But there’s another statistic that’s even more troubling. It’s for underemployment. Underemployment describes those people who have jobs, but their jobs are lesser skill or experience level than they’re trained and qualified for… and definitely not sufficient to keep them out of the red financially.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics, underemployment in November 2009 was at a 15-year high of 17.5%.

Many people who are underemployed seek out part-time or temporary work. Websites such as TempJobCity.com come to the aid of those people and helps them sort through their options and opportunities. Plus each city has a network for these types of opportunities. You just need to be creative about finding them.

Some people, finding that part-time or temporary work is insufficient to give them what they need, look to starting a business of their own.

Although the name of this website and my program is called From Unemployed To Self-Employed, it could as easily be called From UNDERemployed To Self-Employed. The information is the same. The lessons are the same. The process of starting a business is the same.

It’s simply a matter of deciding to start!

Last August, I posted an article entitled, Get rich quick. In that post, I point out a few of the key disclaimer points that I found in one online offer.

Since then, I’ve been paying extremely close attention to both the claims that other marketers are making (some of them, many of them, too good to be true) as well as to their disclaimers.

I saw a disclaimer today (actually 2) that knocked my socks off, and I wanted to share them.

This first one appeared at the bottom of the page in extremely light type. It was so difficult to read, that I had to copy and paste it into a Word document. Here it is… in similar light type. See if you can make it out.

DISCLAIMER: THE PERFORMANCE EXPERIENCED BY THE USER COMMENTS AND TESTIMONIALS ON THIS PAGE AND/OR OUR WEBSITE IS NOT WHAT YOU SHOULD EXPECT TO EXPERIENCE. COMPANY HAS NOT INVESTIGATED OR SUBSTANTIATED ANY OF THE USER COMMENTS OR CLAIMS. SOME OF THE USERS MAY, IN SOME CASES, BEEN INCENTIVIZED TO SUBMIT THEIR COMMENTS, AND COMPANY HAS NOT VERIFIED THE FIGURES QUOTED IN THEM.

Mind you, that was on the first page of the offer. This next disclaimer was on the second page of the offer.

EARNINGS DISCLAIMER

EVERY EFFORT HAS BEEN MADE TO ACCURATELY REPRESENT THIS PRODUCT AND IT’S POTENTIAL. EVEN THOUGH THIS INDUSTRY IS ONE OF THE FEW WHERE ONE CAN WRITE THEIR OWN CHECK IN TERMS OF EARNINGS, THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL EARN ANY MONEY USING THE TECHNIQUES AND IDEAS IN THESE MATERIALS. EXAMPLES IN THESE MATERIALS ARE NOT TO BE INTERPRETED AS A PROMISE OR GUARANTEE OF EARNINGS. EARNING POTENTIAL IS ENTIRELY DEPENDENT ON THE PERSON USING OUR PRODUCT, IDEAS AND TECHNIQUES. WE DO NOT PURPORT THIS AS A “GET RICH SCHEME.”

ANY CLAIMS MADE OF ACTUAL EARNINGS OR EXAMPLES OF ACTUAL RESULTS CAN BE VERIFIED UPON REQUEST. YOUR LEVEL OF SUCCESS IN ATTAINING THE RESULTS CLAIMED IN OUR MATERIALS DEPENDS ON THE TIME YOU DEVOTE TO THE PROGRAM, IDEAS AND TECHNIQUES MENTIONED, YOUR FINANCES, KNOWLEDGE AND VARIOUS SKILLS. SINCE THESE FACTORS DIFFER ACCORDING TO INDIVIDUALS, WE CANNOT GUARANTEE YOUR SUCCESS OR INCOME LEVEL. NOR ARE WE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY OF YOUR ACTIONS.

MATERIALS IN OUR PRODUCT AND OUR WEBSITE MAY CONTAIN INFORMATION THAT INCLUDES OR IS BASED UPON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS GIVE OUR EXPECTATIONS OR FORECASTS OF FUTURE EVENTS. YOU CAN IDENTIFY THESE STATEMENTS BY THE FACT THAT THEY DO NOT RELATE STRICTLY TO HISTORICAL OR CURRENT FACTS. THEY USE WORDS SUCH AS “ANTICIPATE,” “ESTIMATE,” “EXPECT,” “PROJECT,” “INTEND,” “PLAN,” “BELIEVE,” AND OTHER WORDS AND TERMS OF SIMILAR MEANING IN CONNECTION WITH A DESCRIPTION OF POTENTIAL EARNINGS OR FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE.

