• Dot-Marie Jones, the actress who plays Coach Shannon Beiste on the hit TV series Glee, knows plenty about hard work. She grew up one of six kids on a cattle ranch in northern California. Her dad died when she was ten, and she recalls how the kids took on the responsibility of running the ranch, "My sister Carolyn and I did all the outside chores…at [ages] 10 and 12 we had to milk cows before we went to school and when we got home from school before we could go play."

    In high school, Jones was drawn to sports partly because of her imposing size: "In 8th grade, I went from 5'6" to 6'1". No cheerleading for "The Beiste." She started working out and became a top track, volleyball, and basketball athlete.

    For a self described "small town farm girl" it was a big deal when she started getting scholarship offers from colleges. She thought, "Is this serious? This could change my life." Jones ended up being a 5-time all-American in shotput in college and was sent to the 1988 and 1992

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  • By | Power Your Future – Sat, Aug 20, 2011 12:37 AM EDT

    Everyone knows that starting a new business is tough in any economy. But what about in today's very challenging economic conditions? The American entrepreneurial spirit is the engine that drives the American economy, but can that spirit also be the thing that turns the American economy around? Here are some profiles of University of Phoenix graduates and faculty who are also successful entrepreneurs.

    Jonathan Nowling, MBA, graduated from the University of Phoenix School of Business in 2006. An entrepreneur from California, Nowling translated his love of California wine country in the Napa and Sonoma valleys into a business - but not by starting a vineyard or opening a gift shop. Instead, Nowling is in the lavender business.

    "I was originally planning to open a high-end gift shop," Nowling says. "But as I was driving through California wine country touring vineyards and tasting wines, I kept noticing how the vineyard owners planted lavender and mustard in between the rows of

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  • By Suze Orman

    1. Impeccable Credit
    If you have any credit card debt, or your FICO credit score is not at least 720, you're not yet ready to take on this venture. How can you expect to have a successful business when your personal finances aren't in great shape?

    RELATED: 10 Steps to a Worry-Free Financial Future

    2. Experience
    If you're contemplating a total career change, work for someone who's already doing what you hope to do. It doesn't have to be full-time; it can be just a few days a week. The idea is to learn before you leap. Keep a start-up journal: Every day after work, write down what you learned that day, both good and bad. Those lessons are the template for your future success.

    RELATED: Skills to Go: 28 Ways to Become a Leader

    3. Basic Knowledge of Operations
    You must know your way around a P&L statement. Not sure what that is? It's shorthand for profit and loss, and it's a crucial tool. You also need to understand the tax rules of being self-employed. Look for a Small

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  • Millionaire matchmaker Christie NightingaleMillionaire matchmaker ChristieBy Sarah B Weir

    What makes elite matchmaker Christie Nightingale cry-in a good way? Witnessing her former clients melt into each other's eyes on their wedding day. What about crying in a bad way? Learning that a client blew a chance at a second date with a great guy or gal by checking their BlackBerry halfway through dinner.

    According to Christie, pulling out your cell phone is the number one faux pas people make on dates-and a real deal breaker. She recalls, "I provided an introduction for a charming, handsome, and powerful CEO. He pulled out his phone twice in the cab on the way to dinner, three times during the meal, and again on the drive home. His date informed me there would be no second meeting. When I mentioned this feedback to Prince Charming, he was shocked; he didn't even realize he was doing it." She suggests simply turning off your cell and giving your date your full attention. "If you really want a lasting relationship, you have to consider your priorities.

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  • by Daisy Chan First, figure out what you want to study. Then take these steps:

    Step 1: Look beyond private colleges.

    Getting a degree from your community college or some online schools is often the most affordable option, costing on average $5,426 for a two-year degree, according to The College Board (as opposed to $54,586 for a two-year degree at a private college if it offers an associate's degree). Don't worry about not going to the most prestigious school out there. "Companies we've seen who need workers with two-year degrees aren't differentiating between a two-year degree from an online or community college and a two-year degree from a traditional school," says Anne Edmunds, Chicago metro regional director for the international recruiting firm Manpower.

