Company Of One With Dale Callahan

Where you go to school matters - right?  With all the attention to college acceptance bribery cases involving actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, we might think that it really matters where you go to school. After all, why would they pay a ton of money if not?  But when we peel back the layers of the truth and the norms, we see that most of us fight to get our kids into top schools and rarely does it happen.  So with all the energy and activity around it - does it even matter? Does it matter where you go to school? (Podcast Outline) Quick answer -No Dave Ramsey answer - “Happy to have a Harvard Grad work for me.” Plenty of examples of significant success without the top degrees (or degrees at all for that matter) Do you really learn? MIT video of graduate engineers who cannot light a bulb - When it might matter Hang with elites - Senators etc Bias to college in your career path Example - Vice President with degree bias Why it rarely matters We usually do not take any

Engineering Management (EM) vs MBA? That is a question I have talked about a lot in the last few years.  I have both a masters in engineering and an MBA. And since joining the university, I have been running an engineering management program (Information Engineering and Management or IEM). So I have seen them all up close and personal.  I have the conversation almost daily with engineers and technology leaders who are looking to grow through higher education and considering both the MBA and the Engineering Management paths.    Should I Get a Masters in Engineering Management or MBA (Podcast Outline) Things to consider before making the decision The company I work for or want to work for - culture Knowing where you want to go Define your goal Management strictly and get out of technology Move into technical management MBA Programs - Not all the same Course work similar but varieties Economics. Accounting. Entrepreneurship. Marketing. Strategy. Project Management. Organ

Ever heard of hidden engineering jobs? Estimates indicate that over 80% of jobs filled each year are hidden jobs. What is a hidden job?  Many will define hidden jobs as jobs that never get formally posted to job boards. But it goes further than that since many jobs posted on sites like Indeed are not real. They have already been filled before they were posted. They were hidden, and once the company found the person they needed, they formally posted to meet various guidelines and regulations. But, even though the opportunity had been posted, it was already filled. So the trick to finding new opportunities in engineering and technology is to find those hidden jobs before they are filled. Hidden Engineering Jobs - How to Find Jobs that Have Not Been Advertised (Podcast Outline) The mindset of hidden jobs - creating or finding a need Have you ever made a big purchase when you were not really looking?  For a big-screen TV A car A home A vacation Jobs are the same process - advertising works

Finding hidden jobs is like finding a rare coin in your spare change - easy to go unnoticed but fun when you find it. And sometimes, valuable. Clients and students often tell me how there are so few jobs available. But when others look, they see jobs everywhere. In today's podcast, I am going to give you some examples of how to see jobs everywhere you look. Finding Hidden Jobs Everywhere You Look (Podcast Outline) Your expertise and connections lead out to certain places Friends invite you to their company  You are in a new city driving around you see company names you have never heard of. You are in your city, and you find something you have never heard of! As you see what others are doing, you see other opportunities Who supplies their core technology?  Who buys from them?  What kind of challenges are they having?  Example - EITD NASA Operation led me to know about and an obscure company that makes cryogenic cooling elements for satellites -- https://www.sunpowerinc.com/ To help

Do you need a 6-week plan to start a side hustle? I know I did. When I start projects, I like to have some idea of where I am going. But in business startups, I have found I am often running blind. When I meet with clients who are in the startup phase, I find they are often confused about what to do next. The advice they listen to (assuming they are listening to any) is often poorly thought out and keeps them busy with things that are not important. So here is a simple 6-week plan for starting a side hustle you can do even if you are starting by working only at lunchtime or the few hours you can steal away to do your work. Your 6-Week Plan To Starting A Side Hustle (Podcast outline) Week #1 - Define Your Idea What will you do?  Who will you serve?  How will you get paid?  Use plain English - do not need a fancy slogan - this is just for you.  Week #2 - Test and Get Feedback Test your ideas. Especially if you have more than one.  Do not get bogged down in details UNLESS high risk or wealth

