Newsflash – all you’re learning in college is how to apply for, and work for, a job market that’s no longer creating job. Chew on this:

• College curriculums were developed to meet the needs of Fortune 500 companies.
• Fortune 500 companies are responsible for a net loss of jobs over the last two decades.
• Startups generate 60 to 80 percent of all new jobs. And the top 1% of those startups generate 40 percent. Yes, I said 40 percent. Of ALL jobs.

Them’s the facts; plain and simple.

So if you’re looking for a job, you better start looking at startups. And the best way to get a job at  a startup is not by attending the best school. The best way to get a job at a startup is by bringing the best street cred.

What street cred? Startup street cred.

Bring the credibility that only comes with having worked through the early days of a startup. Prove that you ‘get it.’ Show that you know things; things that only those who’ve worked at a startup know.

That, my friends, is practically a guaranteed ticket to employment.

And a new program called E[nstitute] is handing out those exact golden tickets to fifteen lucky applicants.

Get Schooled – In the Real World

E[nstitiute] is a new two-year apprenticeship program that matches hotshot job hopefuls with hot (funded!) startups in NYC. Startups like Warby Parker, Nestio, Clickable and Shelby.tv.

The program is open to any 18-24 year old ambitious enough to apply, regardless of whether they’ve stepped foot on a college campus. (BTW – they told me if you’re over 24, and really want in, they want to hear from you too.)

E[nstitute] provide the basics—food, shelter, transportation. The startups provide the work experience. Experience you won’t get anywhere else. The kind that comes with guaranteed street cred.

Yes, two years sounds like a long time. Even longer when you consider that they’re startup years–which in my experience roughly equates dog years. So, in essence, you’d leave this two-year startup apprenticeship with a decade and a half of actual business experience.

Compare that to leaving college with a framed piece of paper, commencement address well wishes, and no job prospects, and there’s no question where the value lays.

Go get the experience. Learn by doing – as the folks at E[nstitute] say.

Here’s what else they say about how you can grab one of those 15 coveted spots:

(I cannot apologize enough to E[nstitute] founder Shaila Ittycharia for my horrible recording skills that block half her face!)

The idea that college is no longer preparing anyone for anything anymore isn’t new. Entrepreneurs, famous bloggers, even the New York Times has been saying it for years. But it took two entrepreneurial twentysomthings to come up with a suitable alternative.

It’s worth noting that the founders of E[nstitute], Shaila Ittycheria and Kane Sarhan, both have college degrees. Shaila even has an MBA from Harvard. But they’re both fully aware of what helped them land jobs after graduation.

For Kane it was the internships he had while in college that got him his jobs. Shaila always had her sites set on working in the startup scene. And in a reversal typical of the difference between corporate America and startups, she says that her MBA was a detriment to getting that kind of job. Despite her multiple diplomas, her real cred came after she worked, for free, for startup Birchbox.

The bottom line is this, your Grandmother may think a college degree is critical to your future success, but much like the honey badger, entrepreneurs just don’t care.

And they’re the ones hiring. So why should you?

Learn more about E[nstitute] and the hot startups they’re working with, and then go apply before the March 31st deadline.

For more tips, check out this free ebook:
5 Tips to Get a Job, Keep a Job and Know When to Run Screaming from Job with a Startup.

What are your thoughts on dropping out now, to ensure a great career later?

Don't think you'll be wearing one of those in any of these jobs.

Looking for a new startup job? I gotcha covered!

What I don’t have are any technical chops when it comes to video. Really, you wouldn’t believe how bad some of the Three to Get Ready video interviews are that I haven’t posted yet. The content is fabulous. The tips from entrepreneurs are great. My technical skills suck.

But, since each one of these videos also mentions startup jobs open now, I don’t want to wait to get that info to you.

So here’s a list of the startup jobs that have come across my Skype in the last two weeks. Go get ‘em.

