Business Advice

Go to a temp agency and at least you might get some part time work or a temporary assignment until you can get back into your profession or decide which other direction you want to go.

I agree with hiring on at a few temp agencies.... those can lead to fulltime positions many times. You gotta start somewhere. In the meantime make sure every medical and dental office in your area has your resume, even if its just for working the receptionist desk. Assuming you have a medical terminology class on your belt, getting a front office job might be easier than you think.

Part of the problem with having your own business is that you have to have a product that people want and need. Southern Living is great but it's pretty saturated with distributors, and people don't really NEED those products. Same with jewelry, baskets, knives, scrapbook stuff, and more. Besides, once you make a sale, you're done - they don't need anything again. You have to keep prospecting for NEW customers. People don't like to go to parties where they feel obligated to purchase.

I work for myself but I have essential products that are consumable - so people need to re-order. And everyone is a potential customer - not like jewelry which is just women, or toys which is just for parents, etc. I don't sell heavily, I'm more of a teacher/customer service person with a supportive nature. My background is in teaching and in non-profit, community service work. Unfortunately, those areas have seen major cutbacks and I was laid off several times.

If you do start your own business, there are ways to check on the company - do they have a top compensation plan, is there free training and support, are they an invited member of the Direct Selling Association (only 200 companies out of 5,000-10,000), do they have a good reputation for business ethics, do they have a humanitarian or charitable arm you can believe in, and so on.

Dentists, doctors, hairdressers, contractors and many other business owners are seeing their customer base shrink because people are delaying or avoiding those services. Hairdressers find that people pay for fewer luxuries, or they stretch their visits from 6 weeks to 8, and so on. So it cuts into their yearly income. Dentists have to cut costs to allow for people who come every 8 months instead of every 6 - so they need fewer staff.

If you want to know more about starting a business, feel free to email me. I can help you avoid some pitfalls.

Good luck.

If you don't have the "pushy nature" to advance a business, it's going to be hard to get a business of your own off the ground. You have to do some selling, some pushing to market yourself and get people to start buying from you. And if you want it to be truly successful...you have to do a lot of that. If that's not in your nature, it's not realistic that you're going to have success starting your own business (unless you have the finance to hire someone to do it for you entirely).

I would keep applying for the dental field, and in the meantime, go find a fun job somewhere. Barista at Starbucks, work at a museum...it will bring in some money, and you won't have a huge gap on your resume in work loss.

start an ebay business. i did that when i couldnt find a job for 3 yrs till i moved where the jobs where. and i still do it on the side. find something people need and sell it on ebay. even southern livning at home if its not against your contract. you dont have to be a pushy salesman. they either want it or they dont. if they want it they will bid they can look and not answer for why they dont want it. ex too expensive, dont like the style, wont fit. etc.my son is doing hvac everyone will need their heat and air worked on at some point. or change to medical instead of dental you probably know half the answers anyway. and everyone gets sick no matter what the economy. its an economy proof job

A.,
If there is a junior college near you, you can get testing done for a reasonable fee to determine what fields would fit your personality.
I have a home-based business that is wellness oriented. If you would like info on that, let me know.
I am also getting certified to be a free hand engraver. If you have an artistic bent, that might interest you, especially if you have experience using the dentist drill.
Victoria

You have passed a background check I presume. You could become an aide to the elderly. By running errands, helping them dress, and so forth you enable them to keep living in their own homes. Because of nursing home insurance/longterm care insurance, you can get paid $20 per hour easily. You can notify people at churches that you will help them remain in their own homes longer. Believe me, many people would love to have a break as elderly people tend to be unappreciative, demanding, and rude when it comes to the primary caretaker. Plus, you would be doing a great service.

Most people don't care for the "pushy" sales tactics of MLM, parties, direct sales, recruiting for MLM/direct sales, etc. It is usually a turnoff and in my area, we run from those we know pushing their wares.

You are in the dental field? Certainly check into the temp agencies. Our dentist does get help from the temp dental agencies when somone is out sick, on vacation, etc. A tem agency is a great way to check out a potential employer to see if you might be a good fit for them.

Before we started our company, I was in the corporate world. We hired all admin staff, etc from the temp pool. We were able to see if they fit in with the company and they were able to see if they even wanted to be a part of the company.

Good luck!