…..thinking it was contact solution. 

I’ll give that guy an eleven for ingenuity. 

According to a recent survey by Careerbuilder about one in four workers admit to making fake excuses for being late to work.

Males are less likely to lie about why they’re late - 22 percent compared to 28 percent of women.

While the majority of hiring managers don’t typically question the validity of the reasons provided, 27 percent say most of the time they don’t believe the excuses. Here are the top ten examples of the most unusual excuses employees offered for arriving late to work:

1. Someone was following me, and I drove all around town trying to lose them.
2. My dog dialed 911, and the police wanted to question me about what “really”         happened.
3. My girlfriend got mad and destroyed all of my undergarments.
4. I woke up and thought I was temporarily deaf.
5. I just wasn’t “feelin’ it” this morning.
6. I was up all night arguing with God.
7. A raccoon stole my work shoe off my porch.
8. I super-glued my eye thinking it was contact solution.
9. I was putting lotion on my face when my finger went up my nose causing a nose bleed.
10. A prostitute climbed into my car at a stop light, and I was afraid my wife would see her and think I was messing around… so I got out of the car.

Use these.  Or, concoct your own.  Share with the rest of us your best excuses.

Remember what we’ve said previously.  Your employer may not know it, but they’re going to have to make some sacrifices for you to launch your Work Naked career.

Do you remember the Segway electric scooter?

It’s creator, Dean Kamen, believes in the power of innovation to change the world.

As reported in CIO magazine he offers his thoughts on “5 Things I’ve Learned”.

Taking risks is essential.
In my case, taking risks is easier because it’s my limb; I own the tree. I quit school at a time when no one quit school and started a company in a basement with no money. I discovered that I’m a risk taker. I get up in the morning knowing that I’m either going to have a spectacular win or loss that is going to be exciting. I prefer the former but either is more appealing than the warm death of mediocrity.

The future is the world of ideas.
Innovation and creativity will be the only serious metrics to sustain us as a world-class country. I believe CIOs are in a huge position to drive this change. They are technically savvy and have a more open perspective on change than others in senior management. I think it’s because they’ve seen firsthand what happens when you fall behind the state of the technology. That’s one reason I created First, which holds competitions to foster science, technology and leadership skills in high school students. Companies need the next generation of scientists and engineers.

Hype is the enemy of innovation.
There was a ridiculous amount of press coverage related to the Segway. I knew the hype around what the invention could do would be problematic. I knew it wouldn’t be able to do what people expected it to do right away. I don’t think anyone could make a product that could fulfill everything claimed for the Segway.

Outsourcing is practical and necessary.
This country has always outsourced things. Each generation has a golden goose and then they outsource those golden eggs. Outsourcing is a measure of the fact that we’re always raising the bar. As an entrepreneur I’ve learned that we stand on the shoulders of the generation before us and grab the next rail, provided that we’re the best educated, ambitious and courageous.

Innovation comes in many shapes.
We have two classes of projects at DEKA. Most people here would affectionately call one of those groups “Dean’s Crazy Ideas.” Those projects tend to be high risk—nobody knows whether they’re doable. I’ve learned from these projects that sometimes we must stumble around in the garden of new ideas to find a better way to solve a problem. But we also work on well-defined problems where we’ve got a good solution and need an innovative way to make it work. In my experience, you have to strike a balance between the two. If you think you’re in development mode but you’re really in that other place where failure is the most common outcome, then bad things can happen.
 

Cool spy gadgets, have you ever wanted one?

From James Bond, to agent Maxwell Smart, to the real cold war Russian commies, spy gadgets are intriguing. 

Now, there’s a contest where you can design your coolest spy gadget. 

Autodesk the software company is sponsoring a contest for designs that are inventive, humorous or just plain intriguing and will award prizes to the top entries in each category. Submissions are currently being accepted and the contest will run through April 18, 2007.

The Top Overall Design will be selected based on detail of design and “cool factor”. 
The narrowed list of design finalists will be posted starting May 2 and members will rate the entries using a star system, with prizes awarded to the highest-ranking gadget and one runner-up in each category.

The Top Overall Design will win one Sony James Bond 007 TX Spy Gear bundle, which includes a lightweight VAIO TX notebook PC, a privacy screen and Cyber-shot digital camera. 

So, think like a spy.  What would you need to accomplish your mission?

Did you see where Staples is running a contest for new product inventions? 

The winner in each of the three groups receives $25,000 and probably more as the products sell.

The contest has been around since 2003 and has received over 30,000 entries.  This year’s ideas include everything from a office chair with a trundle seat (just what everyone needs, somebody sitting hip-to-hip with you all day long) to a belt that closes off your cubicle to unwanted visitors.

There are three categories for inventors kids, adults, and Staples associates.
Five kid inventors from across the country advanced to the final round in the first-ever Staples Invention Quest Kids. Also, five adults and four Staples associates advanced to the finalist stage in the adult and associate categories of the contest. From April 2 through April 20, the public can view information on the inventors, including video testimonies, and vote for their favorite finalists in all three categories at www.staples.com/IQ.

On April 23, the finalists will present their inventions in person at the NASDAQ Marketsite in New York City. They will have five minutes to communicate their ideas to an expert panel of inventors and entrepreneurs.

