DFW Entrepreneur Startup group met on Thursday, 24 May 2012 at the Colleyville – Hurst campus of Dallas Baptist University.

Attendees were reminded that we should always have a convenient quick means to provide our contact information to people we meet; in other words, we should always carry business cards with accurate, complete, and current contact information.

Each person, except the speaker, at this meeting said their 30-second introduction. This recognizes new attendees and helps regular attendees stay current on who is doing what.

Ten entrepreneurs and/or future entrepreneurs were attentive to the presentation presented by Brenda Ryan, Founder / Publisher, of The Referral Resource Guide. The current issue is available in Adobe portable document format at http://thereferralresourceguide.com/clickthru.asp?id=624 on the website by the same name at URL http://thereferralresourceguide.com/. Only “Businesses With Integrity” are described in this guide.

Brenda established Connections Publishing Company in 2005 to publish The Contractors Guide that became The Referral Resource Guide. A clear focus on what can be done rather than on obstacles enabled this business to succeed without the benefits of a business plan. Endorsements have been published in the guide since their appearance in the third issue.

The official source of information about DFW Entrepreneur Startup is http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/dfw_estartup/. 

Career Jump-Start met on Tuesday, 22 May 2012 at First United Methodist Church of Richardson, Texas. Between 20 and 30 persons were present and heard Dave Peters’ program about Networking.

Serve others to serve yourself.

Good old Boy network is detrimental to networking.

Build a quality network.

Assertive Leaders serve others before their self.

Target companies should be listed vertically rather than horizontally. This places your most desired company at the top of the list with other companies being less desirable the lower they are in the list.

Companies treat employees in one of two ways: as a commodity or as a resource.

How do we setup a network? Approach networking like you will always be networking. Add contacts to your network based on predetermined criteria such as:

1.       They should be in the 95th percentile of what they do.

2.       They should value honesty and ethics beyond reproach.

3.       They should be flexible and adaptable.

4.       They should be servant leaders.

5.       They should have a passion for what they do.

This list of criteria should be customized to fit your specific needs.

Use the World Wide Web to identify where you want to work, and then use LinkedIn to find people in that company. Contact these people to determine if the company will be a good fit.

Setup an advisory board of four or five people who will guide your efforts.

Setup a support group.

Employment Transition Ministry (ETM), setup 12 years ago, is the other career support ministry of First United Methodist Church of Richardson, Texas.

NEXT WEEK: Curt Fuller will describe a marketing plan to send to your networking group.

Career Jump-Start usually meets on Tuesday evenings at First United Methodist Church, 503 North Central Expressway, Richardson, Texas 75080. Official information about this group is available at http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/CJS-HPUMC/ or http://www.fumcr.com/pages/caring_career_support. 

Career Jump-Start met on Tuesday, 15 May 2012 at First United Methodist Church of Richardson, Texas. Robert Sage agreed to present a program with very short notice. The scheduled speaker notified the meeting organizer that they were not able to keep the appointment. The meeting organizer invited Robert to be a substitute presenter. Robert accepted the challenge and provided an excellent program.

Robert focused our attention on two magazine articles: “The Joblet Recovery” by John Gerzema in INC. magazine October 2011 on page 38 and “How to Get a Job: Show, Don’t Tell” by Jennifer Alsever  in FORTUNE magazine March 19, 2012 on page 29.

“The Joblet Recovery” explains how piecework is being matched to qualified workers through websites such as: Mechanical Turk, SkillSlate, TaskRabbit, and Tutorspree. Each website operates differently and provides jobs that require skills and knowledge specified on each website.

“How to Get a Job: Show, Don’t Tell” tells us that employers are asking candidates to show or demonstrate what they have to offer.

Payment for jobs acquired through a website and performed can be collected with a device called Square that plugs into a smart phone and reads credit cards. The account number can be keyed into the smart phone when the credit card is not physically available. Intuit provides a similar device and service.

Lockout Mobile Security provides security for a lost smart phone. If the smart phone is lost, the owner can call it from another telephone, enter a command with password, and cause information in the smart phone to be deleted.

NEXT WEEK: Dave Peters is scheduled to present a program

Career Jump-Start usually meets on Tuesday evenings at First United Methodist Church, 503 North Central Expressway, Richardson, Texas 75080. Official information about this group is available at http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/CJS-HPUMC/ or http://www.fumcr.com/pages/caring_career_support. 

United Methodist Men of St. Andrew United Methodist Church met on Saturday, 12 May 2012. Eight were present at this meeting. Reasons for the small turnout are unknown. Topics discussed included: 

• Delivery of scholarship certificates to recipients’
• Fund raising through golf tournaments
• We need to publicize Messenger of Hope Golf Tournament on the Internet
• We need to get more sponsors for the Messenger of Hope Golf Tournament
• Lunch to honor scholarship recipients on 20 May 2012 – 85 to 100 people are expected to attend this lunch

Networking Lunch on Friday, 11 May 2012 was a Jason’s Deli, 4801 West Parker Road #105, Plano, Texas 75093. There were ten people present. Participants get to know each other better, discuss their experiences in the job search, encourage each other, and enjoy a meal in the company people looking for their next employment opportunity. The Networking Lunch is at a different eatery each week; the location is announced by message posted to http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/CC_NorthDallas/.

