Well this little project is beginning to come together. The goal is
clear: make some money! The tool bag is beginning to fill up. I’m
using Wordpress to do my blogging and I’ll probably bring online some
other Web 2.0 style tools to add more sophistication — but all in
good time.
Well not yet, but as always, I am working on it. Today I’m going to
talk about real estate.
The problem is, I don’t know a whole lot about real estate. Fortunately there are people who do, and you can find some of them at groups like the National Real Estate Investment Association (REIA) at
http://www.nationalreia.com. There is also the Georgia REIA, http://www.gareia.org, and Australia REIA
http://www.reiaustralia.com.au — you get the idea.
These groups exist to help fledgling real estate investors get support and advice from more seasoned investors. Most require membership fees to fully participate, but often these groups do a great job of bringing together educational resources and a variety of speakers. Seminars often cover a wide variety of important topics like legal issues, closings, inspections, lead finding, long-term real estate investments vs. “flipping”, finding financing etc. You also get the opportunity to network with like-minded individuals with whom you can share ideas and experiences. If you’re looking to make your fortune in real estate you owe it to yourself to lookup a local REIA group. Many have an occassional free meeting to encourage new membership. If nothing else it will help you appreciate the real estate investment process.
Yes we want to make money, but it doesn’t matter how much you rake in if you’re spending it too fast. We all want a simple secret to retiring rich, well here’s one: SAVE! “Pay yourself first” is sage advice given by many financial experts. Basically the idea is to make sure that EVERY paycheck you put some aside for savings and investment
for your future. The years go by faster than you think and the earlier you start saving the easier it will be to have a nice nest egg for your golden years. I wish I had started earlier.
You can learn a lot on the subject by visiting the website of one of the most wonderfully thrifty people on the planet, Clark Howard. For those who aren’t familiar with Clark, he is a syndicated radio personality who can tell you more about how to stretch a dollar, how to be smart with your money and how to avoid getting ripped offf than anyone else I know.
Sometimes the best opportunities exist in the company of others. I think the Internet is a prime example of this. As you may have noticed this site uses two (so far) tools made available by two of the largest and most successful Internet companies: Google and Amazon. The ads that you see on this site are here through the power of Google’s Adsense service. It is easy to use and it does a very nice job of adapting the content it presents to be appropriate for the site on which they are displayed. Likewise, the Amazon associate program is an easy to use affiliate marketing program that uses context-sensitive algorithms to make it easy to place relevant ads on your site. If you want to use the web to make money, you might want to check both of these programs out. However, having the tools is only half the battle. The most relevant ads in the world won’t earn you a dime unless someone visits your site, and the best way to get site visitors in any volume is to give those visitors a good reason to visit, AND a good reason to keep coming back. Great content works, but even not-quite-great content can have success if it is plentiful and updated frequently. That obviously takes discipline and work, as do most ways to really make money. The thing is it can be lonely for a long time, particularly in the beginning when you don’t know if anyone is reading your posts or if anyone really cares about what you are putting out there.
One potentially less lonely path is to get involved in a site where there is already a community. You won’t get to keep all the spoils of your hard work (the house will always take their cut), but you will get the benefit of other members of the community and their aggregate drawing power. One new site that has sprung up to fill this gap is Squidoo. It is the brainchild of Seth Godin who is a marketing guru and vital author of numerous books on marketing in the age of the Internet. I highly recommend his books.
I read an article on CNET today about selling domain names. I hadn’t thought about this topic for several years. Back around ‘97, ‘98 I remember hearing about some domains going for astronomical sums, and of course we all know how domain squatters have made it almost impossible to find a decent, reasonably short, domain name especially if you want a “.com” extension. Marketers and entrepreneurs these days often secure the domain name first and then name the product or company second. I wonder if the US Patent Office will ever move to officially link trademarks with domain names. We take for granted that big name brands will have simple domain names for their websites. It definitely creates a demand in the marketplace. It is certainly a highly speculative way to make money, but the cost of entry is very low. If you can think up a cool domain name that isn’t already taken, then you definitely have a chance to realize a profit on it. I think the key is to not fall in love with the names you secure and to be willing to sell for the price the market sets rather than the one set by the ego.