Eliptigo  (San Diego, CA)
Key Account Manager: Sales in the hospitality industry, like hotels around the beautiful beaches in SoCal, and beyond. Anyone creative enough to reach out to unique market segments to sell this very cool bike. International sales will also fall to this person. So, hmmm, beaches, hotels and international travel. Not bad, not bad.
Qualifications: Large account experience a bonus, but doesn’t have to be with these types of accounts, or selling bikes. But from what I saw, you better be a fitness buff. The company isn’t filled with weekend warriors; some of these guys have done multiple Iron Man competitions. So go work on that six pack while you work on getting this job.
Contact: jobs@ellipitgo.com

HubShout  (Rochester, NY)
SEO Marketing Sales: Again, you get it. Know SEO and PPC, want to help other companies know SEO and PPC? Here’s how you can do that! This company is an SEO reseller, and they need your help reselling.
Qualifications: Their posting says sales experience mandatory, but in the interview their founder Chad says he’s had some great hires that came from foodservice. Good waiters know how to push the specials. So you don’t have to be a total techy to get this job.
Contact: pr@hubshout.com

WordWatch (San Jose, CA)
PPC/Client Managers (multiple positions): Experience with Ad Words a plus, but could be your own personal experience on your own personal blog. Just know how it works, and how WordWatch works. And go get some work! (Training available on the job too.)
Marketing Manager/ Partnership Ninja: (they said it, not me!) Affiliate and OEM management.
Contact: jobs_sj@wordwatch.com

Jobs Featured in Three to Get Ready video series

Go listen to the entrepreneur explain exactly how to get the job first!

LaunchLeads (Salt Lake City, Utah)
Marketing Director (Not posted, but if you’re qualified hit ‘em up.)
Marketing research assistants 5+ positions, part time, perfect for college students.
Contact: http://www.launchleads.com/careers/
For the inside scoop from the founder: Want a Job? Date a Startup

LifeKraze (Chatanoga, TN)
Developer: Well-rounded, they’re working on mobile applications now, so if you’ve got that, great!
Contact: jobs@lifekraze.com
For the inside scoop from the founder: Work for a Startup, Change the World

Shelby.tv (NYC)
Front end developer: Full stack, HTML5, CSS3, ruby on rails, and other stuff that makes no sense to me.
Contact: http://blog.shelby.tv/workwithus
For the inside scoop from the founder: This Startup is Hiring A FEW GOOD MEN

SlideRocket (San Fran)
Media & communications manager
Business strategy analyst (looking for new college grads)
Social media & community manager
Web designer/developer – marketing application group
Marketing automation manager/developer
Sr. web engineer/developer
Sr. MTS-Operations engineer
Sr. Quality engineer manager
Sr. Web engineer
Sr. User experience designer
Contact: http://www.sliderocket.com/about/jobs.html
For the inside scoop from the founder: Words from the CEO (w the worst audio/video syncing you’ve ever seen. opps)

Got questions about these job? Drop ‘em in the comments and I’ll get answers.

The fourth in a series of interviews where entrepreneurs give their three top tips for getting a startup job, keeping a startup job, and knowing if it’s time to run screaming from your startup job.

The best part, most of these entrepreneurs are hiring now. Including this one!

Entrepreneur: Reece Pacheco
Company: Shelby.tv
Jobs: Full stack engineers for front-end development, or people with other skills if you’re motivated and interested in Shelby.tv (more on the jobs at minute 20:00)

You can’t handle the truth!

Or maybe you can. But fair warning, what you’re about to read may make you question everything you thought you knew about getting a job, resumes and fishing.

Yes, fishing.

Meet Reece Pacheco, co-founder and CEO of Shelby.tv. Smart guy, hot company. Or hot guy, smart company depending on how you look at it.

Reece and his team recently attended a recruiting event for their smart, hot company where they were approached by lots of people they’d put in the “brilliant” category. They met lots of people with the exact right technical skills Shelby is looking for.

But most of these people didn’t grab their attention.

Know who did grab their attention? The guy who sent in a picture of the big fish he’d just caught.

(For the time challenged all the juicy take-aways are summarized in the post.)

Yup. Shebly.tv was wooed, not by the great resumes they saw at the recruiting event, not by the impressive MBA credentials, not even by the technical engineering chops that they’re currently in need of.

The Shelby team was wooed by the catch of the day, and what I’m assuming was a big toothy ‘look at me ma’ grin.

The problem with the brilliant, credentialed, technically talented candidates they met at the event? Most were looking for a J-O-B. Shelby doesn’t have any of those. They are looking for a few good men.

Good men who understand that to work for a startup means that you’re not following a paycheck, you’re following a passion.

They’re looking for the few, the proud, the… okay, enough of that. You get the picture.

The story here is that Reece—like most entrepreneurs—is building a team, not hiring a position. And if you want to be part of that team, you have to understand the difference.