    The Department of Education's College Navigator ( NCES.ed.gov/CollegeNavigator) is a good place to start searching for schools that offer the courses you need. You can also check a school's accreditation and find out

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  • By Patricia Sellers, Fortune

    When Ursula Burns went to Washington and met with President Obama last Friday, at least two people in the room personified her notion of what leads to great success: "The biggest differentiator is not how you are born," says the Chairman and CEO of Xerox (XRX). "It's how you're influenced throughout your life."

    Barack Obama had a remarkable single mother to influence him. As did Burns, who grew up on New York's gritty Lower East Side and was guided, she says, by her mother, who advised:

    "Where you are today is not who you are," Olga Burns told her daughter, urging young Ursula not to be defined by her surroundings.

    "Success is not about money. It's not about power. It's about leaving." Burns explains: "She would always say that you have to leave the place -- any place you are -- a little bit better than you came in."

    "And the third thing she always said is that there are a lot of things that can happen to you, but there are a whole

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  • By Jessica Rao, CNBC.com

    Thinking about scrapping it all to start a goat cheese farm in Maine? Even if you just want to switch jobs at your company, career change can be daunting. Whether you've been laid off or you crave more satisfaction, looking for a position doing something you've never done before invariably comes with second-guessing: No one will give me a chance. I'm too old. I've done this forever. I can't do anything else.

    Bottom line: Reinvention is not for the faint of heart, but with work and a tweak to your mindset it's possible. Here's how

    The Evolving You

    For starters, you're not alone. People reinvent all the time. The average person born in the latter years of the baby boom held 11 jobs from age 18 to 44, according to the Labor Department.

    That's not to say they all turned their lives upside-down - the bureau doesn't have data on how many went from banker to farmer, for example. The fact remains it's no small number, and most of those boomers are still facing aRead More »

  • Photo: ThinkstockPhoto: ThinkstockBy Donna Brazile

    We clean up after ourselves. There isn't a leader in the world who hasn't led his or her followers into a proverbial ditch at least once (my greatest screwups are cataloged on Google, if you're interested). But as a rule, women spend more time fixing the problem than pointing fingers.

    RELATED: How to Tap into Your True Power

    We open up the floor. Okay, not all of us-I've had some bad female bosses in my time-but women do a better job of encouraging discussion, and studies show that consulting more stakeholders produces better results. Take the iPad. When it debuted, was there a woman in America who didn't think, sanitary napkin? If Apple had consulted us, I'd be writing this column on an iTablet.

    RELATED: 8 Ways of Looking at Women and Power

    We know what it's like to be marginalized. In this country, we're still told that work is less valuable if it's done by us. Being treated differently for a trait we can't control helps make us compassionate.

    RELATED: 11 Ways to

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  • In my last blog I mentioned that I started a brand new job upon getting my first apartment and I think that it is important for me to share the story of how exactly that job came to be. I find in today's society that so many young people are not prepared to successfully obtain interviews and job offers; and let's face it, with the economy and unemployment still being at record lows a little bit of sage advice might do some good.

    The first step in getting a new job is to look at the job that you do have and discover what it is that you would like to be different (this can also be done with someone who is unemployed). For example, when I worked at the insurance office I was making significantly less money than the standard for receptionists/administrative assistants. I also did not qualify for a benefits package, over time, holiday pay, or vacation. Because of the lack of job parameters I found myself doing tasks that would otherwise have not been asked of someone working for another Read More »


  • In this job market, where so many qualified applicants are vying for the same positions, there's no margin for interviewing error. That's why we've rounded up the following nine tips on how not to sabotage your chances through inappropriate attire. Follow these guidelines on what not to wear and prospective employers can easily focus on what's really important: your skills and experience.

    1. Revealing clothing
    It's not always necessary to wear a suit to an interview-this will depend on what kind of role and company you're applying for-but it is always necessary to wear clothing that isn't revealing. In other words, no blatant cleavage, visible underthings, or bare midriffs!

    2. Ill-fitting clothes
    You don't need to spend a lot of money on interview garments, but it is important that they fit properly! Overly baggy or tight pieces suggest that you don't take the interview seriously or don't have your act together. If clothes don't fit you right off the rack, investing in basic

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