The article mentions two services that make it easier to sell domains: Afternic and TDNAM (short for The Domain Name AfterMarket). There are definitely others. Both sites offer appraisal services and I’m thinking of testing the waters witha couple of domain names that I’ve benn sitting on for a few years. They are leftovers from a couple of old business concepts that scrubbed for one reason or another. Maybe someone else can launch a cool business with them! I’ll report back here and let you know how it goes.
Trying to make money can make you a little crazy. Sometimes we’re so hungry for success that we are willing to overlook clues that might indicate that we are really getting caught in a scam. The payoff just sounds so appealing that we fall in love with the potential of an idea, process, or get-rich-quick scheme. Hey, who doesn’t want to get rich quick? It just sounds so good, so easy, so foolproof… Well unfortunately there are people out there who know that people have the desire to find an easy way to make a fortune, and they exploit that desire. It didn’t start with the Internet, some scams have been around for centuries, but the Internet certainly has its fair share of rip-off artists, cons, scam, pyramid schemes, etc. You need to be careful, and you need to remember that if something sounds too good to be true then it probably is too good to be true. However, one great thing about the Internet is that for every scammer out there, there is also a person fighting back. The great thing about the web is that anyone can publish. Folks who have been ripped-off tell people about it and by sharing their experiences they hope to help people from getting caught in the same scams. There are also self-appointed watchdogs who make it their mission to inform the public of known ripoffs and con games. I recently found one such site that you might want to bookmark: The Make Money Fast Hall of Humiliation. This site is dedicated to exposing and mocking scammers. The language on the site is sometimes strong, but the point is crystal clear. So once again, if you are tempted by a get rich plan that just seems a little too perfect, a little too easy, then you might just want to take a deep breath, cool your jets and do a little research before taking the plunge, ESPECIALLY if someone is asking you to spend your hard-earned money to learn a secret, get a formula, or otherwise find a shortcut to wealth.
Maybe I’m going about this the wrong way. Maybe wealth and security are just an elusive mirage on the net. Sometimes you have to deal with the hard cold facts of the real world. Yes, you can still make a buck by doing something tangible, something sloppy, dirty, messy and tangible. Just ask my plumber.
It has been a tough few days, water was backing up into the basement of my condo, and it didn’t smell nice. One of my neighbors was having the same problem. Fortunately the ordeal seems to be over, but it involved 3 plumbing companies, 4 trucks, hundreds of feet of rooter coil, the replacement of two industrial sized sump pumps and an extra guy just to dredge the standing water out of a massive tank under the sidewalk. All told someone took in about $7000 in revenue and that ain’t hay. So while you chart out your real estate empire, or sharpen your magic ad placement skills, you might want to think about picking up a trade and starting your own plumbing company. Unfortunately for me, I’m not good with my hands so tonight I’m just going to stare at the fresh gaping hole in my bank account while the last of the moisture evaporates away in my basement.
Well I got estimates on a handful of names and of course the estimates are lower than what I think the names are worth. I told myself that I would take the estimates at face value and put the names on the market and not become one of these sad cases that develops a big ego about what I think the names should go for and never ends up turning a profit. Acccording to the estimate I have come up with the right combination of timing, luck and cleverness to have a few names worth a couple of hundred bucks and one worth a couple of thousand. Unfortunately it just doesn’t feel like enough — sort of that same feeling like when you put some prized possession on sale at eBay and it sells, but not for nearly the price you thought it would or should. Oh well, I’m in no hurry so I can mull this over some more. I really should put at least a couple of them on the market to get familiar with the process. Maybe if they sell at close to or better than the estimate price I won’t feel so attached. I’m sure there is some entrepreneur out there who just buys and sells domains. It would take a lot of creativity, but I’m sure it is out there.
Electronic books, or ebooks as they are often called, are another Internet fad embraced by many who are looking to make money online. The advice is simple enough - find a subject area that people are interested in; then either write a book on the subject or purchase a resellable ebook on the topic. The rest is then a matter of site promotion, careful use of e-marketing tools and cultivating your customer base. There are several interesting articles on the topic. Here is a recent one from Daily India.
