THE SELF-EMPLOYMENT GATEWAY PART TWO In part one, we have established that the so-called “work coach” has not worked for my best interests. And they are most likely not working in the best interest of the Jobcentre Plus clientele either! The work coach is really a work coax that is looking out for his/her own interests. I get it, there’s pressure to get results, but at least take the time out to get to know the clientele. Let those who are fully able to help themselves get on with the task of looking for work and possibly a career. Assist those who need help! If a client does not have any qualifications or skills and this individual is weary of work in terms not being able to earn enough to cover the rent (in London) then there’s an opportunity for the work coax to disseminate some actual information that could get this weary soul on track! If you, like me, are currently being forced into positions that aren’t suited to your skills and experience, you are going to resist. It’s simple psychology! Plus, you know that if you have unique skills such as a surgeon, beautician, furniture maker, etc, you know that you are worth more than the jobs that you are being coaxed into. We go to work to earn as much money as possible, right? And we also go to work because we love doing a certain thing. Me? I am passionate about Graphics & Multimedia Design and Vegan Cooking. I am also passionate about computers and I would love to be employed by a computer brand assembling computers all day! It is not an impossibility for me to find employment, again, the team of work coaxes at my former Jobcentre Plus establishment kept insisting on interfering for the worse! Another aspect of work coaxing to mention is that you are at the mercy of how a work coax conducts his/her business. Some work coaxes are happy to see a high volume of applications, while others prefer quality over quantity – just as long as the 35 hours per week can be accounted for. And, once again, more effort is being made to create these fake personalities that I have attached terminologies to, e.g. Tricky Vicky, Malfunctioning Malcolm, Stephanie Stepford, Callous Karen, and so on. Just watch and observe… So, I have to ask the question: Are work coaches/coaxes really necessary? In my experience, I would say absolutely not! Certainly, not without any training. The Jobcentre Plus establishments need Careers Advisers! And, if you, like me, have a certain set of skills and qualifications, it means that you have the self-discipline to have acquired them, so, it stands to reason that you have the intelligence to change direction if there’s not much of a demand for your skills/qualifications. It is true that you can fall behind your profession because it constantly changes and if you can’t adapt - not least because your work coax is getting in the way of your progress, you’re receiving sanctions for no logical reasons - there is no way that you will be able to settle down to bring yourself up to speed. Or even make yourself presentable as a candidate with great potential because your work coax is not adhering to the old adage, less haste more speed. In other words, the work coax is not letting you prepare to assume a role because it does not benefit him/her. They want you off Universal Credit in the fastest time possible yet they screw-up the chances of the clientele to get a job of their choosing - and possibly a career - in their desperation. AUTONOMY One of the reasons why I jumped at the Self-Employment Gateway is because I wanted autonomy over my vocational future. Seriously, the work coax is qualified for maximum idiocy! In my profession, the Internet plays an essential part in what I do. Sadly, most of the work coaxes that I have worked with do not have a clue about a smartphone let alone the Internet. I was so very annoyed to have had my team of former (useless) work coaxes interfere with what they did and do not understand in the first place. My Stephanie Stepford was kinda sweet – at times – she would drop “Instagram” and “Twitter” in our conversations to show that she was not completely ignorant of the Internet and Social Media. Oh, that’s another string of my many talents, I can manage Social Media accounts on behalf of companies and individuals! Yes, back to Stephanie Stepford, although she knows of some Social Mediums, she just does not have an extensive knowledge of how to use those platforms. I am convinced, that if left to my own devices, I could have been earning a good living through my knowledge of Social Media combined with my Graphics & Multimedia Design skills! Oh, I am also a journalist too, I used to specialize in Computer Music and Consumer Technology. Yes, I have tried to get work as a Journalist for popular magazine titles dealing with computers, Electronic music and as a Copywriter. It is difficult to break into that clique! Gosh, I went off on a little one… But I just want you to understand that I was being held back by these pesky work coaxes. The industries that I can get into is very cliquey and I was poised to get in that clique until... That's right... Until I stumbled upon Tricky Vicky - my first work coax! By going through the Self-Employment Gateway, it can buy you/me/us some time to get our proverbial sh*t together! I don’t