Need help wrapping your mind around the difference? Check out the video. He explains it very clearly. And what he explains applies even if the job you’re applying for isn’t with him.

Three to Get Ready Tips

GET the job (minute 4:28 – 8:20)
“Don’t send me a resume.” Did you catch that? This is video four in the series, and in one way or another, each entrepreneur has told you this same thing. They’re bored with your resume. They’re tired of the bland, generic, each-one-looks-like-the-next document.

You heard Chuck Dietrich in the first video, say “blah, blah, blah” in reference to resumes, right? You heard Michael Brooks echo the same in video two.

Listen….to….them. Find another way to communicate what you’re about. As Reece says, he wants you to “show me who you are. Less so, than here’s a bunch of places I’ve worked.”

What’s wrong with resumes? Well, I can tell you this; the concept wasn’t created by someone in marketing or advertising. In their standard format, resumes do nothing to showcase your personal brand.

And your personal brand is what startups are interested in. So much so, that if your brand is intriguing enough, you may get the job even if your skills aren’t a perfect match for the job.

Don’t believe me? See what Reece says about exactly that. (minute 5:10)

KEEP the job (minute 8:30 – 10:40)
For Reece, it’s simple; be on board with the vision. Be excited about the business. Enjoy the people you’re working with, cause you’re gonna spend some long hours together.

Though in a startup it’s less about clocking in, and more about checking boxes. Getting it done is what matters, not whether you did it between the hours of nine and five.

And someone who’s onboard with the vision isn’t going to have a problem with that vision getting executed on a Saturday afternoon. Or a very late evening. When you’re excited about what you’re doing, you live by the old Nike motto. You just do it.

LEAVE the job (minute 10:50 -14:50)
If the Righteous Brothers regularly sing in your head, it’s time to leave your startup. If you’ve lost that lovin’ feeling (whoa, whoa, whoa) lose the job as well.

When you’re not excited about the day to day, you’re not taking ownership of what you’re doing. And for a startup founder, that’s where they draw the line.

Reece’s tip, “don’t fight it. Find the next thing.” Everyone will be happier.

The JOBS (minute 20:00-22:00)
Full stack engineers to focus on front end development. Shelby’s stack: HTML5, CSS3, Java Script, Ruby on Rails. (I have no idea what I just typed, so hopefully it makes sense to you.)

But Wait! Reece says even if you don’t work in these languages but you’re good and want to learn them, reach out. Yes, he said exactly that. Reread the Get the Job section if you don’t believe me.

He tells you exactly how to contact him, and with what info at minute 21:40. Be sure to check that out first! No surprise, he leads with “no resumes!”

More info: blog.shelby.tv/workwithus

So, what’s shocking you most about the video series? (Besides how shockingly bad my video tech skills are.) Is it the tips? The fact that all of these entrepreneurs are hiring? The fact that none of them give a hoot about your resume? What? Tell me. Have a question you’d like answered by the next entrepreneur? Tell me that too. I’d love to know.

Know an entrepreneur who should be interviewed for this series? Are you the entrepreneur who should be interviewed for this series? Let me know. I’m also looking for a few good men. Or women. Doesn’t matter as long as you’re running a company, and even better if you’re running one that’s currently hiring. 

Want updates on future videos that mention jobs? Get on the list, we’ll let you know when they’re posted.

The third in the series of interviews where entrepreneurs give their top three tips for getting a startup job, keeping a startup job, and knowing if it’s time to run screaming from your startup job.

Yup, this entrepreneur is hiring now too. 

Entrepreneur: Brandt Page
Company: Launch Leads
Jobs: market research assistants (5+ openings, perfect for current students), marketing director (more about the jobs at minute 13:00)

You know what I’m talking about. The profile picture looks great. The “I like” and “I look for” are spot on. You even both share an affinity for moonlit walks on the beach. And then you meet.  And there definitely won’t be a second date.

According to Brandt Page, CEO and founder of Launch Leads, it’s the same with resumes.

Okay, Page didn’t say that exactly. But he did say that they’ve stopped relying on resumes in the hiring decision. Resumes can be just as misleading, and they never showcase the applicant’s personality.

And with startups, just like dates, personality rules. Personality and attitude. Launch Leads has got both in spades, and they’re looking to add to their team. So go ahead. Date ‘em. Who knows where it might go.

(For the time challenged all the juicy take-aways are summarized in the post.)

