In an article in Transitions Abroad Magazine, Jennifer Hamm explains how more young professionals now are seeking work overseas than ever before.  The reasons for this are varied, but Margaret Malewski, author of GenXpat: The Young Professional’s Guide to Making a Successful Life Abroad, suggests that before, companies only dispatched senior staff abroad. Now, junior workers who demonstrate the desire to do so, can find work abroad because employers seek younger employees who are more flexible and mobile. The following are four basic tips for landing your dream job abroad.

1. Plan ahead.

It’s an indisputable truth–landing an international job is much more difficult than finding employment at home, the poor American job market notwithstanding. It will take a lot of planning and dedication. So the first step, really, is asking yourself if you really want to do this. If so, then start planning. If you’re still in school, then be sure to take classes in the language of your target country or countries. Consider studying abroad. Take classes with an international focus, like international business.

If you’re already working, find out whether your company has offices abroad. If so, then let HR know your interest in being transferred. Stephen Kantor, a twenty-eight-year-old banker who was assigned to work in Amsterdam for three years, explains that it was his assertiveness that got him the job. “No one was looking for me,” he said. “I looked at it as this is my career. This is something I want to do and the only one that is going to make it happen is me.”

If your company doesn’t have offices abroad, then consider taking a few months off to travel and volunteer, building some international experience and contacts along the way.

2. Get a Master’s degree

An MA is now considered standard for most international jobs, especially in the social sciences and business. Consider getting a Master’s degree abroad, too, so that you can build those all-important networks.

3. Travel and…Network!

If you don’t have any special skills that would make you more attractive than a local to an employer, then you probably aren’t going to seal the deal on a job abroad from home. This is especially true of Western European countries. In this case, you’re going to have to save some money, travel to your target country, and NETWORK.

Teaching English is a good way to earn a livable wage while looking for better job prospects and contacts. However, be advised that many schools require English as a second language teaching certificates. Consider doing freelance work in translation or editing, advertising private English lessons, or becoming an au pair for wealthy families interested in exposing their children to a different culture. All these jobs require some credentials or experience, but if you’re in-country and available, then employers are often willing to forego the credentials for convenience.

Also avail yourself of networking resources at home. Let everyone in your circle (cast your nets wide–include friends, family, alumni, professors, everyone) know that you want to work abroad. You never know who’ll have that connection that you need to find employment overseas.

4.  Tailor your resume…err CV.

Although they’re essentially the same thing, resumes are more commonly referred to as C.V.s abroad. Be aware that employers from different countries often expect something different than the resume you already have. For example, in the United States, it’s isn’t common practice to include a photo with your resume, but in many countries, it’s standard. For more information on international resumes, click here .

This guest post is contributed by Katheryn Rivas, who writes on the topics of accredited online universities.  She welcomes your comments at her email: katherynrivas87@gmail.com.

We’ve all got some big challenges to deal with these days: this wacky economy, maintaining cash flow, laying safety nets, building our companies, attracting more business, all while managing to stay sane and tenacious through these trying times.
That’s why we rolled up our sleeves and put ourselves to work on attacking this hairball of issues that literally can make or break your career…not to mention your spirits.

After months of all nighters and brutally long workdays, we’re finally ready to unveil a big new resource to help you find solutions to your biggest personal and professional challenges.

It’s called Fast Track to Success: 30 Days to Transform Your Life & Career.  Jam packed with perspective, inspiration and tips for leaping into action, this new tool is GUARANTEED to make a serious difference for you.  And you can take that to the bank!

How?  Fast Track is an online learning program that you can power through in as little as 30 days, 30 minutes a day.  Every lesson features online posts to read with full audio (read by me!) that you can download and listen to on the go if you’d prefer.  Then, once you’ve learned, it’s time to help you do.  Almost every lesson has a worksheet (or a few) designed to walk you though putting everything into action immediately.

Since this is all about getting to the next level, you’ll see not only your perspective, but outlook and opportunities evolve more and more every day!  We’ve even included a few videos to keep you fired up and opportunities every step of the way to share your thoughts or ask for help or advice from our team.  And again, we’re so confident this can help change your life for the better, we’re willing to guarantee it.  We’ll even send you a hard copy of our New York Times bestseller Secrets of the Young & Successful: How to Get Everything You Want Without Waiting a Lifetime as our gift.

To celebrate the launch of this new program, we’re going to spend the next 30 days sharing some of our best tips and tricks to take on this crazy economy on by storm, increase your opportunities, amp up your competitive advantage, and yes, make more money!

We want to share your best advice too, so keep your eyes peeled and we’ll offer plenty of opportunities on YoungandSuccessful.com, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to share your expertise and experience too!  So stay tuned and help us spread the word about anything you find particularly useful to your friends and colleagues.  We’ll all fare better and find the success we crave and deserve if we bond together and become a force to be reckoned with.

Here’s to all of our success!

Think about the last time you Googled someone. As young professionals, we grew up with the web and have all kinds of content out there about us. High school track scores, Facebook wall posts, blog comments, etc. – these digital breadcrumbs make up an online image that can work for or against us. Luckily, there is a new tool to help you make sure your online image works for you and helps advance your career.

This tool is called Brand-Yourself.com, and it’s the first online reputation management platform for young professionals of its kind. My team and I have been slaving away at the office to get it into your hands this week, and in honor of your loyalty to YSN, we’re giving away 50 full access, premium accounts.

Use the promo code “YSN” and sign up now >

And who is our system for? Everybody! Job applicants, consultants, small business owners, entrepreneurs, actors, professional service providers, authors – anybody who wants to control how they are perceived online.

After countless hours working closely with readers like you, top HR folks and personal branding experts, we’ve created a process that makes it easy to manage your reputation. We walk you through our four-step process with automated tools along the way. Not only does it work, but it’s a hell of a lot of fun!

You will proactively:

• Build on-brand content that aligns with your career goals
• Optimize that content to show up at the top of Google
• Promote yourself in the right places using social media
• Monitor your progress along the way

Step One: Build

In the Build section, we help you create the content you want people to associate with your name. We help you pinpoint your core strengths and build high-ranking web pages and profiles that demonstrate them.

Example Tool: Google Results Organizer

Throughout the process we’ve built some cool tools. Our Google Results Organizer is a fun way to discover how people perceive you when they Google you. You identify which results are about you and which are not by clicking and dragging results into appropriate columns. Our search engine optimization tools in the next section will then help you raise relevant results up above negative or irrelevant results.

Step Two: Optimize

Creating favorable content is not enough. The optimize section empowers you to choose which content shows up at the top of Google over negative content, irrelevant content and other peoples’ results.

Step Three: Promote

Being found when people are searching for you is an excellent reactive approach. In the Promote section, we help you proactively promote your content to the right people in the right places. We help you do this via social media by serving you daily recommendations of what to do next, and who to connect with to build your brand’s network.