know about you, but I have found it practically impossible to find a job whilst being in a less than ideal one. Trust me, in the realm of Graphics & Multimedia Design, it does not look good for a potential employer to see Shelf Stacker on my CV. The potential employer just wouldn’t take me seriously, he or she would think, “What decent Graphics and Multimedia Designer worth his salt would stack shelves???” Forget it! Such is the snobbery associated with the design industries in the UK. Oh, I must state that someone pointed out to me that the reason what I am getting trolls is that it looks like I am not applying myself in looking for work and that I have spent a considerable amount of time posting my Charge.org updates. Let me address this idea… First of all, if you look at the date of my updates, you will see that there is an 11-month gap! In these 11 months, I have verily looked for work. Thankfully, all my efforts have been recorded in my Universal Jobmatch account. Like I said, a lot of my time was wasted with work coaxes failing to understand my needs and what I am capable of. Not to mention, I had to spend the most part of a year refuting illegal sanctions and what amounts to libel as recorded by Tricky Vicky in the Universal Credit computer system. I am sure that if you got mugged of all your money, you’d report it to the police. So, I am getting justice because there was no need for Tricky Vicky to have created false narratives (and libel) for the purpose of imposing sanctions. You should know by now that sanctions do not help people to find work faster. Sanctions take the focus away from looking for work. Lastly, I am officially self-employed as I have gone through the Self-Employment Gateway and I have the most part of a year to prove myself! I have to be earning somewhere in the region of £1,300 per month! I think I can do it! I hope I cleared that up! Okay, okay… I promised to keep the waffling to a minimum… It stops right now! SOLID REASONS FOR GOING THROUGH THE SELF-EMPLOYMENT GATEWAY Nearly a couple of decades ago, I predicted that the future of the economy for the worker is self-employment. I was right. At each opportunity, I tried my hand at self-employment. I wish I could tell you that I ran successful businesses but I cannot. I tried running a record label to get my music out there and the advent of the MP3 audio format drove a nail in the coffin of that very short-lived venture. As an artist, I had achieved 3 albums, which is great! The commercial success eluded me. And in my other attempts at self-employment, I was simply behind the time with technology! I was also not sharp enough to see a trend and ride that wave! I came close a few times and 1 & 1, the web hosting company, stuffed up what could have been a very lucrative project. So, please, do not use 1 & 1 if your business idea involves having your own website! You have been warned! The worrying thing is that, where the Internet is concerned, the governments of the UK and USA want to shut it down. Once the government is able to cease the neutrality of the Web, it may mean that us budding entrepreneurs will have to pay a high price to be able to do business online. This is not good! Still, there may be some time to try and establish one’s business idea online. 01. These days, it is increasingly hard to find a stable employer. Longevity and a career are no longer guaranteed. This current dystopic government makes it hard for businesses to thrive. In my area, shops close on a regular basis. 02. You have a talent or several talents that could actually earn you good money! It is quite feasible to promote your talents via Social Media to get customers and/or clients. 03. Depending on what you want to do, it is possible to raise finances via crowdfunding online such as Go Fund Me! Look, it is not “begging” as some people think. To think of crowdfunding as “begging” is such a short-sighted view because you, me, us, as a conscious online community have the possibility to help others up the ladder. This is what I have committed myself to do once I have established my business. These days, getting a loan when your credit has been damaged through a sanction or a series of sanctions is a no go! As you know, it is the same with hire purchase, credit cards, etc. 04. You may be luckier than me and be able to access the New Enterprise Allowance Scheme. The NEA is worth doing as you will learn how to write a business plan – they do not have to be elaborate, and you will learn a little bit about basic bookkeeping with creating a cash flow forecast. Even if you are not going to get a loan, the NEA is still worth doing. Also, you can get a grant. FORMATTING AN IDEA Let’s say you have an idea for a business, the first thing you have to do is find a format for it – a current business model. So, be prepared to visit the local library – if the government hasn’t managed to close it. Or do a lot of online research. What is trending at the moment is Veganism. If you happen to be a skilled cake baker, for example, all you have to do is to remove the animal-based ingredients and you could be selling your cakes at a Vegan Festival/Exhibition. You might have to factor in the following: - A. Certificate in Food Safety and Hygiene. B. Classes to acquire cake