3 essential steps to turn a passion project into a business

3 essential steps to turn a passion project into a business3 essential steps to turn a passion project into a businessThree years ago I got serious about turning my passion project of Tudor history into a business, and now I see regular five figure monthly revenues with an average profit of 50%.If you would have told me then that selling physical products would be the way I make a full time income, I would have laughed. Ive only been studying eCommerce for the past six months, hardly an expertStill, over the past 5 months, Ive sold nearly $50,000 in products related to my niche, and Id like to share the three steps I took to turn my passion project into a full time businessBuild a passion project platformDevelop a proof of conceptGive your audience moraBuild a passion project platformIn 1998 I started writing about history online. In 2009 I started podcasting about Tudor England.My dream when starting was to be surrounded by history, to write and be creative, and to be able to work a nywhere I could find a wi-fi signal.Theres a quote I keep on my wall that saysNever compromise on a dream. Always compromise on how it will come true.This is what my platform looked like when I startedPodcastBlogI was on a call with a business mentor who noticed that, while I had a great site filled with lots of useful information, I wasnt actually making it very easy for people to give me money. Well, I have Patreon, I responded.She pointed out that there are only a greifhandful of profitable organizations that rely solely on asking readers to pay directly for your content. Even National Public Radio has to sweeten your pledge by offering swag.The lightbulb turned on. What if I tried selling things to people? Real physical, tangible things that they could own? Things that would also remind them how much they love my show, and give them an easy way to share my show with people?I didnt know anything about shopping cart software or sourcing products, but three years ago I got serious about making a business out of this passion project.Being an introverted writer type, the idea of customer service made me queasy.Develop a proof of conceptAfter brainstorming for a month, I came up with the idea of doing a planner/diary filled with Tudor historyMonthly calendar with a quote from a famous TudorWeekly pages with This Week in Tudor HistoryRenaissance music listening lists and Spotify playlistsGorgeous cover inspired by an illuminated manuscriptWith a company likeBlurbyou can print books on demand, so the only out of pocket costs are a designer for the cover, a subscription toInDesign, and the time spent learning how to create a planner. All told, it cost me less than $200.I spent the month of October, 2016 designing the planner, gathering the dates and information, and putting it all together. In early November I put up some facebook inc ads and got my first saleI had no idea how many would sell. I was hoping for 50. Before Christmas I had sold over 300It took me two months and less than $200 to develop a proof of concept.Now that I had proof, I knew people would pay for physical products in my niche. I also noticed customers who found me through the Facebook ad had never heard of me before. They liked my Facebook page and started listening to my show.That made my download numbers go up, which meant that mora people could find me through the podcast charts. Many of those people signed up for my mailing list, because I offered a discount on the planner in exchange for the email address.In six weeks, I added four times as many email subscribers as I had the entire year before. - Heather TeyskoThis is what I have termed the Abundance Whoosh, because it was a whoosh of new email subscribers, new listeners, and sales, in one big spiral.Give your audience moreI spent early 2017 trying to replicate this success. I only knew about print on demand books, so I deckenfries with that strategy for the first few months of the year, creating journals that were historic.For example, I created a journal with a cover based on a 15th century French book of hours. It was shaped like a heart and filled with quotes from Henry VIIIs love letters to Anne Boleyn.I also started working with a printer to create a 2018 planner with customizations you cant get with Print on Demand, like a pocket in the back and a ribbon marker. But I really wanted to add more products likeclever mugst-shirtscreative leggingsSites likeCafePressandZazzlehad margins so small you arent left with any money to pay for the ads you run on Facebook. I knew ads were a big part of my success with the planner, and I wanted to duplicate the Abundant Whoosh- growing my audience and not just selling things to my existing one.Then I found out about Shopify and print on demand services.Whats the difference between using Shopify and going the CafePress route to give your audience more ways to support you?Ownership of the sales process.The CafePress compromiseWhen you use CafePress, or similar merch sites, you hand your customer over to that company. They take care of the entire transaction from start to finish, sending you a commission once a month. All you have to do isUpload your artworkShare your shop addressThis is easy for brands with limited time but want to offer something for their audience to buy.But handing your customer over to another company mean you are losing touch points with them.Most of these march