Let’s talk for a moment about where this idea comes from. Believe it or not, it’s corporate America. I remember early in my corporate career being trained to be a leader and facilitator of what they were calling “quality circles”. The idea was that the people closest to the problems the company was facing were likely the people who best understood the root causes of the problem, and were best able to brainstorm and come up with a new solution. That makes sense, right?

In the corporate environment, it involved not only digging into the root causes of a problem, but also determining what that problem was costing the company. The team would then talk through the root causes until they could develop a solution – not just a band-aid – that would make the problem disappear. When the problem disappeared, the profit would go up. As long as the cost of the solution could be covered by the increase in profit, it would make sense to move forward, and the managers would normally approve of it.

Now imagine this. What if you can take a group of small business owners who are well versed in some of the challenges that are disrupting our communities and get THEM to brainstorm together about how to solve them? What if those same small business owners can engage with groups in their communities to find out where their greatest concerns are? Is it possible that we can all work together to build real solutions in our communities, instead of waiting for “someone else” to do it for us?

Our experience would suggest that it’s not only possible, it’s necessary. Here’s an example.

We recently spent some time in a local high school talking to students. We found that about 1/3 of them planned on going to college after high school. About 1/3 wanted to start their own business. The final 1/3 really had no clue. We know that our high schools serve the college-bound students very well, but what about the other two thirds of the population? Does this start to explain why we only have a 40-50% graduation rate in many of our colleges?

If the problem with our graduation rates is actually caused by our students not being given enough career options to seriously explore during their high school years, is there something we can do about that?

We have a small business team that says there is, and they are calling it “Careers Reimagined”. In this case, a group of small business owners have come together and created an apprenticeship-style learning experience that gives students hands-on experience in learning some of the key skills for becoming an entrepreneur.

This core program can also be modified and adapted to work with mentors from any industry that has an interest in helping to build a pipeline of future employees. The trades industry is one possibility that has been suffering from a lack of skilled talent.

The program not only addresses the hard skills of entrepreneurship like sales & marketing, but also addresses communication skills, technology skills and self-care that leads to physical and mental wellness. What other new ideas can be created through collaborative problem-solving teams? Do small businesses hold the key to helping our communities find more health, more prosperity, and more peace? Stay tuned to this series to explore further!

So what’s the number one thing that stops people from moving forward and contributing their puzzle piece for health, prosperity and peace in the world? In general – it’s fear. More specifically, the fear of moving into the unknown – alone.

Apparently the pandemic has spurred more people to move past the fear with NPR recently reporting that 5.4 million new business applications were filed in 2021. Do they have some myth-busting secrets that can help you move past those fears?

I know first hand about the first myth that has been busted. It’s the myth that you must do it alone. The pandemic has created the new world of virtual networking where you now have access to networking and support groups all around the globe – right from the comfort of home – utilizing an internet connection and video camera. While some of them do require a modest fee, I’ve seen hundreds of groups that are meeting with no fee involved! Those who do have a fee, oftentimes have free business training that surpasses anything you would pay thousands for in your local college. What’s not to love!

The second busted myth is equally as valuable to know. Collaboration teams can simplify your sales and marketing process, while helping you to provide a broader base of value to your own clients. Let me give you an example.

My husband used to own an office equipment company. He specialized in fixing copying machines. Through his networking efforts, he found someone who specialized in printers, someone who specialized in computers and someone who specialized in toner cartridges.

As a collaboration team, they created new value for their customers by offering a wider range of services. They created new prospects for each other by referring each other to their personal client base, thereby becoming each other’s sales team. And, they created additional income streams for each other by agreeing to pay each other a referral fee when they received new business through another team member.

Collaboration teams can remove so much of the fear, anxiety and stress of engaging on the path of solo entrepreneurship, largely because you are no longer operating alone. You do not have to shoulder the burden of doing everything by yourself. Think about this – none of these people are your employees. You agree to maintan your status as an independent business owner, and still work together as a team.

