today it hit me!!!

[serialfish]

I will try to do this without going into explicit detail, so hopefully this post doesn't come out as being strange, disconnected, and/or cryptic. It's difficult asking for advice on muse creation without giving away too much. Enough dribble, here goes.

It hit me today while at work. An idea. My muse. Finally, something that I can take and possibly catapult into freedom from the rat race. I feel invigorated.

It actually circumvents a large portion of the typical '4-Hour' system in the sense that it is within a service industry. So, the only requirement is an outsourced individual and a website. There is no product to sell.

The largest problem is finding a way to systematize the service and to teach/find an outsource 'source' that is competent in following a rather large system. I basically would need to write an 'manual' that this person would need to read and follow. They would have to handle every aspect of a business that a single person does here in the states over the phone, but might be a little more difficult to accomplish from overseas, start to finish.

I surmise that paying an individual $10-$15, 40 hours a week, for six months assuming no income (income will probably come much quicker), will cost between $10,000-$15,000. These are rough figures.

Thoughts?

[kamakiri]

Great idea! As soon as I figure out what it is I am going to steal it!

[serialfish]

OK. I give up. Since this is a basically limitless idea, I will go ahead and talk about it. Most of you guys are ethical human beings, so I will just lay it all out there since you are all very helpful when you have enough information.

My idea is headhunting...sort of. More of a direct placement thing. Find a position, talk to a business about helping them fill it. Find a person that can fill it, matching skill sets, etc. Set up interviews, follow through, and then collect a finder's fee (typically 20-40%). People do this stuff all over the country every day.

What if this idea is outsourced. Wouldn't it be a dream to teach someone the system, via book or manual, have them follow it, and you reap the benefits?

Okay, there it is. Now what do you think?

[TinaD]

Hey Fish!

So I used to work in legal recruiting (essentially headhunting) and while I think your idea has some merit, there is one glitch I see in the product.

While you could easily outsource the adevertising for candidates, initial screens and reference checks, the most important headhunting aspect is the personal interview (at least in my business it was). All the other stuff is good but putting your eye's on a candidate is the most important test. You can have a candidate that sounds good in all other areas and completely fails the personal interview. They are weird or sketch or don't dress well.

If you can find a way around that you've got yourself a product.

Ooops, second glitch (the one I failed at as a headhunter) getting the clients to hire you. There is a lot of competition in this field (at least in mine there was) and getting clients (business development) required a huge amount of time and a certain knack for closing the deal.

Good luck though, if you can find a way around those two you are good to go...IMHO.

[serialfish]

Thanks for the advice Tina. Those are good points.

I currently work as a business developer in a technical recruiting firm, although I'm still new to the whole idea. I do know that there are people out there who do the whole thing in states other than the one they work in, without ever meeting their clients. The firm I work for is very in depth (sometimes to a fault). Basically, my approach as a system wouldn't be as 'foolproof' as it could be in a traditional firm, but hey, one 50k placement can net 10k at 20%. So, hit and miss doesn't sound all that bad...lol

I'm not sure how to seal the deal with clients, but I will be reading whatever 'headhunting' resources I can find. It will be tricky, but I'm certain that it will be good with some creativity in the process...hopefully. :)

[kamakiri]

NetFlix Jerry Maguire. The biggest hurdle you will find is that head hunting is a relationship and referral business. No getting around it.

What can you bring to the table that is stronger than the big guys like monster.com or any other main stream staffing web site.

The best advice I can give you is to hash out a business plan. Follow Tim's advice, and get a preliminary stage going. I am sure once you place the first person, you will find it easier to place the next, but getting there will be one hard journey.

The flip side there is that if you can place a $50k hire and get a $10k commission, why outsource anything? Place 2 a year, live in Bali, and live like a king.

[froldt]

I have an uncle who is a HeadHunter. He can work from anywhere, as long as he has his computer with internet access and his cell phone. He and his wife travelled over the US for about 4 months, with him working the whole time. I don't know often he actually meets face-to-face, but I'm pretty sure it's not very often.
He makes decent money, can work from anywhere and sets his own schedule.

[webgal]

That is interesting frodlt. It's hard work and it's not for everyone. But I guess frodlt's uncle is an example of how it can work.

[froldt]

That is interesting frodlt. It's hard work and it's not for everyone. But I guess frodlt's uncle is an example of how it can work.

I don't know how much time he puts in each day/week. I do know that it is something he enjoys so it doesn't seem like "work" to him.
He started out working for a firm, came to realize that he was the main source of income for the company and struck out on his own. He had past sales experience and a large network to start drawing from.

[arobryn]

How about just selling the manual?

You're going to make it detailed and fool proof anyway. Then market it to the 'work from home' market for $80.

"Tired of the rat race? Become your own boss!! Get my step-by-step guide and start your own technical recruiting company! Work as much or as little as you want. Earn up to $9 Gazillion an hour!"

[serialfish]

How about just selling the manual?

It's really funny you should say that. This morning, while driving to work, it hit me...again. The best thing to do would be to set up a program and sell the manual. I can do it from a website, and use ads in 'get-rich-quick' magazines.

There's tons of people doing that successfully, and I don't even have to test the process to know it would work. I'd probably just do a manual on headhunting in general, and have a chapter on outsourcing. I actually found a website that will do it for me for only $897/month, including local telephone/fax numbers, email addresses, the whole kit and kaboodle.

I always knew the best way to 'get rich quick' was to make a 'get rich quick' program...lol.

Thank you all for your advice. I will keep you updated.

[blackhatontherocks]

Just out of curiosity, what would you be paying 897$ a month for?

[serialfish]

$897 is if I want to outsource all the work. This pays for an individual to work 40 hours a week for you, doing whatever you'd like via phone. It also pays for a local line/fax, email for your person...There is also an American manager on site to help with any confusion and such.