sites wont give you the email address of the people who bought your products. They add your customer to their own email list, where they will then send marketing campaigns featuring other creators.You cant set up discount codes as an incentive to sign up for your mailing list, and when the customer receives their purchase, the branding isnt yours. You have, in effect, created a customer for another company instead of your own.The Shopify differenceShopify is a web host, shopping cart, and payment processor all in one. When integrated with a print on d emand company that only prints and fulfills your orders, youve got the perfect recipe for success.Shopify handles the payments and Gooten or Printful handle the fulfillment automatically, from my shop,TudorFair.com, with simple integrations.No more directing customers to a different company.I tell my podcast listeners they can support the show and buy cool stuff. Here is the flow after thatCustomer buys from my siteI collect the money via PayPal or Shopify PaymentsThe fulfillment company charges me and fulfills the orderThe fulfillment company ships the product, with my branding, to my customerThe next day, an automated app sends a personalized thank you note to my customerThe fulfillment company updates the tracking informationI dont pay the fulfillment company anything until I already have a sale. There are no fees to get started, or to import your products to Shopify. The only fee is from Shopify, where the basic plan after free trial starts at $29.99/month.The margins are larger because Im doing more of the work. If creating a full time income from a passion project is your goal, you have to work.If creating a full time income from a passion project is your goal, you have to work. - Heather TeyskoThe downside is when a customer hasnt received their order, or wants to return something youre the one handhabung that.The percentage of people doing that is so small, the extra bit of work is a tiny price to pay for ownership of the process.You have more options for productsWith Shopify you can sell a huge variety of products through various fulfillment companiesAliExpressimports goods from ChinaPrintfuloffers clothes and postersGootenhas tote bags and phone casesArtsAddoffers everything from clothes to home decorArt of Wheredoes some very cool clothingGalloreeeven offers custom printed skateboardsBeeouxoffers laser-cut sterling silver jewelry in designs you provideYou can put your designs on nearly anything you can think of Many of these fulfillment companies ha ve cross-over in their product offerings.Some products may not be a perfect fit, but they can be on theme with your niche enough to make sense. Ive sold Tudor-themed jewelry that was not an exact English history match.You have more places to sellShopify will integrate with Facebook so you can have your store on your Facebook page, and in many countries people can check out within the Facebook environment directly, never having to leave the app.As you get more experience, you can explore the dozens of apps in Shopify that will help grow your customer base, and provide subscription options, affiliate selling, reviews, and social proof.Your steps to successIf this is something that appeals to you, here are the steps you can take to start offSign up for a free trial of Shopify. (Use myaffiliate linkto get a two week trial, and Ill get a small commission.)Investigate the various print on demand companies you can work with to get your products into your shop.Ask your audience what they wa nt from you and what theyll pay for.Design your products, hiring freelancers fromFiverror usingPicMonkey.Link your fulfillment provider to your Shopify store.Make sales.Send personalized thank you notes with links to your content.Use the Abundance Whoosh to spiral your success.Since October I sold nearly 1000 2018 Tudor Planners, and hundreds of items ranging from leggings that have portraits of Henry VIIIs wives, to combat boots with portraits of Elizabeth I.I also started a subscription box service where each month I send a box of curated treats related to Tudor history. All of this has equaled nearly $50,000 since my shop launched.Running an eCommerce site isnt for everyone, but I have more blog traffic, more podcast listeners, and more interest in my work overall, simply by integrating product sales into my portfolio. - Heather TeyskoOnce we purchase something from someone, we become more invested in their success, so now I have a growing number of supporters who are personally interested in helping me grow my work and spread our shared love of history.I have become a huge believer in product sales as a way to grow, serve, and deeply connect with an audience, especially for creative passion-based businesses.I believe in it so much that Ive started teaching other creatives how to build their own shops. You can learn more when you get my freeGetting Started on Shopify Guideand join myFacebook group where we share our experiences growing stores based on creative passion businesses.Heres to lots of new paths for creating income and spreading our messagesHeather Teysko is a storyteller, writer, and podcaster, and mom who has been writing about history online since building her first website on Colonial American history in 1998. But even more than that, she is a creative entrepreneur. You can find Heather on Twitter and her amazing Renaissance English History Podcast.Thisarticlefirst appeared onGoins, Writer.