Believe it or not, the government wants to help you make money. No, really, they do. Think about it: the more money you make the more money you have to pay in taxes. It is what we in the money business call a win-win. Okay, I should point out for the benefit of any global citizens that might be reading this entry that this is a true-blue, stars and stripes forever, all-American blog. It is capitalism at its finest and Uncle Sam wants you… to make a buck. I don’t know about other governments, but here in the U.S.A. we have government agencies whose sole purpose is to help our citizens get smarter about money. You don’t believe me? Well just check out MyMoney.gov. They have information on all kinds of important topics from starting a business, to owning a home, to planning for retirement, and a whole lot more. They even have information en Espagnol, and a recently updated section for hurricane victims.
So you want to make money and control your own financial future? Well, why not start your own business? I would hazard to guess that Jeff and Rich Sloan would advise you to consider the possibility. And who wouldn’t trust the advice of a guy named “Rich” when it comes to making money? Seriously starting a business is probably both easier and harder than you might think, but one thing is for sure, they don’t start by themselves. If you want to learn more about being an entrepreneur, and you want to get excited and inspired about launching your owns startup, then you might want to read Jeff and Rich Sloan’s book, StartupNation. It is a very well-reviewed book and is loaded with useful insights and inspirations for the budding entrepreneur.
The first one might not be a mansion, but if you want to retire rich, you will have a much better shot at it if you own a home. Now owning multiple homes can be a lofty and inspiring vision - Who wouldn’t want to have a summer cottage on the coast of Maine, a ski chalet in Aspen, a penthouse apartment in New York, and a villa in Sorrento? I know I would, but you’ve got to start somewhere. And you’ve got to start! Look up the statistics, ask the experts, it is a hard cold fact that those who own a home have a significantly better retirement income on average than those who don’t. Will owning a home guarantee you a snug retirement nest egg? Unfortunately there are no guarantees, you still have to work hard, plan and save, but owning a home can be a step in the right direction.
For an interesting look at some data about wealth, retirement and the financial fitness of the typical American, check out this interesting article in BusinessWeek.
Since this site is all about making money and all about helping others do the same, I thought I would provide some commonly used keywords for searching on topics related to making money:
Make Money • IRS • Retire Rich • 401K • Save Money • Smart Investing • Financial Planning • Franchise Business • Entrepreneurs • Millionaires • Billionaires • Charitable Giving • Real Estate Investing • Mutual Fund • Stock Market • Wall Street • Dow Jones • NASDAQ • NYSE • Living Well
And let me set the record straight on this: When it comes to making money, I am no expert. I’m doing okay, but nothing to write home about. I’m here to learn and to share some of what I learn and some of the resources that I find along the way. Everyone has to follow their own path, but there are good guides out there. One name I trust when it comes to money is that venerable institution known as The Wall Street Journal. They are the heavyweights, the top guns, the no-nonsense team that keeps the financial world informed. We all know their wonderful newspaper, but they also put out books on all kinds of subjects that I think a reader fo this blog would find interesting. Here are a few:
Taxes! Nobody likes that word, but with April 15th just a month away it is time to wake up and smell the deductions. Being smart about your taxes won’t help you earn more, but it may help you keep more of what you earn. Not a bad idea. Of course one of the things that makes taxes so complicated is that the rules keep changing, and it is hard to keep up with the experts. Here is a good article from AM Online that recaps some of the new rules for this year: 2006 Tax Law.
You might also want to do your own taxes - there is great software available to guide you through the process. Two of the most popular are:
TaxCut 2005 Premium (non-tax states)
Here’s wishing you many happy returns! 
