Please revisit the thread on what to do before and after a layoff. A forum partipicant just receive 'the word'. Give what advise you can.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), August 21, 2001

Answers

Ken, I was laid off during one of the past recessions during the holiday season. I took newspaper, vinegar water, spray bottles, and squeegees to town and knock on every door on Main Street. By the end of the day I had made over $200 washing windows for the local merchants. I established a regualr route of customers. As I was washing windows, passerbys would ask me to come to their homes and wash their windows. I charged (in those days) 50 cents a window pane side. This got me through the holidays pretty much staying busy two or three days a week. Some of my customers asked me if I knew anyone whom steam cleaned carpets. I told them I did! I went home and rented a "Rug Doctor" and "prasticed cleaning my carpets". When I scheduled customers for carpet cleaning I would line them all up on the same day as to only have to rent the "Rug Doctor" once or twice a week. As business progress with window washing and carpet cleaning I had to recruit my wife to help me with all the customers. (She quit her factory job on a production line to work with me full-time). Eventually, the two of us were working 50-60 hours a week! So, all you need to do is to take a look at this "lay off" as an opportunity to give you the "jump start" that you may need to start your own business. Sincerely, Ernest

-- http://communities.msn.com/livingoffthelandintheozarks (espresso42@hotmail.com), August 22, 2001.