Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with business and work

What metrics are sales professionals guided by?

Anonymous — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:27:00 -0800

What metrics are sales professionals guided by? Working with my sales manager to help redefine how inside and outside salespeople should be compensated and reviewed.

Everything from leadership to new accounts to call metrics to closed business... how does your business (or your competitors) judge the success of your sales force?

[Also, if you have any articles of interest or website recommendations, it would be just as valuable.]

backpack be gone ...

ouchitburns — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:16:28 -0800

Help me find the get rid of my backpack! I am a student, but one of those older professional students, and I keeps catching glimpses of myself in windows with my huge backpack and I grimace.

I should no longer have a backpack.

So, I need a bag that I can bring to school and work placements. It needs to be:

1) Functional - (it should be able to carry at least one textbook and binder, and have room for the equivalent of a thin jacket.

2) Strong - my textbooks are heavy and it needs to be able to handle that.

3) Sleek - I want this to grow old with me so it needs to be of classic style.

4) Waterproof - would be nice. Not completely necessary.

I am in Vancouver, BC, Canada. I am willing to spend up to $250.

I like the look of these, but they should be used as a starting point rather than a rule.

http://jkontherun.blogs.com/photos/the_man_bag/man_bag_front.jpg
http://www.bagsnob.com/images/DiorManBag.jpg

Thanks!

What's in it for me?

jasondigitized — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 08:54:23 -0800

How do I get coworkers to spend quality time with me? I am starting a new gig as a business analyst, and will be trying to convince strangers that they should meet with me to tell me about their jobs, needs, and requirements. After that I have to also get them to review the documentation I will create. What tactics have / would you use to get quality results from people who are busy and don't know you from Adam?

What's it like to own a business?

btkuhn — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 18:09:52 -0800

What's it like to own a business? Hi,
I have long been interested in owning and running my own business. I have never taken any steps towards doing so, but my financial situation is pretty good and I'm interested in exploring the idea. I'd like to read accounts of "normal" people who started their own business, purchased a business, or opened a franchise. Success stories, failures, whatever. Can you suggest books, websites, or anything else that would fit the bill?

Need resources on 'peer coaching' at work.

Anonymous — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 07:36:14 -0800

Need resources on 'peer coaching' at work. Been asked to take a stronger leadership role on a global (NA and EU) sales team. My peers and I all report directly to my boss, though my position is the senior of all team members.

My boss' request is to develop a leadership plan for 3rd Quarter 2009 for my team members in order to show that I could one day hold a more senior role... one that they might then report to.

I want to make this a group plan -- one that applies to myself as well as my peers. I want to ensure that I'm not condescending in both the presentation and the content of the plan.

Any suggestions MeFi? Any good articles, links, books I could look to?

Passive income stream which covers your mortgage

lilyflower — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 04:23:43 -0800

What would you do if you had a passive income stream which covered your mortgage? I would like people to consider the following situation and give us their opinions on what they would do. We would like to hear how MeFi's out there would respond to having a similar financial position to the one I am going to describe below. This is one that my husband and I are currently entering and although we have our own ideas on how we would like to proceed, we were wondering how different people would approach the same circumstance.

My husband has developed a passive income stream which has consistently brought in enough money to cover our mortgage (approximately $2200 per month). We both work and prior to this passive income stream we still had enough money to cover all of our monthly expenses and save. We have an idea of how we would like our life to pan out, but we are really interested to know how other people might behave given our situation.

Would people turbo charge their pensions, pay off their mortgage faster, rent out their house while they move to different countries and work while they travel, have a child and one spouse no longer works, go part time and earn enough to cover the remaining bills?

I would like to clarify that this question does not concern the long term viability of the passive income stream. I will be happy to clarify my question further but please remember this is more about what you would do with your life given this income stream.

When to apply for a job?

firei — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 15:25:16 -0800

I'm graduating from college in May and will be entering the real world. I need a job, but how early should I start applying? Help!

I'm all set to graduate this coming May. I need a job once I graduate, and I've begun looking on Monster.com, in my local newspaper, Craigslist, and through my school.