Owning your own business is the American dream, but it can be an intimidating dream for the fledgling entrepreneur. One way to limit the risk and benefit from the planning and experience of more seasoned business people is to purchase a franchise. Franchises vary considerably in startup costs and it is important that you do your homework to make sure that you are dealing with a reputable franchise vendor. Many cities host franchise fairs where representatives of many franchisors display their wares and can discuss their business models with you. Remember to watch out for high pressure sales tactics and don’t be afraid to ask even the most naive questions - this is your future we’re talking about. You should also seek out and talk to other franchise owners to learn about their real-world experiences launching and growing the same business that you are considering launching. A great place to start your homework is this guide from the Federal Trade Commission: A Consumer Guide to Buying a Franchise
I wish I could tell you I was the only one out here in cyberspace running a blog about trying to make money. If I were I would have tons of traffic on this site, and lots of ad revenue to go with it! Alas, I’m only just beginning and it will take some time before I build up my audience. Until the day when I can claim that this site is THE authoritative source on how to plan for your financial future, I strongly urge you to do some research on your own. In other words I’m not the only game in town, and it would be silly of me to pretend that I am, and silly of you if you don’t sift through a few other blogs to see how the info here compares with others. One site that I think is quite good, and seems to be poised for growth is Cyberwyre. They’ve recently added a couple of new authors, and frankly I hope to learn from their insights. But don’t worry, I’ll keep pointing you to sites that I hope are worth your time and that may give you the inspiration to achieve your dreams of financial security.
We all know that to make money you often need to invest money. Sometimes that money can be hard to come by, and sometimes an opportunity sounds SOOOO good that we are tempted to raise money in a hurry: credit cards, pawnshops, money lenders, title brokers. There are plenty of folks willing to lend money for some collateral and a fee, but the flimsier the collateral, the stiffer the fee. Sometimes your back might be against the wall and you have no choice, but growing your wealth is about being financially prudent. If you are contemplating borrowing money, you should ask yourself what you are borrowing it for: a new trinket, the latest gadget, a hot racing tip? If that’s the case then maybe you should think twice and try to save your money rather than go into more debt. On the other hand, if you are trying to raise money to obtain an asset - something that will increase in value, something that will pay a higher return than the interest on your loan, then you might be willing to consider a riskier strategy. Just remember, never risk what you can’t afford to lose, and if you do find yourself bringing your stamp collection to the nearest pawn broker then you might want to ask around to find out their reputation first. As always, research is your best friend. And where do you research information on the pawnshop industry? Where else, but the National Pawnbrokers Association.
Just a brief note on my taxes: I haven’t done them yet. Have you? I usually procrastinate, but I don’t usually cross over into April. I guess that’s a moot point this year.
Check one item off the procrastination list! That’s right I filed my taxes tonight - with almost two weeks to spare. I’ve even got a return coming! It ain’t much but maybe I can parlay it into a fortune with some savvy investing. Or maybe I’ll just mosey on down to the pawn broker and take a few items out of hock when the return check comes. Nah just kidding. Anyway Good luck with your filing!
I’m very excited… I just ordered a swanky new iMac: the 20inch model with the Intel Duo Core and a few improvements like 2gb of RAM and the upgraded graphics card. So what does this have to do with making money? Well that’s a fair question, and my answer is…. I honestly don’t know. I think sometimes you have to take a bold step to break yourself out of a rut. No doubt, one should not overextend one’s self, but I wouldn’t have ordered this computer if I didn’t think it would somehow make me more productive, and maybe a little more creative. Two important ingredients for success.
No money making today, just enjoying some beautiful weather, a little bit of Easter bunny chocolate, and some James Bond on Spike TV. Of course James Bond is my hero. I won’t call him a role model, because for one aspiring toward a well-healed and comfortable retirement, the british super-spy sets about as bad an example as you could possible find. He spends likes crazy, wears ridiculously expensive suits, and tends to blow up all of his appreciating assets. Oh but the style! On the other hand, an entrepreneur needs to be courageous, cunning, able to handle abrupt changes in circumstances and able to act decisively. Maybe not such a bad role model after all.
