The global recession that took place in 2008 caused many Americans to lose their jobs. Many people lost their homes, their careers, and their sense of security. "We were starting over in a competitive job market with people half our age and experience we didn't have," says a couple who lost the majority of their income in the construction business when the economy tilted on its side three years ago. Many small businesses folded under the same financial hardships, their owners returning to school or another fallback career. Many of these individuals took a long look at their situations and concluded they must RE-INVENT themselves.
Career Shifters: Whether or not you are an entrepreneur, when it comes to diversifying your income or perhaps shifting careers, there are some important decisions to make. What are my likes and dislikes? What are my strengths and my weaknesses? It can be very helpful to take a career/personality assesment test in these early stages to help determine what you might do best and best match your lifestyle goals with your career. We recommend the PRO-D from TAI, Inc. assesment test. This test will connect your motivations, talents, AND your personality with your best career matches. Many career shifters are looking for a lifestyle change as well. The ability to set your own hours and do something you love is actually what attracts many of these shifters into the world of franchising.
We find it interesting that studies show women make up the largest percentage of career shifters in the last four years (over 70%). Many women are starting up businesses or buying existing businesses and running them successfully in a fine balance with their own family and personal lives. It is suspected their social flexibility (often gained as mothers and as wives) allows them to reinvent themselves more readily in the professional arena.
