http://www.prosper.com/public/lend/listing.aspx?listingID=1789 "I plant to do some minor painting in the home and then sell it in a few months. " "Thank in adance for trusting in my hability to invest and re-pay the funds that you have kindly lent me."
That's a pretty whacky website, haven't seen it before. Collective lending and borrowing? That must be an administrative nightmare. I don't see how it could be economical to lend someone $200 at 8%, more specifically how that would be administratively economical...
Found this article on "Free Republic". Ponzi schemes reguire new blood. John http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20060316-9999-1n16pop.html
Yes. Its not a problem only for individuals but also for business. I can't get people to move to southern or northern california because of the housing prices and my company is not large enough to offer picking up the difference in housing price from other parts of the country - although very few if any of the comapnyies in the bay area do this even for top talent. Thus, being in southern or northern california basically requires that I hire only locals who will put up with the current situation. Several of my employees have left the state and moved to similar salaried jobs in other parts of the country. Its a big problem and I am considering moving the rest of my california located businesses out of california.
I had a very successful search business based in Atlanta from 1990 to 1998. I was able to take the business public in 1997. After that, I wrapped up business and moved here to California. The stock market is a blast but I am somewhat of an extrovert and I am so sick of working by myself that I am considering re entering the search business on a casual business just for the social contact . I would then treat the market as a hobby which is probably all it was ever supposed to be for some one with my extroversion and organizational skills. Irony is I would probably make a lot more money treating the market like a hobby then I do daytrading it. The search business is a good business too because you need no inventory, you don't make anything and it is fee based and not time based. All you need is a phone and a couple of people to work with. I do not want to do the search business here in Southern California because I don't think that I would enjoy trying to talk people into moving here when I myself don't think it is a good place for young professionals to live. I say that based on the cost of living and the blooksucking government who will be raising taxes higher and higher to pay for their socialists programs. The other problem with that type of business here is that it requires the local candidates that relocate around the state to sell their house and the market is so bad now that I believe it will be an impedient to that and hence to the placement process in general. I just consider starting a business here to be more trouble then it's worth so I guess I need to move somewhere. Problem is I hate moving!! lol. I understand your problems with gettng people. Also once you get into the position of needing to keep your current employees there tends to be a subtle change in how they work. They know they have you over a barrel and people will be people. Companies are more successful when the employees consider that they are lucky to be working for you. I alway overpaid my employees and was very happy to do it because they worked really hard and I wanted them to prosper from it. John
And excuse my ignorance but what is a head hunting firm and what does it do if it is the same as a search company you had?
Place people in jobs. Companies pay fees to headhunters to find people for their jobs. Search and headhunting are interchangable terms in that industry. John