It will lead you to the discovery your emotions must be worked with and also theirs. - Jim Camp, best-selling author of negotiation books Start with No ® and No: The Only System Of Negotiation You Need For Work and Home, is chairman of Camp Negotiation Systems ®, founder, CEO, and president of Coach2100 ®, Inc. negotiation training system, and inventor of the Camp System of Negotiation ®. Since 1987, over 100,000 people have used his negotiation training and management system in more than 500 multinational organizations in a diverse array of industries to complete thousands of negotiated business transactions totaling over $100 billion.   Camp and his negotiation training have been featured on CNN, CNBC, numerous radio shows, and in The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Inc., Cosmopolitan, San Francisco Chronicle, The Columbus Dispatch, The Christian Science Monitor, and San Jose Mercury News.

How to Create Better Content for Your Personal Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

How to Create Better Content for Your Personal Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career A common misconception shared by job seekers is that personal branding is “all about me.” The reality: your personal brand is about showing your network how you can help them with your skills and expertise. Your offering as a professional is the reason why people connect and engage in conversations with you. If you’ve spent time blogging, building an online portfolio, or networking on social media, here are some ways to create better content for your personal brand: 1. Write better content for your blog. For job seekers who blog, content is key for success. Invest time in writing quality content your readers will value. This will build more credibility for you as a professional as well as your blog. You can also participate in guest blogging opportunities. You can invite some of your colleagues to write for your blog or pitch some of your ideas to other bloggers. This is a great way to build your brand and expand your network. 2. Put your community first. As you think about the content you want to create, pay close attention to your community and networks. These are the people who will consume your content the most, so make sure it relates their values and needs. This effort will engage more of your colleagues and build stronger relationships through your content. 3. Know where to share your content. As you promote content on your blog or website, it’s important to know which social networks and platforms work best for you. For example, if you’re a marketing professional, it’s a good idea to share your content to marketing groups on LinkedIn, use relevant hashtags on Twitter, and even create a Facebook page for your blog. 4. Curate relevant content your network will value. In addition to creating your own content, you should also curate content. Content curation is simply collecting articles, videos, and blog posts from the Internet and sharing your findings with the people in your networks. As you curate content, make sure it relates to your network and the content you produce. This will strengthen your brand and give you the opportunity to help others through sharing useful information you find on the Internet. 5. Create a variety of content. Although blogging is a great way to build your credibility, you can differentiate yourself by creating a variety of content. For example, consider doing a video blog or creating an infographic illustrating your experience. These are some unique ways you can connect with your followers while illustrating your expertise. Better content can do wonders for your personal brand and networking efforts. Hopefully some of these ideas inspire you to take your personal branding efforts to the next level! What are your best tips for creating better content for your personal brand?

Importance of Networking for Career Development

Importance of Networking for Career Development Being an active part of a community, every individual is bound to conduct an interaction in order to survive. This communication might include simple talks, discussions, arguments, and debates, or commands, given by superiors. It is basically a tool that can be used for problem-solving, personality development, professional growth, and societal progress.One must understand that communication cannot only be conducted through direct talking, but it can also take place in the form of sign language and written content. We can use any form of communication in order to grow our network. As a matter of fact, an individual’s network plays an important role in private as well as professional advancement.evalNetworking basically means to connect and make contacts by conducting communication at different platforms. Networking is significantly required in professional life as isolation will never let you become a part of an office or workplace.Therefore, it is essential for every person to pol ish his/her networking skills and learn to communicate with associates and acquaintances effectively.A vast network comes with numerous advantages and can turn out to be quite helpful in professional life. The more you’ll connect with people, the bigger the network you’ll create and the easier your life will become.Networking is the core element for professional growth and this article will further describe its importance for career development.Enlightening Experience for Better Career GrowthNo matter, which career you belong to; experience is required for every profession. Initially, you enter professional life with no prior experience, but with the passage of time, you learn many things from your mistakes and continuous efforts. They have a profitable knowledge regarding effective business tactics that can be quite helpful for beginners.Networking with such entrepreneurs can be an enlightening experience and much gainful in regard to career growth. You can learn much from thei r long-term experience and prepare yourself for all the possible situations. You can talk to them about their failures and accomplishments to acknowledge the probable outcomes of certain decisions.All in all, networking with highly qualified individuals can lead to career development by improving your professional performance.Connections for Better OpportunitiesevalJobs never fall from the sky! Every individual is supposed to work harder and make endless efforts in order to secure a high prospective job. Besides struggle and determination, networking is also important for better employment opportunities. When you make connections with people who work for leading brands and popular firms, the chances of career development increase.For example, you meet a CEO of any successful company and conduct an effective discussion that might impress him, there will be higher chances for you to receive an attractive job offer, soon enough after that meeting. Moreover, when your network will grow, you’ll come to know more efficiently about job requirements and employment openings, so you won’t miss out on any good vacancies.A hidden advantage of vast networking is that you don’t have to conduct a proper job hunt and still you can stay updated regarding all recent job vacancies.Learning through Interconnected professional communityevalA workplace consists of several employees and employers, and all are professionally interconnected. Being a worker in an office, you associate with your colleagues and superiors in order to perform tons of professional tasks.Your office is an interconnected professional community and every person, present in the workstation, is an active part of this vast network. You attend meetings, discuss business issues and help each other in regard to office duties.You connect with your office members on a regular basis and learn many things from them that can be put to better use for career development.Every employee has his/her job specification an d all are good at what they do, so you can use your networking skills in order to increase your knowledge about job tactics and tricks.Enhanced Expertise is the key to success!Networking broadens your circle and makes an impressive addition of skilled personalities to it. Connecting with such people who are expert and quite professional, can turn out to be prominently helpful in regard to skill advancement.You can improve your expertise and put them to a better usage by observing other successful professionals in your network. As a matter of fact, you can even learn new skills from your acquaintances and colleagues that can take you on a road to success.Networking polishes your skills and makes you remarkably capable of difficult tasks. The bigger the network you’ll have, the more skills you’ll learn and the better you’ll grow professionally.All in all, if you want to grow professionally and secure a successful career, then networking is the key to it and you must use it in or der to achieve your set goals.Happy networking!

