The Riley Guide: Job Banks & Recruiters

Considering Self-Employment

Life as a Contract Employee
Information & Discussion Areas

This area contains information on starting your own business and figuring out if this is really what you want to do. We also have information on Free Agents & Franchising as well as Steps in Starting Your Own Business. We also have some suggestions for Home-Based Businesses you might consider.

Life as a Contract Employee

If you've decided that the self-employed life is for you, then be sure you understand what's it like to work for what we call "1099 income."

The Contract Employee's Handbook

...an excellent guide to the world of the contract worker! While written more for the technical consultant, anyone thinking of becoming a "private consultant" should read this over since part of the book covers the art of searching for work and links to excellent resources. The site is sponsored by PACE, the Professional Association of Contract Employees, an association started by the author of the CE Handbook that offers information and resources to self-employed professional and other services to members. Please note: the author appears to be very biased against staffing firms and contract recruiters, but he explains his reasons (primarily financial, but also some ethics complaints). He will also take self-employed professionals to task for their own ethical lapses, including income tax "evasion" tactics.

Self-Employment Key by Lawrence K. Jones, Ph.D., NCC

...Dr. Jones, the brains behind the CareerKey (see our Self-Assessment page), has created another great site and useful tool, this time geared towards the person who is considering self-employment. You can read several quick articles for free, but I found it worth the modest fee to take the online test and get a better idea of my personal interests and characteristics and how they can translate into my job as a private consultant. (I'm an Artistic-Social type myself, which fits into my background as a librarian and musician!) The test will take you less than 10 minutes on a DSL or Cable line and it is a very simple yet insightful tool if you are thinking about telling the boss to take a hike.

Top of Page | Site Navigation Links

Information & Discussion Areas for Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneur.com

...information for the small business owner, including tips on hiring and franchising. From the publishers of Entrepreneur Magazine.

Inc Magazine

...the magazine for the small business. Inc Magazine dedicates many issues to topics which hit the heart and pocket of the entrepreneur and ranks the Inc 500 each fall. This is definitely a publication and online site to watch.

The Wall Street Journal Online Entrepreneur Channel

...a site dedicated to the self-employed and / or entrepreneur. Like everything else they do, it is a great resource with listings of business ventures (taken from the WSJ classifieds), franchises, a database of venture capital firms (the Kennedy directory, but you must pay to see your results), HR issues for small businesses, and articles from the WSJ.

The Business Forum

...information for the small business, including articles and research links.

Guerrilla Marketing Online

...a weekly web magazine for small business, entrepreneurs, sales people and marketers of all kinds.

IdeaCafe, The Small Business Gathering Place

"A Fun Approach to Serious Business. Yes, we firmly believe there's a clear need for some whipped cream topped with a cherry in every entrepreneur's diet! Small business owners work harder than anyone else, they seldom get any credit, so at Idea Cafe, we give them a perfectly legitimate excuse to take a well-deserved break . Here, you can solve your problems and have some fun too! And you get the chance to network with others who know exactly what you're going through. " This site is filled with the information and resources you need to get your business up and running and keep it going, but it also recognizes that small business owners are some of the hardest workers around and very much in need of some de-stress. The Legal section is filled with forms and tips covering all your needs from Agreements to Billing to Taxes to HR forms. You'll find this helpful as well as fun.

Edward Lowe Foundation

... an organization dedicated to "encouraging business owners to get involved with entrepreneurial peer-networking organizations and to think about their businesses in new and creative ways."

PartnerUp

... helps entrepreneurs and people who are interested in starting a business find business partners, board members, executives, skilled professionals, engineers, advisors, and more. People who are interested in getting involved in these up-and-coming businesses can also post profiles and network with other members. Registration and basic membership are free. PartnerUp is headquartered in Eden Prarie, MN.

Working Solo

..Terri Lonier, an expert in small business matters, operates this site to support SOHO businesses -- Small Office / Home Office. It's fairly basic but does offer good advice on how to decide if you should start your own business, steps to take before you quit your day job, and naming your new business. (I particularly like that last item after attempting to track down so many small businesses, particularly technology firms, with generic computer names.) Nice links to supportive sources.

what

job title, keywords

where

city, state, zip

jobs by

Jobs, Career Resources, & Articles from The Wall Street Journal

• Find a Job
• Post a Job
• Virtual Career Fair

RealEstateJournal -- advice on buying or renting a new home, apartment, or office.