The only time you pay out money, is when someone has helped you acquire a new client. That’s called paying for advertising AFTER you have received benefit.

What does this myth-busting information do for you? Can you start to picture yourself getting involved in creating something? The world is waiting for YOU to contribute your genius ideas! Let’s do it!

In the last article, I talked about the fact that we were “designed” to create.  Construction, automotive, manufacturing & hairdressing – these are just a few of the skillsets we can acquire that allow many the opportunity for creation, and the satisfaction that comes with it.  Is this a path more of us should be taking to satisfy our desire to create?

I love this topic because I was a rebellious teenager that was not ready to go to college straight out of high school – even though I was valedictorian of my class.  If I had not been fortunate enough to attend a presentation at my school about becoming a toolmaker apprentice in manufacturing, my life may have taken a very different path!

Tradesmen from across the Triangle have been sounding the alarm for more than a decade that our schools were not doing enough to promote the trades as a career option.  In my experience at local career fairs, I would say this was a shared problem – given that we rarely, if ever, saw the trades represented.  I’m not sure if they weren’t invited, or they just didn’t take the time to attend.

We recently had the opportunity to survey a sample of about 45 students at a Raleigh high school and here is what we found:

• About 1/3 of them were planning on college
• About 1/3 of them wanted to start their own business
• The remainder had no idea what they wanted to do

Of the 15 or so students that had no clue, we asked them if they knew much about or had any interest in learning about the trades.  Most felt that they knew very little about the opportunities that exist in the trades, and all said they would like to learn more.

Let’s also look briefly at learning styles.  Estimates have held that 30-40% of us are kinesthetic learners, which simply means we learn more effectively by doing.  Given that many companies engaged in the trades teach through apprenticeships, does it make sense that as many as 30-40% of our students would benefit from a trades-oriented career path, rather than one based on college?

We know that in the past 2 years, students and adults alike have had the opportunity to rethink what their career paths should ultimately look like.  CNBC reported that 1 in 4 people have resigned from their jobs this year, with 4.4 million in September alone!  With average salaries ranging from the $40’s to the $60’s, and more available for those who become true artisans, or even business owners, it would appear the trades deserve a bit more attention from all age groups as we move into post-pandemic America.  

If the human brain is truly happiest when we are creating, why not create in the trades?

What would you do with an unending closet full of money?

What life experiences have you made it through that has provided you with wisdom that could help someone else?

What hobbies or projects do you enjoy doing?

What makes you really angry – or really sad?

The next question you might ask is – “Now what do I do with this information?”

The good news is that there are 3 simple ways you can start to create your own methods to make a difference in the world, perhaps even finding ways to produce additional income for yourself. Here’s another piece of good news. Oftentimes you can get started with little or no out-of-pocket cost.

The first way is to create your own service offering. It might look a lot like work you’ve done as an employee, or, it might look like something you’ve taught yourself to do or have just always wanted to do. As an example, my first service offering was to lead and facilitate problem-solving teams. My employer had taught me how to do it, and I loved doing it. The first time I was hired by a company as a consultant to focus on this activity, I had more fun, and made more money, than I had done in any regular job.

The second option is truly a powerful one to consider. I call it creating your own knowledge product. It could be as simple as writing your own book. Yes, it is simple to write and self-publish a book these days through services like kdp.com. Perhaps not easy, but definitely simple, and it doesn’t even have to cost you a single penny to do it. Is it possible that your story could provide hope for someone else?

Not into creating a book? What about creating a class based on your unique knowledge? That’s what I teach at Wake Technical Community College. A class I created out of my own experience that helps people who are feeling “stuck” in unemployment. The school pays me to teach, and the students are able to take the class for free. Even if you don’t have the credentials to teach in a college, check out Wake Lifelong Learning. They are very flexible on letting lots of people offer classes on something they know.