The North Dallas / Plano Career Focus Group met on Friday, 11 May 2012 at Christ United Methodist Church, 3101 Coit Road Plano, Texas 75075. The agenda included:

• Landings – there was one
• Good News – one member had four interviews this week
• Job Fairs this coming week (Refer to CareerDFW.org)
• Workshops this coming week (Refer to CareerDFW.org)
• Interview practice scheduled with a group member
• Plans for picnic
• Career Tip of the Week
• New Member Orientation (across the hall) & 30-Second Commercials (in main room)
• Guest Speaker: John Jacobs, M.C.R., Senior Vice President, Richardson, Texas – Chamber of Commerce

Mr. Jacobs reviewed changes that have occurred in Richardson, Texas since 2000. In 2000, Telecom Corridor was the main feature of Richardson. Between 2000 and 2002, Richardson lost 20,000 jobs causing it to have a double-digit unemployment rate. Today, the big three companies in Richardson are: AT&T, Bank of America, and Blue Cross Blue Shield.

There are ten data centers in Richardson with four more in the planning stages. Over half of all Internet traffic passes through Richardson each day.

Empty office space in Richardson is the result of Blue Cross Blue Shield building a new campus in Richardson and moving out of former office space.

Richardson is the second largest day-time employer in the area; Dallas is the largest. The variety of transportation options in Richardson makes this possible.

Networking is the most effective was to find employment – 80 percent of people who land find that job through people they know.

Mr. Jacobs described some of the newest employers in Richardson.

Today’s economy has an extremely mobile workforce. Many people are making places such as Starbucks their office. These people can use https://liquidspace.com/ to locate and rent office space. This functionality is also available with Apps for iPhone and Android.

Next Meeting: Friday, 18 May 2012 Dennis J. O'Hagan, GRI, IRES, CDPE, AHS, SFR will talk about the Information Interview

DFW Entrepreneur Startup Group met on Thursday, 10 May 2012 at Dallas Baptist University – Hurst-Colleyville Campus, 110 Grapevine Hwy, Hurst, Texas 76054. Seven people attended this brain storming session. The meeting began at 11:00 AM and adjourned about 1:15 PM. Participants are welcome to bring their brown-bag lunch and eat at these meetings. This group has the DFW_EStartUp – DFW Entrepreneur Startup LinkedIn group and the dfw_estartup Yahoo! Group.

The Preston Trail Job Network group met on Wednesday, 09 May 2012 at Preston Trail Community Church, 10501 E. Main Street, Frisco, Texas 75035. There were 15 people present. The agenda included: 30-second commercials, name tag template, announcement of speakers for upcoming meetings, Career Tip of the Week, and open forum. A name tag template is available in the files sections of the CareerDFW.org website and the Preston Trail Job Network -Yahoo! Groups. A name tag should be worn at each networking event. Official information about the Preston Trail Job Network is posted to http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/PrestonTrailJobNetwork/. 

Terry Hill presented Living in the Endorphin Zone™ to eight people at Career Jump-Start on Tuesday, 08 May 2012.

“Use the science of happiness to optimize the quality of your life.”

“Happy people are healthier, more fulfilled, earn more, accomplish more, and live longer.”

“Focus on what you DO WANT – NOT what you don’t want. Focusing on what we don’t want creates negative emotions.”

“Endorphinomics™ is based on the Seven Endorphin Domains™:

1. Your Operating System
2. Your Powers
3. Your Passions
4. Your Purpose
5. Positive People
6. Positive Places
7. Sustainability”

Mr. Hill encouraged us to do three things:

1. Make a list of what you are grateful for
2. Make a list of people you like and want to spend time with
3. Have a dream

Mr. Hill suggested two books to read:

1. Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment by Martin E. P. Seligman 
2. What Happy People Know: How the New Science of Happiness Can Change Your Life for the Better by Dan Baker 

 
Mr. Hill is with Terry Hill & Associates of Highland Village, Texas 75077 - http://www.terrylhill.com/. 

NEXT WEEK, 15 May 2012, Career Jump-Start will meet in Room 230 A&B upstairs at the West end of the building.

Career Jump-Start usually meets on Tuesday evenings at First United Methodist Church, 503 North Central Expressway, Richardson, Texas 75080. Official information about this group is available at http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/CJS-HPUMC/ or http://www.fumcr.com/pages/caring_career_support. 

Monday Night Bible Study met Monday night 07 May 2012. Montague “Monty” Stephen Mills taught on salvation, the tribulation, and the parable of the talents.

This Monday Night Bible Study meets most Monday nights at Edgemere℠, 8523 Thackery, Dallas, Texas  75225. Verify study times and agendas by calling the Mills at 214-821-3258. The study guide Jesus’ Parables and Word Pictures was written by M. S. Mills and is distributed by 3E Ministries.