Three to Get Ready Tips

GET the job (minute 2:40-4:40)
Bring the attitude. Hard to shine in one or two pages of bullet points? Don’t confine yourself to the resume. Find another way to let your personality show.

And keep it real. Page is a former recruiter so he knows a thing or two about resumes. He says he can smell the BS a mile away. Okay, once again, Page didn’t say exactly that. What he said is that he could tell when a person is over selling their assets.

Just like on a date. Again, you know what I’m talking about. For me, it was the guy who told me he was a best-selling author (hmmm, intriguing), and an  actor (oh, maybe he knows Clooney), and a dentist. Ah, what?

Startups want to know what you’re really about. Who you are when you’re at home in your bathrobe with your feet up. You’re going to be spending a lot of time with these people. Your skills may be important, but being a cultural fit is critical.

Focus on those details, not stretching the truth about your experience. Or dental degrees.

KEEP the job (4:50 – 7:00)
Your parents lied to you; it is NOT all about you. It’s about the business. Always. Period. Finito.

Show that you have the interest of the business foremost in your mind, and you’ll be foremost in your boss’s mind.

Page isn’t saying that he’s not interested in your growth and happiness at work. He is. In fact, he says he’ll go to great lengths to make sure you’re happy if he believes your interest is the company’s best interest.

Like any good relationship, put the other person first and it’ll be a happy union.

LEAVE the job (minute 7:10 – 8:20)
Did you make your startup take a cab to the airport? Stop returning texts from your startup? Face it; you’re not in love. And it shows. More so in this job than in any corporate job you’ve had.

Startups thrive on the enthusiasm of the team. In this case, one bad apple does spoil the whole bunch, girl. You’re not hiding anything. Your coworkers (and your boss!) can see it all over your face.  Break up now before too much of your stuff gets stuck left in the closet.

The JOBS

Market research assistants (perfect for current college students) 5 – 10 open positions now!

Director of marketing – SEO and social media skills a big plus. This job not posted yet! But if you’re qualified, let them know!

http://www.launchleads.com/careers/

Hint: Want to get Page’s attention? Be able to finish this Mark Twain quote, “always do right.” Page talks about this around minute eight. Everything after minute eight gives you insight into his personality. (You catching that? His personality….want to date this company, learn about the ceo’s personality before you reach out to them.)

Got questions about Launch Leads, getting a job with a startup, dating? Drop them in the comment section. Can’t guarantee any solid dating advice, you heard the story about the actor/dentist. But I promise to steer you in the right direction on the other stuff. And let me know if you land an interview with Page!

Want to know when new videos with job leads are posted? Sign up here, you’ll be the first to know the latest startup jobs.

The second in a series of interviews where entrepreneurs give their three top tips for getting a startup job, keeping a startup job, and knowing if it’s time to run screaming from your startup job.

The best part, almost all of these entrepreneurs are hiring now. Including this one!

Entrepreneur: Michael Brooks
Company: LifeKraze
Jobs: Developers, mobile developers (more about the jobs at minute 15:14)

A consistent Three to Get Ready theme is that entrepreneurs don’t want to hire people who are just looking for a job. Yes, I know; getting a job is the point of a job search, right? Well, with entrepreneurs it’s not.

With entrepreneurs a job isn’t a means to a paycheck it’s the route to changing the world. No, I’m not overstating. I’d say half of the entrepreneurs I’ve interviewed for this series have equated what they’re doing with changing the world.

And if you don’t get that, don’t apply for a job with them.

That sentiment is no less obvious in my interview with Michael Brooks, founder of LifeKraze. At only 24 years old, Brooks has already raised over a million dollars for his startup, and has ten people on staff. And in this fifteen-minute interview, Brooks mentions changing the world three times.

After talking with him for a few minutes, I think he just might be able to do it. Maybe it’s the Poindexter meets Clark Kent glasses? Who knows. But if you’re in the mood for a little world disruption, this entrepreneur is hiring now!

(For the time challenged all the juicy take-aways are summarized in the post.)

Three to Get Ready Tips

GET the job (minute 3:30- 6:56)
Your resume won’t get more than 10 or 15 seconds of attention. “A lot of kids get led down the wrong path of building this perfect resume and using these sample formats and it’s really not about that,” Brooks says. “It’s about who you are.”

Brooks believes the secret is getting past that first step of the process and getting noticed. Then it’s about you, your passion and how you mesh with that company.