I've found a couple of jobs I'm interested in, but they seem to be looking for applicants who can start within the next month or so - this is not me.

My question to the hive mind is this: when should I start sending my resumes out? Is it too soon to start applying? (And, if I do send out my resume, should I mention in my cover letter that I want to start in May?)

I'm conflicted, because I have friends who already have positions lined up, but others are telling me that it's silly to apply five months early.

(If it helps:

*I'm graduating from Fordham University, with a Bachelor's of Science in Business Administration, with a concentration of Entrepreneurism.
*I've got a fairly solid resume and a 3.7 GPA.
*I'm looking to work in the Westchester/Putnam County, NY area, or nearby.
*I'm primarily looking for marketing work, but I'm flexible/desperate.)

How do i get a job in Africa with a Multinational company

Dino Nino — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 22:00:08 -0800

Current MBA student , looking to work with a multinational company in Africa. Looking for an entry position in business development, marketing and sales and consultation. Fluent in French and English. I will appreciate any links, contacts or advice Thanks Dino

How much should I tell when resigning?

alpha_betty — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:55:06 -0800

How much should I tell the boss upon resignation from a very messy situation? For two years, I have worked in a very small office consisting of 4 people until recently, and now it's down to two: the boss and me. The entire time I've been there, our office has held a contract from an outside agency to provide a specific service. This contract provided jobs for 2 people until it expired at the end of last month. When it expired, it gave my office and anyone else in the community the opportunity to bid on the contract.

We did not win it, but one of the contracted employees in this office won it for herself and is now in business on her own under the contract. This has impacted the money flow to my office significantly, and I would be surprised if my position stayed intact with full-time hours. I have many issues with my boss and the way he runs the office; now with just the two of us here I have more unpleasant face-time with him.

Here's where it gets interesting: The ex-coworker now in business for herself has offered me a position with her new business (which is under contract, remember, and offers a specific number of hours per week for two years). I would be working about 20% fewer hours per week and getting paid comparably to what I am currently. It offers the same benefits.

I am getting ready to hand in my resignation to the boss, but I know that when I do, he'll ask me where I'm headed. How much should I divulge? Should I be flighty in order to make things easier on myself before I'm done (boss and the board at my current job are understandably bitter toward this ex-employee), or should I buck up and tell the whole truth?

[Just for the sake of clarification, I am not asking IF I should quit - if I wasn't going with this opportunity, I'd be looking for another one. There are plenty of reasons to get out of my current job even without the new offer.]

How can I work for myself?

Hellafiles — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 08:16:42 -0800

Help me build my sales empire! So I've been in sales for the majority of my working life. I've been mostly involved in selling to customers via the telephone, calling on "C-level" individuals and selling software etc. I've had about every good job in town, and currently work in the telesales department of a software company where I've made between $100-134K per year since 2004.

I have come to the realization that I would like to work for myself somehow. I would really like to get my own small office space, or even work from home and sell my "own" products. I figure that I'm currently selling millions of dollars of someone else's product a month, and if I could somehow find a service or product that I own or offer I could make a nice business for myself. I just have no idea what it would be.

I know the economy is in shitter right now, and I should probably just be glad that I'm making good money. But I'm reaching out to you guys for suggestions on what types of products or services I could sell for myself and make bigger bucks.

I don't want to sell insurance, or become a real estate agent / mortgage broker etc. I want to find some niche where I can become my own reseller or agent and take my sales skills to the next level with my own operation. Can anyone recommend any suggestions to me?

Suggestions for my new job or career?

springo — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 14:01:35 -0800

I've done some soul-searching, and I've come up with some ideas for new jobs or careers for myself, but I know there are other possibilities out there that I just haven't thought of yet. Based on my skills and interests, can you think of a great job or career for me? My three favorite skills are:

Creating unusual and hilarious new ideas quickly and spontaneously.

Deeply evaluating new ideas created by others and making recommendations on the best ones to use.