While From Unemployed To Self-Employed states that a member can be up and running in their own business in about 8 weeks, it clearly identifies exactly what that means. It says that in 8 weeks they’ll know if they have a viable business in mind. They will have been able to find the business that’s best for them, create a business model, and test it.

It doesn’t promise that they’ll be rich, that all their troubles will be over, or that they’ll be out shopping for their new cruising yacht by the end of the month. But given a few more weeks or months, they reach a point where they can be writing business.

Everything worthwhile requires work, patience, and perseverance. I suppose that it’s possible for someone to sign up for a get-rich-quick opportunity and find fortune. My experience is that this happens very rarely.

I have some thoughts about why this is.

For starters, I believe that some people just don’t like to venture beyond their comfort zone. They’re happy going to work, punching the time clock, putting up with the office politics, and doing what’s expected. And at the end of the day, they’re happy to go home and leave work behind. They like this routine and feel comfortable and safe.

Another reason why people tremble when they hear “start a new business” or “become self-employed” is because they lack confidence. For whatever reason, they feel they’re just not capable of handling the responsibilities of being self-employed. They fear failure… and that failure prevents them from seeing all the opportunity that’s right under their noses.

A third reason is that they feel they lack the financial resources to start a business. Or, they feel they don’t have all the skills and training (and formal education) that they believe is essential.

Well, let’s take a look at these three objections to starting a new business.

First, while people are comfortable in their job, jobs these days don’t seem to impart confidence to those who hold jobs. With 10.2 percent of the workforce unemployed, there’s not much to be truly comfortable or feel safe about.

I’ve had some tough times in my 30 years of experience as a business owner. But I never woke up in the morning worried that I’d be left out in the cold. Even when a major client dumped me, I could regroup and find others to replace them. When I look back at my early days in Corporate America, I think I was often more worried then than I’ve been.

Second, I know people who have been scared to death the first day they started a new job. And they continued to worry once they started the new job. Invariably, they reach a point – everyone does – where they have the confidence they need to do whatever needs to be done. As humans, we can learn just about anything. And confidence is something that you gain by growing a little every day.

Third, starting a new business – becoming self-employed – doesn’t necessarily mean that you need a lot of money. There has never been a time in the history of civilization when someone could start a business with little or no money. In some cases, it takes only than 20 bucks for business cards.

I’ve pointed out, for example, how easy it is for someone to start a retail business using eBay. It requires very little startup capital. Realistically, while you may not need money for the business itself, you will need money for you. When you start a new job tomorrow, you get a paycheck in two weeks. That doesn’t happen with being self-employed (but it could). If you’re not working, where’s the risk? If you’re underemployed, you already have a base.

What’s the difference between a college degree and on-the-job training? A high school diploma, college degree, or technical training is no assurance that you’ll succeed as a business owner.

Many years ago I knew two brothers. One barely made it through high school. The other finished college and went on to obtain a law degree. After 20 years, the brother with the law degree still works for the brother with the high school diploma.

When I logged on to find out the weather for today’s parade on Broadway — the Yankees celebrating their World Series win — the news headlines were not only surprising, they were shocking.

Just yesterday, I remember reading several news reports on the great recovering Wall Street is making.

Today, however, the headlines center around the 190,000 new jobs lost in October. That takes the unemployment rate to 10.6% — the highest in 26 years.

There’s always some lack of agreement about the accuracy of numbers. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics may use a different definition of “unemployed” than the rest of the world. I guess that really doesn’t matter. Any way you look at it, that’s a lot of people who are not working.

There’s another side to the unemployment crisis that people don’t seem to be talking about. That is the number of people who are under-employed as a result of the economy. Those who are under-employed accept positions below their skill and experience levels. Previously they might have held a position as a manager. Now, they’re working in a clerical position.

Because something is better than nothing… because they have no other options… and because competition for jobs is so stiff, those who are under-employed accept positions that pay them less than they were used to earning before the economy tumbled.

People in business have their own challenges. Business these days is tough. Sales are down. Expenses are up. But people in their own business have greater flexibility than those who are under-employed. A business owner can become more aggressive with sales, find new ways to operate more efficiently, open new territories, find new products and services to offer, and so on.

The person who is unemployed or under-employed is stuck — waiting for someone else to take the initiative.

Who is at greater risk? The person who is unemployed? The person who is under-employed? Or the person who is self-employed?

My self-discipline comes in the form of a daily schedule. I’m at my desk by seven. My mornings are spent on creative activities and planning. My afternoons are reserved for phone calls, meetings, and reaching out to others. Evenings and weekends are for play.