Going to start two businesses at the same time? Entrepreneurs usually abound in ideas they can offer to the market. Often you will see those with an entrepreneurial spirit starting multiple businesses back to back. When you talk to them - they even have ideas for other money-making ventures. But is being a multi-passionate entrepreneur a blessing or a curse? Opinions vary widely. So today we will take a look at all three opinions - yes, no, and it depends and find out which one is correct for you. Should I Start Two Businesses at the Same Time? (Podcast Outline) Common advice  No. You need to focus to make it work.  It depends - get clear on your goals and decide which business is the main business.  Yes - but not at the same time.  How a startup really looks - example of a lawn care company Mowing lawns is the focus so you start working with customers you have or know.  Taking payments and working with customer issues starts to creep into your time. The need to start finding new custom

Trying to decide if your startup should be an LLC or S-Corp?  In the startup world, this is one of the most frequent questions I get. It falls closely in line with Do I need a business license? Should I incorporate or not? How do I find an attorney and CPA? I have dealt with parts of these subjects in past episodes. Ep 115 - What you need in terms of LLC or business license Ep 56 - Do I need a business license to sell online?  Blog Post - Do I even need a business license or LLC? But today I want to dive into the issue in another direction - a common-sense strategy for deciding when and what to do. But I am not crossing over into the world of CPA or an attorney. This is not legal advice - it is common sense advice. Both the LLC and S-Corp have legal and tax implications - but we want to visit a common-sense thinking about where to start asking questions.  How to Decide if My Startup Should be an LLC or S-Corp? (Podcast Outline) When you need neither LLC or S-corp No risk of dan

Where do you find the time and the money to start a side business? You never have enough of either - right? But do a reality check. Others have. Other people have been more broke and had less time and found a way. And ... they are not any smarter than you. But yet, we struggle. Families. Jobs. Friends. And even just fatigue saps us of time. So today I will unpack several common practices that others have used to find the time and money to start a side business. We will start by dealing with the money issue (wow do I hear this one a lot - no money to start). Then we will get into the time issue, how can you do a time audit and carve out minutes to make it happen. But most important - I will provide you several common mistakes I see others making in the area of time and money. Avoid at all cost. How to Find the Time and Money to Start a Side Business (Outline of the podcast) Reality check  Many have started with no money Many started with full-time jobs and made it happen  Dealing with the mo

Want to know how to find a business idea for a side hustle? To some, it seems daunting - to others simple. You might be the person who comes up with 20 ideas a day, or maybe you are the person who has no ideas. Either way, there are traps in both sets of thinking. Today I will go over some simple ways to uncover ideas and common mistakes others make. How to Find a Business Idea for a Side Hustle (Outline of the podcast)  Goals of the Side Hustle What is a Side hustle? What can you expect to earn (realistically)? Two quick ways to generate ideas The Calling Exercise What do you love to do? Where are you gifted? What do others ask your help with? Search for similar services Fiverr, Udemy, Amazon, or local services pages What do you see offered that you know well What to do first Start with a service. Easiest to do and start and grow to a decent income. Use tools like Fivver Upwork Craigslist Putting flyers on doors Example from IEM - Handyman to Powerwas

How can you use the reverse interview to stand out in your current company?  In this podcast, I will should you just how to do that! Here is my outline of how to use the reverse interview on your current job What is a reverse interview? Check out my previous episodes for details on the process. A quick summary would be that the reverse interview is used to help you connect to people by asking specific questions to get them to talk. Usually, this is used to find a job or start a company. The questions are: How did you get to where you are?  What do you love or hate about this job?  What keeps you awake at night?  Why use the reverse interview with your current company? To help you do a better job. To learn how different departments and teams work. To seek to understand. Personal reasons. To find new opportunities. To get noticed and promoted. How to do the reverse interview on the job. Be targeted and intentional. Start by defining what you want to learn.  What g