Enthusiastically adapting, experimenting with, applying, improving, and promoting other people's good ideas, particularly if the ideas aren't well-known.

My three favorite interests are:

Personal counseling and guidance: finding, integrating, and using new ideas

Entertainment: humor, oddity, and other forms of surprise

Writing

I have technical experience (computer programming and other work for fifteen years, project management) and creative experience as well (acting, music, and writing). I also love taking care of people--service and support jobs have suited me well in the past.

What career fields do my skills and interests suggest to you?

How does one get a start in the tourism / travel consultant business?

chrisinseoul — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:09:12 -0800

How does one get a start in the tourism / travel consultant business? Education or work experience? What kinds? More questions than answers, inside... Me: 26 years old, Business / Marketing Bachelor's degree, variety of business experience, love of traveling / writing about traveling (active blog about South Korea with thousands of hits), currently overseas in Seoul (see username), and trying to figure out how to get into a career of travel or tourism consulting. Currently working as an English teacher and trying to break free of teaching 6-year-olds in favor of something much more interesting. I find traveling fascinating, and often wonder why more people don't try it or do it on a more regular basis. Some other ideas include writing / reviewing about places I've visited (which doesn't seem like a feasible career, though it makes a hell of a blog)

Instead of helping people to get from point A to point B (as a travel agent might), I could see myself working with a local population for a given time (6 months, 1 year, 2 years) with the goal of creating tourism opportunities, easier time getting around / finding things, and so on. This may be done as part of a consulting firm, on my own, or simply on a contractual basis. Another term for this dream position might be a creative marketing consultant in the travel / tourism field.

While there are plenty of Master's degree programs available in Travel / Tourism Management (both online and physical schools), I'd rather not spend the money / time doing something considered irrelevant by having the work experience instead.

How does one get their foot in the door? Anecdotal stories are welcome, as are specific companies that work in this way. If anyone can help narrow down this seemingly broad field to a better title / career goal, your advice is appreciated as well.

What are the best printing companies in Manhattan?

Optimus Chyme — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 07:11:50 -0800

What are the best printing companies in Manhattan? I thought that of all questions, this would be the easiest to Google - but it seems like I can't find any letterpress printers uptown, and most of my results for printing in general are for Kinko's and such.

I'm looking for both offset and letterpress printing companies. Uptown is preferred, but I'll take anything reasonably close to there, including the other boroughs and NJ. Thank you!

How to stop torrents at work?

numlok — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 19:13:20 -0800

I'm sure this question will not make me the most popular student at the dance, but is there a way to identify (via IP) machines running BitTorrent clients within an internal network (ie. work)? My company has around 50 employees, and the old, "Please don't torrent at work" doesn't seem to be doing much good anymore. It brings our email and web browsing to a near standstill, and dropping by the "usual suspects" is not only tiresome, but doesn't seem to find all the sources of traffic any longer. Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

Business outfits for Tokyo's summer

clearlydemon — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:57:34 -0800

I'll visit Tokyo in late August to attend a training course. Business attire is recommended. Help! We'll visit some Japanese companies and I must dress appropriately, but I'm not used to business clothes. Also, I'm told the weather will be very hot and humid. What kind of clothes should I wear to make a good impression and not melt in the heat? Extra points for shoes and handbag tips.

Google says not to wear revealing clothes, and to be very formal. Would it be ok to wear a short sleeved fitted blouse?

I don't live in the US, so store recommendations are not helpful.

About me: I'm 28 years old (but look younger) and thin. I'm a graphic designer, and I usually wear casual clothes to work. I like to wear skirts and dresses, but I'm not a fan of high heels.

Looking for business books!

wordsmith — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 14:44:35 -0800

I've just accepted a full time (telecommuting, FWIW) position with a Fortune 50 company. What are some must-read business books? I'm looking for a whole swath of books ranging in topics from leadership and management to to dealing with office politics to humorous takes on working in a large corporation -- anything that I can learn from. What are the must-reads in this genre?

