When Thomas T. Venable Jr. was laid off from his Web designer job, he "applied for job after job, went on interview after interview, plus phone interviews, nothing, still no job, no steady paycheck."
Being out of work with bills to pay can push anyone's panic button, but Venable knew that solving his problem would take "a calm and clear mind."
He looked at his skills to determine which ones could be turned into a job or a business. He liked cooking, so he asked himself, "What could I possibly make that people wanted to buy and eat?" It had to be something he could do out of his home that was simple to put together and package.
One night at the grocery store, he couldn't find an appealing salsa. That sparked the idea that became TommyV's Salsa. "I perfected my fresh salsa recipe, got my home kitchen certified, registered my business as an LLC, designed and built a Web site, came up with a marketing plan and started to sell at a local farmers' market."
The road hasn't been without obstacles, but keeping a calm and clear mind has been key to Venable's success.