Step Four: Monitor

Growing your reputation is an ongoing process. In the Monitor section, we make it easy to monitor your progress along the way by tracking changes in Google results and mentions of your name across the social web.

Over the past few months we’ve literally lived at the office, building the platform you can now try for free today. We’ve built something we are proud of, and we can’t wait to share it with you – and hear what you think.

For the first ten people who comment with feedback on the system, I’ll email you extra-extended free trial promo codes!

So poke around! Let us know what you like and what you’d change. Meanwhile, RJ Sherman (our Chief Technology Officer) can finally step away from his triple computer monitors and get some fresh air.

Sign Up for a Free Trial and We’ll Donate $0.25 to I’m Too Young For Cancer

During our official launch this week, when you sign up for a free trial, we’ll donate $0.25 to the I’m Too Young For Cancer Foundation, which ensures that every young adult affected by cancer is given access to the best support possible. The foundation strives to be a national leader in cancer advocacy, support and research, working exclusively on behalf of adolescents and young adults affected by cancer. With your support, they will continue providing hope, education and community to millions of survivors around the world.

1.    Sign up for a free Brand-Yourself trial now >
2.    Use the promo code “YSN” for an extended free trial
3.    Comment with your feedback and get an extension on your trial!

First comes love, then comes a contract??? As part of YSN.com’s 4 week  series about achieving success in your professional and personal relationships, today we’ll discuss how creating a written contract can enhance any new partnership — and make it easier if you ever split.

Sign On The Dotted Line…

At the beginning of all personal or professional relationships, we never like to think about things coming to an end. However, it is possible, and while we aren’t advocating pre-nups here, think about it: When you join a gym, start a job, buy a car or download software, you agree to a contract, which ensures that everyone understands their responsibilities, liabilities and the consequences of not living up to the agreement. In business, romantic or even roommate partnerships, it is critical to be on the same page – literally. A written contract is vital in protecting everyone involved, avoiding dirty court battles, minimizing legal fees, and making it easier to end the relationship fairly and amicably.

For more information on protecting yourself in business partnerships, read Work.com’s Guide to Ending a Business Partnership. It also discusses the seven tell-tale signs that you are about to fly solo, including changing vision and competitive interaction.

For a sample roommate agreement, click here (pdf file).

Read this article from Divorce magazine about the “Myths and Realities of Marriage Contracts.”

And, of course, for a sample prenuptial agreement, please click here.

Jovie Baclayon is a communications associate for the Young Presidents’ Organization and a freelance writer based in Santa Monica, California.

Be Sure to Check Out the Entire Series!

Live By Your Own Rules: YSN’s Tips for Having it All in Your Career, Life and Love (Part 1)

Get Over It! YSN’s Tips for Having it All in Your Career, Life and Love (Part 2)

It’s Time to Find Love: YSN’s Tips for Having it All in Your Career, Life and Love (Part 3)

It’s all in the Contract: YSN’s Tips for Having it All in Your Career, Life and Love (Part 4)

Everywhere I go lately, small business owners, company execs and everyone in sales is preoccupied with closing deals.  The economy has certainly made business a lot more difficult to succeed in, and more than ever, we all need to constantly be analyzing how we’re doing things to keep getting smarter, better, more efficient and more effective.  And at the top of everyone’s list: making more money.

That all said, I want to share some hard earned insight that will hopefully save many of you a lot of time, money and aggravation.

When you’re courting a new company or client, the sales process can easily get dragged out over a matter of weeks, months, or worse, never really result in an answer at all – be it yes or no.  So, how do you cut to the chase and find out whether there’s really even a deal to be done in the first place?

A few simple questions can make all the difference.

1.  What exactly are you looking to have done?

2.  What does success look like for this project?

3.  Where does this fall on your overall priority list?

4.  Are you exploring solutions with other prospective consultants/contractors?

5.  What questions do you have about me/us/our work?

6.  What’s the time frame you’re looking to start and execute this in?

7.  What does your budget look like?

8.  Who is the ultimate decision maker? (Who controls the checkbook?)

9.  Do you have a specific process for closing deals like this?

10.  As for next steps, would you like me to send you a recap of our conversation and a proposal on how we might be able to help you/best serve you?

They say yes, and you have yourself a hot lead.

It may take a meeting or so to build rapport and get comfortable enough to ask these questions, but rest assured you’ll start closing deals a heck of a lot faster when you get answers to these questions early on.

As part of YSN.com’s 4 week series about achieving success in your professional and personal relationships, today we’ll focus on finding the love to complete your career/life/love balance.

First of all, it has to be said that at the end of the day, you’re never going to be truly satisfied in a love relationship if you are not happy with yourself in the first place. Treat your time in the single zone as precious opportunity to really get to know who you are, what you want and improve life on your own. It will make adding someone special into the mix easier and can lead to a much sweeter partnership, too.

It also helps to just take a look around and truly appreciate your family, friends, possessions and accomplishments. Being grateful is the easiest way to stop feeling sorry for yourself in the romance department. Write down everything you appreciate in your life and memorize the list.

But if this love-what-you’ve-got notion is making you gag, let me throw in some practical advice to finding your one true love ASAP:

1. Go online — everyone else is doing it! Sign up for eHarmony, PlentyofFish.com, JDate.com (Jewish), Black Planet (African American) Christian Connection (UK) or any other reputable dating site.
2. Cruise Craigslist or any other classified ads, if you are daring.
3. Ask your friends to set you up with their friends, relatives or coworkers. What about their significant other’s friends, relatives or coworkers?
4. Try Speed Dating: Increase your odds by dating as many people as possible in a short amount of time! Check out HurryDate or 8 Minute Dating, and if you are outside the United States, try 25 Dates (Canada) or SpeedDater (UK).
5. Be proactive! Grab the bull by the horns and introduce yourself to as many people as you can! Your best bets include church functions, networking parties and volunteer opportunities, but if you must, bars, grocery stores and coffee shops will do, too.

Jovie Baclayon is a communications associate for the Young Presidents’ Organization and a freelance writer based in Santa Monica, California.

Be Sure to Check Out the Entire Series!

