Sunday, January 16, 2011
The Right Mental Attitude
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Building Personal Brand Within the Social Media Landscape
Need advice on Social Media skills and building your Personal Brand? Gary Vaynerchuk has some definite ideas about both and is very impassioned, if unorthodox, when speaking about them. I had heard of him some time ago but had never watched one of his video presentations until yesterday when I ran across the link for the video immediately following. For those who cannot get around his abundant use of "adult language" please do not view any of the videos posted below. I have also posted links to his book, Crush It! and the Kindle version of the same title. At the time of this writing, the book has a user rating of 4.5 stars with 485 customer reviews. That's pretty good by anybody's standards and I am really looking forward to reading Crush It! myself.
Gary Vaynerchuk (born November 14, 1975, in Babruysk, U.S.S.R., presently Belarus) is a video blogger, co-owner and director of operations of a wine retail store, and an author and public speaker on the subjects of social media, brand building and e-commerce. Vaynerchuk immigrated to the U.S. in 1978, and after graduating from Mount Ida College in Newton, MA, transformed his father's Springfield, NJ liquor store into the large scale retail wine store named Wine Library, and in 2006 started the video blog Wine Library TV, a daily internet webcast on the subject of wine, which launched his career of internet celebrity. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
More at Wikipedia Website
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
The Future Belongs To Those Who Prepare For It
What are you currently doing to prepare for your future? As crazy as this sounds, many people simply do not have a plan!
The late Jim Rohn, famous author and motivator, recounted the following conversation with J. Earl Shoaff, "Shortly after I met my mentor he asked me, 'Mr. Rohn, how much money have you saved and invested over the last six years?' And I said, 'None.' He then asked, 'Who sold you on that plan?' I remember saying to him, 'If I had more money, I would have a better plan.' He quickly responded, 'I would suggest that if you had a better plan, you would have more money.' You see, it’s not the amount that counts; it’s the plan that counts."
Another of Mr. Rohn's favorite sayings about planning is: “If you were to show me your current financial plan, would I get so excited by it that I would go across the country and lecture on it? If the answer is no, then here’s my question: “Why not”? Why wouldn’t you have a superior financial plan that is taking you to the places you want to go?”
Studies show that those with written plans and goals achieve far more than those who don't. It doesn't need to be fancy or elaborate to work ~ it just needs to be written down.
My wife and I floated through life for 25 years just accepting whatever life sent our way and getting nowhere. Once we started writing down our goals and plans we started moving toward financial independence. Most of our plans and goals are so simple several can be written on a 3x5 card. It's NOT rocket science but it does need to be done! Define your goals and plans and WRITE THEM DOWN!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Spice up your mobile phone for only $16.49 and create unlimited free ringtones.
Here's a simple, easy-to-learn software application I am using to create a library of ringtones to sell (one of my many muses). The company offers a free trial version (with an audio "watermark") that can later be licensed for $16.49 to obtain full use of the software or you can do like I did and go straight to the full licensed download. The company accepts payment via debit/credit card OR Paypal. I used the Paypal option and payment and download were accomplished in a matter of minutes.
The Ringtone Maker is a desktop application that allows you to use any of your personal songs or youtube videos, customize it and have it on your mobile phone as a ringtone or store it in memory to access at a later time. The Ringtone Maker is compatible with phones from: Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and many more. Over 1,700 mobile phones are supported and most of the major carriers.
"The Ringtone Maker software is just that: an unlimited, unrestricted editor to create a 5-30 sec customized ringtone from MP3, WMA, WAV, Audio CD and OGG files. You select the music file, edit it, and then download it to your phone. There is a graph of the song to help you choose the right segment you want. Plus, now TRM allows you to make customized wallpapers from images on your computer and choose from over 2,000 pre-made true tone ringtone sounds, wallpapers, polyphonic ringtones and animations.
The Ringtone Maker works in the US plus more than 65 countries and with most mobile phones that support real music ringtones and have Internet service through its carrier.