decorating skills. C. The cost of equipment and cake tins. D. The cost of the ingredients as well as the gas and electricity. E. The cost for a market stall. F. The cost to the customer, which must cover your overheads. You might think, “I will open up a shop...” I have seen Vegan businesses close because paying shop rental fees is a nightmare! Forget this idea of passing trade… There was a Vegan based restaurant in London’s Oxford Street and it was forced to relocate. You would have thought that the passing trade and with Veganism trending, it is Veganuary, that the Vegan restaurant would be raking in the money from passing customers. No. I actually went to look for a job there! If I had got that job, it would have been ideal! There will be other opportunities. The more you can do at home and online the better. For example, using Vegan cakes again, you could go to coffee shops, health food shops, etc to see if they’d buy one or more of your cakes. They could buy it at a price that they can make a good profit margin per slice, obviously. Let me give you another example… You could be a computer engineer forced to retire because, with the advent of smartphones and tablets, people aren’t buying desktop PCs like they used to. Do you know what you can do? You can start a YouTube channel that features PC builds for specialist users such as video editors/content creators, gamers, etc. You could also review components. People would watch an “unboxing” video on YouTube whereby, as it reads, a reviewer is opening the box of a piece of tech, e.g. a smartphone and shows what’s in the box as a preview to a full-blown review. Tech-based YouTube channels are popular, there is always room for someone who can do tech reviews in a distinctive style! Give it a go! I would give it a go, but I am in need of a lot of equipment! Again, with the YouTube channel, a number of topics are trending such as Vegan cooking! I would love to do a YouTube channel for Vegan cooking as I LOVE this subject… It is what I do on a daily basis – when I can afford to buy ingredients to make Vegan cooking interesting! Of course, if you happen to have any skill that can be videoed then consider a YouTube channel. The beauty of having a YouTube channel is that you can start off minimally, you can also have a job and if you get a lot of subscribers and people watching (the two aren’t always the same thing) you could be earning a good living from Google Ads! Check it out! I would jump at the opportunity to create a Vegan cooking based YouTube channel but my kitchen is not ideal! I have been looking for a kitchen that I could possibly borrow or hire. It still can happen! So, if you have a hobby that you love and can present to others, you really should consider taking out a Google Ad account and link it to your YouTube! Look, there are people who would watch whatever it is that you are into. That’s the thing about the Internet, you can find an audience if your presentation is right! You may not get it right the first time, but just watch what others are doing and think about ways in which you can do it better or different enough to make people watch it. If you are into tech, how many Samsung Galaxy Note 8 vs. Apple iPhone X videos can you watch? The answer is loads! People, myself included, can sit there and watch certain smartphone and general tech reviewers. Going back again to the subject of cooking… Can you write a recipe book??? It is not that difficult to do. I know what you are thinking… You are thinking, “I can’t afford to have a book published...” Remember, I mentioned “format” earlier? Well, you can create an eBook. I recommend the PDF format. I have yet to see a publishing software that can do a proper eBook. It is possible to create the PDF eBook using a word processing software. There is some word processing software that you can download for free! And because the PDF is digital, it means that you do not have to worry too much about the picture quality. A good high-end smartphone such as the Samsung Galaxy S8/8+/Note 8, Google Pixel 2 and XL 2, iPhone 8, and other smartphones can easily do the job – if you do not own a standalone digital camera! All you have to do is think about your angle for your cookbook! What will be the unique factor for your cookbook? I am looking to do a cookbook at some point very soon! I am working out my angle… Once you have created your cookbook or whatever book you have chosen, you just have to promote it via Social Media. A cookbook should be fairly easy to write in comparison to writing a best selling novel. If the price is right, people will buy it! You can sell your eBook (in PDF form) via Amazon! Please let me know if I can help you directly by creating a website or flyer or any sort of digital design. I can do it! Naturally, I will have to charge you… But, for you, I will charge mates rates! We can work something out! Do you see how I am selling my skills to you? I would like to think that I am not doing this in a horrid exploitive way. This should show you that I am always trying to look for opportunities. It just so happens that you may have a great idea for a business venture that uses the Internet and requires a website, flyers, social media marketing, etc. I can do all that. I am a Graphics & Multimedia