Live By Your Own Rules: YSN’s Tips for Having it All in Your Career, Life and Love (Part 1)

Get Over It! YSN’s Tips for Having it All in Your Career, Life and Love (Part 2)

It’s Time to Find Love: YSN’s Tips for Having it All in Your Career, Life and Love (Part 3)

It’s all in the Contract: YSN’s Tips for Having it All in Your Career, Life and Love (Part 4)

Aside from the basic rules of engagement LinkedIn has established, here are a few other courtesies to remember while making the most of your LinkedIn experience.  Follow these points and you’ll be sure to get the most out of LinkedIn—and you’ll avoid aggravating other users in the process.  Here are four mistakes to avoid while using LinkedIn:

1. BLINDLY REQUESTING CONNECTIONS WITH NO MUTUAL BENEFIT
On Facebook you can request new friendships with anybody at all.  It’s a social network of friends, and if you want to be friends you simply make a request.  With LinkedIn you’re making a ‘connection’ that will hopefully create a mutually beneficial networking opportunity later on down the line.  Be strategic when deciding with whom you will connect, and explain to the person why you want to connect; what’s in it for them—and what’s it in for you?  Don’t request to connect with just anyone at all; understandably, people will want to know why you are requesting the opportunity to connect.  So provide a brief sentence or two explaining what you think a mutual connection can bring to both parties.

2. NOT BEING TRUTHFUL ABOUT WHY YOU WANT TO CONNECT
If it’s being brought up, it’s because people have done it.  Others have complained about it.  It’s hard sometimes to establish a connection with someone when LinkedIn only allows you certain ways to request connections.  That being said, you should still be truthful in why you want to connect.  If the purpose of networking is to create mutual connections that may help either party in the future, do you really want to start that connection with mistrust or deceit?  The most frequent use of this is presenting yourself as a ‘friend’ of someone or ‘colleague at XYZ organization’ when you really are not.   It’s not going to get you the connection, and in the end you’re going to be perceived as being dishonest—and who wants to connect or potentially help someone who isn’t honest?

3. PROFILE CONTENT IS NOT A REPRODUCTION OF YOUR RESUME
This mistake is so well ingrained in users that you’re now probably experiencing some disbelief.  Don’t just copy and paste your resume into your LinkedIn profile.  Here’s why: When you network with someone in person do you give them a word-for-word rundown from your resume of what you’ve done?  No, you personalize the conversation and speak in the first person.  It is a more casual conversation—not as formal as your resume.  Your profile should be keyword-rich so that recruiters can find you if they’re performing a search, but it should also be authentic and sincere, as though you’re talking to the person about what you’ve accomplished.

4. KEYWORDS ARE NOT JUST FOR RESUMES
Recruiters and hiring managers are performing searches on LinkedIn for qualified candidates, and you want to be found.  Why else would you be there?  Seriously, make sure your LinkedIn profile is peppered with industry-specific keywords relevant to the target position you want.  It should be called LISO (LinkedIn Search Optimization)—like SEO—but for LinkedIn.  Keywords = Being Discovered = Interview = New Job.  Get keywords now.

To recap: Be sure you are honest, strategic, and explanatory in your LinkedIn connection requests; your profile isn’t just a copy of your resume; and that your profile is keyword-rich so people can find you!  These four key tips will make the most of your LinkedIn experience and keep you ahead of the game.

Article written by, Jessica Holbrook the CEO of Great Resumes Fast, an expert resume writer, career and personal branding strategist, author and presenter. She has written more than 100 articles that are featured on some of the best career advice websites today. Her passion is helping professionals and executives uncover what makes them stand out in the crowd.

For more great resources on resume writing, LinkedIn, or to view resume samples visit Great Resumes Fast. You can also receive a free resume analysis by sending your resume to info@greatresumesfast.com.

So maybe Valentine’s Day didn’t go as well as you thought it would… or maybe you’re experiencing trying times in your career. In the second segment of YSN’s 4 week series about success in your personal and professional lives, we’ll focus on the painful art of dealing with rejection.

When The Going Gets Tough: Whether you experience a broken heart, failed business, layoff, termination or rejection from your dream job or school, being handed your walking papers is never easy to deal with. It can affect your self-esteem, make you feel depressed, or worse, cause you to stop dreaming all together – and we can’t let that happen. If you ever find yourself facing hardship, it’s important to try not to lose your perspective — and keep moving forward. Besides, you know the drill: time heals all wounds, and things will get better, even though that may seem impossible at first.

Some things to help you along the way:

1. Be patient, allow yourself to “grieve” (feel and think about all the negativity and emotions). Even if you don’t usually write, try taking a pen to paper and jotting down your thoughts – you might be surprised at what you discover. And by all means, do not be ashamed or think it is a sign of weakness if you need professional help. Who says anyone has to know?

2. See if there are any lessons you can take away from this experience. Maybe if you use a different approach or take a few extra-curricular courses and give it another try in a few weeks or months, you can have a different outcome. If you can turn it into something positive, you can get past the pain more quickly.

3. Keep yourself busy so you don’t fixate on what happened. Spend time with friends, keep searching for job opportunities, delve into more research, fix your resume, find a mentor — but when you want to be alone and do nothing, go right ahead. By continuing to think positively about the future, you will be less likely to become depressed.

If you or someone you know is going through tough times, there are a lot of resources available to help, including the “Guide to Grieving: Coping with a Divorce or Relationship Breakup” and “Grief and Loss: A fact sheet produced by the Mental Health Information Service.”

Do your best not to let “No” hold you back from success. Read this article by Coping.org on overcoming the fear of rejection or Psychology Today’s helpful hints on building your self-esteem.

Jovie Baclayon is a communications associate for the Young Presidents’ Organization and a freelance writer based in Santa Monica, California.

Be Sure to Check Out the Entire Series!

Live By Your Own Rules: YSN’s Tips for Having it All in Your Career, Life and Love (Part 1)

Get Over It! YSN’s Tips for Having it All in Your Career, Life and Love (Part 2)

It’s Time to Find Love: YSN’s Tips for Having it All in Your Career, Life and Love (Part 3)

It’s all in the Contract: YSN’s Tips for Having it All in Your Career, Life and Love (Part 4)

For a long time, a successful career was signified by receiving a shiny gold watch to commemorate your 30 or 40 years of loyal service to a single company. Getting ahead meant dedication, dependability, loyalty, putting your head down, getting your work done and following the rules.

For Baby Boomers, getting ahead took on a much different look. Think about the movies Wall Street or Baby Boom: power suit, power tie, power briefcase… huge shoulder pads. How very 1980s! It was all about influence, wealth and leverage. Everyone was eager to get ahead and more than a few people sacrificed their personal relationships.

Those who came of age in the 1990s embraced the idea of getting ahead by being their own boss. In fact, 87 percent of Gen X said they wanted their own business. This wave of entrepreneurs coupled with this “thing” called the Internet paved the way for Yahoo, Google and AOL. All of a sudden, people were clamoring for office space, patents, domain addresses and IPOs. Young people everywhere wanted to retire as millionaires before turning 40, 30…even 20-years-old!

That brings us to today where the rules are being rewritten yet again, and people are making more career changes in their 20’s than other generations experienced in a lifetime. I actually met someone last week whose son had 20 different jobs before he turned 30! These days, getting ahead involves much more than just slowly creeping up the corporate ladder or clawing your way to the top at any expense. In the age of instant makeovers, YouTube and reality shows, anyone can have a voice, be discovered, land a television show or get paid for doing just about anything people want to see. Success isn’t one-size-fits-all – it’s totally customizable.