What I want to hear you say in an interview is how you will help me win. It is as simple as that. But while most of us understand this simple message, we think we have to talk about ourselves - accomplishments, strengths, all that stuff. STOP! Remember that you are a Company of One. You are looking for a new customer. So in a job interview, you are trying to sell a POTENTIAL customer. Customers do not care about you, your plans, or your goals except in how they help them achieve their goals. So, what you say in an interview should be you talking about yourself but making it sound like you are talking about me. What does this look like  #1 - Tell me how you fit into the company culture.  How do you show this? Ask me questions about my culture Show that you have met and know some of my team. #2 - Care about what I need and value Demonstrate by Asking me directly how a person in the position you are applying for wins What is your measure of success What I do NOT want to hear Complaints

Looking for a job after 50? How many of these thoughts are going through your head? I will have to start over! I am so specialized in my area of expertise that I can never find another job that needs my skills. I am going to have to go back to school to learn new skills. No one will hire me now that I am over 50. I am competing against people of a very young age who will work for less.   You might be coming out of the military. You might be coming out of a long career where you have developed deep technical expertise. But you do not have to just give in. You have more to offer than you think. You Have More to Offer Too often we undersell ourselves. Do not do it. In today's podcast, I will give you specific strategies about how to revamp your thinking and position yourself for a new success. Click here to listen now. >> [01:22] Recently I have worked with multiple people over 50 who have been fired. Some are retirement eligible but, for multiple reasons, did not want to retire. >> [04:56] The first

How can you make the best use of your day while on a job search? If you are out of work, or about to be, you need a solid plan to make the best use of your day. After all, every day out of work costs you money. I have had the honor of helping many professionals in job searches. But I have noticed that most people on the search really do not know what to do. How to make the best use of your day on a job search Today I cover a step by step plan that has worked. This plan will help you find a job faster, feel better, and be more in control while on the hunt. >> [01:20] Calculate how much you are wasting per week not having a job. Get clear about the cost of your time. >> [03:28] Take your first week to get clear on the goal. Do the Calling Exercise. >> [06:05] Here is how Brian found his true calling and moved into a job he continues to love today. >> [11:46] Now you start to schedule your day using Tiger Time. >> [14:54] You need to get your blood pumping, you need to get some energy and to clear your min

Being a Christian and being wealthy can seem like an oxymoron. I confess I have struggled with money and faith. As a Christian should I give it all away and go live a life like Mother Teresa? Or as a Christian, how do I recognize my gift of serving others through education and business? Could it be that the Bible is the best business book ever written? Today, I will share a bit of my story of how becoming a Christian helped me to grow wealth like never before. >> [02:41] I have always been focused on success thinking. Whether I am teaching future engineers, working with professionals, or helping others start companies, I am always focused on ways to help them become successful. >> [05:44] Our culture connects wealth with evil. These messages are powerful in music, movies, the news, social media, and even in schools. So Christian wealth seems an oxymoron. >> [13:05] I started to become service-oriented and think a lot about how I treated and served my customer (and my boss). >> [19:08] I begin to see my gi

Overwhelmed at work? You have to learn to eliminate, delegate, and automate. I know what you are thinking... Eliminate? What can I stop doing? It all has to be done. Delegate? To who? Automate? I do not have time (or the skill) to do that. Really. Then why do some people, who are busy like you, seem to get more done? Come on - you know some of them just like I do. The number one issue professionals talk about is being overwhelmed. Too much to do, to little time, and new stuff coming every minute. What a hassle. Today we will look at a simple process for getting clarity and then getting busy fixing what is broke by eliminating, delegating, and automating some (or all) of our work. No need to be a victim - Take control and fix it. >> [01:56] Overwhelm is not a fix it once and done problem. Like cleaning out the closet, you have to continually revisit. >> [03:53] Meetings. We can't just stop doing them, we just need to eliminate some and make the others more effective. And more effective does not always