And finally, the third simple option is to find an existing product that solves a problem you are passionate about, and get involved in finding people who want that solution. This option allows you to offer a pre-existing solution, and just focus on creating ways to help you find the people who want it. I like to call it being a connector. Connecting people to solutions they are looking for is one of the most valuable services anyone can offer, and it can be a wonderful source of income too.

Think on these things and see if you’re inspired to become a creator of solutions! We’ve all been “designed” to create, and the world needs new solutions more than ever before. What will YOU create?

The core of the class is based on the idea that we all have a “heart song” – something with great passion and/or purpose – that our heart is longing to do. The challenges of modern-day society have largely encouraged to ignore these promptings, until something happens in our life that causes us to rethink our life path.

I personally have been redirected by my subconscious at least twice that I can think of. First, after going through multiple lay-offs in corporate America, I shifted from being an employee to being an entrepreneur. The second time involved the foreclosure crisis era and a loss of most of what I had. That experience is what led me to learning about some of our wealth-challenged communities, and the hidden desires many of them have to be able to express their entrepreneurial ideas.

Perhaps 2020 has given you time to think about what your heart song might be. If nothing else, most of us have had more time to think this year. How did you use your time? Did you identify any promptings or urgings to find a way to create a new solution that could help others? Did you decide it was time for a career change? Did you just want to find a reputable organization and jump on board with them to help people in your community?

Many of the people I meet don’t even know where to begin in identifying their heart song, so allow me to give you 4 questions you can ask yourself that might help you get started.

1. If you had a closet full of money that was never going to run out – what would you be doing with your time?
2. What challenges or difficulties have you overcome in your life that have taught you something you could be teaching others?
3. What hobbies or projects do you enjoy working on other than watching games or other similar leisure time activities?
4. What do you see in your world that really makes you angry, or really makes you sad?

If you can honestly answer these 4 questions, you will have some really good keys to understanding more about yourself, and more about what your purpose or passion might be.

Not sure what to do with that knowledge? Be sure to look for the next article in this series where we will give you some simple ideas on how to get started!

What if … this same concept could be used to create new, effective solutions to heal, strengthen and prosper our communities?

For those of you who are unfamiliar, here’s the basic idea:

1. Bring together people who understand community-based challenges – mainly because they have lived or worked within them.
2. Help them identify what their passionate about – oftentimes related to the challenges they have been through.
3. Help the individuals connect with others in the group who have a similar passion.
4. Utilize brainstorming and multi-voting techniques to identify a problem they wish to work on.
5. Utilize the same techniques to work on building a solution. (Hint: the best solutions often come about from each person contributing something from their own experience and knowledge base)
6. Create the solution – together!

I recently learned a new term for describing these “bottom-up solutions” – it’s called sociocracy! Here’s the Wikipedia definition: Sociocracy, also known as dynamic governance, is a system of governance which seeks to achieve solutions that create harmonious social environments as well as productive organizations and businesses.

In the corporate world, I’ve seen these self-directed teams save a company thousands, or even millions of dollars. By engaging the knowledge-base of the people who understand the root-cause of a problem, cost-effective solutions can be created, oftentimes with a significant cost saving to the company.

Is it really possible to take it to the streets? While I won’t go as far as calling it “easy”, I have seen a room full of people come together with a common cause and start enthusiastically creating solutions! The energy in the room goes sky-high as people get excited about the possibility of making a real difference!

Will efforts like this likely get funded through traditional government grants? In my experience, not likely. But, I believe this type of effort has incredible potential for a serious crowd-funding campaign. Collaboration among individuals and non-profits is quickly becoming a mandatory requirement for creating new solutions. Bring together a group like this under a crowd-funding umbrella and watch magic happen!

In the COVID-19 era, Connect, Collaborate, and Create should be an online or virtual solution to network when social gatherings isn’t an option. Be safe and happy connecting!