I read a blog by Ryan Healy of Employee Evolution, which focuses on Millennials at work, and he said, “I don’t know anyone who will walk in the door of GE on their first day and think, ‘I’m going to do anything and everything I can for this company because they really care about me!’ This is because loyalty is a two-way street. The company must earn your loyalty and you must earn theirs.” He couldn’t be more accurate.

The notion of “getting ahead” will undoubtedly continue to morph but as generations and paradigms collide in the workplace, it’s important to know a little history. Even if you are determined to change all the rules and do things your way, your path will be more smooth and successful if you remember to show respect to the people who have been there and done that for a lot longer. Have your big ideas, shake things up, and place yourself in environments that embrace your ideas and strengths, but also make sure those opportunities and people can mentor you and help you see the world in a way that only experience can teach you. All the while, keep in mind that hard work, loyalty, integrity and passion will never get old.

“I’m no good at selling!” Have you ever heard someone say that? Or maybe said it yourself? (Now, tell the truth.)

We hear it all the time. Everyone who is not in sales thinks, “I could never sell” — and most people who are in sales secretly think the same thing.

There is a reason people feel this way: most of us look at sales backwards. Backwards how? In the most fundamental ways. For example, they see sales as convincing people to do something they don’t want to do. It’s not: it is about learning what people do want to do and then helping them do that.They think sales is about taking advantage of others. Not so: in fact, it’s about giving others more advantage.

Most people think of sales as a talking business. Nope: it’s really a listening business. Classic sales training focuses on the “close.” The true sales greats hardly notice the close — they are too busy focusing on the open. But the biggest inversion of all, the great upside-down misconception about sales, is that it is an effort to get other people to do something. Ask most anyone to define sales and you will hear some variation of this: “Sales is getting people to buy something.”

The truth about sales is that it isn’t about getting at all. Sales at its best, at its most effective, is precisely the opposite: it is about — get ready for this — giving.

The word “sales” itself suggests this. It is derived from the Old English word sellan, which means, you guessed it, “to give.” Selling is giving: giving time, attention, counsel, education, empathy and value.
Of course, this is not how most of us have learned to think about sales. The traditional approach to sales aims to choreograph the process by putting control firmly in the hands of the salesperson. Which is probably why neither party really enjoys it. It’s not much fun to have someone try to control you. For that matter, it’s not much fun to be the one doing the controlling, either.

The problem is that little word, “control.” You can’t do it.

Nobody can.

The classic sales process succeeds if you “make a sale.” But you can’t make a sale. Again, no one can. It’s impossible to make a sale, because no one can truly make other people do what they want them to do. What you can do is create a context that allows a sale to happen when the other person makes a purchase. This is not semantics: this is the secret of all great salespeople.

When you spend time with a genuinely successful salesperson, pay close attention and you’ll find something surprising: none of the hundreds of standard sales techniques are what makes them excel at what they do.

Genuinely great salespeople are not great because they have mastered “the close,” or because they give a dazzling presentation, or because they could shoot holes in any customer objection from fifty paces. They are great because they create a vast and spreading sphere of good will wherever they go. They enrich, enhance and add value to people’s lives.

They make people happier.

How do they do that? What is it that makes them great?

What makes a great salesperson great at sales is that he or she is wholeheartedly interested in the other person. The truth about selling is that it’s not about your product, and it’s not about you — it’s about the other person. The remarkable thing about these consummate salespeople is that they are not as rare as you might think. In fact, you can find them everywhere. This is because being adept at sales does not require mastery of complex or elaborate skills. The laws that govern good salesmanship are the laws that govern good relationships. Selling is not at its core a business transaction; it is first and foremost the forging of a human connection.

This is very good news, because it means that anyone can be great in sales.

It means you can be great in sales.

You might think that to do so, you need to have an outgoing, naturally jovial, gregarious personality. Not true. Shy people create relationships and get married. Introverts make great friends. You don’t need to be a “people person,” or any specific type of person, to be great at selling. In fact, the idea itself — that you might have to be a certain sort of person to be great in sales — precisely misses the point:
It’s not about you; it’s about them.

If you take away nothing from this post but those seven words, it will have been well worth the time to read it — because your life in sales will transform.

Article by, Bob Burg and John David Mann, coauthors of Go-Givers Sell More*

Click here to order your copy of GO-GIVERS SELL MORE (and get a bonus package of various Burg and Mann materials).

Life, Love and Career – is there a way to find balance, happiness and stability?

With Valentine’s Day coming up this weekend, we’re pretty sure you’ll be thinking about your love life, your career, your level of happiness and maybe even a combination of everything. So we’re bringing back a phenomenal series created by our former editorial director, Jovie Baclayon. Every Friday for the next 3 weeks we’ll post Jovie’s articles on achieving success in your professional and personal relationships.

Loving yourself means living life by your own rules — not your parents’. While they may want what’s best for you, it becomes problematic if they they push you into a career, major or relationship that’s not at all what you want.

In part 1 of YSN.com’s 4 week series about achieving success in your professional and personal relationships, we’ll discuss cutting more than just the apron strings.

Here’s the inspirational story of one young man who started living his dream once he began living life on his own terms.

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!

Living Your Own Life: We know that cutting the cord with your parents can be a painstaking process; and it’s even harder if you are trying to break free from living out the dreams they created for you. All too often we hear from people who became lawyers or went to Ivy League schools just to please their parents. Some are incredibly unhappy later in life because even after all that schooling, they still dream of being an artist or entrepreneur but think it’s too late.

Scott knows exactly what it’s like to have to earn the right to define success and failure on his own terms. He grew up in conservative Wisconsin and his parents had his life planned out, from being in the right groups and classes to playing the right sports. Scott’s passion for culinary arts began when he was 6 and his mom gave him a Fisher Price oven, but he was always told: “Cooking is a hobby and it should stay a hobby.” His parents always embraced the qualities that made him different and unique (like his rock and herb gardens) but in terms of Scott’s career, they were determined that he was going to use his brain. He majored in linguistics and international business in college but in between semesters, he begged his parents to go to culinary school. Their response? He could go – as soon as he finished his undergrad (not thinking he would actually pursue it). But upon finishing the prerequisites, Scott was tired of living a life that wasn’t his and delivered the one, two, three punch: he dropped out of college, came out of the closet and told his parents he was going to culinary school!

Although financially on his own, Scott finally had his parents’ support. He saved enough money to head west, hoping to be accepted to the California Culinary Academy (of course he was). Now, Scott operates Chileco Catering, unveiled Chi Cuisine organic product line in fall 2007, and is consulting on a new restaurant/lounge in Central California where he will be the executive chef.

