Steve Dotto is a tech geek producing live and recorded TV shows for decades. Recently he co-wrote a book with Bob Poole, No Limit over 50: What to Do When You’ve Been Let Go, Replace, Displaced, Or Just Want Something Different From Life. (See Podcast #411, Beyond The To-Do List with Eric Fisher). The book is available on Amazon.
For those of us who haven’t create or updated a resume in 10, 20 or more years, he sets out to teach you that you can be successful online as anyone else with Podcasts, YouTube Videos, Instagram posts and so on. You can build an on-line business with his tips on how to improve your LinkedIn page and Twitter account. Create your own webpage and posts to begin to attract an audience. Talk about what your followers want to know more about. Your years of experience are valuable and should not be wasted. He provides some basic guidelines for social media that are excellent: know what’s public and what’s private, what you put on the web can be read by the world; stay in the middle and avoid controversial content. Leave that for another day; don’t argue on social media, you’ll never win; and show off what you know and help people feel good and create positive energy for others.
There are others out there, who have gone before, and you can network and ask for help. YouTube has a plethora of useful videos to learn some technics and “how to’s”. Google around to find discussion groups who know more than you about some topics you need to learn about. By networking, you will find leads to others who can help you and you offer help to them as you can.
LinkedIn and even Facebook can help you find job or gigs for part-timers. What’s new in this day and time is that your online application is going to be read by a computer guided by AI (artificial intelligence). You’ll need to learn how to structure what you offer by using words in an job description, so you’ll rise to the top in a search. Even Craigslist can offer leads to gig or part time work. For a fee, you can join Flexjobs.com and have access to listings for remote work, work from home and other freelancing opportunities. Steve has a Resource Guide at the back of the book that is very useful. He even covers topics such as international living and working.
On the more mundane side he covers useful topics for budding entrepreneurs such as getting organized and time management and self discipline. You might really need to change your thinking and consider opportunities that never occurred to you before.
More nitty gritty is covered in how you appear online if you will be consulting or making videos, so your online appearance is critical. He leads you through things like sound, lighting, distractions, bandwidth, and interruptions. When you are starting off, you’ll need to be flexible and just learn to deal with adversity and the unforeseen. Covid-19 anyone? As you begin to cultivate new opportunities, it can give you a chance to have multiple income streams. If one fails, then others can keep you going.
Now that you are seasoned with years of experience, you still have time to accomplish those life goal. Facing change is not always easy but you don’t want to wallow in regret or feel overwhelmed. Lean on others who support you and do your best with those who don’t.
As he wraps up, Steve discusses what not to do as well as suggestions for how to start. Do a brain dump and just let ideas flow from your head on to paper or your keyboard. Don’t limit, nothing is impossible at this point. Seriously review your skills, update your online presence or social profiles. Learn to use some tools to help stay organized and gather information for future reference such as OneNote, Evernote, or Notion. Use a reliable task manager and improve skills on social media. Be consistent and follow up by being persistent. Be accountable to yourself and stay on track. There will be somedays that won’t go well but you’ll have to forge ahead.
Good hunting…