We have all heard it. You might have even said it “The harder I work, the less I make.” If you feel that way, you are doing it wrong. Back in episode 129, we explored the idea of being a Company of One. That means you, yes you, are an entrepreneur right now. And what reasonable business owner would settle for working harder and making less money. Today we will explore some simple and practical (yes doable) ideas to help you increase your income. While on the same job! No need to quit. No need to take a side gig. Instead, let's look at your number one incomes source - your job - and find untapped potential to make more money.   >> [02:19] The $30,000 challenge. In our online graduate program (UAB IEM), we push people to grow their income by $30,000n while they are in the program. >> [02:46] EXCUSES: I already work so many hours a day. I don't have time to take a side job. I work for the government. I work for a big company and we don't operate like that. I am at the top of my pay range. All that's a bun

How do you become a company of one? What does it mean ot be a company of one? It seems everyone wants to be an entrepreneur. We want to get control of our time and income. We want to have the ability to serve more and grow. But I want to help you see a new perspective. You already have more control of your time and income than you think. Whether you are an employee or an entrepreneur (or unemployed looking for a job), you have a lot more control than you think. Your job is to take control. Here, I will start showing you how to take control and earn more money - getting control of your time and your income - just like I have done for hundreds of clients. >> [03:01] What is the difference between an entrepreneur and an employee (not as much as you think.) >> [06:03] The four roles of your company of one. >> [12:04] The exchange of goods and services for money is what we call doing business. It's as simple as that. >> [14:57] You do have ownership and control. You are a company of one. >> [20:23] You are an

As a business owner, I know the value of a business marketing plan. A marketing plan typically covers a year of activity. By having a plan, we know what is coming and can slowly move toward a goal. You also need a marketing plan - a personal marketing plan. Why would you leave your image and your future growth up to chance? You need to have a specific plan for how you will grow in the next year. Here are some quick ideas to help you develop a plan to grow the business of you. [Tweet "You need a personal marketing plan to grow the brand of you. #CompanyofOne"] The key steps to getting to the marketing plan are: 1. Evaluate your image What message do you communicate via your words? Social Media - What message are you sending? Your spoken words - Are you uttering phrases like "Thank God It's Friday" or communicating a negative image unintentionally? Your attitude - Are you that grumbling cashier who has 15 more minutes to get to a break and is happy to tell the customer how long they have been wor

Do you have a pile of unfinished projects laying around? Those pesky projects tend to drain your energy as you see them in front of you begging for attention. We can throw them into the closet and ignore them, but some projects just need to be finished because - for whatever reason - they are important. Here is a trick I use to get those unfinished projects done. [Tweet "Get those pesky projects done. #GettingToDone"] My Steps to Complete those Unfinished Projects Define finished - One thing that gets to me is that we rarely know what finished looks like. Small DIY projects as well, as multi-million dollar corporate projects, suffer the same issue. How do we know when we are done? What does Done look like? Set a deadline - There are times when others put a deadline on us and we find we can get it done. So, why not use the same trick for projects you want to get done. Set a deadline! Break down the steps into as little as 15-minute actions - Work backward from your deadline to set steps and a schedu

Your personal economy is usually thought of as a combination of your finances, your time, and your career. In this episode of Company of One, you are going to do an assessment using a downloadable worksheet. This exercise will help you determine the current state and set some goals to improve your personal economy. [Tweet "Do you know the state of your personal economy? #PersonalDevelopment #Download"] To get started, download the Assessment of Your Personal Economy worksheet here. Questions range from basic finance, to where your income comes from (income independence factor), and how you spend your time. To help fill this out, you can also download a completed example of the assessment here. In the podcast (audio) I cover how to fill out the form. What You will Learn In the assessment, you will find out or decide on the following: Do you have enough income and income independence? Do you have enough of an emergency fund? What is your net worth (and how to calculate it)? How much should you