With his increasing success, the only thing his mom asks for these days is that she gets all the credit “when he makes it on Oprah.”

She gave him the Fisher Price oven, after all.

Jovie Baclayon is a communications associate for the Young Presidents’ Organization and a freelance writer based in Santa Monica, California.

Be Sure to Check Out the Entire Series!

• Live By Your Own Rules: YSN’s Tips for Having it All in Your Career, Life and Love (Part 1)

• Get Over It! YSN’s Tips for Having it All in Your Career, Life and Love (Part 2)

• It’s Time to Find Love: YSN’s Tips for Having it All in Your Career, Life and Love (Part 3)

• It’s all in the Contract: YSN’s Tips for Having it All in Your Career, Life and Love (Part 4)

We’ve been getting so many requests lately for content on how to gain media attention that we decided to bring back a recent article with plenty of tips for those of you who are still learning how to get noticed and for those who want to gain even MORE coverage!!

A few [months] ago, I had the chance to revisit one of my favorite yearly events – The National Publicity Summit.  Hosted by my old friends, Steve and Bill Harrison, and their stellar team of PR pros. The Summit brings together a wide range of experts and authors with over 100 journalists from top tv, radio and internet programs.

The most exciting (and valuable) activity by far is the one-on-one speed networking sessions with journalists where you get 2-3 minutes to pitch yourself, your business, your products or whatever else you’re looking to promote.  Imagine producers from The View, 20/20, editors from USA Today, Newsweek, Wired, Rolling Stone, syndicated columnists and radio hosts…all looking to book new talent and uncover hot topics and new sources.  I’ve honestly never seen anything like it.

Whether you’re just venturing out to get your first press clippings, have already secured your fair share of media recognition, or are a seasoned pro, the event always propels you further up the learning curve.   It’s not all “trial by fire” though.  There’s a ton of educational programming and training spattered throughout the schedule as well.

For me, the best insight comes from the massive Q&A panel featuring the members of the media.  That’s when Steve asks them all to introduce themselves and talk about what catches their attention, turns them off, turns them on, and even drives them crazy.  Most in the room are like sprinters getting antsy to jump out of their starting blocks into the one on one event that follows.  But this is where some of the best gems of insight come from, and where I take my most copious notes.

As usual, on top of learning myself, I’m always thinking about what juicy little nuggets I can share with all of you. So, here are the top 10 takeaways for all you busy people, eager to increase your own exposure in the press:

1. Be targeted. Don’t mass email journalists or address correspondences “to whom this may concern”.  Those go right into the trash.  Take the time to identify the right department or column and send your pitches to specific people with a personal note.

2. Be short and to the point. Journalists are really busy people who are often inundated with pitches from strangers.  Get to your pitch quickly and don’t assume they’re going to read 4 or 5 paragraphs.

3. Clearly articulate your story hooks. What do you have to say that will really grab the readers or viewers attention (let alone the journalist’s!)? Say something powerful, revealing or life altering if you can.  If you only have a sentence or two to captivate, carefully consider what you’d say.

4.  Talk in sound bites. Imagine the people reading or listening to your pitch, as well as their audience, all have ADD.  All of your information needs to be bite sized.  If the editor or producer gathers a bunch of content from you, make sure it’s easy for them to pull out a few juicy pieces they can plug into their story or lead it off with.

5.  Timing is everything. Know whether you have a time sensitive story (Valentine’s day gifts for your X) vs. an evergreen story (5 tips to get in the best shape of your life).  Be aware of and sensitive to the news cycles of the media you’re pitching, be ahead of the curve (but no too far ahead), be relevant and be timely.  This is not always easy to ascertain, but it makes all the difference in whether their ears are peeled or glazed over when you pitch.

6.  Don’t forget online. A lot of people will focus on the big platform opportunity and pursue the big television or radio shows.  Most media has an online presence too and often they need fresh content to drive people there as well.  Be sure to mention anything that you can offer for their site as well.

7.  When they call, jump! If you’re serious about working with the media, you need to be extremely responsive to them when they come knocking.  Call them back or email (based on their instructions) as soon as humanly possible.  If they don’t hear from you, or get you on their first call, rest assured they’ll move right on to find some else.

8.  Follow through. If a member of the media asks you for something (a book, and article, tips, a photo, etc.) don’t leave them hanging. They’ll forget about you or write you off.  The more reliable you are as a source, the more likely they are to use you again too.

9.  Be dynamic. Boring people make boring experts and guest.  If you have a personality, show it, amp it up to match the tone of the show or publication.  If you don’t, force yourself out of your shell or consider having someone else represent you to the press.

10.  Know your own material. Some journalist said that when they question authors about their own books, some stagger or forget details or stories in their own work!  If you’re going to position yourself as an expert, you’d better have the facts to back it up and be fluent in the subject matter you’re pitching or representing.  It all goes back to that issue of substance,  credibility and expertise that we wrote about in a recent post.

A lot of people ask me why I keep going to these events.  “Continuous learning and networking”, I tell them.  Even though I’ve spent an entire career working with hundreds of journalists and have been featured in front of hundreds of millions, it’s not easy to stay fresh, relevant and connected…let alone for, urgh, 17 years, as I have.  (“Have”, “have tried”, “been hammering away” – whatever you want to call it!)

I’ll say it again, what ever stage in the game you’re at, keep challenging yourself to learn more, become more seasoned, and fine tune your packaging, delivery and messaging.  This holds true for just about all of us, in every situation, no matter what business or industry we’re in.

Learn to succeed with investors–from a guy who failed.

Shortly after my college graduation, a few friends and I started a new media company. Within a few weeks we fleshed out the concept, wrote a business plan and set out to seek financing. With a little hustle, I managed to get us a meeting with a well-known investment firm to discuss the opportunity. Even though our business had yet to bring in a single dollar, and none of us had ever been the CEO of coffee shop let alone a multi-million dollar enterprise, we were all confident that we had a sure thing on our hands. After all, our financial projections forecasted gross revenues of $200 million. What investor could say no to that?

We’d be rich. All we needed to do was raise a small amount of capital–$15 million.

I remember thinking, “How hard could it be?” We were obviously, naïve, foolish and delusional.

There was one small problem with our plan. None of us had any idea how to pitch an investor. So I did what any clueless entrepreneurial upstart would do: Google searched “how to pitch an investor”.

Nothing that I read online could have prepared me for what was to come. We would quickly find out that our presentation was doomed before we ever set foot into the meeting. In reality, it was doomed before we started writing the business plan.

At the beginning of the meeting one of the investors asked me to hand him a one-page executive summary review. I hadn’t prepared a summary, so I handed him the first 11 pages out of the binder encasing my 95-page business plan. Strike one.

Less than four slides into my 32-slide presentation, the second investor interrupted me and said, “OK. Stop. I get it. You definitely don’t need $15 million.”