As I’ve mentioned before, starting your own business can be a shrewd move if you are looking to make some money. There are definitely risks and no business is foolproof, but there are also some serious benefits to having a profit motive. One that I haven’t mentioned before is the fact that you may be able to save some money at tax time if you own your own business. Many items that you may normally purchase may be declarable as legitimate business expenses. Keeping good records and receipts is very important, and you have to be able to show that you are running a legitimate business with the intent of making profits (starting a non-profit is a whole ‘nother animal), and seeking out the advice of a professional accountant and/or lawyer is never a bad idea. If you want to know more, here is a great article from MSN Money.
Quote for the day (maybe for the year):
“This is so simple it sounds stupid, but it is amazing how few oil people really understand that you only find oil if you drill wells. You may think you’re finding it when you’re drawing maps and studying logs, but you have to drill.” Source: The Hunters, by John Masters, Canadian O & G wildcatter
Planning is important, but so is doing. Inspiration can make the difference. I get inspired by folks like Tom Peters. Want to get revved up? Go to his web site, www.tompeters.com and download one of his powerpoint presentations. Read. Then go do something remarkable!
In case you haven’t noticed, it is my hope that this blog will generate a little income. That’s why there are ads from Amazon and Google, duh. I don’t actually expect this to be a huge money maker, but I’m hoping to net positive eventually. Emphasis on eventually.
Like most things in life, to mature takes time, and this blog still needs plenty of maturing. The style and tone are beginning to settle down, but I need to do a better job of categorizing and I absolutely need to post more frequently. Nothing makes a blog look lifeless like coming back a few days later and seeing that the same old post is at the top of the sheet. Just like you wouldn’t spend a lot on stale bread, I’m not going to earn your clicks with stale content.
So is it possible to make money from a blog? I think yes, but it is difficult and it requires a lot of care and dedication. The bigger question is can you make enough off a blog to support yourself? I’m not trying to do that (at least not yet), but there are some folks taking their best shot at it. Check out www.cyberwyre.com they’re all about making money and sharing info on how they go about it. Also check out John Gruber’s www.daringfireball.net - he just quit his job to dedicate all his time to being a fulltime professional blogger on the subject of Macs. Good luck John!
One last link today - an article from the venerable Wall Street Journal debating Can Bloggers Make Money? Happy reading.
I realized that the link I had to the Startup Nation press release was getting a bit stale so I decided to reuse that real estate on the Make-Money main page to feature books that have influenced me and that may be useful to my readers. The first is by Tom Peters. Check it out.
Thank goodness for computers and all the great software out there to help people get a handle on their finances. The number one way to get yourself on the road to financial freedom is to first understand where the money you have today is going. It can be a real eye-opener, and it is the foundation of good financial planning. Fortunately, it is also not nearly the chore that it used to be thanks to the plethora of great tools available for your home computer. Titles like Quicken, Money, Quickbooks, Quaranta and others are amazing for the power they can give an individual: what used to take an accounting team can now be done by one person. Here is a great article from Sci Tech Today giving a nice overview of some of the more popular packages: Use Your Computer To Retire Rich.
Save money, yadda yadda yadda - but how do you do it? Well one thing you can do is hunt for bargains, and there ain’t no bargain better than free. So if you’re looking for some free swag, and don’t mind squeezing your shampoo out of a mylar packet, you might want to check out Freebie Finder. This site from Absurdly Cool scours the Internet looking for free stuff and doing the best job it can of screening out trash and scams. Now if you really want to get ahead, every time you get something free start putting aside the money that you would have spent - you’ll be surprised how fast it can build up. Happy Savings!
There is an old saying, but it is a good one: “You get what you settle for”
Sometimes making more money is simply a matter of asking for it. Now timing and common sense are very important here. You don’t want to ask for a raise right after returning from a long vacation, unless you’re sure they were struggling without you. Don’t go storming into your manager’s office making demands if he or she is obviously in a bad mood. In fact, you should try to look as objectively as possible at the value you are bringing. This is hard, you have to put your ego in check. Write down 5 ways in which you bring value to the business that show you merit a raise — then write down 5 reasons why the company can’t afford it. How do they compare? You have to be prepared to make your case for the increase and be prepared for a negative answer. Have your contingency plan in mind.
