Business Insight Zone

The other day I got to give a presentation (twice, actually) to the Launch Pad Job Club here in Austin. After it was over, some of the job seekers in the audience stuck around to talk to me. One of them was Zack Metzner, who has used his temporary unemployment as an opportunity to build something for his fellow job seekers — the JoblessJoe site.

Zack knows from experience that being unemployed can be isolating and lonely, so he’s using JoblessJoe — which is part blog, part social network — as a way to let jobless folks know that they’re not alone. The site offers advice and forums that emphasize positive action and problem-solving.

I’ve barely started exploring the site, but already I see that Jeff Johannigman, an old friend who was a colleague of mine in the earliest days of my career, is offering job coaching there. (This tells me that Zack is definitely onto something.)

If it’s relevant to you or someone you know, give JoblessJoe a look. And kudos to Zack for taking adversity and turning it into opportunity.