Author: Scott Asai

…I probably wouldn’t go. What?! 

Most careers aren’t linear. That means there isn’t a straight/direct path to finding a job in most fields. 

Certain industries require a degree or amount of schooling to even qualify, so in those cases you have no choice. 

If you fall outside of medical, teaching, engineering, etc. your college degree isn’t worth much. 

Let’s take my situation as an example. I graduated with a B.A. in Psych and my first job out of college was as a Youth Pastor which had no correlation to my education. 

If I could do it all over again, these are the 3 areas I would focus on:

1) Building my Network. It’s all about who you know. Friends, and friends of friends, will find you a job. They’re instant referrals and immediately bridge the gap of trust. If you’re not reaching out to people you know, start. If you are, keep doing it and asking for more introductions.

2) Taking more Internships. There’s no way of predicting whether you’ll actually like or be good at something until you do it. Experience is the best teacher. Trying different jobs is a more productive way of identifying what you want to do than dreaming is.

3) Work in Sales. Arguably the most important skill in business. You can read/talk about it, but you’ll never get better at it unless you do it. Whether you want to work for someone or be your own boss, you have to learn how to sell your product, service and/or yourself. 

College sets you up for a few career options, but if it’s not a prerequisite for what you’re going to do after college, you’ve got to weigh the cost vs. benefits. College doesn’t prepare you for the real world. Experience in the real world prepares you. The three skills I mentioned above can be learned prior to college. No matter where you are in your career, follow this advice and you’ll significantly increase your chances to be employable. 

Side Note: As a career coach, I advise people not to apply for jobs online through third party sites like Monster, CareerBuilder & Indeed. You’d have better odds winning the lottery. In fact, studies show less than 1% get jobs through those sites. 

Everyone likes to eat at buffets. There are limitless choices and numerous times to return and try new things. What if I told you starting your own business is similar to eating at a buffet?

Your first plate is filled with all different kinds of foods you want to try. Most of them you enjoy, but some you don’t. To me, the best part of a buffet is your “return trip.” That’s where you skip the things you didn’t care for and get more of what you really liked.

The first business you try will be as a “fan.” You may not know much about the industry or your competition. Selling your product/service can be a huge challenge. You’ll underestimate how much work it takes to succeed. Some areas you’ll thrive in and other tasks will stifle you. The second time around you’ll choose a business you understand and sales will be your main focus. If you can’t map out a plan for massive sales, you won’t start it.

This point of this article isn’t to say you should try to fail the first time around. Instead, statistics show it’s very hard to succeed the first time you start a business. If you’re smart you’ll take what you’ve learned during the initial run and apply it towards your following businesses.

I’ve enjoyed being an entrepreneur, but there are so many mistakes I made the first time around. I loved what I was doing, but didn’t know how to sell it. With my second business, we study our competition, created a sales strategy and measure our progress frequently. The questions I ask now are different and moving forward only happens with a sound marketing plan. 

So keep fighting for your dreams and work hard to make them a reality. Your initial attempt will be much harder than you anticipated, but absorb what you are being taught through experiences and you’ll eventually get there!

Sure, I’m biased because I am one, but I’ll continue from my previous post to say your corporate job isn’t as safe as it appears. 

Working for a large company gives you the illusion of security, but you could easily be let go tomorrow.

Everyone desires at least partial control of their lives and if you own a business, you have more of it.

What differs mostly from being an entrepreneur is: you don’t have guaranteed income regularly and you have to learn how to sell. 

It’s a skill set much different than what you’ve learned in school. Not only are you selling a product or service, but you’re selling yourself.

Is it challenging? Yes. Can anyone do it? No.

In fact you’ll work longer hours and get paid less initially. If you’re willing to accept that, continue moving ahead.

What’s not true is that it’s highly risky. Anything you do has an amount of risk. For example, there’s a higher risk that you can get in a car accident than crashing while flying in a plane, but almost everyone drives daily. 

I look at it in another way. Would I rather risk and try or not and regret it for the rest of my life? This isn’t as much about risk as it is about effort. If you quit your job and start a business, it’s probably not the smartest decision to make (I made it myself), but as long as you try new things, not repeat the same mistakes over and connect with people who have done it before, you’ll eventually get there. 

