Angel List

 

Have you considered starting your own business, but don't know where to get help with your start up costs?  Perhaps you even tried to apply for a business loan, but were denied.  What do you do when you believe in the potential success of your business, but do not know where to find the capital? Trusted investors are often hard to come by, but without them most people do not have the money necessary to fund a new business.

 

Enter AngelList , a social networking site which connects new business owners with investors. A new business owner simply goes on to the site and sets up a profile. They then select which investors can see their profile. Investors decide which businesses to fund.

 

In the Huffingtonpost article "Naval Ravikant, AngelList: A Social Network That Connects Startups With Investors"  the founder of AngelList  discusses why he started this new website and how it benefits start up companies. 

 

If you are seriously thinking of starting your own company, check out the article and find out how you can make your goal of finding an investor for your business a reality.

X Factor Grants Second Chance

Simon Cowell's new reality competition The X Factor premiered on Fox on Wednesday. While the show highlighted a lot of outstanding talent, it was the competitors who were going after their second chances who stole the show.

Stacy Francis, a 40-year-old single mother of two, auditioned after many years of doubting herself. She dated a man who told her that she was too old to go after her dreams, and she believed him. Finally, she stopped holding herself back, and when she opened her mouth to sing...she proved the old boyfriend-- and any other person who ever doubted her-- wrong.

See Stacy singing Aretha Franklin's "Natural Woman" Here.

Chris Rene recently got out of rehab after years of drug and alcohol abuse. He decided to not only stay clean this time, but to  go after his lifelong dreams. With 70 days sober, Chris sang an original song that he hoped would one day inspire his son.

Check his audition out here.

What chances have you been keeping yourself from taking?

7 Mistakes Job Seekers Make

Whether you are looking for your very first job, or seeking a career change after returning to college, you want to be sure that you are making the best impression possible. Many job seekers make mistakes that could easily be avoided. Below is an article I wrote for Fastweb and College Monster:

The day you graduate from college may be one of the happiest days of your life. The sense of accomplishment, the acknowledgement of a job well done, the pat on the back from your family and peers elates you. The future looks so bright, until you begin to search for a new job and are met with rejection after rejection. Then you begin to wonder if all of your years of hard work pursuing a college degree were worth it, if you can not find a job.

Some first time job seekers may be making mistakes that they are not even aware of. If you have found yourself committing any of the below offenses, stop, and change course immediately.

Contine reading "7 Mistakes First Time Job Seekers Make: And How to Avoid Them" to find out if you are making careless mistakes in your job search.

From Around the Web

Here are a few links from around the web, that are interesting, inspiring, and helpful for anyone who is experiencing change or going after their Second Chance.

USNews writer Mariam Salpeter shows readers, How to Find a Job in a "Jobless Economy". Learn the new methods for gaining employment.

Motivational speaker Les Brown shares his story of conquering cancer, and learning to be fearless. His Monday Motivation video is here.

Going through a divorce? Find out how to break the news to your children over on Co-Parenting 101 .

"20 Surprising Higher Education Facts" from USNews.

Learn how to build your brand with, "3 Keys to a Brand That Stands Out".  And check out the rest of their 6-part series on branding while you're there.

Love to read? Check out these places to read free E-books.

And if you haven't done so already, find out why adult learners need internships too in my article for Fastweb.

Adult Learners Need Internships Too

When I first graduated from college I thought, “Ok, great I have my B.A. in English-- bring on my writing/editing jobs.”  As I researched the jobs I really wanted, I saw that I was lacking one very vital thing, experience.

All of my experience had been in the banking and business world. In spite of it having always been my dream, I didn't have any recent or tangible experience in the writing, publishing, public relations, or any other field where writers are heavily used. This could have been avoided if I would have done one simple thing… completed an internship.

Read more of my article over on Fastweb or MonsterCollege. Find out why adult learners need internships too. Also, check out the best places to find and apply for internship opportunities.