Successful Blog

Benefits or Salary When Thinking About Leaving a Job?

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asalaryIf you’re considering quitting your job, it’s important to not only factor in the salary that you will be losing but also the benefits package.

Health insurance can be costly, and with unpaid medical bills being the leading cause of bankruptcy in the U.S., it’s not something you can afford to skip out on.

Before quitting your job, take a close look at what types of benefits you’re receiving, especially if you have a family, and make a decision from there.

Questions to ask about your current job

It’s not just a matter or whether or not your job provides health insurance, but a matter of how good it is.

Are your family members covered at an affordable cost? What type of plan are you covered under? What is your monthly payment compared to your deductible? In addition to health care coverage, do you receive dental and vision insurance?

And let’s not forget about sick time and vacation time.

Some companies offer a very competitive paid time-off plan, including holidays, sick time and plenty of vacation time. Is this something you’re willing to give up in addition to your salary and health insurance benefits?

Is Money Everything?

Most people are focused on their salaries. But, the reality is you can find a way to live off of a wide range of salaries.

If you do end up in a catastrophic situation without a good benefits plan in place, you will most likely go bankrupt even if you were making a decent living. Medical bills crush many Americans year after year because they’re not properly insured.

According to the article saving on family health insurance, it’s very rare that companies provide full benefits to employees and their dependents.

If you work for one of these one-of-a-kind companies, you’ll definitely want to think twice about quitting.

On the same token, some employers only offer plans to their employees and not to any additional family members. If this is the case, you’ll have to get your family members on a private health insurance plan of their own.

Is Work Benefiting You?

Though you do have to consider a wide array of things when looking for a job, including salary, benefits, paid time-off, expected weekly hours, travel and job duties, it’s safe to say that benefits should rank towards the top of your considerations.

Employers can pay anywhere from a few thousand dollars per year for an individual plan up to $15,000 per year for a family plan.

If you factor that into your yearly salary, you’re most likely getting paid a decent amount more than you thought. If your employer is also contributing to a 401(k) plan for you, that should be factored in, as well.

Quitting a job is a tough decision.

Many factors need to be thought about in-depth before a decision can be made.

Don’t think lightly about benefits, though, as good packages from employers can be extremely hard to come by.

Photo credit: Image courtesy of imagerymajestic at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

About the Author: Sarah Brooks is a freelance writer living in Charlotte, NC. New to the city, she enjoys spending time outdoors and exploring the area. She writes on a variety of topics including health insurance, small businesses and personal finance.

Is More Education in the Works?

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aeduEducation is at the heart of personal betterment in the pursuit of a richer life. But does going back to school make sense as an investment in your career and your business?

For many business owners and employees alike, it just might.

Why Business Owners Go Back to School

An article in Entrepreneur detailed a few of the many reasons business owners go back to school, other than intellectual betterment.

The reasons are as diverse as the businesses they own.

Research shows that more than three quarters of small business owners are older than 45. Since they were in school, the business world has changed dramatically.

Business owners may feel that they’ve fallen behind or missed out on the skills it takes to survive in the digital age – even if their business has nothing to do with computers, software or information.

A baker, a plumber or a roofer could decide that:

  • A course in digital marketing could help them expand their business and learn skills like search-engine optimization and back-end analytics.
  • A course in social media may enable them to reach out to new customers on networks such as Facebook and Twitter.
  • A course in graphic design could help them gain control over their website’s layout.
  • A course in personal finance may help them plan for retirement.

Why Employees Get Educated

For people who collect paychecks, the reasons for advancing their education may be directly related to a desire to advance their career and their income.

Findings from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show irrefutable evidence that there is a direct and dramatic correlation between education and income.

There is also an undeniable connection between education and job security. Highly educated people command far higher salaries and are far less likely to be unemployed during times of economic turmoil.

But it’s not just money.

Research from Six Sigma Aveta Business Institute shows that education leads to career advancement across the board, as well. The higher the worker’s education, the more likely he or she is to get a promotion and achieve a position of authority.

The article “Is it Time to go Back to School?” outlines even more reasons to crack the books, such as networking, prepping for a new career and sharpening up old skills.

Tips for Going Back to School

School is hard when you’ve got nothing else going on.

For full-time workers and business owners, it can seem impossible – but it’s not. Remember that you don’t have to pursue a degree. Learning valuable new skills can be achieved with a single course.

Consider online education.

Once a marginal niche that was frowned upon by the academic community, distance learning is now mainstream.

Offered by most colleges and universities, online education – or hybrid courses, which require some on-campus instruction – can be tailored to your schedule, it can provide more individualized attention and it can be significantly cheaper.

Education is worth pursuing for anyone who may benefit from the professional boost it can give.

It is not easy to work and go to school at the same time, but education can boost a career and a business.

Photo credit: Image courtesy of Pong at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

About the Author: Andrew Lisa is a freelance business writer. He covers small-business planning and career advancement.

Are you an entrepreneur?