Customize this Outstanding Clinical Specialist Resume Sample

Customize this Outstanding Clinical Specialist Resume SampleCustomize this Outstanding Clinical Specialist Resume SampleCreate Resume Paul Bush123 Main Street, San Francisco, CA 94122Home 000-000-0000 Cell 000-000-0000emailexample.comProfessional SummaryExperienced medical clinical specialist well versed in executing unique projects and responding to health epidemics. Especially qualified taking vital signs, drawing blood, and administering large-scale immunizations.Core QualificationsVital signsDrawing bloodFlu shotsWell-organizedAttention-to-detailMicrosoft OfficeSpoken and written communication skillsExperienceMedical_Clinical Specialist, May 2012 April 2014San Francisco General Hospital San Francisco, CaliforniaReviewed needs of patients for clinical proceduresTook vital signs and drew bloodAssisted doctors and nurses during clinical treatmentsPrepared rooms and equipment for treatmentsReported on testing resultsMedical_Clinical Specialist, December 2007 April 2012Lower San Luis Obispo Spanish Hospital San Luis Obispo, CaliforniaCollected samples for medical testingDelivered samples to relevant testing companyReported on collection results to top medical professionalsAssisted with various clinical proceduresPrepared equipment for doctors and nursesEducation2005 Bachelors, NursingLower East River Community College Stanford, CaliforniaCustomize Resume

10 Tips for Choosing the Best Job for You

10 Tips for Choosing the Best Job for You10 Tips for Choosing the Best Job for YouIts always exciting when you havejob options to choose from, even though it can be stressful to decide which position to accept. As the job market shifts to a candidate-driven atmosphere, you could find yourself in a position to be selective about your next job. Job seekers who are in high-demand fields and employees who have a strong track record of career success are often in the enviable position of being able to choose their next job from multiple opportunities. If you have the rightskill setand experience, you can afford to be picky. You will be able to leverage your advantage to land a job thats closest to your ideal position. Youll also be able to choose a job which is the best fit for your personal circumstances and career goals. You dont have to take the firstjob offeryou get, unless youre aya its the perfect position for the next stage of your career. Rather, take your time and make sure your next job is exactly what youre looking for. Heres how to optimize your chances of choosing the best possible job when you have the upper hand. 10 Tips for Choosing a Job in a Job Seekers Market 1.Stay in job search mode.Keep yourself in continuousjob searchmode so youre ready for opportunities as they arise. Keep all your job search documents up to date, especially yourLinkedIn profile. Document your successes in your current job on at least a monthly basis and incorporate them into your resume. If your skills are in high demand, employers will often come after you, so be ready to respond to appealing options. 2. Create a profile of your ideal job and employer.This will help you to identify attractive positions and pass on other jobs that you dont think would be a good fit. Considerwhat type of employer would be perfect for your personality and work style. To do this, think about the elements of your current and past jobs that you have enjoyed the most and write them down. Ask y ourselfWhich activities are most satisfying about your current job? What might you like to avoid in your next job? What do you want in terms of work-life balance? What is yourideal company culture? Whichjobs would be most satisfying for you to work at? 3. What else would you like in a job?You should also consider what might be missing from your current job. For example, if you enjoy planning events, are you doing enough event planning in your current role?Perhaps your current job offers insufficient opportunities for advancement, or your boss is too autocratic and youd like more freedom to make decisions and plan your workflow. 4.Consider your perfect job.Take some onlinecareer assessmentsto help you to identify other values, interests, or personality traits that you might want to tap in your ideal job. You might also want to enlist the help of acareer counselorif you are struggling to identify key aspects of your ideal career. If you have a dream company youd love to work for, now might bethe time to connect with them. 5. Know your worth. One of the advantages of being in high demand is the opportunity to upgrade your compensation. Research the going rate for your job throughsalary sourcesonline, surveys by your professional organization, and informal networkingwith fellow professionals. Review these tips fordetermining how much youre worth. 6.Do you want more money?If you think you should be making more, considerasking for a raiseor target other jobs that have higher compensation. Many employers will match an offer from anotherorganization. In some cases, a competing offer or changing jobs may be the only way to secure a substantial increase in pay. Be careful that you dont issue an ultimatum to your current employer if you arent ready to change jobs. You dont want to lose the job you have before youre ready to move on. 7. Get more skills. If the next job youd love to haverequires skills or knowledgethat you dont fully possess, or you want to expand your cur rent responsibilities into new areas, explore whether you can incorporate or build upon these skills in your position. Your employer may be more flexible than you think in modifying your job if you are a highly valued employee, and they dont want to lose you. Also, investigateclasses and training opportunitiesto acquire the right background for your next job. Your employer might even agree to pay. 8. Help recruiters find you.When there are worker shortages, employers become more proactive in recruitingpassive candidates. They will be more likely to utilize search firms to fish for candidates and mine prospects from LinkedIn. Considerutilizing a recruiterto help you find yourideal job, but make sure that you dont let them redefine your goals to meet the supply of jobs that they are promoting. Develop a completeLinkedIn profile, keep it up to date, and your next job might find you before you find it. 9.Its okay to say, No thanks. Dont be afraid to turn down a job offer that seems less than ideal. If you are in high demand, other offers will come your way. You might be better off staying in your current job until you find something very appealing. Excessivejob hoppingcan be a red flag on a resume, even for workers in high demand. Hereshow to turn down a job offer. 10. Tap your connections.Reach out to contacts for information, advice, and suggestions about jobs. Share your profile for an ideal job and ask them to recommend positions within their sector. During worker shortages, companies often pay employees a bonus for candidate referrals recommendations from current staff are usually given careful consideration under any circumstances. How to Decide Which Job to Take It can actually be harder to make a decision when you have more jobs to choose from. You may have tojuggle multiple job offers, which can be stressful. Take the time toevaluate each offerand to carefullycompare employee benefit packages. Its not all about the money the benefits and perks youre being offered are important too, and someperks can be negotiated in a job offer. When youre job hunting in a buyers market, youre in the drivers seat, and you can pick and choose between jobs to find the one thats the best match. Dont rush into a decision. Take the time to carefully consider all options. Forget about the ones you didnt take once your decision is made instead, focus on the future andget ready to departure your new job.

