Here is a reply I left on a private forum on personal finance that I thought might be of interest. The questions was “What do you say when people ask if you are retired?” In my 70s I probably look the part. I collect SS and my RMD. But I still dabble with my consulting […]
This blog in not focused solely on Consulting, but also in achieving Independence (Occupational, Financial, and/or Locational). Consulting is but one way to achieve any or all. It has worked well for me, and why I share my personal experiences in hopes it may help others. Here are two books I recently read — memoirs […]
Here is a reply I left at “Husker Connect,” an alumni forum at the University of Nebraska. As an aside, I was by far the oldest alum to reply to this question. Can not believe it has been over 50 years 🙂 Some Huskers are considering a career change. Why (and how) did you take […]
Time for a harsh reality check from Uncle Daryl. No, it is not all peaches & cream starting and running a consulting practice… or any business. But for me, it still beats working for somebody else. This post was inspired by an almost constant barrage of human interest stories on the news about people losing […]
Good advice from a recent newsletter by Bob Bly, fellow engineer turned successful copywriter and consultant. I could not say it better myself. Dear Direct Response Letter Subscriber: Subscriber GR writes: “I’m mostly interested in starting and running a successful freelance copywriting business. I’m not a fast writer, but I write good copy. In my last job, […]
Time for a mid-summer break. This post has nothing to do with consulting, other than my consulting gigs paid for a beautiful ’71 VW convertible last year – posted here with picture. That post prompted several comments from former VW owners. When a long time friend responded with his “VW Recollections” I responded with this. If […]
Here is a recent letter from a young civil engineer, and my reply. It has been sanitized to protect his identity. I am a civil engineer with 5 years of experience, with a have a Master’s in Project management. Currently at my first workplace, I feel misplaced and the thought of taking a leap into […]
One year ago today we were celebrating July 4 with grandchildren in Wisconsin Dells. Floating down the Lazy River at a water park, eating hot dogs, and later watching fireworks from our hotel balcony. It was a grand way to celebrate our nation’s independence! This year we are hunkered down in Arizona with families thousands […]
We are still hunkered down in Arizona due to COVID. Several have written asking about our status, so here is an update. We are doing fine. We self-isolated in early March, and have not been in a store or restaurant since then. We order groceries on-line, and we walk the dog in a local park. We […]
No, you don’t need to be fully Financially Independent (FI), but you should have enough in the bank to last you six months to year. That is exactly what I did — the second time around – and it finally worked. My first attempt was precipitated by a layoff/firing. I had been moonlighting, and decided […]
Warning: This is a quick rant combined with a lesson on troubleshooting. No, this post is not about some quack fix like drinking Clorox or Lysol — the simple technology is MASKS! But in order to work, EVERYONE must use them. The generic masks are not meant to protect YOU — they are meant to protect […]
With the COVID pandemic, many businesses have seen drastic reductions in revenues. This includes consulting firms. So what do you do? Don’t panic. OK, maybe for a moment or so, but then put on your consulting thinking cap, and start figuring out some alternate plans. After all, that is what we do as consultants — solve problems […]
With tax time* upon us, I thought it might be helpful to share my thoughts on financial advisors (aka consultants.) I am all in favor of paying for sound financial advice from professionals. Although semi-retired (and financially independent) I follow several financial and retirement blogs. They often provide confirmation of the my financial/retirement philosophies, along with […]
A quick update from the head shed. Along with a mini-rant… In 1918, my 25 year old grandmother died of the Spanish flu. She left behind a toddler and an infant. The latter was my mother. Several weeks ago, my brother self quarantined as the result of a chance encounter with the first confirmed case in […]
Ran across this advice years ago, and it has guided me through several job changes, including becoming an independent consultant back in 1987. The advice consists of three questions: COULD I do it? SHOULD I do it? And if so, HOW how do I do it? COULD I DO IT? This is the most important, […]
Giving away advice can be good marketing, and inexpensive too. This was prompted by a recent query. With rare exception your potential clients do not want to “steal” your ideas — rather they want to know you understand their problems and can fix them. And those who do want to steal your ideas are not […]
As a board member at an HOA (homeowners association) one of the residents kept asking me, “Why can’t you do this? Why don’t you do that?” Finally, in polite desperation, I said, “Why don’t YOU do it?” If you feel strongly about it, take the ball and run. If you wait for others, it may never […]
Do you want to make your JumpToConsulting, but the voices in your head hold you back? Yes, I often felt the way 32 year ago. But I jumped anyway, and am I glad I did! So lets talk about overcoming those fears. The catalyst for this post was the book Mastering Fear. Written by former Navy SEAL […]
On cleaning out some old files, I ran across this letter to my teen age son in 1990. I though the sentiments might be a good way to start a new decade. Dear Son, Ask almost any adult, and they will admit they would not want to suddenly become a teenager again. We all remember our […]
As the year ends … it is once again time to reflect and look forward. Got this idea years ago from The Art of Nonconformity, and have done it each year since. As always, I’ll review three categories: JumpToConsulting (www.jumptoconsulting.com) EMI-GURU aka Kimmel Gerke Associates, Ltd. (www.emiguru.com) Personal (www.linkedin.com/in/darylgerke) But first, a quick overview… The JumpToConsulting […]
