READY AND WAITING
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 The keynote speakers are committed. The workshops are chosen.
The Posse is on alert. Beautiful Lakeways Resort and Spa is holding our space. Airplane tickets are being booked. Delightful surprises are being planned. It's
countdown to the Joyfully Jobless Jamboree.
Although I'm not often at a loss for words, I was feeling
stumped when I sat down to write this. I had intended for it to be a quick
reminder that time was running out to register for the Jamboree's Early Bird pricing. The block of
rooms we've reserved for the event will also be released at the end of this month.
So how could I send a friendly reminder without sounding like
a nag? I started and stopped writing several times. Nothing was doing what I
wanted it to do.
Then I began noticing we weren't the only ones thinking
that we're geared up to celebrate
something more important than we may realize. Look at this evidence.
From Mike Dooley: Looking into his crystal ball (or whatever he uses) Mike Dooley,
co-founder of the Adventurers Club, makes this forecast about the near future,
"There will be fewer giant corporations, more small entrepreneurial
businesses, and more women than men will be running businesses."
It's an overlooked trend. Here's something I wrote a couple of
years ago: Every year more than a million Americans-and hundreds of thousands
of people in other countries-embark on the entrepreneur's journey. Even more
entrepreneurs are blazing new trails daily in their own businesses. Yet this
renaissance of self-employment remains a Quiet Revolution. Let's start making
some noise.
Banners and bumperstickers will have to
wait. This revolution needs to begin with getting informed. Get the big
picture. Load up on facts. Make it your hobby to learn about as many entrepreneurs
as you can.
Here's a question I've been a stumping my
friends with lately: "What percentage of all businesses in the United States
qualify as micro-businesses with 1-5 people working in them?" The answer
surprises everyone-including me.
According to the Small Business
Administration the number of microbusinesses in the U.S. accounted for 93% of
all U.S. firms. Yes, that's right-93%. And how much do you think homebased
businesses contributed to the US economy last year? Would you believe $500 trillion?
That's what the Bureau of Statistics says.
From Seth Godin: Last year, Seth Godin began talking and
writing about tribes, a word my seminar participants had begun using several
years ago. Godin explains, "A tribe is a group of people connected to one
another, connected to a leader and connected to an idea. A group only needs two
things to be a tribe: a shared interest and a way to communicate."
Food for thought - and appropriate to the event - but
something was still missing. Then this showed up in my mailbox:
You've said it over and over again:
invest in yourself. I wanted to tell you how glad I am to put your advice to
work, and to thank you for your wisdom, encouragement and inspiration.
As a writer and editor, this past weekend
I attended my first-ever conference for writers and other publishing industry
professionals. Without your words in my brain - invest in yourself, invest in
yourself, invest in yourself - I can honestly say that I don't know if I would
have gone. Now I know better and am already planning for next year's
conference. Given the people met, perspective gained, info learned, and
confidence in my abilities reinforced, I can definitively say that attending
this conference is one of the best things I've ever done for my career and my
craft.
Please know how much I appreciate you and
your work. As I progress on my own career path, it's with joy and from
experience that I recommend you to people who ask how I do what I do, what
helps me find my way, and how they can work towards their dreams and goals.
Thank you.
Cheers,
Anthony St. Clair
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NOW IT'S YOUR TURN
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We have sharpened our pencils to make this an event that
even a greenhorn entrepreneur could afford. Then we added some other specials
to reward the go-getters among us.
That's not the most important thing about the Joyfully
Jobless Jamboree, of course. What matters most is that we are promising to deliver an event
like no other, one that will impact the lives and businesses of our
participants for years to come.
When it comes right down to it, Alice Barry, Sandy Dempsey,
our Pard'ner Posse and I all share a deep commitment to nurturing the creative
spirit of our fellow entrepreneurs. We don't want you to miss out on all the
good things that are happening at the Jamboree.
Hop on over to http://jjjamboree.com and let us know you
plan to be part of this Not-So-Quiet celebration of the Quiet Revolution. Early
Bird pricing and hotel room specials expire on August 31.
Joyfully Jobless Jamboree
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