Designer. I can use those design skills to create memes/digital flyers for Social Media, I can record and edit videos, add some original background music, and so on. Hit me up, if you need some help with your business ideas. Leave a comment. In fact, I will create an email whereby you can contact me directly fairly shortly! Give me a few days! As you know, I have to write some complaint letters in my bid for justice this week! Let me finish this update with more business ideas… Are you a musician? Do you think you can teach people to play an instrument in a unique way? YouTube channel! Do you work with a particular music software? You can create a series of tutorial videos on your own YouTube channel. Are you a graphic artist? How about designing some T-shirts! Now is the time to look into it, it’ll be spring before we know it and summer will follow soon after! Aside from plain T-shirts, I do like a certain type of design that is pretty hard to find these days. I do like T-shirts that look outstanding, and I would buy (cost effective T-shirts from Primark usually) with a design that I feel says "me" all over! There are online shops like Shopify! In fact, you don’t even need me as a designer. It’s true! You can use online site building tools like Wix.com, Squarespace, and so on. You may have to pay a monthly fee for certain features in some of these services. Personally, I prefer to design my websites from scratch! If you are an artist, you ought to think about selling your work on FineArtAmerica.com! Look, if you have the talent, use it! That’s it for this update. Again, let me know if you need anything. THE CONCLUSION OF PART TWO In a way, I am doing the job of the “work coach”. I am trying to bring something out of you that can make you money, and possibly a career. I am telling you right now, my plan, of late, was to start my Vegan based business and get a part-time job in the Vegan Cooking Industry as these are my passions right now. This desire is not pie in the sky! Instead of looking for a tailor-made solution for my talents, the team of work coaxes at my former Jobcentre Plus establishment tried to put me in inappropriate positions and programmes. If one of them had listened and let me get on with it, I know that I would have been successful in attaining my goals. Again, I should have been told about the Self-Employment Gateway from the time I said that I want to seriously look into self-employment with this Somalian based agency that I was sent on in order to avoid the Benefit Cap. Once again, I was sent there to look for work that matches my skill-set and I was told by this agency that I should consider self-employment. Despite the fact that this agency now wants me to drive a bloody taxi, I do feel that my businesses could work. The Vegan and Graphics & Multimedia Design businesses. If you would like to make a donation to help me get my businesses off the ground sooner rather than later, please make a donation using the link below: - www.gofundme.com/Veganergize Much appreciated. Every little helps! It is getting there! Thanks again for reading and sharing! And thanks for your support and encouragement! You really help to keep me going! Best wishes, Blue :) P.S. I used the Wizard of Oz image as I see this as an individual broken down into component parts: Sometimes we lack courage. We can also have heart but no brains. The gold at the end of the rainbow is… YOU! ME! US! However, this government does not want to ensure that you get what you are worth. This government is happy to enslave us. Take a peek behind the curtain and you will see who is pulling the strings. The wicked witch is great at creating distractions but when our thoughts are pure and fluid, flowing in the same direction, the wicked witch melts away! The Yellow Brick road represents our lifespan. Dorothy is the perceived Sacred Feminine trait that links the masculine elements as embodied by the cowardly lion, the heartless tin man, and the brainless straw-man (Google the Straw-Man – you may be surprised at the results). We carry all the elements within us. This society that has been created out of illusions that creates a divide within ourselves – let alone with others. So, many of us are a perpetual state of a negative psychosis and anything can trigger an aggressive outburst, hence the trolls, children stabbing and shooting each other to death, and so on. Rise In Peace the young adults who were stabbed to death on New Year's Eve (in various London locations). Once we recognize that the main characters in the Wizard of Oz represent us as an individual that has been divided to create separate schisms of The One, we can see through the wizardry and wickedness that provides us with entertainment. We pick up a snoozepaper, “Oh, someone that is supposed to be a celebrity is copulating with another celebrity who is married to yet another celebrity...” We are glued to the TV, “Soap character dies… No, soap character didn’t die...” “Someone won the lottery...” “Lone tough person takes on bad people with martial arts skills and weaponry and survives incredible odds...” It is time to wake up! In fact, the Spandau Ballet song, Gold, says it quite plainly, “We are gold! Always believe in your soul...” But many of us do not believe.