4 Tips for Restarting Your Career After a Long Break

4 Tips for Restarting Your Career After a Long Break 4 Tips for Restarting Your Career After a Long Break This state of affairs hascreated record levels of career mobility but it has also lead to mora uneven career paths. Extended breaks from the workforce used to be pretty uncommon, but these days, theyre not all that unusual.Unfortunately, returning to work after a break from your career poses a unique challenge, which is why wed like to offer some tips to help you reanimate your career after a long time away.1. Start Networking to Access the Hidden Job MarketSources suggest that as many as 80 percent of available jobsare never publicly advertised. These secret openings comprise the hidden job market and the only way to tap into this market is by networking smartly.Two to threemonths before you plan to return to work, start talking to friends, family members, former coworkers, and so on, about potential opportunities they may know of. Chances are that at least one of them will k now about and maybe even refer you to an unadvertised job opening. If you can get into the running early and with a glowing reference then you greatly increase your chances of landing the job.2. Get Plenty of RecommendationsEven if your network cant help you find a position in the hidden job market, it can probably help you find the next best thing an influential inside contact who can vouch for your character and skill.Having an influential contact on your side is a great thing, as studies show that people who are referred are twice as likely to be called to interview and 40 percent more likely to be offered a job.If you do find a strong contact at a company youd like to work for, consider sending in a speculative application, using your reference boost your appeal and get on the employers radar.However, you dont want to just drop the references name. Rather, you want to ensure that the reference is actually attesting to a particular skill or valuable business quality that you possess. If your reference is just a flashy name, your speculative application wont garner any attention.3. Emphasize Your Transferable SkillsMany employers (and job seekers) wrongly assume that long-term unemployment always leads to a loss of skills. The reality, however, is that a long break away from the workplace can actuallyboostyour skills.For example,a survey from CareerBuilderfound that taking a career break to be a stay-at-home parent for a while helps people develop some highly valuable skills. More than 66 percent of hiring managers surveyed by CareerBuilder said that parenting skills can be very relevant to the corporate world.Some examples of highly valued parenting skills includePatienceAbility to multitaskTime managementConflict managementProblem-solvingEmpathyMentoringNegotiationBudgeting and finance managementProject managementDespite the value of these parenting skills, just 8 percent of parents mention these skills in their applications, meaning many parents are m issing a greatopportunity to impress prospective employers.So, if you are a parent returning to work after a long break, make sure to play up your highly valuable parenting skills during the application and interview processes.4. Emphasize What You Have LearnedAs mentioned above, a career break can be a great way to develop new skills.No matter what those skills are or how you learned them be sure to emphasize them in your resume.For example, perhaps you did a little freelance work while you were away from your career, and this has helped you develop greater levels of business acumen. Or perhaps you used your free time to teach yourself a new language or some coding skills.Whatever the case, you want to be positive and give employers the impression that your life away from the workforce has benefited you. Moreover, you want employers to know that youll be able to pass along these benefits to them if they hire you, that is.-There is no doubt that coming back from a career break is a unique challenge, but with a positive approach and a finely tunedjob search strategy, you should be able to zupflmmel your career up where you left off with relative ease.

