The Official Website of Zach Ferres

I had the opportunity to met Donna Fenn (author of Upstarts! and writer for Inc Magazine) at the Inc 500 Conference in Washington DC this year. She went out of her way before the conference and sent me a coupon code for a reduced price entrance to the conference after I responded to one of her information requests on HARO (Help a Reporter Out).

The economy sucks, the national unemployment rate is at 9.7% and in Ohio the numbers are even worse with about one in eight unemployed. Many of my friends have graduated college with a Bachelor's degree from a great university and are having troubles finding jobs. Friends and family are getting laid off and factories in my hometown are closing left and right. However, this is not going to be a blog that complains and cries about the situation. I'm an optimist, and this blog post is going to give you some tips to land a job in tough economic times.

1. Stay at home!

Today Matt Nye, our lead programmer at Bouncehost suggested that I may be a masochist. I have heard the term before but never actually took the time to realize how much this term actually fits me.

mas·och·ism n.

1. The deriving of sexual gratification, or the tendency to derive sexual gratification, from being physically or emotionally abused.

2. The deriving of pleasure, or the tendency to derive pleasure, from being humiliated or mistreated, either by another or by oneself.

This is a quick inspirational video on how todays entrepreneurs can change the world.

This is somewhat of a social networking site for entrepreneurial startups. It provides tools for matching you to service providers or those looking for services. It also helps you connect to investors, find funding, and build a business plan.

Reason 1 - You have nothing to lose

Upon entering the college life I had just finished a summer of working as a part-time pizza connoisseur. I was dropped off at college with my belongings and a wallet with my $250 limit credit card and $50 cash. After staying sober for four years in high school I was ready to begin my college life (just like in the movies).

Just as a precursor, this is something that has been on my mind for quite some time. At almost every networking event I visit and every presentation I do, this topic is mentioned. Everyone understands the position the economy is in right now and things just aren't looking real good, right? Right. But does that mean we should be worried, blame it on the government, and/or continue to bitch? Nope.