Free Online Classes - Small Business Administration

Have you ever wanted to start your own business? There are many opportunities in the market place for that. But in order to understand where you are, what you want to do and where you want to go with your ideas, you must have a plan...of sorts.

The SBA or the US Small Business Association is one of the best places to start, research and grow your ideas.

About the SBA

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) was created in 1953 as an independent agency of the federal government to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small business concerns, to preserve free competitive enterprise and to maintain and strengthen the overall economy of our nation.

We recognize that small business is critical to our economic recovery and strength, to building America's future, and to helping the United States compete in today's global marketplace. Although SBA has grown and evolved in the years since it was established in 1953, the bottom line mission remains the same. The SBA helps Americans start, build and grow businesses. Through an extensive network of field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations, SBA delivers its services to people throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U. S. Virgin Islands and Guam.

The SBA offers free courses online. Take advantage of the many high quality links that they have and make an informed decision for your future.

FREE ONLINE COURSES will take you to the websites outside the SBA. Some of them are offered by trustworthy institutes/businesses like the Trump University, Constant Contact and more.

100 Best Companies to Work For 2007 - Fortune Magazine !

YES ! Google makes its debut in the number one position on FORTUNE's 10th annual "100 Best Companies to Work For" list. I am of course a fan of Google as it exemplifies all the principles, values and ethics that I hold dear.

"The 100 Best Companies to Work For" list is compiled for FORTUNE by Robert Levering and Milton Moskowitz of the Great Place to Work Institute in San Francisco. Any company that is at least seven years old with more than 1,000 U.S. Employees is eligible. The deadline for applying for next year's list is March 31, 2007; for an online nomination form, go to www.greatplacetowork.com.

1 Google
2 Genentech
3 Wegmans Food Markets
4 Container Store
5 Whole Foods Market
6 Network Appliance
7 S.C. Johnson & Son
8 Boston Consulting Grp.
9 Methodist Hospital Sys.
10 W.L. Gore & Associates
11 Cisco Systems
12 David Weekley Homes
13 Nugget Market
14 Qualcomm
15 American Century Invest.
16 Starbucks Coffee
17 Quicken Loans
18 Station Casinos
19 Alston & Bird
20 QuikTrip
21 Griffin Hospital
22 Valero Energy
23 Vision Service Plan
24 Nordstrom
25 Ernst & Young
26 Arnold & Porter
27 Recreational Equip. (REI)
28 Kimley-Horn & Assoc.
29 Edward Jones
30 Russell Investment Grp.
31 Adobe Systems
32 Plante & Moran
33 Intuit
34 Umpqua Bank
35 Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
36 Goldman Sachs
37 Northwest Community Hospital
38 Robert W. Baird
39 J.M. Smucker
40 Amgen
41 JM Family Enterprises
42 PCL Construction
43 Genzyme
44 Yahoo
45 Bain & Co.
46 First Horizon National
47 American Fidelity Assur.
48 SAS Institute
49 Nixon Peabody
50 Microsoft
51 Stew Leonard's
52 OhioHealth
53 Four Seasons Hotels
54 Baptist Health Care
55 Dow Corning
56 Granite Construction
57 Publix Super Markets
58 PricewaterhouseCoopers
59 Pella
60 MITRE
61 SRA International
62 Mayo Clinic
63 Booz Allen Hamilton
64 Perkins Coie
65 Alcon Laboratories
66 Jones Lang LaSalle
67 HomeBanc Mortgage
68 Procter & Gamble
69 Nike
70 Paychex
71 AstraZeneca
72 Medtronic
73 Aflac
74 American Express
75 Quad/Graphics
76 Deloitte & Touche USA
77 Principal Financial Grp.
78 Timberland
79 TDIndustries
80 Lehigh Valley Hospital & Health Ntwrk.
81 Baptist Health S. Florida
82 CDW 3
83 EOG Resources
84 Capital One Financial
85 Standard Pacific
86 National Instruments
87 Texas Instruments
88 CarMax
89 Marriott International
90 Men's Wearhouse
91 Memorial Health
92 Bright Horizons
93 Milliken
94 Bingham McCutchen
95 Vanguard
96 IKEA North America
97 KPMG
98 Synovus
99 A.G. Edwards
100 Stanley

Milton Moskowitz and Robert Levering write :

While many commentators long for the workplace of old --- with fully paid health care, generous pensions, and lifetime job security --- from our ringside seat as compilers of the "100 Best" list for the past decade, we've seen that for many lucky employees, the workplace has never been better. Today's workplace is better in these respects:

It's more flexible.
It's more of a learning environment.
It's more diverse in terms of female and minority representation.
It's more supportive of employees raising a family.
It's more democratic in terms of employee stock ownership.
It's more open in terms of communication upwards and downwards.
It's more fun: parties and celebrations galore.

For your company to be considered for the list to be published in January 2008, you can submit your nomination form by March 31, 2007. Link

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Why People in Your Dream Career Might Discourage You

There are a number of ways to get the scoop from industry insiders about how to break into their career including: joining professional associations, attending networking events, going on information interviews, or asking for advice on Internet message boards. However, if you are hoping that everyone who works in the industry will welcome you and be willing to help, you may be disappointed. Instead of getting fabulous career advice or job leads, you may be left feeling discouraged about the career and thinking you should consider doing something else with your life. Think again. If you are left feeling less than excited about a career after speaking with someone working in it, you are probably talking to the wrong person. Here are some reasons an industry expert may not be helpful to newcomers:

They want to feel special

Many successful people got where they are today because of their talent and effort. When asked how they did it, however, their story may sound like the one that parents used to tell about walking in the snow for miles every day to get to school and home again - uphill both ways. In other words, they make it sound much more difficult than it is. And while it's possible it really was difficult for someone else, you might have what it takes to achieve success in your chosen career more quickly. Few people will tell others that it's easy to break into their career or that almost anyone with determination can do it, even if that's true. By saying that it takes a rare ability or many years to succeed in a career, someone who is already working in that career validates themself and what they have achieved. Keep this in mind when speaking with someone working in the career, and don't say you hope to get a job like theirs right away. If you acknowledge their success and show respect for their achievements they may be more willing to assist you.

They are struggling

Someone who is struggling in a career may have spent years in the profession without achieving the kind of success they had hoped for. This type of person may try to "help" you by pointing out the "reality" of the profession you want to work in. They will tell you that at least 80% of those who enter their field will drop out or never achieve great success. But that's true for the vast majority of careers. In a recent issue of Harvard Magazine, it was reported that the average person will have six different careers in their lifetime, which means the average person will leave five careers. Why let that stop you from following your heart now? Another reality is that virtually every career - from acting to real estate - has only a few people who reach the top. It is insulting for someone to assume you will not be one of the successful ones. However, someone who has not made it to the top themself after years of struggle simply may not be able to see how a newcomer can. If you can overlook their discouraging attitude, this person may actually be able to help by filling you in on industry jargon, types of employers, and other career information. Just don't waste your time trying to convince them that you will succeed where they haven't.

They have a scarcity consciousness

People with a scarcity consciousness believe there will be less work for them if more people enter the profession. They see newcomers as potential competitors and will do what they can to discourage others from entering the field. The moderator of a message board for one career said in response to our recent posting that if everyone who wanted to enter the career actually did so, "it would stop being a fab job for everyone else as there would be very few who could ever make a living doing this." Fortunately, there are people in every industry who have not only achieved success, but are willing to help others do the same. As Mark Twain said, "Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great ones make you feel that you, too, can become great."

I think this article makes you realize that ll the advice out there may not really be helpful.....especially if it is coming from a person who wants to climb the same ladder you are !