Background Marketing Appearing In Mainstream Life

Background Marketing Appearing In Mainstream Life You know your business has made it when you become a part of everyday normal life. Its a strange paradox because a brand that is subtle, in the background as if its almost part of the furniture, doesn’t need to be shouted or talked about. And yet, here we are as small business owners trying to get people to notice us and make a big fuss about our brand. But that is the ultimate goal, to become a part of the normal sway of life, by being in the background and in the back of everybody’s mind. The more and more you start to become part of the scenery, the more people will subliminally think of you. Up front and open acknowledgement of your business is great. You earn new customers that way and get people’s heads to turn. But, marketing strategies that place your business in the background, mean that you live in consumers minds rent free no matter what they are viewing or experiencing at any given moment. Be a sport sponsor At the height of Ferrari in Formula One, Marlboro was a graphic stuck on the car.    Whenever the Ferrari machine came roaring down the track, everyone saw the red car and consequently, saw the Marlboro logo. Nowadays there is a lot more competition for sponsorship space in sports and for good reason. Even though you’re not talked about, no commentator may ever speak your name. But, you are always in the background and therefore always somehow in the shot. Whatever the viewers are watching, they see your brand logo in the background in their peripheral vision. Seek out a sports company, star or event where you can be a sponsor and have your logo advertised. So many people watch sports, you are bound to get an increase in sales and curiosity from the consumer public. Standing to attention As consumers go about their business and go shopping, go to events, attend all kinds of publicly held meetings, they will pass a plethora of advertisements. When you enter into a conference or even a business establishment, whatever is at eye-level will be seen first and foremost. Too many businesses want to be seen by everyone from far and wide and thus choose to place their advertisement high such as on a billboard. Not enough, focus on standing to attention with teardrop banners.    Your brand can be attached to a pole that is curved at the top, giving more room for fabric to be placed on the inside of the curve. You can buy these kinds of banners and stick them outside your business or take them with you to an event. Its kind of like planting your flag, and showing the world that you are present in this location or that you are part of the scenery in a particular location such as a shopping mall. The art of subliminal messaging is perhaps the most powerful advertising technique. Background marketing has changed but the premise is still the same as the more you appear in everyday normal life, the more and more people will think about your brand and business.

How to Write Address on Resume

How to Write Address on ResumeThere are a lot of skills required to be a successful business owner or a doctor that has practiced in your local area. However, there are some skills that are essential in order to be able to write a good resume. These are some of the skills that you should put on your resume and how to write address on resume.The first skill that you need to learn how to write address on resume is to gather and research public records about the candidate. This can be done by doing some public search on the internet. You can ask from your friends or colleagues if they have any information about the candidates and his previous or current employers. After gathering this information, you can find out what the information is that you need to include on the resume.Also, make sure that you are thorough when writing the cover letter because this is what a prospective employer will read first before he looks at the resume. The contact information in the letter should be clear a nd direct. It must also include the name of the person you want to get in touch with and also, his contact number.Skills: Besides this, the next skill is to know how to write a resume. All the job applicants have their own resume. The unique point of this is that there is a certain format to how to write address on resume. Some people try to use words such as experience, education, qualifications, and experience in this format so that the reader can easily understand what they are looking for.Skills: With this knowledge, you can begin to prepare your resume. First, be as detailed as possible about the skills that you are looking for. So, if you want to be a medical doctor, you need to highlight your degree and educational background.Tryto emphasize important information that the employer wants. This means that you should add your skill as a social worker in your resume. If you want to be a sales representative, you need to show that you have been trained in sales.Skills: The last sk ill that you need to learn how to write address on resume is to make sure that the skills are properly defined. The employer might not be able to see the cover letter or even the resume until he opens the file and sees the details about the skills. This is where you need to be very precise and descriptive.However, the job market today is quite competitive. This is the reason why many people are outsourcing their resume writing work to freelancers or other professionals. Therefore, you can check out some samples of these jobs on the internet and choose a freelance that you like to do this work.