The Tried and True Method for Web Designer Resume in Step by Step Detail

The Tried and True Method for Web Designer Resume in Step by Step Detail When it has to do with Web development, jQuery plugins shouldnt be your very first option as you rely on jQuery and it is a performance hit. Internet programming is a rather dynamic field thats constantly being enhanced and changed. Becoming in a fleck to easily install plugins to add functionality is additionally a great time-saver. Writing a successful resume isnt quick. Finding the almost all of templates and generating a CV through using a resume blog post links will certainly make things much simpler. Employing a browser-based interface, you can pick from a broad choice of entwurf templates or begin with a blank canvas. At this point you have the plan template, you can utilize it again and again. The Downside Risk of Web Designer Resume The total look of your resume ought to be clear and succinct. The flexible page designs are prepared to add your details to, so that you may land that creative job which youre aiming for Consequently, its vital to talk about the job related abilities in detail. Your style might turn out to be far better and give you a side. What Everybody Dislikes About Web Designer Resume and Why The site provides some helpful prewritten words you may use if you truly feel stumped trying to produce your own. Its crucial that you make sure everything connected with your name online is something that youd want future employers to see. Heres What I Know About Web Designer Resume If youre fluent in Adobe InDesign, you are likely able to leave off that you are aware of how to utilize Microsoft Word. Designers will almost always discover that including the Adobe Create Suite is a fantastic starting point. Web Designer Resume Samples can be located at wisdomjobs.com. Web Designer CV alongside sample resumes are offered at wisdomjobs.com. Hundreds of Web designer resume samples are offered at our wisdom resume services which can assist you out to select the best resume you want to apt for. Resume Layouts You can find over 20 web templates to choose from. The templates are usually common cv platforms that are often accepted by many businesses. The 30-Second Trick for Web Designer Resume You may search millions of jobs on the netz to find which path you wish to follow in your career. An internet developer can expect to earn a salary in the variety of $35,000 to $105,000 annually. Apart from that, you also need to gather some vital information and relevant information that may be quite useful and useful toward pursuing the career that you would like. Deploying Kolkata a website isnt completion. Even when you arent actively searching for employment, your resume is a significant bit of your digital portfolio. Make certain you update yours every single time you update your portfolio, and help it become accessible from your portfolio. Thus it is necessary to locate a means to make your resume stand out of tons of different resu mes, particularly whenever you are in design. The Debate Over Web Designer Resume Once you locate the ideal Web designer which you think you may have a partnership with, the next thing to do is to let her or him know the direction of your organization strategy. Furthermore, it can be put to use as a mini-website for a little company that wishes to be introduced quickly. Unless obviously, youre moving from an organization youve been with for 20 decades. So when the hiring company hasnt provided a salary for work, we look at salary data from related businesses and locations to think of a fair estimate for what it is possible to expect. Naturally, you may create your own customized animation to animate content onto the webpage in a more interesting way. The most appealing quality of his resume is his usage of color. When creating sprites, consider how your site will load. Your resume needs to stick out from the tiled background. Top Choices of Web Designer Resume As a skill ed designers, its simple to make and manage a stunning responsive site, code-free. Designers are way more creative than your ordinary small business person, so as a way to make something revolutionary and new, youll probably need a fantastic designer. Every designer ought to have a fantastic comprehension of typography. As an example, some website designers create mock-ups for potential clients employing graphic design software, though others might prefer to create a customized theme that would be seen as a functional website instead. If it comes to what details you should have in your internet designer resume, things become a little more complicated. The only means to succeed at Web design is to receive your Web designer involved any time there might have to be a design choice. Great design takes patience and tons of iteration.