Ever since I graduated high school and headed straight into a manufacturing apprenticeship program with a Fortune 500 company, I have been a fan of apprenticeships. Hands-on learning and an opportunity to get paid – does it get much better than that?

Just recently I was talking to a sharp 22-year-old who was working in a health food store. When I asked him what it is he would really like to be doing, his eyes lit up and he said, “I would love to be an apprentice working in HVAC”. I’ve personally heard that we could use more HVAC technicians, but interestingly, we had a hard time finding much information about such opportunities when we searched Google, and even the local community college.

Then when I asked him what he would like to be doing with his time if he didn’t have to worry about a paycheck, and his demeanor changed even more, sporting a big grin as he said, “I would be learning about all kinds of science. More about physics and energy, and plants that can help our bodies be healthier!” Believe it or not, I have an apprenticeship opportunity that is perfect for this young man to learn more about science. And I’m helping him further investigate the HVAC thing, too!

The apprenticeship opportunity I’m speaking of happens to be an opportunity to partner with a well-known doctor who loves to teach about plants, foods and nutrition that can make our bodies healthier, and this young man could even be making money at the same time as part of a (gasp!) network marketing company.

Most of the people I meet have no idea how valuable this industry is as an apprenticeship opportunity. Every company I have ever experienced has the following valuable benefits that are hard to find most anywhere else:

• Mentors who are willing to invest their time, and sometimes their money, in YOU before they ever make a penny on their efforts!
• Access to professionals in amazing industries who will teach you (often for little or no money) about the justice system, ways to take better care of your health, numerous ways to save money on things you purchase every day, how to make money on the internet, how to build wealth – and so many other things I don’t have time to list!
• Amazing education, at far less than the cost of college!
• A way to teach people about business and help them build their confidence in their ability to produce their own income – without having to handle all the operational pieces that other entrepreneurs must handle.
• A team-building structure that allows you to pair people up in a team so they can best utilize their natural gifts and talents and have success regardless of their weaknesses.
• A way to build what I like to call “automatic money” – money that keeps dropping into your bank account whether you’re working or not. (yes, there are alternatives too depending on a questionable social security check!)
• Something else that may surprise you is that people can find opportunities to start their own business these days for as little as $5. While they are not all that low, I’ve seen many recently with an entry-point of $25 or less.
• Since I’m into surprising people today, let me add one more thing you might not have thought about. There are a lot of non-profits out there that are struggling for funds that could use this type of apprenticeship to create funds for themselves, while helping their clients.

Case in point. I used to live just down the street from the very first store of a wildly popular ice cream company. Before they sold the company to a larger conglomerate, they used to have something called “partner shops”. They would set up a non-profit to own one of their franchises. Clients from the non-profit worked in the store. Profits from the store funded the non-profit’s services.

Here’s the difference between setting up a network-marketing-based apprenticeship and a franchise-based apprenticeship – far, far, far less up-front cost with network marketing. And quick turnaround to get things up and running.

We invite you to think on these things the next time you come across someone, young or old, who really just wants an opportunity to create their own income. We have incredible options sitting right in front of us (there are literally thousands of companies people can partner with!). Be aware that many of our adults AND youth today learn best in a hands-on learning environment.

My husband and I are already implementing this form of apprenticeship with young people, people who have experienced homelessness, people who are recovering from physical and mental challenges and those who have had experience in the justice system. Care to join us?

Email trianglesolutionsalliance@gmail.com for more information.

Most people appreciate my advice to visit the website of the North Carolina Center for Non-Profits to download the document on “How to Start a 501c3.”  Imagine their surprise when I show them that the Center advises against starting a new non-profit.  Let’s look at three of the main reasons for this.

First, did you know there are literally thousands of non-profits in the Triangle area alone?  Grant money has become incredibly competitive, and a young non-profit reconfirmed for me recentlythat a new, unknown organization has the most difficulty trying to acquire grant money. Too many non-profit start-ups end up closing their doors before they barely get off the ground.