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By Robyn Tippins

Over the past twenty years, I’ve run several businesses and I’ve found that not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur. And, even the strongest business owners have seasons when they should not be running the show.

open sign

Here are a few ways to tell if you are ready to be your own boss.

Motivated

When you are the boss, there is no one to tell you what to do, which can be both a positive and a negative. While it’s wonderful to pilot your own destiny, it can also be terrifying. You have to decide, each day, what tasks get your attention. It involves constantly asking yourself to prioritize your day, focusing on activities that move you forward towards your goals.

I run a content marketing agency, and I use Asana to manage my projects and tasks, and to delegate work to my staff. Basecamp, TeamworkPM and others are equally useful. You just have to give rigorous attention to planning and prioritization.

At Peace

There are some times in your life that being a business owner is not the right path.

In my own life, there were seasons that I decided employment was a better choice, and I don’t regret that decision. If your life is already out of control, adding the strain of managing a business is unwise.

A friend of mine is in the middle of selling her business because she had a stroke.

Another friend of mine has decided to take a season off for medical reasons. And I know 3 people who are getting out of their businesses because one is pregnant, one is divorcing and one has cancer. Running a business is at times heartbreaking, infuriating, terrifying and exciting – none of these are conducive to healing.

Willing

An entrepreneur has to do a variety of tasks, some glamorous and some not. If you are too good to perform the gritty work, this life is not for you. In the course of a day, I may bill for work that exceeds $200/hr and then go from that strategy based task, on to an execution task that bills at $20/hr. As you grow, you can hire for some of this, but in growth mode, the boss does that work.

You’ll also work long hours some days, and that can’t be a problem. I just made plans for a late evening meeting tonight (boo!) because we have clients with offices in Australia and Canada, so time zones were working against us. Three times this week I’ve worked past 7pm, either redesigning a website or writing a last minute press release. The hours can be long, but at least I have the flexibility to work them where I choose.

Vision

Not every business has to change the world, but your vision should be exciting enough to change your world. Whether you are building a lifestyle business or a business that will crush the giants, your vision will make or break it. Use this vision to inspire the troops, create your goals and make the hard decisions.

You have to look at the bad and weigh them against the positives. This lifestyle can be great. You are granted incredible flexibility and, if you try very hard, you can achieve a wonderful work/life balance. Your business can impact your local economy through both tax revenue and job creation. Beyond that, there is the potential to not only pay your own salary, but to build significant profits as you grow.

Are you an entrepreneur? Share your business and your elevator pitch in the comments below.

Author’s Bio:Robyn Tippins is Co-Founder and CEO of Mariposa Interactive. She has been managing online communities for 17 years, and her book, Community 101, is a primer on online community management. You can follow Robyn on Twitter via @duzins.

Train Your Brain Like a Boss

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One of the most important pieces of equipment you need as a business owner is a healthy brain. You have to be able to make good decisions, think creatively, and respond to new challenges on a daily basis.

We don’t understand a lot about our brains. For example, we’ve been told we typically only use 10% of our brain. According to this myth-busting video from asapSCIENCE, we use all of it, all of the time. (So we don’t have to worry about Lucy happening any time soon.)

My favorite way to keep my brain sharp is doing the New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle. It’s available in digital format, but I love the paper version.

But you’re not limited to puzzles; the brain training trend has resulted in a variety of cool methods to keep your mental facilities in shape.

Brain Training Apps

Lumosity is a brain training and neuroscience company that offers both web-based and mobile apps. They will design a specific training regimen for you, based on a questionnaire, and provide statistics to show your progress. The games within the apps are fun and challenging.

focus@will App claims to be able to increase your attention span by 400%, using neuroscience based music channels. Their research shows that by listening to a specific type of music, your brain will respond by focusing more deeply on the task at hand.

Fit Brains from Rosetta Stone (the language learning folks) is another website that offers games tailored to training your brain for problem-solving, concentration, and memory skills.

Brain Training on TV

Wait. I thought it was called “the boob tube.” Perhaps it’s not so stupid after all.

The History Channel’s “Your Bleeped Up Brain” is a one hour show (currently on hiatus) that offers a light-hearted take on brain-related research. Find out how your brain separates fact from fiction, why some people have better memories, and how humans are often fooled by simple deceptions.

National Geographic Channel has Brain Games, an Emmy nominated series that uses intricate experiments to demonstrate the inner workings of the brain. Many of the experiments on the show are also available on the interactive website. Do you know whether a lightning strike or a wild bear is more likely to kill you?

Brain Training in Your Living Room

We bought a Mindflex as a gag gift last year, but it turned out to be fascinating. You wear a headset that makes contact with your temples, and power the movement of a ping pong ball through a series of obstacles. You can also go up against an opponent and try to push the ball over their goal line while they push in the opposite direction.

Physical exercise has been shown to increase your brain power too. So while you’re doing your Zumba, you’re training your brain!

How are you taking good care of your brain?

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

I Am Not A Blogger

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By Lisa D. Jenkins

I believe in blogging. Just not for me.