Entrepreneurship even makes you look at failure differently. Talk to any successful entrepreneur and they can tell you 10 times the amount of mistakes they’ve made to the few successes they’ve achieved. Failure becomes your teacher as long as you implement the lessons it teaches you.

So as you ponder your next idea to pursue, instead of asking yourself why you should do it, ask why not?

It’s becoming a reality for EVERYONE.

The skill set that college should teach, but doesn’t is: how to SELL.

The days of corporate security are over. Pensions, 401K’s and retirement funds are rapidly disappearing. That means you can’t put all your eggs (hope, money, dreams, etc.) in one basket.

All your ideas for a side business need to be implemented NOW. 

If you currently have a job, you can lose it overnight…
If you’re unemployed, it can last a long time…
If you’re an entrepreneur, you have to keep evolving…

This isn’t meant to scare you, but motivate you to start DOING.  

What do you have a passion for?
What experience(s) in the past has prepared you for the future?
How can you make money doing it?

Everyone wants to follow their dreams, but you need to figure out a way to get paid to do them.

I’m not telling you to quit your job and pursue you passion now. 
Instead start researching, testing and networking in the industry you want to be in. 
Get some experience, even if it’s not paid, so you can learn what your customers want. 

If you do your homework now, you’ll reap the benefits of your “side hustle” becoming your main thing. 
Good luck and get started NOW!

Most would answer no, but in life there are a lot of “rear view mirror” drivers…

Let’s use driving your car as a metaphor for life. It makes sense to focus on what’s in front of you and be aware of your surroundings while “driving.” What’s in front and around you takes precedence over what’s behind.

The past can help you learn from your mistakes and give you context for making better decisions, but dwelling on it can destroy you. Successful people don’t sulk about their past. They recognize it and move forward. How do you know if your past is guiding you? See how often you repeat making the same mistakes over and over again.

People who live in the past make excuses. They play victim to their circumstances. They believe they have no control over what will happen next. The problem is they choose to believe all of the above is true. When you create a self-fulfilling prophecy about yourself usually it comes to fruition.

If you want to escape your past and move into your future, you’ve got to stop looking in the rear view mirror for answers. Your ability to “move on” is determined by your perspective.

Don’t be a prisoner of your past. Be present and focus on the future. It’s your choice where to look while you’re “driving.” What direction are you headed towards?

There’s nothing worse than functioning by insanity (doing the same thing over and expecting different results). If you’re willing to fail, then success isn’t too far ahead.

Innovation, in its most foundational form, is the introduction of something new (e.g., a new idea, method, or device).

• Innovation changes the current situation into a preferred one. Innovation is not simply the act of adding a new idea on top of previous ones, especially those that created the problems in the first place. Rather, it’s an endeavor to create a new reality that breaks through our current roadblocks to the future that we desire.
• Innovation requires good problem solving and design skills. Good innovators have (1) the ability to identify, clarify, and articulate the real problem and (2) design a practical solution that people actually need. Development of these skills require lots of practice and time.  
• Innovation moves beyond creativity to strategy, metrics, implementation, assessment, and on-going refinement. Creative ideas are not enough for innovation. Innovation is not brainstorming nor just talking about new ideas. Innovation, in order to be effective, must attach itself to intentional planning, execution, and continual refinement.

The Ability to Sell: It helps to sell a tangible product, but what you really need is the ability to sell yourself. If you are fortunate enough to have a corporate job with benefits now, start working on your “side hustle” because the new economy demands everyone is at least a part-time entrepreneur. When I look back on my college years, I wish I majored in business and started a sales job when I was a teenager. That’s a skill most college graduates don’t leave with, but can benefit you for the rest of your career.

I don’t claim to be the authority on career advancement or Millennials, but I’ve worked with enough as a career coach and recruiter to recognize what matters. In fact, the 3 skills I listed above aren’t exclusive to the young professional, they’re important to your career period. It’s helpful to know what you want, but understanding a need then solving it equates to long-term success.