What are some of your positive, personal business practices?

drkrdglo — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:58:51 -0800

What are some practices/methods/things I can do to ensure a good rapport with my colleagues as well as establish myself as an outstanding employee? I just started working at my first full-time job out of college. The job is with a large internet company and it is nothing short of an absolute dream.

I am involved in a 8 month rotational program where I will start out working in client relations. After that eight month period I will be promoted, within reason, to nearly any position of my choosing (e.g.: account executive). Since the company is facing explosive growth, there will be some great career launching opportunities.

I'd consider my current work ethic as (fundamentally): resourceful, outgoing, and efficient. I'd like to build upon that foundation with some positive habits to help myself stand out. It would be great to hear some of your reflections on what really sparked your success at a company. Maybe some positive work related habits you might have picked up at the start of your career, or even some you realized throughout your career.

How can I work anonymously?

Anonymous — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 19:55:48 -0800

I have a good deal of experience as a phone sex operator. Recently, I decided I would like to go into business for myself rather than work for an agency. I don't think it's legally possible to incorporate anonymously, but still I'd like to keep my real legal identity as private as possible. Any tips? I'd like everything to be on the up-and-up financially/legally speaking, but since the phone sex business encourages obsessive behavior, it's absolutely crucial to hide any/all identifying information about me from even the most persistent clients. Is there any way for me to safely/legally go independent? Or am I doomed to give up more than half my income to a middleman forever?

Trying to brainstorm for a one-person business idea.

pinkbungalow — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:41:30 -0800

Help me think of a new business or career that can be started by one person with a small start-up budget? The more portable the better, and I hope to be able to support myself (not extravagently) with income from the business within 2 years. I have done this before starting a massage therapy business in FL that is now quite successful. I don't need to change the world, I just need something interesting and challenging to support myself until I retire in about 15-20 years. I am more of an idea and big-picture creative type than a detail or numbers person, but I am not averse to hard work. I do enjoy flexibility, travel, and living in a temperate climate. Start-up budget of $50k +/- Thank you!

What Could I Do With My 2009?

divabat — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 05:03:03 -0800

This year's my final year of my degree. My psychologist asked me if I had any plans for next year. My original plan fell apart, so now I don't really have anything. Hmm. What could I look into? So I didn't get shortlisted for the Danish KaosPilots. Ouch. I'm still sad about it, but I've had two weeks to brood about it and it's time to move on.

Since I had been so single-mindedly focused on that one goal for the past six months, I didn't really consider Plans B, C, and so on. (I did consider that it would be a possibility, but I didn't spend too much time on it.) I had been pretty worn out from all that preparation and planning, so I'm taking at least this month off from anything along the lines of "my future" and just do random things for a while. If something strikes me as interesting, I'd apply for it, but I won't devote much time or energy on it.

I do still have to think about next year though. This is my final year; I'm finishing off all my required subjects this sem and have 4 electives free next semester. Deciding what to do after university isn't really a clear-cut process, as there are a few complex factors that need to be considered.

While I don't think I'm quite ready to devote my entire life to one pursuit (like I did before), and I don't want to commit to something just yet, I'd like to explore my options and just take a look at what seems interesting.

I'm interested in young people, non-traditional education, culture, community work, and making a difference. What could I do? What could I explore?

Some ideas:

1. Apply for the KaosPilots in Rotterdam (The Netherlands) - it starts roughly around the same time as the Denmark school, but they seem a lot more excited about potentially having me (though I don't want to get my heart broken again!!)

2. Do a Masters or a Grad Dip in something - some courses that look interesting and are more the kind of stuff I'm interested in are the Non-Profit/Philantrophy stream in QUT's Business programs (though I'm ineligible because they're part-time); International Comparative Education and Policy, Organization, and Leadership Studies in Stanford; Arts in Youth and Community Development in Columbia College Chicago; SIT Graduate Programs; Humane Education. Possibly also education in general, social work, or counselling. I'd rather it be more experiential and real-world as I'm sick of academic writing and learn best by doing, but I'm not sure how to search out this information.