Defending our business plan, I overconfidently replied: “It can’t be done for less.”

“Really? It can’t be done, huh?” he responded with a smirk masking a hint of laughter. Strike two.

Both of the investors then proceeded to hit us with a barrage of questions:

“How much money have you personally put into your business? Anywhere near $15 million?”

“How can you possibly substantiate gross revenues of $200 million in year three?”

“Why are you trying to produce, market and distribute 10 products at the same time before you see if a single one sells at all?”

The questions went on and on. None of our answers were favorable. Strike three.

As you might have guessed, I didn’t walk out of that meeting with a $15 million check. I later realized, however, that this was one of the greatest educational experiences of my young career. I learned more about real-world fundraising in 30 minutes than many entrepreneurs learn in a lifetime. To this day, whenever I pitch investors for capital, I always remember these six hard-learned lessons:

1. Less is always more.

An elevator pitch is vital. Verbose presentations and lengthy explanations will not impress investors, and most likely will turn them off. Present your business in a manner that’s short, sweet and to the point. Investors need to be confident that your business will attract and retain customers. If they don’t grasp your concept in a short time span, they may presume that customers won’t understand it either.

2. Never hypothesize. Execute, execute, execute.

Inspire confidence with facts, not fiction. Most investors seek out low-risk businesses with proven managers that are as close to guarantees as possible. A company with cash flow, a track record and real-world experience has a better chance of getting investors than a business plan forecasting large returns. Find ways to test your business’s viability on a shoestring budget, and turn your idea into a functional business before you seek investment.

3. Leave the hockey sticks on the ice.

Excite investors about your big picture, but be reasonable and responsible. Avoid hockey stick projections. Respectable investors will not take you seriously if you present them with nonsensical financial graphs that claim your company’s revenues will grow from $100,000 to $50 million in three years. Show investors that you have a grasp on reality with three versions of financial projections: best case, moderate case and worst case. Base each of these models on facts, past and present performance data, industry and competitor analyses and a series of well-thought-out, defendable assumptions.

4. Learn to love discount stores.

Being cheap is chic. In an age where spending is out of control, you’ll need to prove that you are a fiscally responsible manager who knows how to get the most out of a buck. Give yourself wiggle room in your operations and marketing budgets, but avoid being excessive. Never ask for a large salary or big-budget perks. Investors want you to be in a position where everything is on the line.

5. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Your business won’t be either.

Investors are wary of funding over-eager businesses that seem destined to bite off more than they can chew. Before asking for millions of dollars to fund 50 divisions and hundreds of product lines, prove how well you can create, manage and fulfill demand for a single product. Demonstrate that your business can crawl before you say it can walk. Perfect your marketing tactics, sales strategies and operational procedures. Investors appreciate companies with sustainable step-and-repeat business models that are poised for exponential growth. Remember, even Google’s success is based on a single product.

6. Choose not to be the smartest person in the room.

Know what you know, know what you don’t know and find the people who know what you don’t know. Build a team of credible experts. The smartest leaders in the world are those who surround themselves with smarter people. Investors are funding a management team as much as they are investing in a great business concept.

Are you a young entrepreneur with a unique venture? Email Scott about it at pitchme@askgerber.com.

Scott Gerber is Entrepreneur Magazine’s Young Entrepreneur columnist, CEO of Gerber Enterprises and founder of AskGerber.com. Visit AskGerber.com to find out how your business can get featured in Scott’s new book, Never Get A Real Job. For information on speaking engagements, media appearances or Gerber Enterprises’ portfolio of businesses visit www.GerberEnterprises.com. Follow Scott on Twitter @askgerber.

Truth: Most people never become what they could be. Without a definite purpose or ambition, they cruise along in life, tackling what’s easy with great aplomb, saving what’s difficult for another day that never comes. When obstacles become too tough, too inconvenient or seemingly insurmountable, they give up, then resign themselves to the fact that success wasn’t meant for them.

Obstacles – nasty as they may be – are really nothing more than giants on the road to your goal. Giants pop up to test you, to strengthen you and – more often than not – to make you prove you’re ready for what you want in the first place. (Some people say that giants are a sign that you’re on the right path.)

No matter what you do in life, how you handle giants will ultimately determine how successful you become.

Be warned, however: Giants are clever. They come disguised as a lack of time, funds, education, contacts, resources…you name it. There’s a garden variety to choose from, all giants nonetheless. Perhaps the greatest giant of all is insecurity, i.e., who am I to do that? Don’t allow yourself to get intimated by big projects and paralyzed into inaction. Whenever feelings of doubt of insecurity creep in, recognize it for what it is – fear – and then get out of your own way. (Note: The more giants you tackle, the easier they become to defeat.)

The key to conquering fear is not to try and banish it completely (which is impossible), but to deal with it. Use it. Turn your fear into focus. No matter what the situation, if you take the spotlight off of yourself (how is this going to make me look?) and put it on the task at hand (what would really make this project outstanding?), you’ll have an easier time moving forward.

“Focus is bringing everything you have to what you want and cutting off everything else.”

~Advertising Legend Mary Wells Lawrence

Emily Bennington is the author of Effective Immediately: How to Fit In, Stand Out, and Move Up at Your First Real Job. She hosts a popular blog for career newbies at www.professionalstudio365.com and can be found on Twitter @EmilyBennington or via email at ebennington@msn.com.

OMG, my neighbor won a Grammy award this Sunday!

As you can imagine, I’m psyched beyond words for her and immediately wanted to celebrate her life changing career success with you all here at YoungandSuccessful.com….because well, that’s what we do, but also, because I thought you’d all appreciate the little taste of this experience up close and personal.

Living in Los Angeles is a pretty surreal existence. Sometimes it’s a little over the top, often it’s fascinating (mostly due to the crazy characters who reside here), frequently it’s perplexing (attitudes, values, paradigms, etc.) but the real reason most live here is for the unbeatable lifestyle – the relaxed atmosphere, the beauty, the beaches, the amazing weather.  Sure some come to be discovered, others to escape the cold, and the rest in search of a better life.

Anna Joseph moved to LA from Minnesota to launch her career in the entertainment industry like countless others.  For the past few years, she’s been a wiz at producing commercials and more recently started to take on some other projects – one of which was a music video.  Long story short, the “Boom Boom Pow” video featuring the Black Eyed Peas was in part, her creation.  And Sunday, they took home the Grammy for Best Music Video.