My approach is that I always work before I play. However, there are times when a friend calls to invite me to join them for an early morning “recreational” activity. (I’m thinking of Harry and his boat.) On rare occasions, I will break my routine and join in. However, because of my self-discipline, I replace time lost by working Saturday morning.

Some people look at my approach and say, “How boring. You’re a slave to your business.” I don’t see it that way. I believe that without self-discipline, we accomplish far less.

The way I look at it, when we — knowingly or unknowingly — allow others to have power over us. And that stands in the way of success when it comes to starting a business.

I wasn’t always this way. My natural tendency was to be “loose” — to work when I felt like it and play whenever the opportunity presented itself. Those were lean earning years.

In time, I not only learned the value of self-discipline, I mastered self-discipline.

Some people have a really hard time with this. So they opt to have someone else hold them accountable – that is, to keep their feet to the fire. Working with a business coach or subscribing to an online accountability program help people who are starting a business set goals and objectives that are tied to a calendar.

By stating to a coach or entering a specific objective such as, “By next week, I’ll finish up on A, B, and C and make that call to Mr. Z,” helps assure that the tasks get done.

For someone starting a business, it’s good to know that self-discipline can be learned, as can working with an online accountability program. If you have a clock and calendar, and can make goals for yourself, it doesn’t take long for you to see the rewards of this serious approach to making it happen.

Out of curiosity, I searched the internet to find out how much average adult workers in the U.S. were earning. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, the average adult full-time worker in 2005 earned $39,336. (That number is four years old, but I felt it would serve my purpose.)

In some ways, that $39,336 was higher than I thought it would be; in others, it was lower.

I don’t know what made me think about it, but I wanted to know the total impact to all those who are currently unemployed.

So I multiplied $39,336 by 14,500,000 jobless people. The grand total was a staggering $570,372,000,000. Yes, $570 billion dollars missing out of the pockets of families like yours and mine.

Well, I took a step back. Statistics are sometimes deceiving.

This, of course, was total annual income. On the one had, it was obvious that not everyone would be unemployed for an entire year. On the other, it didn’t take into consideration that when people are reemployed, they often tend to accept a lower salary.

Then, as I was reasoning through this, another question came to me. How much does the economy need to turn around in order for businesses large and small to afford to add $570,372,000,000 in annual payroll dollars?

I didn’t know where to start in order to compute that. So the answer I’m using (not statistical) is “too much.”

When I hear reports of the economy getting better – which, of course, I hope it does sooner than later – I’m glad to hear those reports.

But I’m always reminded that the people who are earning an average of $39,336 a year are the last in our capitalistic society to rebound. In our trickle down economy, people who need the jobs the most… the ones who need money now… are the last ones in line.

My sister-in-law wishes to open a neighborhood cafe/bistro. Since she’s never done this before, she’d like to talk to someone who has started one and would be willing to talk with her. Also, does anyone know of an accountant who regularly works with cafes and restaurants?

In my mind, for someone to start a business in an industry or area that they know nothing about… and have no personal experience… is a disaster in the making – especially if they need to make a living from the venture sooner than later.

There’s a tremendous amount to learn and do when starting any business – dozens of details in every department and activity of the business. Add to that learning an entirely new industry and, in my opinion, you’re fueling an extremely long learning curve and a greater likelihood of failure.

A woman in Florida lost her job in the accounting department of a 20-person service company. Downsizing was the reason. I showed Linda how easy it would be to take her 14 years of bookkeeping and accounting experience and build a small service business based on that. We talked several times over the course of a month and I thought she was well on her way.

Two months later Linda called me and announced proudly that she was learning web design so that she could offer this as a service to smaller businesses.

The problem is that Linda had no knowledge of web design and development. She was starting from scratch.

In my estimation, it would take her months to gain a basic understanding of web design, then many more months to find prospects, and many more months after that before she saw dollar one.

Interestingly, during this time she told me she was getting calls from people (business owners) to do fill-in accounting work or bookkeeping. She passed up some requests but occasionally took small assignments… just to keep food on the table. (No one called her for web design.)

Now, I’m not saying that jumping into an industry you don’t know or technologies that you don’t know is impossible; I’m just saying, “Be careful.” Think it through. Make sure you have enough cash to keep you out of the poor house while you’re working through your learning curve… because it will take you longer than you think.