3. Get a job in Australia. The main problem here is visas - to be eligible for the 18-month bridging visa, my job has to pay me at least $40,000/year - next to impossible for entry level, especially in the creative industries/community services which are underfunded. The other option is to be sponsored by a company, but they need to have a lot of resources to prove that I'm better than any Australian candidate, and most of the companies that would otherwise be an excellent fit just can't afford to do so.

4. Get a job in Malaysia. No visa issues, but prospects are pretty low as there aren't as many opportunities.

5. Take some of my ideas and make them real (so this would also involve research on funding, project management, how I'll survive while I plan out my project...)

6. Apply for my dream job at UWP, if it's available

7. Take up the partial scholarship from The Scholar Ship and travel for a sem - might need to reapply though. Alternatively, travel on similar programs (though funding would be an issue)

8. Take up BrainStore's traineeship offer - 3 months in Switzerland. It's actually meant for this August but I could defer it.

9. Apply for a fellowship to something - I've applied to a couple that don't require much travel (and pay expenses if I have to). Sauve Scholars would be COOL. I'm not sure where to search for these though - most of the ones I find require you to already have a project in mind, but I want to find a project I can get involved with.

10. Stay at home, mooch off the parents. While desirable by my parents (who sometimes have Empty Nest Syndrome) I would be bored very quickly.

11. Travel, though this would eat up money mainly in visa fees (damn Bangladesh passport).

12. Do a second degree in something, or a random course that's more for fun than anything else

13. Try to be famous for...something.

As I've said before, I'm most interested in exploring possibilities than anything else, so feel free to toss me any suggestions - schools, programs, people, countries (particularly those not picky with visas), companies, visa advice, etc. Most of the best/most interesting ones tend to be US-specific, so anything that allows internationals would be best (e.g. an international City Year or Peace Corps).

If nothing else, just looking at all the ideas would get me a little more excited about life and lift me out from my dumps!

Thank you!

Help me define a job role or career path based on my interests.

PetiePal — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 15:45:01 -0800

What jobs or careers match my interests? I'm 25 years old, and I graduated in 2004. My major was in Information Studies in Technology. Since graduating I've worked for AIG, Pfizer, Nokia, Merck and a small hedge fund doing all sorts of different things from:

-running and managing help desks
-Systems Admin
-Junior Database Admin
-Server Admin
-Some minor VBScript work
-Hardware/software support
-PeopleSoft Admin
-Minor project management

My last contract ended in June of 2007. I've been job-searching and doing some freelance contracting in the meantime. I've been doing things like the Geek Squad or FireDog does, but I don't rip you off anything like they do. I'm really kind of at a crossroads in my life...I don't know what I want to do do for a living, and I haven't enjoyed that much what I've done so far. I've been job-searching online, through networking and personal contacts, and even gone as far as walking into HR departments all with no luck. This is the worst dry-spell I've had yet.

What I don't like:

-Programming/coding
-menial and monotonous work
-Cold-calling, or answering phones all day

What I do enjoy:

-Managing projects and people
-Improving processes
-Being creative
-Problem solving
-Teamwork
-Technology
-Writing
-Affecting change or making a difference

I've been trying to do a lot of soul-searching lately and considering a career-change, as the IT industry is being slammed by outsourcing and cheap contract workers. (I've been reading What Color Is Your Parachute and 48 Days To Your Dream Job, both highly recommended books)

I think a big issue is that I don't really know what further education could entail or lead it, as well as what kind of fields there are that would be relative to my interests. I love the idea of managing projects, or coming up with ideas of how to do things better, whether it's process-improvement, new products/technologies, or their applications to real-world situations. I love to write and I excel at that. I've always had an easy time explaining technical terms to the non-technical, and I'm very much not the stereotypical "no-social-skills" IT guy.

What I'm really asking are career fields or jobs/job descriptions that might match my interests. I'm really having trouble finding this out, and I think I'd have an easier time deciding what to do if I had a better idea what positions there were and what you do in them. I'm considering going to get an MBA or going into business, but that or a Masters would be futile if I don't even have a vague idea of the general area I want to work towards. I don't want to waste any more time in my life if I could be working towards, or doing, a job I really enjoy. All advice MOST appreciated.