How do you get noticed? Brooks says to forget the traditional resume. “If you want to work for someone, show them. Show them how much you love their product. Show them the things that you like to do. Then show them what else you’ve done and how you can apply that to their business.”

Want an example? Hear about current LifeKraze employee Jonathon Yagel’s (@jwby) job search storybook ending. (minute:  5:45 – 6:56)

KEEP the job (minute 7:30 -  10:00)
Do the hustle. Hustle gets you the job, and it’ll help you keep the job, especially if you’re working in a young startup.

Chances are no one had time to write your job description. Chances are, they’re not 100 percent sure how to best use you. Chances are, they need help and they hope you’re the one to provide it. So jump in and do it. Do your job. Do their job. Do any job you see needs doing.

In a startup you have a chance to change how the business works. Go into your first day with some ideas of things you want to get done, and just do them. Even if the task doesn’t match your job title (if you have one).

Get involved and bring solutions. Brooks says “it always pays off, and people always notice that stuff.”

LEAVE the job (minute 10:38 – 12:20)
Brooks says not to confuse failing on tasks with failing in your job. “In a startup world you’re going to fail a lot.” Brooks says to just keep working.

However, if you notice that your entrepreneur boss has stopped coaching you, you probably have failed. You’re no longer on the team.

Entrepreneurs like to develop their team. Even the time strapped entrepreneurs are usually interested coaches. So if your entrepreneur boss is no longer checking in with you, is no longer interested in what you’re working on, it’s because you’re working on getting fired.

Stop warming the bench and get off the field.

The JOBS (minute 15:00)
Developers! Well rounded. Mobile developing a plus. Contact: jobs@lifekraze.com or Michael@lifekraze.com

Got questions for Michael or Working for Wonka? Drop them in the comment section. And let us know if you score an interview with LifeKraze!

Want updates on future videos that mention jobs? Get on the list, we’ll let you know when they’re posted.

The first in a series of interviews where entrepreneurs give their three top tips for getting a startup job, keeping a startup job, and knowing if it’s time to run screaming from your startup job.

The best part, almost all of these entrepreneurs are hiring now!

Entrepreneur: Chuck Dietrich
Company: Sliderocket.com
Jobs: developers, quality engineers, product managers, marketing people, and sales people (more about the jobs at minute 16:45)

Chuck Dietrich has an enviable startup resume, but he doesn’t put on airs. What he does put on are costumes. Apparently, with some regularity.

As we started our interview, Chuck lamented the fact that his PR people asked him not wear a costume on camera. Yes, it was the Friday before Halloween, but Chuck explained that he didn’t need a holiday to break out a wig or outrageous outfit. He has a costume box at the ready at all times.

“You don’t have a costume box?” he asked with the same surprised tone I would expect if the question were “you don’t have running water?”

Ah, no. I don’t have a costume box.

What I do have is total respect for someone with his kind of background, that doesn’t take themselves too seriously. An attitude that seems to prevail at SlideRocket.

Which is very good news for you, since SlideRocket is hiring multiple positions, in multiple departments.

(For the time challenged all the juicy take-aways are summarized in the post.)

Three to Get Ready Tips

GET the job (minute 4:50 -8:20)
Forget job boards and online application. Find a unique way to approach the company that shows you’re a creative thinker.

KEEP the job (minute 8:30 – 10:20)
Draw outside the lines of your job description (if you even have a job description). You have to standout in a startup, and you do that by reinventing your job.

LEAVE the job (minute 10:30 – 11:55)
Quirky, good. Misaligned values, bad. Know your audience, play to them. And if you can’t all play in the same sandbox, you gotta move on.

Side Nuggets (little gems worth noshing on)

Blah, Blah Blah Yup, that’s what this entrepreneur thinks of your resume. You may have sweated every word, but to get a job in a startup you’re going to have to shine off paper.

Don’t Believe ‘em Growing companies are always hiring, even if they haven’t posted jobs. Contact them. Tell them why they’re great. Tell them why you’re great. Tell them why you should date.

Show Me the Money It’s never too early to understand what you’re going to get from the job, just be sure it’s not your only motivation for applying.

Got Jobs? Hells to the oh-yeah!

(minute 16:30)
Chuck mentions several positions (and the type of people they’re looking for) in the video. There are also at least five jobs posted on their site. For more detailed info go to:

http://www.sliderocket.com/about/jobs.html

Let me know if you score an interview with SlideRocket. (And if you interview with Chuck, definitely let me know if he was wearing a costume.)