No cables required, but you CAN download the ringtones and wallpapers from your PC to cell phone via cable, Bluetooth, or infrared. Unlimited access, no subscriptions or hidden fees; make dozens, 100s, 1000s of ringtones for every friend, family member, occasion, or mood and never pay for another ringtone." From Ringtone Maker web site
Your phone needs to accept truetone ringtones (aac, mp3, amr, mmf, qcp)
Your phone needs to be internet (wap) enabled, OR
You must be able to transfer files from your PC to your phone via one of the following connections: cable, infrared or bluetooth
To be sure of your phone's and mobile network provider's compatibility, please test your phone first. Just use the banner below to check for phone compatibility or access the download area. It is quick and easy to confirm compatibility and took me less than 30 seconds.
Minimum hardware
IBM® or compatible PC with at least a Pentium 233 MHz processor; Pentium 500MHz or greater recommended
32 MB RAM memory; 64 MB RAM or higher recommended; a minimum of 64 MB required for Windows 2000 and XP, and 128 MB RAM is recommended for XP
10 MB hard drive space
Internet connection
Minimum software
Microsoft® Windows 2000/Me/XP or NT 4.0; Windows XP recommended
Microsoft® Internet Explorer (MSIE) version 5.5 or higher
Spice up your mobile phone for only $16.49 and create unlimited free ringtones!
Adobe Photoshop Special for our readers ~ Expires 1/5/11
Save $50 on Adobe Photoshop CS5! Hurry! Expires 1/5/11.
Low Cost Travel Lodging - Part 2
Vacation Rentals
The first I heard about this concept was from a brother-in-law after he returned from a week's stay at his cousin's vacation place in Florida. His stay was free but he told me he had heard some people with second homes in Florida rent them out to tourists, mostly by the week, for far less than a standard hotel or motel fee but for far more than ordinary rent would provide.
Intrigued, I did a few searches on the internet and, sure enough, there were listings for vacation rentals at a considerable savings over what I had last paid for motels in the same areas.
Fast forward about five years and I went into a co-worker's office to discuss a contract and observed a photo of her and her husband in obvious vacation mode with ruggedly beautiful scenery in the backgound. I commented on the photo and she casually mentioned they had stayed in a VRBO in Alaska (pronounced "verboh"). I asked her, "What the heck is a verboh?", thinking it must be some sort of camper I had never heard of of. "Vacation Rentals by Owner" was her reply and she went on to explain how it worked, where to find it on the web and what a great deal they had gotten on their rental.
After browsing around the VRBO site I have vowed to always check there first before I look for discount hotel / motel lodging when I travel. The added privacy, convenience and cost-savings alone make these potentially great deals but when you throw in that many vacation rentals don't charge extra per person, are pet friendly and are significantly larger than most hotel / motel rooms, families or other large groups can travel more comfortably, even for extended durations. Many of the rentals that appealed to me were also located close to many of the activities I had planned and afford walking opportunities.
VRBO.com and VacationRentals.com are both owned by HomeAway.com with slightly different focus and layout. Check them both out before you travel. You might just be surprised at the accomodations and pricing.
VRBO® is Vacation Rentals by Owner
"About VRBO: Established in 1995, we've been in the vacation rental business for over 14 years. In fact, VRBO was founded by vacation rental owners who self-manage their second homes, like many of you do. We provide an online space for homeowners to advertise their vacation properties and make it easy for travelers to search 150,000+ rentals in over 100 countries worldwide." from VRBO.com
VacationRentals.com
"VacationRentals.com is the leading online source for finding vacation rental properties with discounted rates and last-minute deals. Featuring more than 35,000 vacation rentals ranging from Florida beach houses to European villas, VacationRentals.com connects travelers seeking the space, value and amenities of vacation rentals with homeowners looking to rent out their vacation properties. The company was founded in 1997 and acquired by HomeAway, Inc. in May 2007." from VacationRentals.com
Want to put your own second home into vacation rentals but not sure where to start? Thinking about putting some of your investment dollars into vacation rental properties? Check out these books at Amazon.com for more information:
Lay My Hat
"Lay My Hat is a unique resource for holiday rental home-owners, by holiday rental owners - it's full of free advice, ideas and discussions on what we all want in life...more bookings. The idea behind Lay My Hat is that between us we must know everything there is to know about renting holiday properties - it's just a question of getting together to discuss it.
On this site you can ask for help from your fellow owners, or share your know-how with them, because you’re not alone – there are many people in your situation, including me!" from laymyhat.com