How do I write a business proposal without coming across as a complete rube?

myodometer — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 05:17:04 -0800

I've never had to orchestrate a business proposal before, any suggestions? I've been working a really great job for the last two years, but I'm going back to school full-time and really need to make my degree my main focus. This job, however, has treated me very well and the recent hiring of a new director over me has only made things better at the office.

What I want to do is create some kind of written proposal outlining the fact that college graduates make X amount of dollars more over their lifetime than do non-degree holding employees. To that end, I'd like to notify my director of my intent to focus wholeheartedly on my studies but that I'd also be interested in scaling down my position to a part-time position with enough hours to maintain my health benefits.

In the past, I have proven to be able to work on a restricted schedule with no problems, but that was also when I wasn't juggling serious classes in my off-time. Would asking them for a raise be out of the question, too?

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to go about putting this into writing and presenting it without coming off like a douchebag? I am not really well-versed in the inner-workings of the corporate environment, so I don't really want to go into this completely uninformed. Any and all suggestions are welcome!

Looking for financing to start a small business

amysk — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 11:52:34 -0800

My husband has been given the opportunity to purchase a small business. He knows that the company will be sucessful. We need about $10,000 to start it up. Here is the problem: he has a great credit rating, but he is currently unemployed and we do not own a home to put up as collateral. Are there any creative financing solutions out there for him?

I have the face of a teenager

Anonymous — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 07:34:45 -0800

Can I have trimmed facial hair for work? I look so young without it and I feel really self conscious when I am clean shaven.... I am in my mid/late 20's and still haven't managed to gain that 'weathered' look that most men seem to have. I tend to combat this with a little bit of facial hair. I couldn't grow a proper beard (probably) but I do have reasonable amount of facial hair in the key areas.
Every once in a while though a business meeting comes up where I've felt like I should be clean shaven. The only trouble is I feel really, really self conscious when I have a clean face. I look pretty young (probably about 19/20) without 'stubble' and I'm very aware that's the sort of age I must appear to whoever I am meeting. I have a junior management position in London and I work with people probably generally 30-40. I'm so self-conscious without it and I can't seem to get around it, knowing that people must be judging my competency on how young I look. It affects the way I feel, speak and conduct myself.
Is some trimmed growth acceptable at work? Can I get away with it or should I just forever more sit, knowing I'm being judged at various meetings and black tie functions?

Land of Confusion

jmnugent — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 15:27:26 -0800

How do you cope when you seem to be surrounded on all sides by ineffectiveness and apathy ? I'm generally a pretty energetic, creative and passionate person who is full of ideas. I like to get out there and accomplish things and "make a difference". However lately I've noticed a growing trend that I'm surrounded by ineffectiveness and apathy --- to the point that no matter how hard *I* work.. or no matter how many great ideas *I* come up with... it doesnt make any difference because the combined weight of all the apathy around me smothers my efforts and means that I've wasted my time even trying.

For example, I just started a new job.. with a seemingly small innovative tech company.. but after a month or so of working there..I've accomplished very little. I've done alot -- but various projects I've worked on either got cancelled, put on hold.. or voted down by management which basically means I've wasted my time. I come up with new ideas almost daily.. but no one listens or takes them seriously.

I see a similar pattern in my personal life. Whether I'm out shopping or paying bills or hanging out with friends. People just dont seem to care about doing quality work. They only do whats barely necessary to "get the job done" and sometimes not even that. Nobody seems to think of how their actions might effect those around them.

So I'm not sure how to reconcile my inner desire to "make a difference" and "go above and beyond expectations".. when it seems like A) nobody else is.. and B) when I do, it ends up being wasted time because others are doing more harm than good.

(PS - I'm not trying to pat myself on the back.. nor am I depressed or trying to be "emo"... I'm just trying to figure out how I can live by my principles (make a difference, think of the other guy)..and not end up wasting my time and effort because the actions (or inactions) of others negate mine. )