The New York Times: Unemployment in California at 12%, Highest in Nearly 70 Years

Forbes.com: NC jobless rate remains near 11 percent in August

Associated Press: 42 states lose jobs in August, up from 29 in July

CNBC: State Unemployment Keeps Rising; Three Hit Record Highs

The Progressive Pulse: NC unemployment dips slightly…to a still alarming rate of 10.8%

And then I came across this blog posting by Mark Lacter at LAObserved.

Kind of a misery loves company thing when it comes to the August jobs picture. Three states had rates higher than California’s 12.2 percent: Rhode Island (12.8 percent), Nevada (13.2 percent), and the grand-daddy of them all, Michigan (15. 2 percent). Perhaps more revealing: 14 states have an unemployment rate in the double digits and 27 states posted increases. By the way, California’s 12.2 percent is a postwar high (that’s World War II for the youngins’). All these numbers, of course, are only starting points for assessing the true employment picture. Within portions of L.A. County, for instance, unemployment is way higher than the county’s 12.3 percent overall. The City of Commerce had the highest unemployment rate in the county, at 22 percent.

While the government and the Fed continue to report that things are getting better and that the economy is returning to normalcy, I again remind everyone that ours is a trickle-down economy.

Prosperity returns first to those on the mountaintop. The lower you are in the pecking order, the longer it takes to find any sense of normalcy.

Don’t take my word for it. Read accounts of the years following the Great Depression. Employment started to grow again in 1944-1945 – 15 years after the crash in 1929. It was a long haul for many.

Waiting and hoping that things will get better is not an action step. Seek out alternatives that leverage your skills, experience, and aptitudes.

The article went on to say, “Some economists say it will take at least four years for the jobless rate to drop down to a more normal range of 5 percent.” The way I read that is “for a lot of Americans, the wait to become employed again could take an enormous amount of time.”

But I believe that when it comes to pain, unemployment alone doesn’t tell the whole story. Those who are jobless aren’t the only ones suffering.

There are also millions more who are underemployed… and even more who have taken partial pay cuts of varying degrees. The media doesn’t talk about them. Congress doesn’t address them. The President doesn’t seem to give them much attention. Yet they are hurting… maybe not as much as someone who is without any income, but they are feeling the pain.

One salesman I know works primarily on commission. He told me that his commissions are down more this year than last. It has taken a huge bite out of their household income. No vacations. Nothing extra. The family analyzes every expenditure.

A woman I know here the New York City told me she and her husband have been digging into their savings over the past two years to cover what she termed “out of the ordinary expenses.” She realizes that not only do they need to get their household earnings back up to the prior level, but they also need to replace the savings they’ve been depleting.

If you’re reading this blog, you know me — that I am an entrepreneur. I always have been and always will be. I don’t know anything else (except, of course, early in my career when I was doing time in Corporate America).

I believe more strongly today than ever that I’d rather be on my own — in my own business — than putting control of my life and personal finances in the hands of any employer.

But people who are not yet entrepreneurs run for the hills when they hear the words “self-employed.” Would it surprise you to know that I believe that everyone (well, almost everyone) has the potential to be self-employed?

I believe that it is possible to walk before you run… to start small… test the waters… and then, when your business idea starts to prove itself, go full speed ahead — more in control of your own destiny than ever before.

So I say, “Try it. You’ll like it.”

Out of curiosity, I searched the internet to find out how much average adult workers in the U.S. were earning. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, the average adult full-time worker in 2005 earned $39,336. (That number is four years old, but I felt it would serve my purpose.)

In some ways that $39,336 was higher than I thought it would be; in others, it was lower.

I don’t know what made me think about it, but I wanted to know the total impact to all those who are currently unemployed.

So I multiplied $39,336 by 14,500,000 jobless people. The grand total was a staggering $570,372,000,000. Yes, $570 billion dollars missing out of the pockets of families like yours and mine.

Well, I took a step back. Statistics are sometimes deceiving.

I reasoned… this, of course, was total annual income. On the one had, it was obvious that not everyone would be unemployed for an entire year. On the other, it didn’t take into consideration that when people are reemployed, they often tend to accept a lower salary.

Then, as I was reasoning through this, another question came to me. How much does the economy need to turn around in order for businesses large and small to afford to add $570,372,000,000 in annual payroll dollars?

I didn’t know where to start in order to compute that. So the answer I’m using (not statistical) is “a lot.”

When I hear reports of the economy getting better – which, of course, I hope it does sooner than later – I’m glad to hear those reports.

But I’m always reminded that the people who are earning an average of $39,336 a year are the last to rebound. In our trickle down economy, people who need the jobs the most are the last ones in line.