Selling Good Stuff

At work today, I was interviewing one of Britain's many unemployed persons - with the aim of helping him find work. His problem (and that of many, in this truly democratic recession) is that he was overqualified for pretty much anything available in the job market. His normal revenue options were closed with our national bastions of academe cutting and slashing staff in order to preserve the master's wine list. Other work in the private arena is similarly in short supply. (I ought to know - I is looking myself.)

Anyhoo - this educated gentleman had taken one of his pet hates, that of failing educational and cultural standards; and in front of my eyes tried to turn it into a self employment business option.

It must be said, I was enthralled by the challenge. He had no real concept, or approach, or target - but it was a great way to spend an half hour interview which would not have otherwise progressed his cause of a job. I started a thought map and gathered the components of his thoughts on paper. Really we could have done this better by means of three pints in a decent boozer but you have to work with what you've got.

In the end we had come up with a charity providing educational and cultural good stuff to tempt those poor sprogs being ground through our school system and who seem to gain all socially relevant content in the vast but shallow pools of YouBookSpace. He had a wealth of content, a useful number of contacts and a fair amount of enthusiasm.

I'll keep you posted as to his prospects. Normally I wouldn't credit the man which too much hope in the current economic clime, but hope springs eternal - and we could all use a little of that.