Why Spend Money to Make Money?
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"It takes money to make money."
How many times have you heard this in the course of your online money making career? Do I even need to ask that question? We all know that it's a common mantra that is used far too often. For me, it's almost nauseating to think that there are people out there who believe that this is a set-in-stone fact of life. There is no law (unwritten or otherwise) that says that you must spend any money in order to put cash into your pocket. Sure, investing in a plan can be a good thing, and there are plenty of ways to make your money work for you to put a nice fat wad of bills in the storage space on your right (or left) butt-cheek protector. But to believe the false statement that you MUST spend your cash to make money is an outright lie by someone who simply wants you to invest in THEIR program.
Are you serious? I think you are lying...
When I started this blog (about a year ago), my goals were simple: make some money without investing squat. To be fair, yes, I have purchased a couple of domain names, but really that's all I've spent in this whole venture. But I can tell you this: I earned the money I used for the domain names from this blog BEFORE I invested any of that on anything. That's right! I was able to make money online without investing one red cent! I'll be honest, it wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do, since I didn't know anything at all about what methods I would use to pull it off. I had no decent hosting, no domain name, and no clue about where to find programs to make money. That's when I decided to get sneaky and Google my way to the cash.
In the beginning...
I knew that no matter which method I used to make money, I would need a website or a blog. In the past, I had built several sites (none of which were very fancy, a couple of which were a touch on the darker side of the internet - no, not those kind...they were 'security sites') but after much consideration, I decided to give WordPress a spin, since I had been hearing great things about it. The problem was that I couldn't afford to pay for hosting, so I set up a blog on WordPress.com. I found that it was very easy to learn to use, and that I could get some really awesome looking designs for my blog without having to hack away at HTML all night (as I had become accustomed to doing). The problem, as I would soon find out, was that they didn't allow sponsored posts or many different forms of moneymaking.
Learning to adapt...
Well, crap. I had the blog, but I had no way (that I knew of) to make money without getting banned from WP. Then, as luck would have it, I noticed something on a few of the other blogs that I was reading that were also hosted on WP:
*this is a sp0_s0_ed post (or some variation of that text string)
That was a bit odd...why would they be changing up the words? Then, as the gears in my head figured it out, I realized that it was to HIDE the fact that they were getting paid while still indicating to their readers that it was a paid post. This is where the lightbulb appeared above my head.
I started checking the web for good programs that would pay me to make posts on my own site. The first two that I found were ReviewMe and PayPerPost - and I promptly signed up for both sites and patiently waited for that first paid post to come around. When I took the first offer, I made my post and used the obfuscation trick that I had seen, and submitted my post for approval.
It worked.
That was a cool feeling. But what would happen if WordPress.com caught on?
Eventually, I got to the point that I was thinking they wouldn't really care. I mean, they hadn't cared yet...so I decided to stop the obfuscation of the 'I make money with this post' stuff. Pretty soon, I received a warning asking me to remove the post.
What could I do? I was waiting to get paid...and I sure didn't want to lose my blog to the rules of WP. My old hacker nature got curious...I wonder if they check these posts by hand...so I re-wrote the disclosure, complete with obfuscated characters.
It worked again.
Wow. I mean, really...checking posts for compliance with a script? That's so free hosting-ish...
Armed with that little bit of knowledge, I proceeded to make paid posts on my WordPress.com blog...carefully.
Eventually I moved the blog to some better hosting that was donated by my brother in law, and then the whole ballgame evolved...which I will cover in another post!
Be sure to stay tuned to learn how I made even more money without investing a freaking cent!
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You Need Point of Sale Equipment
If you run a business, especially one that requires you to keep an inventory, you are going to want an easy way to keep tabs on all of your merchandise (even if your 'warehouse' is a room in the back of your house).
A simple way for you to keep track of your stuff is to pick up an inexpensive tool, such as a zebra ZM400-2001-0000T bar code label printer and a bar code scanner. Once you set these items up, you can use your computer to track all of your inventory with ease.
It sure beats hauling around a notepad, digging through piles of merchandise trying to figure out what needs to be reordered, which items are selling more, etc. Just sit back, open a cold Mountain Dew, and run the report from the comfort of your home office (or in my case, couch in the garage)!
This post is sponsored.
