Thank you so much to everyone who participated in my brief survey a couple of weeks ago which asked a simple question:
What gets in the way of defining a clear backup strategy and safety net in case your job goes away?
One hundred sixty-seven of you responded, and it was amazing how many people are feeling really paralyzed with fear.
Some responses:
“Uncertainty.”
“Too much work at existing job (ie due to layoffs/outsourcing/cost
cutting/reduced and deomoralized staff left to deal with short term
“issues”) to spend time coming up with a backup strategy or safety net.
Work increasingly encompasses more of life in fear of being the next to
go.”“Fear that the existing backup strategy will fail.”
“Probably fear – i.e. making a Plan B requires me to actually
envision the ending of Plan A. Also – not sure how to even START the
process of thinking about it – almost like it would be automatic
overload – so much information, so many possibilities – how, where does
one start the process of creating a Plan B, let alone finish it?”
The complete survey results are here. I have removed any identifying notes from the comments in order to respect privacy, but otherwise they are intact.
Your responses really lit a fire under me, and I have been furiously building a program to address your concerns. It is called Backup Booster, and it is a low-cost, practical, tactical seminar to help you break through your paralysis and get some viable short-term plans going. I am totally psyched about it.
I am going to launch it on March 30. But I am opening it to pre-sales today, for $30 off the list price. So check it out and secure your spot!
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Other News:
I head to South by Southwest on Friday for what is sure to be a fantastically interesting and fun time. I am sharing a house with some of my favorite internet buddies: Havi, Naomi, Nathan, Shama and Chris. I will bring my Flip Video and of course my laptop and share the hilarity, yoga, and small business marketing genius that is sure to ensue.
On Tuesday, March 17, I am moderating a panel on Turning Blogs into Book Deals with Guy Kawasaki, Hugh McLeod, Stephanie Klein and Kate Lee. Hugh wrote a wonderful post about it here. I am extremely excited about it, as it is the official “coming out” party for my book. And if we can help one blogger write a better book, or get a book deal from our collective experience, it will be great.
If you will be at SXSW, please come say hello! I will be on Twitter @pamslim
Well that is a very valid point. Getting a job is not easy and one really goes through lots of stress and tension to get a job so when you hear your colleagues being fired, you obviously feel very very tensed.
Interesting post…but examine some these figures. http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_40188.html
From this info, hirings seem to be picking up from around the time of President Obama’s inauguration. Perhaps this is a sign that entrepreneurial optimism is rising…
Definitely a very good post. Thanks for the great blog.
SXSW is going to be great. Can’t wait to get the party started.
SXSW is everywhere I turn in blogworld this week. I always thought it was just for music. I can’t wait to read about what comes out of it – that panel in particular sounds brilliant. Have fun!
I’m not really scared or struck by fear. I worry a little bit, but really there is not much that I will be able to do if the company I work for wants to let me go. It really doesn’t matter if the economy is good or bad, they could let me go at any point in time.
The only real way I feel to get out of the worry/fear state is to make it your own. Stop putting your life in the hands of the company you work for, and work for yourself.
Start by buying things locally. there isn’t no reason to shp it all over to Japan, China, or else where. Oh thata right, thoses jobs are not here any more. Makes you wonder they we support big companies in the first place when they do not employee workers from the country that they are in.