Deseret News Archives,
Sunday, February 10, 2002

Edition: All
Section: Money
Page: M01
Length: 69 lines

Need work? Create own job

But getting a job wasn't any easier then than it is now -- especially in Third World countries. Yet the message from mothers and fathers worldwide seems to be the same today: "Get a Job."

We fight this culture in the Philippines, where my wife and I have been teaching a new batch of 25 students every 10 weeks, trying to help them understand the need to create their own job -- especially when traditional jobs don't exist.

Creating your own job as a way of life is starting to catch on big time, not only in the United States but worldwide. Funny thing is, that shift takes us back to the way it used to be when most of our ancestors worked for themselves as farmers, grocers, blacksmiths or whatever.

Read what Sen. Sergio Osmena of the Philippines recently said: "There is clearly a need for Filipinos to undergo a paradigm shift in the way they view their future economic well--being as individuals and as a nation. From their prevailing mind-set of depending on government or large businesses to create jobs for them, the Filipinos' outlook should radically shift toward their giving importance to generating their own income and jobs for others through the entrepreneurial path."

The exciting thing is the trend to creating your own job and your own business is actually being helped along by the global recession as millions are being thrown out of the big companies. It is during times of recession that many of the desperate brilliant get laid off and quickly become motivated to do their own thing.

In Third World countries, since few have cars, they don't start businesses in garages, they start on street corners. Many are starting what we at the Academy for Creating Enterprise call microenterprises -- where they basically provide an in-demand service or buy and sell something in the informal economy.

For example:

Barbara created a job as a tutor to teach Filipinos how to speak better English. After attending the academy, she hired a staff of four to do the tutoring. She does all the marketing for her new job.

Tony created a job as an exporter of flower pots made out of discarded coconut shells. Now he uses 20,000 shells a month to create products that he exports to Holland, Germany and Italy. His self--created job got so big he has had to hire 30 others to help him.

Eighteen months ago, Mags created a job selling fish. Now he brags of his newest possession: a faucet that brings running water into his house. Plus now he has electricity, which allows him to work on his business records at night. Business is so good, his wife went out and bought their first sofa after six years of marriage.

So if you are having trouble getting a job, no matter what country you live in, you might consider creating a job.

Who knows? You might end up with a new sofa.

Stephen W. Gibson is associated with the BYU Center for Entrepreneurship. He can be reached via e-mail at cfe@byu.edu.

© 2001 Deseret News Publishing Co.