Out of work maybe, but not out of ideas

Justin Brown says his website celebrates survival stories of the recession. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey

When radio presenter Justin Brown was made redundant five weeks ago his world came "crashing down".

With a wife and two children to support, the former Classic Hits breakfast radio co-host of 10 years says he lost not only his job and income but his sense of identity.

Feelings of anger and shock overwhelmed him but he quickly realised that wasn't going to help.

So, sick of hearing the depressing stories of the recession, Mr Brown decided to set up a website focused on something positive.

On Tuesday, Mr Brown launched the site which celebrates "the good guys" - companies who have managed to save costs in tough times without laying people off.

"I've got a saying and that's; 'Don't wait for the light to appear at the end of the tunnel, go and light the bloody thing yourself'," he said.

"It was a fantastic 10 years and I never thought anything like this would happen. All of a sudden the world comes crashing down and you've got a 5 and a 3-year-old and you think: 'Jeez this is real, I have to do something about this'."

Companies can buy advertising space in $100 blocks to celebrate the fact they have not made anyone redundant. The website also contains a section about how the "good guys" have got through the tough times, which Mr Brown hopes will inspire other businesses to retain staff.

Asked what advice he had for those facing redundancy, Mr Brown said: "I think you have to understand that your world is going to crash down. It's going to be different," he said.

"You storm around the house and you moan and groan and you throw things and after a while you realise that the only way to go forward is to be proactive and positive.

"You are going to lose your identity for a while and in the beginning it's going to feel like one door closes, another one follows soon after, but I think when you get through that you have to try and be inventive."

Mr Brown has attracted international interest by using social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Yesterday he had sold advertising space to 14 businesses from New Zealand to Johannesburg in South Africa and Ontario, Canada.

For more information visit:

www.wehaventlaidanyoneoff.com