Remember, all too often, if you don’t ask for it you won’t get it. It is not uncommon for a boss to not realize that you desire a raise, especially if you are doing a good job, he or she might just think you are content. Hey I said you have to have common sense - don’t necessarily expect it from your boss! 
More on the subject:
SoYouWanna: Ask for a raise?
eHow: How to Ask for a Raise
The Career Adviser: How to Ask for a Raise
You can make money playing video games. You just have to be able to play them really well. As for me, I enjoy a little Nintendo DS time, or a good puzzler on the PC like Myst, but I don’t have the thumb reflexes necessary to make it in the big leagues of Halo 2 so I’m going to have stick to more mundane approaches like saving, investing and entrepreneurship. For those of you who are younger and twitchier than myself, you may want to check out this article: Local teens hope to make money playing Halo 2. You know who you are.
The thing about the web is that there are lots of ideas, lots of opinions and plenty of people willing to share their insights and experience. I recently ran across one such person that I thought I would bring to your attention: The Dividend Guy. Basically this guy believes that the road to a healthy retirement is paved with stock certificates, but not just any stocks, strictly ones that pay dividends. It is a hard position to argue with since stocks that pay dividends tend to outperform the market, and oh by the way, they pay you to hold them. Check out the site, there is some great info and The Dividend Guyeven lets you see his portfolio so you can see which companies he was willing to bet his hard earned money on.
Happy Investing!
Sometimes in this crazy world, it’s just about who you know. After all your world-beating business plan, or universe-denting invention might go nowhere if you don’t have the right connections to build a great team and open the right doors. Almost any book on success will tell you it is important to build your network and strengthen your networking skills. It can be the key to finding the right job, or getting the big lead that helps you close that million-dollar deal. So here’s a link to a site that is all about making links, of the people sort. LinkedIn is an interesting tool for helping you build and manage your network. First off, the basic service is free, which as you know is my favorite flavor. You can place a profile online to let other members know what your skills are and what type of opportunities you are looking for, you can also invite contacts to link to you and share networks. That’s the cool part, every member of your network can potentially help you grow your network by sharing contacts, and vice versa. Check it out, chances are someone you know is already a member.
Is there any icon of youthful entrepreneurship more enduring than the classic lemonade stand? A few lemons, a little sugar, sunshine, and smiles and voila - the piggy bank is stuffed! Of course even a business plan as simple as a lemonade stand is not without its pitfalls: bad weather, poor location, neighborhood bullies - these can all hurt the bottom line. In fact just about every business issue is addressed in this microcosm: having adequate supply to keep up with customer demand, marketing and promotion, market timing, customer service, customer retention, having enough cups…good thing the kids don’t know how tough all of this stuff is! And that’s my point, it is possible to overthink even the simplest of business plans and overwhelm yourself to a state where you won’t get started for fear of the complexities that you might face. Every business plan needs scrutiny, but they all need action too.
Now lest you think a lemonade stand is an absurdly trivial example, let me tell you about a very special one: Alex’s Lemonade Stand. Alexandra Scott started her lemonade stand at the age of four with a very serious purpose. You see Alex was a victim of pediatric cancer and her lemonade stand was her means of helping to raise money to help fight childhood cancer. Alex, unfortunately has passed, but by the time she was 8 her stand had attracted sales and donations of over $900,000 for pediatric cancer research. Her legacy now lives on in the form of the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation which has raised over $5 million for childhood cancer research. Simply beginnings can lead to amazing ends that can truly touch people’s lives, especially if started with heart, drive and determination.
If you’re interested in money, then chances are that thoughts of gold have occasionally crossed your mind. I know for me the attraction for gold started as a kid watching pirate movies. I mean who wouldn’t want to find a buried treasure chest filled with gold dubloons? Of course the vault scene in Goldfinger with all those golden bricks didn’t hurt either. Gold has fascinated humans for eons, including many investors (yes they’re human too), but like all investing knowledge and timing are critical to success. So if you’ve got gold on the brain, I suggest you do your homework. An interesting place to start is Goldseek a website specializing in information on gold and other precious metals like silver and platinum.