As I watched the awards that night (with my other favorite neighbor) I couldn’t help but look beyond the glitz, the glamour and the stage show that was put on to celebrate and publicize it all.  When Taylor Swift talked about what it was like to be a kid in high school dreaming the impossible – to one day win a Grammy – then experience it actually happening that night, she reminded millions around the world that many on that stage have had journeys similar to ours.  She ruminated about how those of us who start out all filled with fire and ambition, hungry to succeed, are all told at some point or another that much of what we dream of is unreachable…but clearly it’s not.
Listening to Taylor was a reminder of that.  But helping Anna get ready for the actual Grammy’s herself was the best proof I could ever imagine.  And I really wanted to remind you all of that.  These kinds of successes really do happen.

Anna is the sweetest, nicest, most considerate, professional and talented person you could meet.  She’s real, authentic and dedicated to giving everything she can to everything she does.  She’s one of those people that you hope experiences a success like this…but still, you never dream it will actually happen.  And yet, it does sometimes!

For the past month our building has been a buzz with getting her ready – dresses, hair, makeup, planning.  Her sisters and niece and father flew into town this weekend.  Everyone else at home huddled by their televisions with bated breath.  Those in town got all dressed up, went to the parties, escorted her to the awards show, bit their nails as they waited for the category to be called, then were right by her side when it all happened.  Totally surreal.

I know you don’t all personally know her, but I wanted you to share in this experience because it’s important for us all to see come to life.  All this hard work, the late nights, the pain, the suffering, the dedication, the commitment…is worth it.  Not always, but often enough to make the effort worth it.  Plus, how much more exciting are our journey’s than everyone else’s?  We lead these crazy lives because we want more out of life and we’re all curious to to see just how far we can go.

As you’re thinking about your path so far and all the things you aspire to do, take a look at this video and put yourself in Anna’s shoes. It is possible.  This level of success can be yours.  Anna is living proof.

It’s that time again—time to usher in a brand new year. No matter what you did or didn’t do in the past, you can turn the calendar page and begin again. Start your job search fresh with a cover letter that will result in an interview for the career you’ve dreamed about.

Even in a tight economy, people are being hired every day. You can be one of them. Businesses need qualified individuals who are professionally trained, experienced, and ready to step into a wide range of jobs—from A to Z.

Blow away the competition this year with a unique cover letter that commands attention.

Adopt a Winning Strategy

A well-crafted job search cover letter has three tried and true ingredients and you can include them in your letter as easily as anyone else. Here they are, yours for the taking.

Make it SHORT: Thank you for posting your need for a bookkeeper on CareerJimmy.com. With five years of experience in this field for my previous employer, I feel well qualified to fill this position and would welcome the opportunity to interview.

Keep it SIMPLE: I’ve received two company awards for my skills and performance. I understand the importance of taking responsibility for the job assigned, holding myself accountable to my superiors, and being a team player with my co-workers.

Be SINCERE: I would love the opportunity to interview for this position. I want to learn more about your excellent company and then show you how I can do my part to help achieve your goals.

Help employers do their work by putting your name and experience in front of them.

Think of the hiring manager as a good friend, joining you for lunch after a round of golf or a workout at the gym. Keep your writing short, simple, and sincere and you will be noticed.

Avoid a Losing Strategy

Notice the difference between the previous examples and this one that is filled with clutter, confusion, and camouflage…

“Regarding your posted listing on CareerJimmy.com I am taking time today to respond to that listing in hopes that you will take some time to consider me for the job of bookkeeper, given that I have five years of doing this type of work for the employer I used to work for before I saw your listing. I hope you will decide to interview me, although I realize there are other people hoping to win this job. If you want I can provide you with more information about my qualifications. Just ask. Please consider me for this job. I have been unemployed for the past six months and need to get to work soon.”

Salute the New Year!

Read your cover letter aloud—preferably to someone you trust for honest feedback. Then kick the clutter, confusion, and camouflage off the page! And turn to short, simple, and sincere. Be yourself. That’s the person a hiring manager is eager to meet. When you hear your unique voice on the page, you’ll know you’re there.

Then lift your glass and tip your hat to the New Year with expectation and excitement. It’s going to be a great 2010 for you, perhaps one that will change your life and career in ways you’ve never imagined. And all because you took the time to write an amazing job search cover letter that will have a future employer raising his glass to yours (and inviting you in for a job interview).

Happy New Year and happy job hunting!

Jimmy Sweeney is the president of CareerJimmy and author of the new, Amazing Cover Letter Creator. Jimmy is also the author of several career-related books and writes a monthly article titled, “Job-Search Secrets.”

Visit Jimmy on the web at Amazing Cover Letters.com for your ‘instant’ cover letter today. In just three and a half minutes you will have an amazing cover letter guaranteed to cut through YOUR competition like a hot knife through butter!

Just because we’re at the end of January doesn’t mean were letting you off the hook with your resolutions just yet. You may already be into the groove of the new year, but odds are there are still many things you can do to set yourself up for great success this year! Here are a few tips to keep you in the strongest state of mind:

1. Surround yourself with success
“Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future,” is a great saying because it’s true! The people and influences we surround ourselves with play a huge role in how we think, act and form our own aspirations.  Rearrange your environment to include more positive, proactive, prosperous, generous and happy people.

2. Commit to making this your best year yet
Banish the doom and gloom attitude of ‘09!  All that fear and pessimism is barely going to get you by, let alone help you knock things out of the ball park.  Switch up your attitude to expect success.  Plan for it.  Build your daily life and plans around achievement and doing what you need to to get to the next level.  Reject status quo.  Instead, make it your fall back plan.

3. Solidify your career plan
If you’re not already committed to a well thought out path, stop RIGHT NOW and look at where you are, what your options are, and be more strategic with every new step you take.  Stop wasting time!  Get a grip now on how to leverage your talents, interests and style to make work something you love and are excited to talk about.  For free help, YSN’s Career Planning tool will help you discover your best path to success in as little as 20 minutes!

4. Show your appreciation
Tell the people you love that you do more often.  Articulate your admiration for your mentors, tell your neighbors how grateful you are for their kindness. As for clients, colleagues, managers, employers, don’t forget how critical they are to your survival and success.  Let them know how much you appreciate their trust and commitment in you and your company.  Little emails, notes, texts, calls and quiet conversations over coffee can really make someone’s day and reinforce your relationships.

5. Combat stress with healthier habits
Next time you feel sluggish, frustrated, fired up or depressed, pass on that third cup of coffee and take a walk around the block, go for a jog, hit the gym, cut up some fresh fruit, nibble on some protein, down a bottle of water, of just put some headphones on and listen to music you love with your eyes closed for a bit.  Not only will you get away from the stress for a few minutes, but you’ll feel stronger when you get back, and you’ll remind yourself that subtle little things you can do like this do make a difference, not just personally but professionally too.

6. Stockpile your options
Opportunity truly is everywhere.  Today, more than ever, you need to have a solid idea of your options so you’re prepared for anything.  Don’t let life or the economy sideswipe you or knock you around like tennis shoes in a dryer.  By lining up opportunities and having backup plans at the ready, you’ll feel more confident, less vulnerable, make smarter choices, and start to pay more attention to what really makes you happy and gets you closer to your goals.

