High unemployment is not an obstacle for someone with entrepreneurial drive. Take the case of Alex “Tracks” McFarland. Mr. McFarland started selling candy on the New York subway at the ripe age of 11 years old. Now, with unemployment high and people having difficulty finding a job, Mr. McFarland now has 13 years of experience selling candy and making good money at it, too. While some people might look down on selling candy as a business, the money talks and they might be surprised to learn that this entrepreneurial spirit takes home an average of $55,000 a year.

Learned Skills

Every job comes with a set of skills a person must master to be successful at what they do. Selling candy is no different. Mr. McFarland has to understand what his customers prefer and how to sell the candy to the person in question. Sales tactics include adding granola bars to his offerings for those people who don’t eat candy or are on a health kick. For others, he stocks the following crowd-pleaser: M&M peanuts. Sales skills can mean adding a little entertainment to his presentation with a song and knowing how to approach customers so that they’re willing to pay for his candy. Most people riding the train might not even make as much as Mr. McFarland, but it doesn’t stop them from buying his candy.

Create a Job

In a tough economy, many creative individuals are learning how to create their own jobs. They may not be as glamorous as being the CEO of a major corporation, but they can bring in a decent paycheck and provide the small business owner with valuable skills. The art of selling and marketing can help anyone in any job and most importantly, in a job search. If you can sell a product or service to a customer, it becomes even easier to sell yourself to a prospective employer since you know what they might be looking for in a good employee. Being an entrepreneur can be challenging, but it generally provides opportunities for self-growth and profit that are unavailable to an employee.