If you like these posts and want to stay in the loop, please subscribe to my RSS feed and follow me on Twitter. And if you really like this stuff, you can buy me a coffee! Oh, and if you like being an insider, be sure to join the mailing list...I never spam, but you will get some insider specials!
The Importance of Good Employee Relations
Low morale in the workplace can have a serious negative effect on the quality of work that your company puts out. Nothing can hurt your business quite like a group of disgruntled workers looking for ways to 'get you back' for some perceived wrong. There are several things one can do (or avoid doing) that can help you get along better with your employees, thereby making them more likely to enjoy being in your employ.
1.Be Hands On – Nobody likes having orders barked at them from some goon perched up on a catwalk. Many employees see this as a person who is on a 'power trip', not understanding the job that the subservient folks must carry out. When the employees see a supervisor willing to get his hands dirty and work alongside the employees, even if only for a short time once in a while, the employees will respect his/her ability to empathize with the workers that are the bread and butter of the company.
2.Be Friendly – When a supervisor visits with his employees during the work day, there is a sense of comeraderie built within the business. Taking a few minues to ask a worker how their day is going is a great way not only to build a rapport, but also to give the employee an opportunity to ask questions or bring up things that need to be brought to someone's attention. Naturally, if an employee feels comfortable with their supervisor, they are more likely to share information that may be left undisclosed, such as dangerous work conditions, etc.
3.Don't Be Too Friendly – While it is good to be friendly with your employees, showing too much of a buddy-buddy relationship can lead to accusations of Nepotism, whether or not it exists in reality. People have a tendency to become jealous when they see someone get a promotion, pay raise, etc. when they feel that they are just as deserving, but feel it is being given based on friendship.
4.Don't Treat People Like Idiots – Even if your employees are total morons, you need to allow them to keep their dignity in front of their co-workers. Embarrassing them by degrading them in front of customers, co-workers, etc. is a bad thing, and only creates resentment toward you and your company. Also, keep in mind that this is the age of the blogger, and a bad company image on a blog with even a few hundred subscribers can unleash havoc on your reputation. Don't assume that people are too stupid to be effective, and even if they are, show them respect.
5.Be Willing to Take Blame – Not everything that goes wrong in the workplace is an employee's fault. Sometimes (if not most), the blame must be directed towards the top. If you make a mistake as a supervisor, admit it and rectify the situation to the best of your ability. Don't blame the employees if it's not ultimately their fault. An employee that sees you admit your imperfections as a supervisor will respect you for being able to stand up and take the heat.
If you like these posts and want to stay in the loop, please subscribe to my RSS feed and follow me on Twitter. And if you really like this stuff, you can buy me a coffee! Oh, and if you like being an insider, be sure to join the mailing list...I never spam, but you will get some insider specials!
I Want My Weekends Back!
I'm on call again this weekend. I hate being held captive by the potential request for my time. Especially knowing that unless I have to go out of town, I won't be making enough to compensate for my lack of motivation.
So I'm sitting here on the couch in the garage, enjoying some strawberry Oreo cookies and a cold glass of milk, praying that the phone will just stop ringing. The catch? I get paid commission, so if I'm not working, I'm not making money. To make matters even more retarded, I'm spending money at this job that I wouldn't normally be spending for most other companies (i.e., my cell phone, vehicle lock-out kit, damages that inevitably happen to vehicles, etc.).
I'm working sporadically, not making enough to really make it, at a company with no room for a promotion, no hope for a future, and now, no cares about what I do.
It's an easy job, but I've already hit the burnout stage. I even applied for a computer-related job (since most of my working experience falls into the computer/customer service category), but since I've been out of it for a few years (mostly due to the Houston-area job market not paying people enough to do computer work and being unable to relocate to a better market), nobody wants to hire me.
I also have a commercial drivers license and some experience, but so many companies want you to be a graduate of a truck driving school. Screw that. I've got a clean record, and all the endorsements I need to make big bucks, AND enough experience to get in most places. The problem is I'd be away from home almost all of the time, let alone this site.
What's a person supposed to do when they get burned out? I need a better job. Now. Advice? Please?
If you like these posts and want to stay in the loop, please subscribe to my RSS feed and follow me on Twitter. And if you really like this stuff, you can buy me a coffee! Oh, and if you like being an insider, be sure to join the mailing list...I never spam, but you will get some insider specials!
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