Marco Johnson, 38, a firefighter from Lancaster, Ca. saw too many deaths in his profession that could have been prevented if someone at scene had taken action. He began offering medical training classes in 1997, teaching first aid and CPR. His wife, Sandra, organized time and place and secured students for him as well. In last seven years, demand has increased and he now employees 42 staff members and certifies 8,000 people per year in CPR and first aid. What started out as offering classes each week has exploded into Antelope Valley Medical College which now offers certification programs for medical assistants, vocational nurses, paramedics, and EMTs. The projected sales for 2004 are estimated to be close to $7.5 million.

Carmel Sullivan felt isolated and alone after her sudden divorce, and attempted to find a roommate, preferably a single mother like herself. She found that no service existed to help her, so she placed her own ad and eventually found a match. This gave her idea to help other woman like herself who were in similar circumstances. She found that there were 14 million single mothers many who were struggling financially and emotionally. She decided to create a web site with member profiles dedicated to helping single mothers look for roommates. The web site also offers a “Circle of Friends” page where members can go to get support. How does she earn an income doing this? She has over 4,800 users who pay a $30 annual fee for membership. That adds up to $144,000. Her business has been featured on CBS News, Good Morning America and Inside Edition. Her web site can be found at www.co-abode.com.

Remember what Mark Twain said, "Work and Play are words used to describe same thing under different circumstances." Resolve today to make this a reality in your life!

To access links in this article, visit www.careercalling.com/Archives.htm and read March 25, 2005 edition.

4. “My boss is extremely critical.” The only way they interpret their boss is pleased is in absence of nit picking.

3. “I get ideas lobbed at me with little clarity and I have to figure out what is really wanted.” Staff is caught between a rock and a hard place and doesn’t know target of task or have a clear idea of what needs to get done.

2. “I don’t have sufficient resources to get job done.” Fitting 10 pounds of stuff into a five pound bag is pretty tough. Imagine you’re ten pounds and have to get squeezed in there! Staff often believes they have inadequate resources to get a job done.

And number one reason your staff wants to quit:

“My company is grossly underpaying me.” Show me money! Staff can read job ads online and learn what their real value is. As much as they may love you and their work, eventually people realize they need to pay their bills and start to think of leaving.

Your staff, ones you are mistreating or taking for granted are your competition’s staffing solution (just as theirs is for you). Rather than taking their continued employment for granted, motivate them, excite them, coach and encourage them and they will go do anything for you (at almost any price).

Jeff Altman Concepts in Staffing jeffaltman@cisny.com

© 2004 all rights reserved.

Jeff Altman is Managing Director with Concepts in Staffing, a New York search firm. He is also a certified leader of the ManKind Project and a practicing psychotherapist.

For additional job hunting or hiring tips, go to http://www.newyorkmetrotechnologyjobs.com