7. Get your career on the fast track
Did you know that every day you have the opportunity to do little things that can make a significant difference in your success? That if you get a better grip on how to best position yourself, package your experience, and build your credibility, people will pay more attention to you and treat you with more respect?  If you surround yourself with experts, advisors, and mentors you’ll make smarter decisions.  If you arm yourself with the right information and insights, you’ll be smarter and probably make more money. Let us show you how with our NEW  Fast Track to Success: 30 Days to Transform Your Life and Career Program!

8. Plan things to look forward to
Looking onward and upward keeps us moving forward and helps maintain our excitement and enthusiasm for what’s to come.  Make plans to go check out a big conference or seminar you’ve been reading about.  Organize a get together with a bunch of friends who really inspire you. If you’ve been working like a dog, schedule a sleep day to shut off your phone, stay in bed, nap, watch movies and rejuvenate.  Set a goal to achieve with a deadline so you can go celebrate when you hit it.

9. Become a tourist in your own town
Start to enjoy your own surroundings more.  It doesn’t matter where you live.  Start to explore like you’re new in town.  Go check out the sites, restaurants, even libraries or theme parks that you haven’t seen or been to in a while. Drag a friend along with you and have a blast.  Find a new appreciation for the place you call home and the fascinating and funny characters who live in your city, town, village or neighborhood.

10. Build your community, build your career
Getting involved in local causes, charities, fundraisers and committees can not only help you make an impact in your own backyard, but you’ll make some great friends and connections too.  Rallying behind a cause (whether local, national or global) gives you a very special opportunity to work with community leaders, entrepreneurs, corporate execs and other special people you might never have met.  Joining forces with them builds unity, camaraderie and a real sense of community.  Best of all you can make a difference in the lives of others…and the rush you get from that is second to none.

It’s just a fact of life that some people get past the velvet ropes of business and others don’t. The good news is that if you consistently find yourself on the outside looking in, the only thing preventing you from getting past the gate is your relevance to the gatekeeper. And by gatekeeper, I mean those people you want and/or need to know. Think about that for a second.

Odds are, the people on your list are in a position to help you get something you want. This is because, for the most part, we gravitate towards relationships that bring value to ourselves, i.e., we judge others based on their relevance to us.

Once you understand this, all you have to do is figure out a way to become relevant to the people you’d like to know better. Make them NEED YOU for something, be that an important project, task, or even just a sounding board on their favorite hobby.

Example: Say you’re an entry-level exec trying to make friends on a new job. You learn that Sara in Cubicle D is a travel buff who backpacks through Europe every summer. You spent a semester in Madrid. Ta-da.

Better example: Say you’re an entry-level exec trying to get noticed on a new job. You learn the president of your company is on the Board of the local YMCA. You volunteer for a steering committee. Now, every third Thursday of the month you and the bigwig are partnering on projects from soccer tourneys to scholarship programs.

If your not “getting” as much as you’d like from your career, think about how much you’re giving.

Emily Bennington is the author of Effective Immediately: How to Fit In, Stand Out, and Move Up at Your First Real Job. She hosts a popular blog for career newbies at www.professionalstudio365.com and can be found on Twitter @EmilyBennington or via email at ebennington@msn.com.

I always wanted to be both an entrepreneur and writer. Which is what led me to start Literary Magic, an online literary magazine. I was only 15 at the time and was heading into an industry known for thick competition and thinner business plans, but I used my verve and love for writing and words to distinguish my creation from the rest. So was born Literary Magic, the first online source for literati of all parts: short stories and literature combined with linguistics and etymology.

Literary Magic is like a story to me. Like my life, it’s had its up and downs. Successes and failures. But now our traffic has grown and our name has begun to establish itself within the minds of literati and bibliophages (people who “consume” books at a ludicrous rate). We receive hundreds of submissions a year and dozens of book review requests. What started as an idea for a website has been transformed into a thriving venture. Now I’m working on turning it into a profitable business, utilizing a three-pronged business model of advertising, consulting and e-commerce.

I first got started with Literary Magic by following my passions. At 12 I wrote my first book. That took three years. My second book took three days. Sound crazy? Well, if there’s a will there is a way. This led to me to explore other aspects of the English language, which birthed Literary Magic. Since then, I have written over 200 articles and reviews on language and business, received the Attorney General’s Triple C Award and won my high school’s English literature award.

But my passions took me further. Only six months after working on Literary Magic, the former New York Times columnist William Safire dubbed me a “word maven.” A few weeks later, I was invited to intern with The McGraw-Hill Companies to work with their Online Media team.

The most important things I have learned from my experiences is to never give up and that while there is no formula for success, one method that works for me is the equation “Idea + Implementation = Success. Ideas are nothing if you do not persist and put in the effort to make it happen.

I have also gotten a taste of the incredible amount of effort that goes into running a website and managing people. However, from this experience I have improved my communication and marketing skills.

Today, as I start college,  I still run Literary Magic as CEO and Editor-in-Chief, with a staff of six editors, two dozen staff writers and a couple of web technicians. It has transformed into Reichman Media, which will serve as my platform for all future web ventures. I’m trying to both build a business model and expand the readership of Literary Magic. I also do marketing as CMO for robotics and electronics startup Narobo. I have interned with McGraw-Hill for 4 years and I am working on my third novel. When I’m not working on business, I write and tap dance.

But to me, entrepreneurship isn’t just a career choice. It’s way of life.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions about writing or entrepreneurship or if you just want to connect. I love meeting fellow entrepreneurs and writers!

Launchpad is a new career search strategy guide, which was just released on Amazon and will be published quarterly by our good friend Chris Perry. Chris is the founder of CareerRocketeer.com a fantastic resource blog for career development and personal branding!

Launchpad is a collection of articles by some of the top career advancement and branding experts in the industry. You’ll find great articles such as:

“Irrational Fear and Your Job Search,”

“8 Hot Tips for Today’s Executive Resume 2.0″

and a very special article titled “Many Roads Lead to Success” by Jen Kushell.

According to Chirs, “in this economy and job market, professionals are actively seeking new and creative ways to stay on top of their job search efforts or to increase their job security; however, there are so many different books, blogs and articles from so many different experts and authors for professionals and career seekers to consider.

Our goal with Launchpad is to bring together short, relevant and actionable articles and tips from the industry’s top experts into a powerful “one-stop-shop” career search and personal branding resource to save job seekers time, energy and sanity in their pursuit of their next job opportunity.

I am proud to say that this first volume does just that, covering today’s hot job search topics including: resume optimization, interviewing, personal branding, career search strategizing, relationship building, professional networking, the use of web 2.0 search tools, and much more!”

Launchpad is available now on Amazon, click here to purchase!