Two years ago I read the first edition of Tim Ferriss’s 4-hour Work Week (see related post: How Much is Your Time Worth? – Unexpected engineering lessons from “The 4-Hour Workweek.”) - and was instantly inspired to create my very own internet product.

My first marvelous informational product (you be the judge after downloading it below), the Successful Unemployed Toolkit - failed miserably. I spend a lot more money on trying to market the product than I brought in by selling it. Turns out that engineering-related information does not lend itself to internet marketing as easily as “Become a Gazillioner while sitting on your couch” or “Loose 300lb NOW” type of information. It’s a lot more challenging to market and sell stuff to the scientific community (I’ll leave it up to you to decide if it’s because we’re more skeptical or simply smarter than the rest of the world ).

But as they say, it’s only a failure if you don’t learn from it. After selling a whopping 12 Successful Unemployment Toolkits, spending about $2000 on marketing, and shutting down the product website, I learned that:

- Nothing beats the thrill of selling a product that you dreamed-up and created from start to finish (even if you only sell 12 of them). Thus…

- …I cannot fathom going back to creating products for someone else (MVP has greatly benefited from this realization and is enjoying successful growth as I continue to create and develop my own products)

- Social media is an absolutely indispensable and free tool for any business or a individual

- Public speaking can be a lot of fun and I got a lot of practice as part of my first failed product marketing experience

- It’s a great big world of information out there - just because you got your degree, learning does not have to stop!

Now, what’s in it for you? Although I failed to make the Successful Unemployed Toolkit into a revenue-generating product, I still think that the information that I provide in it is very relevant and extremely useful to any engineer or scientist who is looking to grow professionally, or needs to find a job.

So I am giving away the Successful Unemployed Toolkit completely FREE. You don’t have to sign-up for anything. Just click on the link below, download and enjoy (if you find the information useful, I always appreciate your comments and e-mails!)

I will be giving away the toolkit in THREE PARTS during the month of October. Part one consists of first third of the MP3 audio portion and the Reference Guide. Parts 2 and 3 will include second and third parts of the audio, respectively.

(This Download is virus-free, and NO, you DONT’t have to provide your phone, e-mail, or sign your life away in general. Just download and enjoy!)

What is the Successful Unemployment Toolkit™? ( This text is directly from my, now shut-down, website…download is below the description…)

When I started my company, I became very involved in the company marketing and public relations efforts. In the process, I realized that a lot of techniques that go into promoting and building a small business can be very effective for individuals who are looking for a job and want to increase their professional value whether or not they are currently employed.

Working out of my home office forced me to look for opportunities that would allow me to grow as a professional while increasing my value as an expert in the field. I developed these techniques and implemented them very successfully for myself and my business. Now, I want to share with you how to use this information and techniques for your professional development.

The Successful Unemployment Toolkit™ that I have created for scientists and engineers is a set of very specific steps that you can start implementing immediately.

I will show you step-by-step how to:

· Add more valuable credentials and skills to your resume, even if you are not officially employed (and I am not talking about taking more classes or going back to school)

· Stay on top of the latest research developments in your field, whether or not you are currently working

· Stand out from the crowd of thousands of other job applicants, even if they have more experience in the field or a higher degree than you

· Develop the skills that will get you hired

· Find opportunities for professional growth

· Uncover jobs that are not advertised

· And most importantly - How to feel professionally fulfilled and HAPPY

DOWNLOAD Part 1 (zip file that includes Tracks 1-5 in mp3 format): mvpmodelingsolutions.com/Tracks_1_through_5_mp3.zip

DOWNLOAD Reference Guide in pdf format: mvpmodelingsolutions.com/ReferenceGuide_2011.pdf

Cheers!

Masha

Have you ever thought of seeing your name on the cover of a book? Whether you are a published or an aspiring author, the post below will help you to avoid some common mistakes made by scientists and engineers trying to get their book published by a reputable publishing company.

In order to obtain a book contract with a publishing house you typically need to pitch your idea to an editor. So I figured that who best to give you advise on how to get your book published than an editor himself! This is a guest post from Peter Gordon, Senior Editor at Cambridge University Press, who has been signing and publishing authors in science and engineering fields for over 30 years.

Read on, and be sure to let me know when I’ll be able to buy your book!

Read more »