Female silhouette

Every 7 days I sit down to write a post here. Against almost every bit of social media/blogging advice to the contrary, my own blog – for years aptly titled The Occasional and Erratic Blog – has sat sparse and neglected. But I’m just now understanding why.

Self-employment wasn’t so much a carefully considered selection for me as it was a response to circumstances that required immediate action.

My two kids and I had decided to leave everything and start a new life together. I’d held a job I loved at a state college for almost 10 years. With benefits the job paid enough to cover a fairly modest life for a family of three. As my son said at the time, “We might eat hot dogs and ramen forever, but they’ll be our hot dogs and ramen.”

A month after the divorce was final, I lost the job I’d held and loved for 10 years – statewide budget cuts were deep that year. There I was with custody of my 13 year old son, a 21 year old in college, a mortgage and no income to cover any of it.

It was at that moment I decided to truly support myself rather than once more place myself in a position of counting on something else that might dissolve.

I’d been watching social media evolve and participating for a while – hoping my Director would let me integrate it into our marketing – and I knew beyond a doubt that I could make this work for me and for others. So I took the leap and dove head first into finding my way as a social media professional.

I was extremely vocal on Twitter and Facebook, learned WordPress and taught myself the coding skills we needed back in the day. Because: no plugins. I spent every single day learning and building connections by being helpful wherever I could. I offered advice, pointed people to resources, donated my time and writing to non-profits and I went to conferences. Nothing has been as keenly painful to my introverted self as that seemingly endless cycle of self-promotion but I did it. The one thing I never settled into was blogging.

Disclosure: Random exaggeration ahead.

“But you MUST blog,” says everyone always.

Yes, well, five years later and I’m still here – and barely blogging.

Inconceivable? Oh, it’s conceivable, I assure you.

But how to explain that to people and prospective clients became the issue at hand. Two weeks ago, on the Main Salmon River in the middle of Idaho’s Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, it crystalized for me.

I don’t want to be an A-List blogger. I’ve no aspirations to write a social media or marketing book. I don’t wish to be recognized as a media personality. I’ve never pursued those things.

I define and execute strategy. I measure and analyze metrics. I engage on social media. I curate content. I design campaigns. I build relationships. And, I blog … for my clients.

I do the job I love in the best way possible for the clients I partner with. If my work isn’t the best example of my worth to a new or existing client, no amount of blogging on my own site will help.

Hi. I’m Lisa. I’m a social media practitioner and that’s all I want to be.

How does what you’re doing fit with what you want to be?

Author’s Bio: Lisa D. Jenkins is a Public Relations professional specializing in Social and Digital Communications for businesses. She has over a decade of experience and work most often with destination organizations or businesses in the travel and tourism industry in the Pacific Northwest. Connect with her on Google+

Business Planning for the Time Crunched

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The other day, I caught myself after 7pm, listening to a business podcast, scanning through a research report that is relevant to my business, and periodically glancing over to my iPhone, which was buzzing to alert me about new emails and social media updates from my friends and colleagues.

Did I mention that the television was on in the background?

Even typing that paragraph, I’m getting a headache.

Pretty sure that none of those activities advanced my business one iota. In fact, they probably set me back because my brain was in a tortured, fractured state.

brain on Instagram

Deep breath.

Deep breath.

If you spend your “working hours,” roughly 9am to 5pm (haha) reacting to stimuli, you’re heading for a business rut.

How is your business going to move up to the next level if you’re spending your day putting out fires and your evening “catching up?”

You need to get ahead of the game and stay there if you want to innovate, use your creative juices, and make progress.

Practical Suggestions for Making Time to Plan Your Business

  • Schedule it. The same way you block out time for a customer phone call, make an appointment for your planning. Take a minute right now and block out one hour this week for business planning.
  • Stop multi-tasking. During meetings and conference sessions, leave the devices in your briefcase. Extract the full value of the relationships and information you invested in when you scheduled the meeting or registered for the conference. If you’re listening to a business podcast, really listen and take notes. There’s no award for doing the most stuff at one time.
  • Make a dashboard. Keep your finger on the pulse of your business metrics on a routine basis. Establish the numbers you need to track, and then pull them all into one spreadsheet. This will allow you to spot trends and take action before the fire flares up.
  • Narrow down your consumption. If you’re overwhelmed by your blog subscriptions, emails and social updates, hit the unsubscribe button on a few of them. Focus on quality, not quantity.
  • Move a big rock every morning. Start each day with a “win,” and knock off something that will actually give you progress. Do that before you answer the phone, before you check email, and before your colleagues start sending you Buzzfeed articles.
  • Have a business retreat You don’t have to have a large team, or go to a dude ranch for “trust exercises.” Plan each year to get away (even if it’s only virtually) and spend dedicated time working on the business. Evaluate the previous year, plan the upcoming year, and get your mind focused. Put an “out of office” message on your email, same with voicemail, and take a hiatus from social media. Emerge refreshed and ready to conquer the world.

How often do you step back and work on your business?

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee