Know-How Exchange : Strategy

I won't charge because I am building my portfolio, not working for money.

I agree with Jay. Putting results on your resume is what helps you get a job. I wouldn't focus so much on being a manager before age 30 (that's arbitrary). Focus instead of gaining experience in the industry and job that you love. Success will follow hard work naturally.

You could also try getting internships. Then you can build your portfolio in whatever industry you are most inerested in.

Marketing is not something you learn at school. You can pick up some of the basic concepts there, but marketing expertise is developed experientially over many years time. You only get it with on-the-job training. With all due respect, why would I trust my company's marketing plan and $$ to you? By definition, there are few, if any, twenty-something marketing experts.

All my marketing skills aren't from school. I have been practicing marketing since i was 16. Here's one of my cases that I worked on a company with:


Moving Company
A brand new moving company was having trouble attracting customers to their business. They contacted me for advice. I suggested the following:

A moving company is relatively easy to start up because all it requires is a few husky people and a truck. Hence, such businesses face intense competition. There are quite a few things businesses can do to overcome this challenge.



I am also trying to write articles for websites to get more exposure.

Sorry, i didn't post the solution to the "moving company" case. Here it is:

Moving Company Solution:

Look for houses for sale and personally give the owner your flyer. There is a 95% chance they are in need of a moving company. In such a situation, you should personally visit and offer them an excellent deal on moving. Do keep in mind that they may have already done their research on pricing, so keep your price relative to your competitor’s prices if you want to win them over.

A moving company can also use the “referral” method to gain more customers. For example, you can let the home owner know that if they refer the buyer of the home, they both can move at a discounted rate. This ensures you get two customers from one sale. Although, be sure to only mention this discount after the seller sells his house to the new owner.

A lot of business owners who saw this solution said they were impressed with how I solved such a case.

Why not add a blog to your website so you can give advise and get it spread through the web. Search engines like blogs. Also you could place some Google Adsense ads on the site and maybe make a few dollars. It also shows you know how to use new media. You might also write some white papers you can offer. All this will help to build your intellectual capital.

Also, if you want to be a manger in your 20's open your own agency.

I suggest you add to any free advice the requirement to measure results and receive a letter of recommendation if the results are good or at least a testimonial referring to your work for that company. Since you are working for free these requests should easily be fulfilled. You can use the data as a student to write papers or publish results. Then you can use the results as proof of accomplishments. The testimonials and recommendations will help you get that important job later.