Competition for volunteers is a second reason to pause before jumping into starting a new organization.  Have you built your own “tribe” of supporters? Running a fundraising event without volunteers can be a truly difficult experience.  This begs the question – have you considered trying to collaborate with someone else with a similar vision as yours?

Lastly – how much time, money and energy do you personally have to put into it?  Most non-profits are not setting themselves up to develop any ongoing, residual income, which simply means, you will spend all your own time and your own money providing services to others, or, trying to fundraise to pay others to perform the services. In either case, you can put yourself in danger of burning out.  

Understanding the pitfalls in this process is not a discouragement in any way – in fact I suggest you look at it as a motivator to go forward. However, there may be better ways to set up the structure and provide the services you wish to provide. An option to seriously explore is the concept of social enterprise.

A social enterprise can be a for-profit business (much lower start-up costs) that has a social mission.  A social enterprise can be set up to have multiple income streams, and because it involves the selling of products and services, you can pay the people who are helping you to “fundraise” (create profits).  Paid professional fundraisers can help you overcome the challenges of searching for volunteers.  And then the profits from the sale of products and services will now allow you to fund your outreach services.  The options for “adopting products to sell” go way beyond cookies, candy and donuts – and you may even find some that align with your mission!

Social enterprises also have the flexibility and freedom to develop on-going, residual income streams (without worrying about unrelated business income).  They can integrate membership products and monthly buying programs that allow them to “sell once” and receive income every month.  The larger the residual income streams become, the more time freedom and money freedom you will have to serve your client base without spending all your time planning your next major fund-raising event.

For more information or to request assistance in getting your social enterprise off the ground, email info@thecityinsight.com or call 919-671-6134.

By Sheyenne Kreamer

Ten years later, I continue to be surprised by how little the public really understands about the topic. Most think it‘s strictly about your credit. But there’s a much bigger picture people need to know about.

Criminal identity theft is a little-known problem that can really hinder a job search. This form of identity theft involves someone using your name and identifying information to commit a crime. As background checks become more common in the hiring process, identity theft can become a major stumbling block to getting hired.  

I have friends who were denied employment due to criminal identity theft. None of them knew about it beforehand, and, if they had not inquired to find out why they did not receive the job – they might not have known it then either. One friend spent 129 days in jail because of the criminal activities of an identity thief. It has taken her a decade to clear her name.  

Identity theft involving our healthcare records is the newest major threat. The 2015 Study on Privacy and Security of Healthcare Data, conducted by the Ponemon Institute, found that 91% of the healthcare organizations they surveyed had between one and 5 data breaches in the last 2 years.

Cases of medical identity theft reached 2.3 million in 2014. Medical identity theft happens when an imposter walks into a clinic or hospital using your name and identifying information. Your medical records can be altered with diseases you don’t have, and critical data such as your blood type can be changed. In a trauma situation, this incorrect data can become life threatening.

How would you know if you were a victim of criminal or medical identity theft? 

Watch out for these:

• Being denied employment or access to any activity that required a background check. Make sure you inquire as to the reason for the denial.
• Being stopped by a police officer, and you’re not sure why. Be sure to ask. Unknown outstanding arrest warrants are a possibility!
• Receiving an “explanation of benefits” notice from your insurance carrier, or a bill for a healthcare provider. If you haven’t had any healthcare procedures, investigate immediately!
• HIPAA laws can deny you access to your own records once somebody else has their information in them! You may need assistance from an attorney.
• An increase in health insurance premiums due to a condition you do not have!
• A drop in your credit score for non-payment of a doctor or hospital bill you know nothing about!

If you prefer working through the issue yourself, you can find helpful information by going to identitytheft.gov.

The best resolution for these situations is to have a comprehensive identity theft protection program in place, which includes private investigator services, before an incident happens. To communicate with an experienced identity protection specialist, email your first/last name, contact #, and best time for us to contact you to info@thecityinsightmag.com. Make sure to mention this article.