They call it Swing Trading, I call it confusing. Seriously, this stuff is over my head, but if you can understand articles like this one - How to make money off opening gap reversals — then you probably don’t need to be reading this site, but thanks for stopping by.
So what do you do when you make some money? When you’re feeling flush? When you’re in the pink? You spend it of course! Well you SHOULD save it, but my new favorite place to spend it is at Kokopink. You see my girlfriend likes the color pink. Actually, she loves the color pink! If she could only take one color to a desert island it would be pink.
Kokopink is all about pink. They sell pink jewelry, pink clothing, pink electronics, pink kitchenware, even pink Nintendos. So where does all this pink goodness come from? Well from Amazon of course. The site is actually a storefront that uses Amazon’s associate program. All purchases are really just a referred sale to Amazon, the price is the same to the consumer, but the value comes in the niche. If you’re a pink-a-holic it is a lot easier to find what you want at Kokopink than surfing through the whole amazon catalog. Maybe you should open your own ecommerce affiliate store. The competition is tough, but the investment is low. If you find the right angle you might be able to make a little side income.
Well there is more than one way to make a buck out there, and it looks like satire might be one of them. To understand what I’m talking about you have to check out Lasik@home. First off, the site is hilarious, but it is also a clever bit of marketing if you look at it as a site intended to promote ad revenue. Think about it this way - because the site is funny, weird, and has that slight feeling of “it just might be real” a lot of people are spreading the url around to friends so they can check it out too and share a laugh - basic viral marketing. But notice, the site sports Google Adsense ads, which of course are contextually relevant so they are therefore ads for legit Lasik Surgery practices. These are generally fairly premium ads with price-per-click going as high as $59 or more according to some sources, although average cost per click is probably much lower. Anyone stumbling on the site looking for legitimate Lasik is highly likely click on one of those ads, a nice bonus for making a cool tongue-in-cheek website.
Bob Parsons that is. You know the big daddy behind Go Daddy, the Internet’s largest domain registration site. Well Bob is an entrepreneur, a true self-made man. From humble beginnings he has worked his butt off to build a web phenomenon. On his blog today he shares the 16 rules that he tries to live by and that he feels have been a large part of his success. Check it out, great stuff.
If you read this blog, then you are probably a bargain hunter. Saving money and making money just seem to go hand in hand. So without further ado, here is a very cool website for the frugal: www.DealsPl.us. It combines bargain shopping with a Digg-like ability for the community to rate bargains.
Sometimes the smart way to make money is to be a little dumb. That is if dumb means listening to yourself when others might scoff at your idea. Hey you’ll probably go down the tubes, but just maybe you’ll hit big like the folks on this list: Top 10 Dumbest Online Business Ideas That Made It Big Time.
If you’re a make-money reader, then chances are you got your first taste for wheeling and dealing the same way I did: playing Monopoly(TM). There is just no other game that captures the imagination and pulls you into the thrill of the deal at such a young age. But even something as traditional as Monopoly must eventual move with the times - innovate or get out of the way as they say - and Monopoly chose to innovate by dropping the cash and adopting a charge card for players to make their payments — the world may never be the same again.
Sometimes we like to take short cuts and skimp on the details, but if you want to stand out in this world you just can’t afford to cut corners when it comes to design and brand strategy. Great companies know this and they put a lot of time and effort into creating and protecting the symbols and stories that communicate their brand. Don’t believe me? Ever heard of a little company called Coca-Cola? Would you recognize their glass bottle even if it didn’t have a label? Of course you would, and it is no accident. It is smart design and a commitment to building a visual language for the brand.
I recently began a project that needed the right touch and I found that going to a smart, creative team of experts made all the difference in clarifying my market positioning and giving me an elegant and highly usable site design. Kudos to Propel Creative. Thanks for the great work!
I’ve decided to experiment with putting a few domains for sale. I’ve had these for a while, but never got around to building the projects that went with the names. Here’s some links to the listings:
bridgelogic.net
ruderings.com
ruderingtones.com
versalan.com
Have you ever sold a domain? How did it go? Did you get an appraisal? Was it accurate?