Up next – young stud, Michael Brooks of LifeKraze.com (and yup, he’s hiring too!) check it out on Monday.

Want updates on future videos with job information? Get on the list.

If you haven’t seen this video, stop, drop and roll clip. It’s a classic.

Zach Katz a sixteen year old from DC (not that I’m stalking him), is insightful and funny and gosh darned cute. (Really, not stalking).

This suburban teen’s raps are smarter than most college textbooks. Which he can now afford to buy without daddy’s help since his YouTube channel is smokin’ hot. Some videos lead with full-on ads, not just little pop ups. Go Katz!

What does this have to do with working in a startup? Nothing. Except that unless this clever rhymer grows up and becomes jaded and crass and replaces Daniel Tosh on late night TV (Katz 3.0?), he just may be your future entrepreneur boss.

So get to know him. Enjoy.

What? You're saying it couldn't happen?

Lately I’ve been taking a bit of a breather from consulting for entrepreneurs. It’s been nice. Very little stress. Dreams filled with rainbows and puppy dogs. Each morning birds chirped as they helped me dress.

Okay, maybe it wasn’t that Disney. But it was nice.

Until last week.

Last week I helped an entrepreneur who is launching a new product. His product is already in the market, but not much of the foundational, strategic marketing work has been done. They didn’t yet have a clear understanding of the product category or consumer.

This is not the surprising part. Right or wrong, startups frequently launch the product first, then back their way into the product strategy.

(That thud you just heard was every corporate marketing person reading this falling off their chair.)

What was surprising was how quickly I’d forgotten about the entrepreneur time vortex.

It’s a real thing, I swear. Entrepreneurs all know it. Anyone who’s worked in a startup understands it. And if you’re thinking about working for an entrepreneur you’re going to have to learn about it.

Startups run on Standard Entrepreneur Time. 

Let's meet when the third big hand reaches twenty-two.

Don’t confuse Standard Entrepreneur Time (SET) with a conventional time zone. You can’t set your watch by Standard Entrepreneur Time. If you work for an entrepreneur, you set your life by Standard Entrepreneur Time.

Think of it kinda like The Matrix. Once you enter, you’re in a whole new dimension where the concept of time is relative.

Relative to whatever project you’re working on.

Want an example?

One morning you’ll be kicking yourself because you’re starving and forgot to stop for an egg mc-whatever on the way to work, then miraculously you don’t even think about food again until you’re walking back out the door. At which time you realize that the sun set hours ago, and the Mc-Drive thrus are all locked up for the night.

That’s Standard Entrepreneur Time. It can make you hungry.

Pull that Rabbit From Here

Uh, you want me to do what with this rabbit?

Standard Entrepreneur Time also warps the perception of things. As in, how much time it takes to get things done.

That’s the SET warp I entered last week with my entrepreneur client.

After finishing our project, my entrepreneur asked if I would consider consulting one day a week. With pen in hand I asked him to describe the types of projects he needed help with during these eight hours.

“I would like you to develop the brand strategy and positioning. Figure out what product line extensions we need and develop those. We need our label redesigned, which will require a consumer communication strategy. Oh, and we need a website and…”

I had already stopped writing. We were in Standard Entrepreneur Time.

His list would take one day a week from now until next Easter. And I can assure you, Easter 2012 was not his deadline.

That’s Standard Entrepreneur Time. It can make you crazy.

Get N’Sync

Yes, I cudda used a pic of Sean Parker. But wouldn't you rather see JT?

There are even variations of Standard Entrepreneur Time that differ by entrepreneur, much like Eastern Standard Time and whatever it is they call West Coast time.

Entrepreneur-a-go-go Sean Parker (you know, JT in Social Network) has claimed one of those time zones. Silicon Valley insiders use S.ean P.arker T.ime when setting meetings with the busy entrepreneur.

But the chronically time challenged Parker is not being disrespectful when he show up three hours late for meetings. And he’s not being obtuse when he says things like “I actually couldn’t honestly tell you whether we’ve been here for two hours or 20 minutes.”

Parker’s internal clock is simply a little off because he is a busy entrepreneur living in Standard Entrepreneur Time. In a recent Forbes magazines article we learn that it is not uncommon for Parker to go to bed at 7 a.m. and start his day again at 11. That’s 11 a.m. Four hours later.

That’s Standard Entrepreneur Time. It can make you tired.