6 Interview Questions to Avoid During the Recruitment Process - Spark Hire

6 Interview Questions to Avoid During the Recruitment Process - Spark HireOne misstep in the recruitment process can send top talent running. Especially when candidates have the upper-hand on the market, the last thing you want to do is turn off a top contender for you open role with an ill-phrased or timed interview question.While you cant always control every aspect of the candidate experience, you can control your communication with candidates. We asked recruiting experts what to avoid asking in your next job interview. Heres what they had to say1. Whats your biggest career regret?While popular, I believe failure questions are a waste of time and can sour the mood of an interview. They trip up even great candidates and rarely reveal anything valuable about their work history and skills. Instead, ask specific questions about the challenges the candidate has overcome and the skills they want to improve. These questions often bear more helpful responses, without the risk of derailing an otherwise great interview.Lauren McAdams, career advisor and hiring manager at ResumeCompanion.comOne of the fastest ways to turn off a potential candidate is to dive into how dedicated you want employees to be. Lauren McAdams of ResumeCompanionClick To Tweet2. Where do you landsee yourself in five years?This is a classic interview question, but one that can land you in trouble as it can be seen as discriminatory. Female applicants may feel the question is unfair, particularly if they are planning to have children in this period. Its much better to ask candidates what their ultimate career aspirations are, rather than tie this down to a specific time frame. Candidates will see this as showing a genuine interest in their ambitions rather than questioning their commitment.Sue Andrews, HR business consultant at KIS Finance3. What are your hobbies?Many interviewers will see this as an acceptable way to get a better understanding of a candidate. The danger is that some applicants ma y view this as an unnecessary intrusion, which has no bearing on their ability to do the job. Others may worry that candidates who find they have interests in common with the interviewer will be at an unfair advantage. Either way, avoiding asking these types of irrelevant questions will help you sidestep these types of pitfalls.Sue Andrews, HR business consultant at KIS Finance4. What type of dinosaur would you be?Asking quirky and unexpected questions is a quick way to put off many a good candidate. Of course, a little bit of humor in an interview can be a good thing as you want candidates to relax. But keep it appropriate and remember that applicants want to know whether they get the job is dependent on their skills and abilities rather than based on some unwritten set of rules.Sue Andrews, HR business consultant at KIS FinanceAsking quirky and unexpected questions is a quick way to put off many a good candidate. Sue Andrews at KISFinanceClick To Tweet5. Can you share more about the gemeinsame agrarpolitik in your resume history?Twenty years ago, a gap on a resume would have been a red flag. Today, with the rise of remote work, gap years, and working abroad in non-traditional jobs, a gap in a resume could be part of your candidates greatest strength. Asking a candidate to explain themselves sets them up to frame their experience in a negative light. When in reality, they may have had great and relevant learning experiences during this time which would add value to your organization.Tasia Duske, CEO at The Great Guac Off6. How soon can you start?While it may seem like an exciting and positive question to ask, it skips the option to first do a trial run or paid test project. These in-between work arrangements are one of the best ways the interviewee and candidate can both assess whether this is a match.There is a saying, hire slow, fire fast, and at least for the hiring portion this rings true its better to spend additional hours or days recruiting to make s ure you hire the best people for your organization. bedrngnis rushing the interview with these types of questions will save you thousands of hours of productivity and effort down the road not to mention candidates time.Tasia Duske, CEO atThe Great Guac OffThe rise of remote work, gap years, and working abroad in non-traditional jobs, a gap in a resume could be part of your candidates greatest strength. TasiaDuskeClick To Tweet