The invention that receives the most public votes through the online voting site at www.staples.com/IQ will receive five extra points. The winner in each category (kids, adults and Staples associates) will be announced on April 24 at NASDAQ. Each winner will receive a $25,000 grand prize and royalties if Staples manufactures and sells the invention. The four runners up in each category will all receive $5,000.

What are you waiting for?  There’s inventor (and work naked) opportunities everywhere.

The results are in - small business owners continue to be optimistic about their businesses. 

The Wells Fargo Bank surveys the confidence level of small business owners quarterly.  At the end of 2006 the survey results were at an all time high.  And, although the index dropped slightly this quarter, business owners remain very positive about their futures.     

In addition to the generally positive sentiments, 90 percent of small business owners report they are satisfied owning their businesses and 78 percent would do it all over again.

Who would’ve thought?

Hello, McFly!!

How long does it take economic geniuses to figure out that shipping jobs overseas does not enrich the U.S.?  Apparently decades.

The prominent economist, Alan Blinder, who has advised Democratic presidential candidates finally has done an about face on the issue.  As reported in the Wall Street Journal, he’s been such a steadfast advocate of free trade, he characterized himself as a free trader “down to my toes”.

But now, he’s awoken estimating that another 40 million American jobs could be shipped out of the country during the next two decades.  40 million jobs?

So, here’s Mr. Egghead advisor to high level politicians who enact our economic policies.  And, he finally “gets it”.  

Who knows the politicians he’s influenced and how many American jobs it’s cost us.    

Soy burgers and incredible success in the same sentence, are you kidding me?

Chris & Tals Better Foods have concocted food items using soy and other healthy ingredients.  Their stuff is so good that Costco, the large membership retailer, has agreed to carry their products.

Chris Bower and Tal Rosenbloom are the founders of the company that offers half-soy burgers, meatballs, sausages and ground meat that have half the fat, calories and cholesterol of similar mainstream products.

OK, OK, the healthy soy laced food may not be for all of us.  But, right now they’re making a killing on it.

As reported in the thestar.com, in Canada, they launched a Costco “roadshow,” setting up a Chris & Tal’s Better Foods booth at a Costco warehouse.

People buy in bulk at Costco, and they were thrilled when they saw customers hauling away large boxes of burgers, sausages and ground meat in shopping carts.  Costco management keeps an eye on sales and sales were phenomenal. 

Two weeks ago, Rosenbloom spoke at a conference at York University, where he got his undergrad degree.  He was introduced to the students as the CEO of Chris & Tal’s Better Foods, and he responded, “I’m also the janitor, and don’t forget that. When you start your own business and you’re trying to get things going, there’s no job you won’t do.”

“Lack of humility will kill you real fast,” he said. “People and organizations can too easily forget where they come from. Arrogance is deadly. You’ve got to check yourself: Is my head too big to fit through the door?”

So far, so good for Chris and Tal.  They expect a launch into other markets, including the U.S., for even bigger money.

So you want to be entrepreneur?  What are your qualifications?  In school you were a C student? 

Perfect!

According to research by a well known insurance company, Northwestern Mutual, successful entrepreneurs are generally not top students.   Of course, there are always exceptions. 

This study involved more than 5,000 entrepreneurs and compared business success with academic achievement.  

So, what’s the explanation, why are C students more entrepreneurially successful?  Well, one theory is that these average students by necessity need to develop social skills to succeed.  The high  achievers, the A students, can fall back on their grades and test scores.  They can be “book smart”.

The C students find other ways to excel.  They may have natural people skills in communication, creativity, and leadership.  And, these skillsets are key to entrepreneurial success.

You might ask why an insurance company is interested in how academic achievement compares to a person’s entrepreneurial success.  It’s an important piece of information for the recruiting of insurance agents.  Although employed by the company, each agent acts independently and must have strong entrepreneurial skills to be successful.  So, should they recruit A students or C students?

The point is virtually anyone can be successful.  And, if you were the class dunce, you can be just as successful (or more) as the science fair champ.    

In his best selling book Good to Great author Jim Collins writes of how businesses large and small can truly achieve all of their financial goals. After looking at these questions, I believe that most people can use these same three questions as a jumping-off point for determining what type of business they should pursue. The three questions are:

1. What are you deeply passionate about?
2. What can you be the best at in your neighborhood, city, or even the world?
3. What can you make money at?

If your answer to all three of these questions is the same, then you’re in a great place to launch your breakout business.

Alright, here it is, my first post. This blog is about helping all us make the move to career freedom and independence.

Almost a year ago, I made the jump to being independent in my career. The emotions were high. I left a good paying job in corporate America. Could I survive on my own? After three months, would there be enough money to keep a roof over my head and put food on the table?

Was there some self-doubt…..yeah, I’m human.

So what happened? Well, before I made the jump I did my homework – literally. In the six months prior, I worked in the evenings at home developing my marketing and freelancing on the sly for a few clients.

So, I made the leap and bam…….Success!! The groundwork was laid. Business streamed in – sometimes more than I could handle. And, now almost a year later, I’ve more than doubled my income, reduced my expenses (no driving to work, no dry cleaning, no double-mocha lattes), and have career freedom.

The purpose of this blog is to share with you the lessons I’ve learned and provide insights an motivations into Working Naked.

Before this I never really saw myself as a business owner. If I can do it, you certainly can too.