Let’s Get it Started

So how do you deal with Standard Entrepreneur Time if you work for a startup? The best answer to any question is always the most obvious one. And this is no different.

The most obvious answer to how to deal with SET was obviously given to us in the 80′s, by rapper MC Hammer.

Hammer, who famously created his own time, wisely told us to “either work hard or you might as well quit.”

Yup, that’s the answer. Nope, didn’t make that up; them’s the lyrics to Hammer Time. This semi-successful rapper knows what he’s talking about. Hammer Time is right in the middle of Sean Parker Time and Standard Entrepreneur Time.

Check it out for yourself above. Then, “break it down.”

Then, get back to work. If you’re living in Standare Entrepreneur Time,  I can guarantee that you don’t have time to just sit there.

Do you have any examples of the time suck vortex that is Standard Entrepreneur Time?

Would you recognize an entrepreneur boss? (Tip: it would be easier without the blindfolds.)

Inc. Magazine’s list of the 500 Fastest Growing Companies came out recently and luckily for us, this year they also shared tasty tidbits about entrepreneur bosses. Find out how your boss really spends his days. More importantly, find out what it means for you. (It is all about you, right?)

Did You Know – your entrepreneur boss LIKES IT IN THE MORNING
Your boss is getting at least an hour of work done before work. Since the average entrepreneur is also commuting an hour, and half of them are talking on the phone while commuting, I’m guessing those are work calls. So let’s split the difference and say your boss is an hour and a half ahead of you before you even step foot in the building. Get caffeinated and get going. You’re already behind.

Did You Know – your entrepreneur boss LISTENS TO HIS MOTHER
Only a third of your entrepreneur bosses are taking lunch breaks, but almost half noshed on some kind of b’fast before leaving the house. Take mom’s advice and eat your breakfast. For you, it might be more than the most important meal of the day; it may be the only meal.

Did You Know – your entrepreneur boss WANTS TO GET HIGH
When asked to pick a superpower, other than the ability to launch tall companies in a single round, a full 70 percent of entrepreneurs said they wanted to fly. What’s that mean for you? Nothing really. I just thought it was interesting.

Did You Know- your entrepreneur boss DOES IT AT NIGHT
You probably guessed that one. The average entrepreneur claims to work two additional hours each night after finishing dinner, family time and relaxing. Yes, that’s him calling you at 10 pm. Put down the TV remote and answer the phone.

Did You Know – your entrepreneur boss IS A BUSY BODY
Only 9 percent of entrepreneurs are shy in the ways of social media. The other 91 percent are active in one or more social media platforms. Are you socially savvy? If not, go get your Twitter on.

Did You Know – your entrepreneur boss IS ALSO A BODY BUSY
Although the average wake up call of 6:15 doesn’t feel unnecessarily early, and the nightly bedtime of 10:30 doesn’t sound bad…it’s the hours in between that should be noted.

If you combine the time spent working, selling, meeting, emailing, talking to customers and talking to employees, entrepreneur bosses are working an average of 11 hours a day. And that doesn’t include the two hours listed as ‘working after dinner.’

Think that’s a lot? Pffft. Pffft is the sound that every entrepreneur reading this just made. They made that sound while thinking to themselves “I work 11 hour days on vacation.”

Does your boss fit the profile? Do you fit the profile?

You never know when it'll hit. Today you're gonna get clobbered by it thanks to a 5 year old.

I’ve been trying to post on Tuesdays and Fridays. Twice a week. I know lots of bloggers post three times a week. I know one who sometimes post three times a day. (Yes, I’m talking to you John Saddington). Personally, I don’t know where they find the extra brain cells. I’m trying to stick to a twice a week roll.

Only, not this week. This week I have a client project that’s taking longer than expected to finish. But since it pays the bills, well, I thought I should go ahead an finish it.

Seeewwww, instead of a post I am sharing this little 50 second video with you. You may have seen it already; I even sent it to my Wonka email list a while back. But it is absolutely, one hundred percent, worth watching again. It’ll make you smile til lunchtime.

Start your day today with this little gem of inspiration and remember the lessons it offers:

1. If you practice you can do anything. (even get 3  million YouTube views if you want!)
2. If you believe in yourself you’ll know how to ride a bike.
3. And, most importantly, feel happy of yourself!

Seen a video more inspiring than this lately? Better than Thumbs Up For Rock and Roll? Share it in the comments, I dare ya.