"I Need A Job" Wristbands A Hot Commodity

ORLANDO, FL -- With more than 13 million Americans looking for work, it was probably just a matter of time before somebody came up with the idea of advertising their situation on a wristband. Enter the "I Need a Job" wristbands.

"It's one more tool that you should be using besides everything else you're doing,"says Barbara Bourn.

Bourn, along with her friend Stephanie Aucoin started selling the wristbands in March for $3 each. Already the two Sarasota women have sold more than 6,000 and the demand continues to grow.

"It's a way to market yourself, 24 hours a day, everywhere you go," Bourn said.

Aucoin says she came up with the idea after joking to Bourn she was going to write on a t-shirt that she needed a job and stand by the street. But that idea eventually led to the wristbands and the women say it's already helping some people get noticed.

Bourn points to a woman in Atlanta who got a job after someone noticed her "I Need a Job" wristband while she was at a convenience store.

Both Aucoin and Bourn have been struggling in recent months, with Aucoin losing her job at an accounting firm in September and Bourn, an interior designer seeing her businesses steadily drop. But ironically, their marketing idea may just help the two survive the economy.

"Of course, we're not going to get rich but at least we're helping someone and maybe we'll make a profit in doing this," Aucoin said.

If you'd like to purchase one of the wristbands, visit the women's website: www.laidoffneedajob.com.